Great video! You will be fine this winter, I lived in a trailer for 8 years with only a wood stove and burning soft wood too. You will be fine especially with the propane back up. Life's an experience and it's these lessons that make us who we are! Keep up the good work.
Good Morning fellow Canadian! I live in a renovated "Atco" trailer (NOT Atco made!) You're going to want to beef up all the insulation. Skirt both trailers as well. With the water tank storage, the trailer isn't sturdy enough to handle that much weight on one side. You're going to want those water totes over the Axles or smack dab in the middle of the trailer with added blocking underneath to support the weight. The best way to get the totes in is through that wall. It's never going to be a travel trailer again, so it's fine to just build a "normal" wall once you get them in. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just needs to work. Best of luck to you!
We all have our decisions to make but you will see why I always build my garage first then you have warm and dry place to survive. You will need to feed that wood stove 5-8 times a day with that black spruce firewood. Best of luck
It would be nice if I could do that. But unfortunately, when working with a limited budget, we have to work with what we have. Thank you for the suggestion, and thank you for watching.
@@OffGridWithGinaThi I am sure you will be ok just have a good backup plan. The water in the tanks should help keep it warm after they get heated up from the fire.
🙏 for you. Mainly those water totes. Have you insulated under your trailers? If not, you might wanna think about that and wrapping those pipes real good … you should be fine. My house burned - electrical fire middle of the night 😯😳 within 2 hours GONE!! POINT- I brought in a 1964 Glendale Falcon - and did it for doing my gardens, yard maintenance, my husky was in heet ( my son has two males and gets quite noisy ) Suppose to be for the summer BUT this little homestead has been home for 40 years AND it’s my 3rd year living full time in my little camper. It’s NOT hard to heat 😊🥰 I’m on the NB/NS border and we have ( Tantramar marsh winds ) lots of brutal cold temps. The one thing I do though- is lug water. THAT kept it from freezing up on me. All the BEST. 🙏 My tip is LOTS OF BLANKETS 😄.
I truly wish you the best! However i really have my doubts about your family staying warm this winter in this trailer. You better have a huge supply of dry firewood. You might consider placing cement blocks behind and on the sides of your wood stove. This will soak up heat and help radiate heat when your fire dies down! If you have plumbing underneath you better figure out to force some warm air on the plumbing! Good luck!!!
Great advice! I also plan on having 2 huge water totes that might work as a thermal battery.... and for those really cold days, we do have family close by that we can stay with in case it gets too cold. Thank you for watching.
Yeah I’d say Open the front wall and put totes in then just build a normal straight wall , save the outside tin to cover the wall once you build it , as for weight the tote full will be a lot of weight , but long as you block it up under and reinforce floor should be okay , make sure with insulate well around the water totes and leave a air gap around the totes , don’t put tight to wall , make sure to insulate the trailer well the floor roof and walls , and make air tight , also more windows you insulate over the better , as they are a huge heat loss , as I converted a camper for ice fishing in Canada , and can say when fire goes out they cool off fast , without good insulation ,
I also think about domes while watching you. Even for myself if I could do it. Igloos are Aero dynamic. They use simple domes in the north even for gardens. Why not over your trailer? I bet you could make it yourself. Blessings 🙏💞
We actually went glamping in a dome. We loved it. I'm just hoping to get my cabin built soon, so this setup won't be for too long, hopefully. Thank you for watching
All ideas a good ideas until there not.. I have seen people on Utube actually insulate ( rigid foam board.) and cover the outside of trailers with live edge lumber to help with keeping the inside warm,as well as insulating the inside as and any extra warmth where you guys live and winter on it's way is I think worth looking at in my opinion..
I'm hoping that by running a big wood stove 24 hours, we might be able to stay somewhat warm. But if It gets too cold, I'll probably try something like that. Thank you for watching.
Tell ya what.. those diesel heaters are sweet. Bought a new one with a remote for the outhouse, because this in my opinion is the hardest thing about winter in a camper.. it’s just hell when ya can’t see straight, havnt finished the coffee and you need to use a thousand below zero outhouse in a 600 mile an hour wind. 😂😂😂
Wouldn't a small shipping container be easier to fit all the utilities inside? That way you can move it around once you finish your house in the final spot?
Initially, I wanted to get a shipping container.. but the cost with delivery would be over $5000 cad. So this was a cheaper option. But the container would definitely be easier.
You're far from the only one with a trailer that has leaking and mould problems. I've read horror stories about Americans who bought $250,000 trailers only to end up with the same problem after a few years. They're built cheaply, even the pricey ones.
@@OffGridWithGinaThi Good luck with that. If you decide to re-assemble the trailer you're converting, that process would make for a decent playlist - especially if you rebuild it better than the factory model (i.e., strengthen it.)
I enclosed a 600gal low profile water tank under the hitch. I should have dug out the area first and use 2 of those 4ft totes cos the tank was $1600cad. My 100% ac powered 5th wheel last year a low of -33c, the 80cfm from a floor vent I send to the basement kept the water tank at a low of +.7c, humidity never went above 45% in the living space. Today added a 170w waterproof under carpet heater to the basement, its -2 outside now, the heater added .4c past 90 mins 16.9 to 17.3, looks like .2 c added to my space, 19 to 19.2C being such a low watt heater it could take 24hrs to get up to temp, upon further inspection I found some huge air leaks between 1st and 2nd layer, my fault poor sealing after adding another 24kw, and next few days adding a 3rd layer, and possibly a 4th layer just on the roof. So with the insulation sealed and adding more layers, a new 10kw inverter and added pv4 a 3.3kw for a 12.6kw PV total it should be another winter in shorts. Looks like the totes should go through the front while repairing, I would frame a brace before removing the rot. You could put the totes side by side 30cm apart on an extra insulated floor then dbl wrap it in reflectix, no need to heat the whole trailer. Home Hardware sells the Honeywell 170w heater in a small space it won't freeze, on the floor between the 2 tanks, with this method you could put the tanks outside your main space.
I did minus 20 and sometimes -30 in a trailer with one inch styrofoam on the ceiling and walls and a tiny Grizzly stove, I would have went with something a little bigger because I had to fill it every hour... P.S. I had power and a small 1000 watt heater that kept it at 40 and I had no water...
Leviticus 26:13 King James Version 13 I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright. Gods blessings over you .
You need to build a proper shelter 😊 your water will freeze . I would have left the camper alone and used it for visitors or for the kids . I think you made a poor decision but it’s your choice . Good luck !
@@OffGridWithGinaThi honestly I commented before I even finished the video. Good thing you did tear it out though, because you found mold in the walls by the window . I hope everything works out for you and the family. I’ll be watching to see your progress . Keep trying and never give up !
I dont no, been watching your vidieos for some time and I see you constantly wasting your time and energy all the time. Many years ago my wife and I and three kids just one day went off grid, We had the grand some total of 15000. dollars. We went to work and built ourselves a small 900 sq foot home on peers in one month . We installed a cook stove and moved in before the month was up. We worked away over the winter and finished the inteour , we had no running water or electricity we certainly didnt have 500 gallon totes. We had 5 gallon jugs and learned to have sponge baths and not to waste water. We lived that way for over 15 years, then we had saved enough money to build a little larger home, we turned the other house into a guest cabin. We still live this way 45 years latter no running water or eleticity . You need to think things through a little better cause what I see is your going in circles all the time. I see a constant waste of money and time.
@dog_guy-c8x It's all about perspective... I can look at your comment and think "wow 15 years off grid and he doesn't have running water? What a waste of time" or I could look at your comment and think " 15 years off grid and he had other priorities that weren't mine... perhaps a different journey and needs that we might have thought was a must but for them it wasn't" good job for you and your family on putting what you thought was a priority. In the long run, having running water will save us time when we have our garden etc. Although we've had our land for over a year ... We've been a total of 8 months on our land (on and off) and we are happy with the progress and things we've learned and definitely will put what we think is a priority although others might not think so. Because for us to continue this journey and enjoy it, we have to do what's best for our family, and that might look like a waste of time for others. Ps: Running water and electricity is a must for me lol but I can see how some people might think it's a waste of time, and that's okay. Thanks for watching and take care! - Gina
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Great video! You will be fine this winter, I lived in a trailer for 8 years with only a wood stove and burning soft wood too. You will be fine especially with the propane back up. Life's an experience and it's these lessons that make us who we are! Keep up the good work.
Thank you for the encouraging words, friend. All the best to you!
Your boy is smart. Saved you a lot of time and money
Good Morning fellow Canadian! I live in a renovated "Atco" trailer (NOT Atco made!) You're going to want to beef up all the insulation. Skirt both trailers as well. With the water tank storage, the trailer isn't sturdy enough to handle that much weight on one side. You're going to want those water totes over the Axles or smack dab in the middle of the trailer with added blocking underneath to support the weight. The best way to get the totes in is through that wall. It's never going to be a travel trailer again, so it's fine to just build a "normal" wall once you get them in. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just needs to work. Best of luck to you!
I was think that two. Water at one end is way to heavy.
Vice advice. Hello from Norway.
Thank you for the advice. Thanks for watching, and all the best to you.
My plan is to add support from the ground to the bottom of the trailler frame to support the weight. Thank you for the tip. All the best
Loved the video and the real life moments in between!
Thank you!
19:13
Thi is stronger than a hurricane! Tearing the walls on down!
🤣😂🤣 I wish!
Great video!! Max & Blue are too cute!! Loved this video
Just found your channel. Really enjoyed what I've seen so far.
Glad you like it! Welcome aboard!
We all have our decisions to make but you will see why I always build my garage first then you have warm and dry place to survive. You will need to feed that wood stove 5-8 times a day with that black spruce firewood. Best of luck
It would be nice if I could do that. But unfortunately, when working with a limited budget, we have to work with what we have. Thank you for the suggestion, and thank you for watching.
@@OffGridWithGinaThi I am sure you will be ok just have a good backup plan. The water in the tanks should help keep it warm after they get heated up from the fire.
I have heard that putting steel wool in holes will stop mice etc. Never tried it but worth a try!
Yes. I have used steel wool for years on my garage are. No mice..
Once I start my cabin, I think I'll use a combination of steel wool and sprayfoam to close the big gaps. Thanks for watching.
Dogs, they’re just so comical and wonderful.
They are really funny and keep us entertained for sure. The best helpers!!
Hey guys!
I can’t wait to see the innovations! 😊
We're excited as well. It will be nice having some extra space.
This is gonna be cool
🙏 for you. Mainly those water totes. Have you insulated under your trailers? If not, you might wanna think about that and wrapping those pipes real good … you should be fine. My house burned - electrical fire middle of the night 😯😳 within 2 hours GONE!! POINT- I brought in a 1964 Glendale Falcon - and did it for doing my gardens, yard maintenance, my husky was in heet ( my son has two males and gets quite noisy ) Suppose to be for the summer BUT this little homestead has been home for 40 years AND it’s my 3rd year living full time in my little camper. It’s NOT hard to heat 😊🥰 I’m on the NB/NS border and we have ( Tantramar marsh winds ) lots of brutal cold temps. The one thing I do though- is lug water. THAT kept it from freezing up on me. All the BEST. 🙏 My tip is LOTS OF BLANKETS 😄.
We r watching you from Romania ! We r living the same way, in the middle of the forest ! And we r taking advice's from you to ! :)
Put 2 doors that open opposite and a removeable door jam between. Only open both when needed.
Thank you for the suggestion. I think I will probably go that route.
I truly wish you the best! However i really have my doubts about your family staying warm this winter in this trailer. You better have a huge supply of dry firewood. You might consider placing cement blocks behind and on the sides of your wood stove. This will soak up heat and help radiate heat when your fire dies down! If you have plumbing underneath you better figure out to force some warm air on the plumbing! Good luck!!!
Great advice! I also plan on having 2 huge water totes that might work as a thermal battery.... and for those really cold days, we do have family close by that we can stay with in case it gets too cold. Thank you for watching.
Yeah I’d say Open the front wall and put totes in then just build a normal straight wall , save the outside tin to cover the wall once you build it , as for weight the tote full will be a lot of weight , but long as you block it up under and reinforce floor should be okay , make sure with insulate well around the water totes and leave a air gap around the totes , don’t put tight to wall , make sure to insulate the trailer well the floor roof and walls , and make air tight , also more windows you insulate over the better , as they are a huge heat loss , as I converted a camper for ice fishing in Canada , and can say when fire goes out they cool off fast , without good insulation ,
Thank you for the great advice! Thanks for watching!
Good idea to tear the front out to get the water tanks in there. You don't need a window there.
Thank you for the tip and for watching.
I would put an insulated skirting around it.
Last year, I used straw to skirt the rv. This year, I might use foam board or reflective foil buble wrap.
I also think about domes while watching you. Even for myself if I could do it. Igloos are Aero dynamic. They use simple domes in the north even for gardens. Why not over your trailer? I bet you could make it yourself. Blessings 🙏💞
We actually went glamping in a dome. We loved it. I'm just hoping to get my cabin built soon, so this setup won't be for too long, hopefully. Thank you for watching
I suggest bring it closer to the house. Insulate the floor and roof to keep heat in longer. the original insulation is horrible.
Thank you for the suggestion, and thank you for watching.
All ideas a good ideas until there not.. I have seen people on Utube actually insulate ( rigid foam board.) and cover the outside of trailers with live edge lumber to help with keeping the inside warm,as well as insulating the inside as and any extra warmth where you guys live and winter on it's way is I think worth looking at in my opinion..
I'm hoping that by running a big wood stove 24 hours, we might be able to stay somewhat warm. But if It gets too cold, I'll probably try something like that. Thank you for watching.
Don't forget. One gallon of water weighs 10 pounds. So you bettet build some support under them!
That's for sure. I still have to inspect the bottom frame and add some support to the bottom of the frame.
❤
Tell ya what.. those diesel heaters are sweet. Bought a new one with a remote for the outhouse, because this in my opinion is the hardest thing about winter in a camper.. it’s just hell when ya can’t see straight, havnt finished the coffee and you need to use a thousand below zero outhouse in a 600 mile an hour wind. 😂😂😂
😂😂😂
24:30
Hey Thi, what music do you listen to, while you work?
I like listening to podcasts on current events... at times, it might be too distracting... 😅
Such a Beautiful ❤️ Family
Even the Dogs
Ginger L USA ALABAMA
Hi Ginger! Thank you!@
Would love to come out and film with you guys! Great videos!
Hey! Thanks! Maybe in the future :) take care!
Wouldn't a small shipping container be easier to fit all the utilities inside? That way you can move it around once you finish your house in the final spot?
Initially, I wanted to get a shipping container.. but the cost with delivery would be over $5000 cad. So this was a cheaper option. But the container would definitely be easier.
You're far from the only one with a trailer that has leaking and mould problems. I've read horror stories about Americans who bought $250,000 trailers only to end up with the same problem after a few years. They're built cheaply, even the pricey ones.
For sure. I hope I can have my cabin built soon. We miss having a house, but we have to make some sacrifices right now.
@@OffGridWithGinaThi Good luck with that.
If you decide to re-assemble the trailer you're converting, that process would make for a decent playlist - especially if you rebuild it better than the factory model (i.e., strengthen it.)
I enclosed a 600gal low profile water tank under the hitch. I should have dug out the area first and use 2 of those 4ft totes cos the tank was $1600cad. My 100% ac powered 5th wheel last year a low of -33c, the 80cfm from a floor vent I send to the basement kept the water tank at a low of +.7c, humidity never went above 45% in the living space. Today added a 170w waterproof under carpet heater to the basement, its -2 outside now, the heater added .4c past 90 mins 16.9 to 17.3, looks like .2 c added to my space, 19 to 19.2C being such a low watt heater it could take 24hrs to get up to temp, upon further inspection I found some huge air leaks between 1st and 2nd layer, my fault poor sealing after adding another 24kw, and next few days adding a 3rd layer, and possibly a 4th layer just on the roof. So with the insulation sealed and adding more layers, a new 10kw inverter and added pv4 a 3.3kw for a 12.6kw PV total it should be another winter in shorts. Looks like the totes should go through the front while repairing, I would frame a brace before removing the rot. You could put the totes side by side 30cm apart on an extra insulated floor then dbl wrap it in reflectix, no need to heat the whole trailer. Home Hardware sells the Honeywell 170w heater in a small space it won't freeze, on the floor between the 2 tanks, with this method you could put the tanks outside your main space.
A lot of good ideas. Thank you for the suggestion. And thank you for watching.
73 inches tall by 60 iches wide if you get an RV patio door.
Thank you for the suggestion, I'll try finding one. All the best!
Nice video, question, you didn't have space to leave the washroom? Was wondering if having a second washroom was not a good idea. Good luck!
It would be nice having another bathroom. But that is where I'm planning to put my dryer and washing machine. Thank you for watching.
2 years in northern Wisconsin in a camper… all good, easy Pezy, nothing to it.
It has its challenges, but we do what we gotta do. Thank you for watching.
very very rarely gets that cold now!
Where do you live ?
Was thinking the same thing, Florida??
Its a tin can w paper walls. Do you have any idea how cold it will be?
I did minus 20 and sometimes -30 in a trailer with one inch styrofoam on the ceiling and walls and a tiny Grizzly stove, I would have went with something a little bigger because I had to fill it every hour... P.S. I had power and a small 1000 watt heater that kept it at 40 and I had no water...
I'm about to find out. 😅 thank you for watching.
Thank you for watching. I got a big wood stove. Hopefully, that will help.
Leviticus 26:13
King James Version
13 I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright. Gods blessings over you .
@@Revelation22-13 amen! Thank you! God bless ❤️
You need to build a proper shelter 😊 your water will freeze . I would have left the camper alone and used it for visitors or for the kids . I think you made a poor decision but it’s your choice . Good luck !
We'll see. Stick around so you don't miss it 🥶🤣
@@OffGridWithGinaThi honestly I commented before I even finished the video. Good thing you did tear it out though, because you found mold in the walls by the window . I hope everything works out for you and the family. I’ll be watching to see your progress . Keep trying and never give up !
@@justmestephanie1269 we so appreciate it! And your idea for visitors is definitely something we will do in the future! Thanks again 🙏☺️
I dont no, been watching your vidieos for some time and I see you constantly wasting your time and energy all the time. Many years ago my wife and I and three kids just one day went off grid, We had the grand some total of 15000. dollars. We went to work and built ourselves a small 900 sq foot home on peers in one month . We installed a cook stove and moved in before the month was up. We worked away over the winter and finished the inteour , we had no running water or electricity we certainly didnt have 500 gallon totes. We had 5 gallon jugs and learned to have sponge baths and not to waste water. We lived that way for over 15 years, then we had saved enough money to build a little larger home, we turned the other house into a guest cabin. We still live this way 45 years latter no running water or eleticity . You need to think things through a little better cause what I see is your going in circles all the time. I see a constant waste of money and time.
@dog_guy-c8x It's all about perspective... I can look at your comment and think "wow 15 years off grid and he doesn't have running water? What a waste of time" or I could look at your comment and think " 15 years off grid and he had other priorities that weren't mine... perhaps a different journey and needs that we might have thought was a must but for them it wasn't" good job for you and your family on putting what you thought was a priority. In the long run, having running water will save us time when we have our garden etc. Although we've had our land for over a year ... We've been a total of 8 months on our land (on and off) and we are happy with the progress and things we've learned and definitely will put what we think is a priority although others might not think so. Because for us to continue this journey and enjoy it, we have to do what's best for our family, and that might look like a waste of time for others. Ps: Running water and electricity is a must for me lol but I can see how some people might think it's a waste of time, and that's okay. Thanks for watching and take care! - Gina
@@OffGridWithGinaThi Have a great evening and best of luck