Can you live in a bus in Minnesota in the winter?

belfert · May 08, 2014, 12:31:25 PM

I'm seriously considering just living in my bus this summer and next winter because I can't find a house to buy. Would it even be possible to live in a bus through winter in Minnesota? The first obstacle would be finding a place to park for the winter. I haven't found any RV parks open for the winter in the Twin Cities. The other issue would be the $400 or $500 a month to heat the bus. It might be cheaper to rent an apartment, but I don't want to sign a year lease.

If next winter is as bad as this past winter I would probably freeze some pipes no matter what.

TomC · May 08, 2014, 12:49:07 PM

You can park if you're hooked up. Need a heater in the water tank bay just to keep it above freezing. Keeping your bus warm is just choosing the fuel you want to use. Diesel heat is good, but if it gets really cold can gel. Propane can also stop flowing in really cold weather. Wood fired furnace will always work. If you're hooked up, electric heat will work-course in a severe blizzard would probably need 4-6 space heaters (depending on how well insulated your bus is) to keep up with the cold.

You could rent an apartment, but then you'll still have to pay for storage on the bus. Can be done. Good Luck, TomC

Lin · May 08, 2014, 12:59:17 PM

We once rented a warehouse/industrial space. We pulled our former bus in and used it for the kitchen, bedroom and one bathroom. There was another bathroom on the floor. We used a macerator pump for dumping into a cleanout. The thought was that we could just pull the bus out for trips when we wanted, but it did not work out that way. If we wanted a vacation, the bus did not come with us. However, it worked as a pretty reasonable and inexpensive living arrangement. Perhaps you could find such a space.

belfert · May 08, 2014, 01:31:11 PM

Five or six electric heaters running 50% of the time would cost almost $400 a month in electricity. That is a lot to pay to heat a 320 square foot space. The 2,600 square foot house I am moving from doesn't cost more than $200 in the coldest month to heat with natural gas. I just don't know if I could keep it warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

I just moved the bus to storage last night and it costs me $69 a month. The big issue would be finding a place where I could legally live in the bus over the winter and also have a 50 amp electric hookup.

eagle19952 · May 08, 2014, 01:49:36 PM

I stayed here thru December a few years ago, recovering from cancer surgery...
http://www.woodalls.com/a/03304_RiverTerracePark.html

they do shut the water off iirc, but let you top your tanks...

Seangie · May 08, 2014, 02:21:06 PM

Scott Bennet lived in MI over this past winter...weeks at a rime in negative lows. Im sure it gets a tad bit colder in MN but he could give you a few pointers of what to look out for. I think dual pane windows were a plus as well as skirting (hay bales or insulation) the bus and making sure that none of your water pipes are touching metal...especially metal 90s or similar in a pex system.

Fulltiming somewhere in the USA
1984 Eagle 10S
www.herdofturtles.org

belfert · May 08, 2014, 04:32:45 PM

Quote from: eagle19952 on May 08, 2014, 01:49:36 PM
I stayed here thru December a few years ago, recovering from cancer surgery...
http://www.woodalls.com/a/03304_RiverTerracePark.html

Interesting because the website says they are only open April 1 through Oct 31. I've just been going by what different RV parks says on their websites.

wg4t50 · May 08, 2014, 04:41:31 PM

No thanks, I spent a Thanksgiving weekend at Hudson WI, 1974, right across the river from the twin cities, the warmest it got was -15f, so no thanks, I find I am a southern kid in the winter.
Dave M

gumpy · May 08, 2014, 04:49:17 PM

Winterize and store the bus. Rent a room at an Extended Stay Hotel. Last I checked, monthly rates were about $800.

belfert · May 08, 2014, 05:25:47 PM

Now, I haven't checked the small non-chain hotels that offer monthly rates, but the cheapest I could find for a monthly rate is about $1,200 a month. My co-worker stayed in this extended stay place for a month or so while he fixed up a house he bought.

gumpy · May 08, 2014, 05:27:47 PM

I'll check with a couple people I know who have rental units.

Tikvah · May 08, 2014, 05:52:19 PM

We've considered this also. Our biggest problem is always condensation. We bought a dehumidifier, and it certainly helps, but if the dehumidifier is in the front then the rear (where we're sleeping) gets wet, if in the rear, then the front is condensated. Maybe we need two?

Close off the windows block the windshield, then you're in a dark cave.

I guess we buy a little fuel and drive south to that awful place they call Florida. (It should have been deeded to Cuba).

eagle19952 · May 08, 2014, 06:08:25 PM

Quote from: belfert on May 08, 2014, 04:32:45 PM
Interesting because the website says they are only open April 1 through Oct 31. I've just been going by what different RV parks says on their websites.

Ps I am sure that there are no electric meters in the rv spaces.....they also have mobile home spaces.
The owner has a Dodge Viper in one of his sheds....

45°19'11.7"N 93°48'59.6"W

45.319906, -93.816546

skihor · May 08, 2014, 07:02:45 PM

We have lived in our bus for 10 years now. Mostly in Denver. Non insulated bays, stock insulation in the walls + ceiling, single pane windows, (front 1/3 of our bus is all window/windshield) and no skirting. 1 electric heater and 1 40K propane furnace up front and 1 20K propane furnace in back. I ran 1 duct from each furnace into the rear bay which has all three tanks. I cut a 4" hole around the shower water supply entry point to let the hot air rise around the lines. We have kept water down to -16* F. for an extended time. Between the electric and propane the high this year was around $450 for the month. Average temp was around 15* F. Low of -16* and high of around 35* for the month. Mostly below 30* daily and mostly below 15* @ night. Lots of 0* nights.
Don & Sheila