First Failures and Lessons Learned

Strangely, I am living in a warmer place than I did through grad school, yet I had my first frozen pipes last week. I have since learned why my pipes froze and it reminds me just how right I happened to get everything my first time around in the RV. It also reminds me how fragile our life and housing systems are.

My pipes froze because the RV is parked with the utility-side of the vehicle to the north. The water and sewer compartments now point north and receive no solar exposure all day every day. Turns out, that's a big problem.

The reason I was able to get away with no frozen pipes, even in -32F weather a year ago was solar exposure. It's amazing how much heat a surface can pick up and retain just from the dim, winter sun. Mostly, it's amazing how much of that solar energy gets transferred to standing water in RV tanks and how long that water can retain heat.

Another reason for my pipes freezing is the fact that power kept going out at the RV park. Strangely, I'm in a more habitable, more infrastructure-heavy place, yet power is less reliable. That's crazy stupid. But it's the way it is.

Luckily, now that I have my propane system working, and have figured out that my backup batteries can be on while the main power is on, I have furnace heat even when the grid goes down. It's great and will help to keep my tanks and pipes from freezing.

New place, new systems, new lessons. It's great and the challenges keep it interesting. When my pipes froze for the first time in two years, I wanted to throw in the towel and run for a traditional lifestyle. Then I realized, it's a minor issue that I can adapt to and incorporate into my toolkit. Now I know how to make this work even better and I can continue doing it until I find some reason not to.

Until I find that reason, I'm still living the tiny-house dream, paying less for the entirety of my living expenses than anyone I know, including those with roommates. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm doing it right, then I realize that this is the best way for me to do it and that there is no 'right'. I'm still flying and it's enough.