# cold feet



## timofleeds (Sep 12, 2006)

Hi we can not seem to get the lower 12 inches of the motorhome lounge area to stay warm in cold weather. Anything above this height is fine, we have truma blown air and or an electric convector but we always end up with cold feet and ankles. Any advice?

Regards Tim


----------



## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Amputation below the knee?


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Extra carpet. :wink: 

Need not fit perfectly or look posh if it's only temporary, but a lot of heat escapes through the floor - as your tootsies are telling you. 8O 

Dave


----------



## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Wear a thick pair of walking socks and get a cheapo pair of thick tracksuit bottoms with elasticated ankles.

Don't be tempted to block any gas drops. Remember cold air always goes downwards.

If you can't get your feet warm don't sit there suffering go for a brisk walk to get the circulation going.

I suffer from bad circulation and have been coping this way for years.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We had the same problem with our first van which did not have blown air heating. Are your vents at floor level ? Where is the thermostat for the heating ? Ours was sited above the TV/ kettle so always switched off well before the rest of the van got warm.

Otherwise I'd go with Dave's idea of carpet. Remember though that a good thick carpet is heavy so a layer of insulation under a thinner cheaper carpet might be wise. I wonder if you could use the foamed silver foil sold for radiator insulation ?


G


----------



## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Check the draft from the fridge as there might be a gap at the top 
Check the draft that might be coming in at the bottom of the doors
Check that you have the air vents from the engine closed and even cover the dash board with a blanket 
And yes dress up in layers as so many people wear flimsy clothes its not summer --dress up.
Jumpers and cardigans are needed :wink:


----------



## timofleeds (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies, we have some carpet down but it is not very thick so may try thicker carpet, the thermostat is up near the ceiling, above the door, so may have a look at moving it to a lower position. Amputation is not an option but may try more clothing.

Many thanks Tim


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

timofleeds said:


> , the thermostat is up near the ceiling, above the door, so may have a look at moving it to a lower position. Tim


You can ( could ?) buy wired remote thermostats so that you can move it around until you find a suitable position.

G


----------



## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

Our whole family wear slippers in the van when the weather turns chilly. Makes a huge difference imo. Also agree that, where possible, getting out for a brisk walk is very beneficial.

We have a fairly thin carpet (the original, thicker, one is a somewhat impractical ivory colour and remains bagged under our bed at home), so maybe we could get some benefit from something with better insulating properties. Having said that we were ok at around -14degrees C in Scotland last Christmas .

Regards,

John


----------



## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

If on hook up get an electrical foot muff! fan-bluddy-tastic. If not on hook up still bung your feet in one. We have carpet mats from Casvegas market £1 each scatter them around.


Greenie


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Are you STILL banging on about that damned foot muff Greenie? Sheesh.

/goes secretly to ebay to take a look at them


----------



## tramp (May 25, 2005)

slightly overkill for the campers but I use these in winter when camping..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

may look a pratt but keep the feet lovely and warm too warm sometimes.

Amazon do something similar if not as hot...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trekmates-D...WOTG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1290949139&sr=8-3

but the best advice is to move the thermostat as in winter most vans heating never really shuts down just slow fan speed [ combi boilers only].


----------



## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

I had no fan on the Truma in my Elddis and I used it throughout winter (for work). I had much the same problem at first.

What I found was best was to put on a small fan heater as well, just on the low heat setting. I arranged for it to blow past the Truma and it circulated warm air everywhere in a very short time. You can then turn it off until your feet get cold again.


----------



## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

I laid carpet underlay - nice and lightweight - in ours; see here.

Someone above mentioned the insulated stuff for behind the radiators - don't think that would take the abuse walking on it would give.[/url]


----------



## inkey-2008 (May 24, 2008)

Put your feet up easy

Andy


----------



## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

greenasthegrass said:


> If on hook up get an electrical foot muff! fan-bluddy-tastic. If not on hook up still bung your feet in one. We have carpet mats from Casvegas market £1 each scatter them around.
> 
> Greenie


Where d'ya get those from? .....Anne Summers?


----------



## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

Ha! well to muff or not to muff - and in this blooming cold spell muff it is - wish had got the vibrating one and killed two birds with one stone. 8O 

Greenie


----------



## cronkle (May 1, 2005)

I see that you also have a Rollerteam. 

Has your habitation door got a thumping great vent in the bottom of it? 

If it has then it could be part of the problem. I would not suggest blocking it but I found it made a difference when I put a blanket over the vents at the bottom of the windscreen and stopped the draft between the two.


----------



## orian (Feb 22, 2007)

Ozzyjohn said:


> Our whole family wear slippers in the van when the weather turns chilly. Makes a huge difference imo. Also agree that, where possible, getting out for a brisk walk is very beneficial.
> 
> We have a fairly thin carpet (the original, thicker, one is a somewhat impractical ivory colour and remains bagged under our bed at home), so maybe we could get some benefit from something with better insulating properties. Having said that we were ok at around -14degrees C in Scotland last Christmas .
> 
> ...


We have a very light but thick carpet in our motorhome. I purchased a length of carpet protector found in most good carpet stores and cut it to size. I now enjoy my thick carpet without the risk of making it muddy or dirty.


----------



## CaGreg (Mar 28, 2007)

Rip off cheap and nasty UGG boot copies, 6eu from Pennys (Primark) are just amazing for keeping footsies/tootsies warm. I have ankle boots but have worn full length ones as well and they are great!! 
(Promise I won't tell anybody!) 
Mine are leopard skin design!!

Ca


----------



## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

Our Elddis has a u shaped lounge with 3 drop down lockers at floor level, 
This weekend I noticed my feet were freezing and there were draughts coming thro the lockers, when I opened them I could see daylight around the edges of the outside locker doors.
Luckily I had some large peices of cardboard and put them behind the inside locker doors and this helped a lot.
There are also huge draughts coming in around the fire/fridge/cooker but I wouldnt attempt to seal these, tempting tho' it is, in case I didn't wake up in the morning


----------



## CurlyBoy (Jan 13, 2008)

........a lot of work I know, but you could install a secondary insulating layer beneath the existing floor, 2" kingspan or the like. Our previous MH was the same, but the Hymer has under floor lockers that are heated, so no problems.

curlyboy


----------



## vmeldrew (May 3, 2007)

Don't forget hot air rises. I often notice a distinct increase in temp when climbing into the luton. Nice at bedtime but a good way to keep the air circulating would be useful.


----------



## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Pollydoodle.

You should *NOT* have draughts coming around the sides/top/bottom of the fridge.

If draughts can come in then so can the combustion gasses from the rear of the fridge.

That is the reason you may not wake up in the morning.

Our CO detector/alarm saved our lives when the fridge burner played up.

*The rear of the fridge should be completely sealed from the interior of your van.*

Amazingly a lot of converters appear to miss that vital element of construction, including Hymer when they made our MH.

I have posted on here how to check and seal.

Oh, and you do have a carbon monoxide detector - don't you?
Did I mention that ours saved us from never waking up again?

I am not certain about your fire and cooker as I don't know your MH, but it doesn't sound right to me.


----------



## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

In my door well there is a ventilator, not the sliding type. Perhaps you may have a similar air inlet, come gas outlet to block up.http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules/Forums/images/smiles/wink.gif
Reading the other letters I am inclined to see the impracticality of walking on the ceiling (warm air rises) and wonder about the possibility of injecting foam into your wellies. Alternatively, park your vehicle somewhere interesting and attractive, go home and put your feet by the fire; job done!http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules/Forums/images/smiles/lol.gif
Alan


----------



## Sprinta (Sep 15, 2010)

although we chickened out about going away this weekend we would have the ideal alternative to the views given so far - train the dogs to lie on your feet :wink: 

to be honest I'm a slob and sit with my feet up on the settee


----------



## aikidomo (Jan 8, 2008)

Hi 
We always put a winter fridge vent cover on seems to help.
Also close all curtains at night, use a Silver Screen outside, like the idea of thick carpet I have actually not thought of that one.
I aways also use Hot water bottles when it gets really cold, or if you have a Micro wave those wheat bags.
Clive


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Cold*

Hi

Exactly the same problem despite having blown air heating.

Get rid of the convector radiator thing and get a small fan heater based on the floor. I have a DeLonghi one and it is very quiet.

Russell


----------



## PSC (May 7, 2009)

slippers - they are the answer to the maidens prayer!!  Last weekend I forgot mine... and padded around in socks. Oddly enough I got cold feet!


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

I wonder if bubble wrap would make a good under-carpet insulator ? It might not last more than a winter but, being very light, cheap, available on the roll and insulating it might be worth a try ?

I suspect that it would not make the carpet slip as it is quite " tacky". 

G


----------



## BEEGEE (Aug 8, 2007)

We had this and traced the problem to the cab area, in fact to the two footwells. 
We cured this with a length of curtain wire with a hook at each end, which we hook over the lower dash fixings under the glove box. Over this we drape a decent thick blanket, wide enough to fit across the front of the van, with the bottom of the blanket tucked under to stop this cold area. Believe me it works a treat.
Bill


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

One of the MOST important things to do in the cold is to make sure that your cab heating controls are set to recirculating, if not cold air will come in via the (no longer hot) heater matrix via the "heater" vents and make the inside of your van cold.


----------



## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

I suffer from cold feet and calf muscles in this weather. It may seem counter-intuitive, but putting a woolly hat on my head helps my feet get warmer - I think if my head gets too hot the circulatory system increates blood flow to the other extremities to compensate.


SD


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

I saw this in a factory and adapted it. Hot air rises so in a tall building the hottest air is up at the ceiling. What I saw were tubes reaching from the ceilings to the floor, in the top there was a fan sucking the hot air in and pushing it back down to floor level.

One evening a few years ago I was sitting in the van comfortably warm everywhere except for my feet. I checked with a thermometer and it was over five degrees warmer at the ceiling than at the floor. I remembered the tubes in the factory.

I decided to try it . I bought a plastic shower curtain and a computer fan. I rolled the shower curtain into a tube the correct diameter for the fan to fit into and taped the seam cutting off the excess. I fitted the fan at the top blowing downwards. I hung it from the ceiling with the bottom of the tube just above floor level and plugged it in to a 12v socket. The top does not have to be right at the ceiling. Problem solved, marvelous. It was rather noisy at night when trying to sleep so I found a three speed 12v switch in Maplins and fitted that. On a low setting it was fine to leave on all night. It takes up very little space and is easy to do. The tube rolls up for storage.

Total cost under ten pounds problem solved, Alan.


----------



## gromett (May 9, 2005)

Thanks Erne, good idea. I will build something similar into my self build  

Gotta go and find some 100mm pipe for the 100mm fan I already have :lol: 

Karl


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Yes Karl, neatly built in would be excellent. 

Our new van has circulated hot water heating which is great as it comes from below the floor as well as from the little radiators. It is diesel powered and for a short time during the winter we need to run it quite a lot so it might use 20 quid a week in diesel. Mrs Eb decided that was a bit wasteful and when we are on hookup we should use an electric heater, we pay for the hook up so why not. I tried to explain to her that the heat would be uneven and it would still be cold at floor level, to no avail. So now my feet are cold and I don't have the tube with me. Time to turn the heating on again I think, Alan.


----------



## Goldwinger (May 10, 2005)

Have you put the van heating onto recirculate it closes the system to out side, helps with cold air movement.


----------



## wobby (May 1, 2005)

Our sitting area has underfloor heating, its wonderful.  

Wobby


----------

