CheapHeat furnace conversion

pianotuna, thanks for the reply. I do have 50amp service and would not be dry camping so not an issue there. The unit that I would need is just shy of $500 so not too out of line as far as price. Also wouldn't be camping in extremely cold temps but would like to be able to go out in temps in the upper 20's and 30's and thought it would be nice to not have to depend on gas. Is the installation pretty straight forward? I'm pretty electrically and mechanically inclined so wondering if it's something that can be installed at home. Thanks for your information. Tim

Hi,

They have several models. The web site does list the output in watts, but it is a bit hard to find. The biggest flaw is that you can not use them to assist the propane furnace. It is either 100% electric or 100% propane and there is no "fail over" to propane heating if the power goes off.

harold1946 has installed several systems, so you may wish to write him. It is an odd device for someone who boondocks to have, as the only way to power it when doing so is to run a large generator.

The 30 amp version is not too useful in my climate, but the 50 amp can handle pretty much 100% of the heating needs of an RV.

Some folks have opted for permanently installed base board heaters. Those can be used on a limited basis with even a 15 amp shore power source.

All in all, a nice system if you have 50 amps to work with (except for the lack of fail over), but on the pricey side (as are many things in the RV world). I heat nearly 100% electrically, but not with the "Cheap Heat" system.

Might work in south Texas or Florida.

Any idea how many WATTS this CHEAPHEAT electric heater core draws from 120VAC. Can't seem to find a simple spec sheet on the CHEAPHEAT unit. About all I found spec wise was it will work with a 30AMP and 50AMP trailer setup. I didn't look very hard for additional info - only the web site for CHEAPHEAT.

Although this may be a good thing when connected to shore power I would have to know what was all involved when camping off the power grid to get my interest...

It would be hard for me to even run a LOWES 1500WATT Electric heater from an INVERTER for a long period of time running off my batteries in the woods... I think I have read a standard 1500WATT Electric heater produces 5100 BTUs of heat.

The CHEAPHEAT unit would have to produce alot more BTUs to even come close to heating up a big trailer.

Roy Ken

It's a 1500 watt heater same as small portable but way over priced.
You can buy a heck of alot of propane for what they want for their unit.

It doesn't put out as much BTU's so it may have a hard time if it's very cold.
The worst part was the price. They were close to $1k and you can have the same effect by using 2 or 3 space heaters.
But it would sure be one of those nice to have things.