The natural state of everything is cold, the natural flow of heat is from hot to cold. I.e. Without the sun this old earth would be a frozen mass of ice and stuff spinning around in space.
There are three primary methods of heat transfer- Radiation, Conduction and Convection.
Radiation- This is how the Sun warms the earth. On a sunny winter day when your Cat hops up onto a windowsill or your Dog lays on the carpet and follows the warm spot created by the Sun this is Radiation. I.e. Radiation warms objects. This is why when you stand if front of a Radiant heater (campfire) you immediately feel hot on your front while your back is still cold.
Conduction- Physical contact and transfer of heat to an object. I re-learned just the other day when I accidentally touched the exhaust manifold of my wife's car with the back of my hand that exhaust manifolds are HOT!
Convection- Cold is more dense and falls, Hot is less dense and rises. Normally heat radiators
and forced air heat ducts in your house are placed next to the outside walls under or next to Windows and Doors. (thermostats are placed on a inside wall) Not always true on your RV, because of floor plans, cabinets, below floor level holding tanks, frame members etc. it is almost impossible.
Now about space heaters-
120VAC Electric- This includes Hot Air (Convection), Cube/Ceramic/Hot Oil- (Convection and Radiant) etc.
No matter what kind of heater, if the power cord has the standard residential two parallel flat prongs with a grounding pin it is a MAXIMUM of 15 Amps. Go to your local Hardware store and look at their electrical receptacles and compare their pin configuration/voltage/amperage rating.
Now we have to complicate things a little-
Volts (V)- pressure, Amps (A)- volume, flow, and Watts (W)- total power consumed. V x A= W (think of water flow thru a 1" dia. pipe vs a 2" dia. pipe)
Small portable space heaters are limited to 1500W or 12.5A.
This is true even with the just discovered "plug in space heater that will heat your whole house for just pennies a day!" This is nothing more than VERY expensive ($200.00 to $300.00) Radiant 1500W heater enclosed in a particle board box! Remember if it plugs in your house receptacle IT IS 1500W Max! You can go to HD/Lowes and get their $29 Hot Air Electric Space Heater and get the same amount of heat for a lot less money!
Now, how much heat is 1500W? We have to complicate things a little more.
The standard measurement (quantity) of heat is the BTU (British Thermal Unit) defined as "that quantity of heat that will change the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit" My handy dandy little conversion reference book states that W (watts) times 3.41214 equals BTU. So 1500W times 3.41214 equals 5118.1BTU. So finally we are talking about something that we can all understand- A small 1500W electric space heater produces a little more than 5,000BTU of heat. As a comparison the Propane forced air furnace in my RV is 40,000 BTU and the furnace in my house is 106,000 BTU.
Now to talk a little about "Blue Flame/Catalytic Heaters. Disclaimer- Read and head the Operation and Safety Information online or included with product!
Blue Flame Heater- Radiant/Convection, Non-vented (maybe some can be vented to the out side, I don't know) open flame space heater often times with a metal/ceramic element to enhance the Radiant Heat effect. I have heard of "dry campers" putting a Terre Cotta flower pot over a range burner with about the same results! (I think that the small burners on a standard RV 3 burner stove is about 5,000-6,000 BTU while the single big burner is about 9,000 BTU) BOTH METHODS PRODUCE CO (carbon monoxide- colorless, odorless, tasteless gas) and they consume O2 (Oxygen) BOTH WILL KILL YOU IF NOT VENTED PROPERLY!, I.e. A low window cracked open at one end of your RV and a high window cracked open at the other end! (remember convection heat transfer) Disclaimer- Use at your own risk! See the above disclaimer!
Catalytic heater- Olympic Wave 3 (3,000BTU max), Wave 6 (6,000BTU max), Wave 8 (8,000BTU max) and others, Radiant Heater.
Goggle- "Catalytic" or "Catalyst" for a explanation of what a Catalyst is.
No open blue flame, No obnoxious odor of Propane combustion, however during operation the "platinum pad" is orange hot! DOES NOT PRODUCE CO however to support the catalytic action they DO consume O2, 99% plus heat efficient. I understand that if there is LOW O2 available they WILL produce CO. A small open flame is used only when starting the catalytic action. They will also KILL you (from lack of O2) if not vented properly (see above disclaimer) Dust is the worst enemy of the Platinum pad, keep covered when not in use.
Again- Go on line and read the operating instructions/warnings for ANY open blue flame/catalytic space heater!
