Foot Warming Pad for Unheated Storage Bays

Hi Ron,

One of the problems with my current RV is fresh water freeze ups during travel. The dash heat prevents the furnace from cycling. I solved that by replacing the return air grill with a dual window fan. It (luckily for me) pressurizes the heat ducts forcing warm cabin air into the freezing cold cabinets. I have a mechanical thermostat to control it. I run it on the inverter while traveling.

I've added 120 volt outlets in the pass through storage, waste tanks (enclosed but not heated) and fresh water hose storage. I use small electric heaters controlled by either mechanical thermostats or the TC-3 thermocube.

Since the RV is a 30 amp service, and I do a lot of boondocking at rural Churches, I "broke out" the converter, and the water heater. So I have effectively 3 shore power cords. The OEM 30 amp, a 20 amp, and a 15 amp. I use simple male and female plugs so I can switch back to the OEM wiring in about 30 seconds.

My major purchase this year for the RV was a 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter. The feature I like best is the ability to set the incoming amperage. I am often in situations where I have no access to the shore power breaker--so if I trip it I'm out of luck. It is *such* a relief to not have to worry about that any more.

I'm doing a lot of my heating with "magic carpets" which are 120 volt electrically heated with no wires--so they can be cut to the shape and size needed. I chose to get the indoor outdoor version which can be cleaned using a pressure washer.

Don

I liked my former Triple E that was more well suited to cold weather than my current Itasca, but we are trying to compensate and innovate.

That's a good idea about the inverter while traveling.

Hi Ron,

That's why I like the heating pads. They are safe to use against bare skin (electrically speaking) so they are certainly water proof. You may want to get the larger version which will draw more watts (and produce more heat).

They do have an internal thermostat so over heating is unlikely.

The nice thing is that they can run on even a small MSW inverter for use during travel.

Thanks Don, I'll look at those, although I like the idea of a waterproof pad that I can leave mounted inside the compartment. We just had three nights below 20F in Montana three weeks ago.

Hi Ron,

Go to Walmart. Buy the house brand heating pad. The small ones draw 50 watts. Cost in Canada was $12.99 last year.

I use a TC-3 to control the heat in areas I do not wish to allow to freeze.