Hydronic and Espar Heat
Last year we modified our Winnebago View to be able to use the motorhome (full water, showers, dump tanks, without Propane) throughout the Wisconsin winters. I thought I'd share the writeup that I di...
Forum Discussion
Last night I ran the hydronic heat using the 110v electricity to heat the hot
water heater. I set the thermostat to 69 degrees with the night temperature
going down to 36 degrees.
I checked this morning and the coach temp was 69 degrees. The only issue that I
could see is that the water heater temperature was down to around 118 degrees
when it is normally 140 degrees. This was concerning, thinking that the
hydronic heating loop was cooling the water faster then the water heater could
catch up.
Well, after doing some research I found that the Atwood water heaters are set to
max temp of 140 degrees then will cycle down to 115 degrees before heating the
110v element again. This was a relief finding this info. I ordered an
adjustable temperature thermostat for the Atwood water heater - this hopefully
will cycle more often.
Tonight I'm running the Espar engine pre heater only (no 110v or no LP). The
overnight temperature will be around 30 degrees. It is around 40 degrees right
now and there is little doubt that the Espar will take care of the heat as it
cycles on for just a few minutes and heats it up to 70 degrees without effort.
I have the dash fans controlled by the thermostat along with the hydronic
heating.
Because the hydronic heating uses the hot and cold water pipes as the loop, all
the water pipes are warm and will not freeze.
Getting closer to having it ready for our Calgary trip over Xmas.
water heater. I set the thermostat to 69 degrees with the night temperature
going down to 36 degrees.
I checked this morning and the coach temp was 69 degrees. The only issue that I
could see is that the water heater temperature was down to around 118 degrees
when it is normally 140 degrees. This was concerning, thinking that the
hydronic heating loop was cooling the water faster then the water heater could
catch up.
Well, after doing some research I found that the Atwood water heaters are set to
max temp of 140 degrees then will cycle down to 115 degrees before heating the
110v element again. This was a relief finding this info. I ordered an
adjustable temperature thermostat for the Atwood water heater - this hopefully
will cycle more often.
Tonight I'm running the Espar engine pre heater only (no 110v or no LP). The
overnight temperature will be around 30 degrees. It is around 40 degrees right
now and there is little doubt that the Espar will take care of the heat as it
cycles on for just a few minutes and heats it up to 70 degrees without effort.
I have the dash fans controlled by the thermostat along with the hydronic
heating.
Because the hydronic heating uses the hot and cold water pipes as the loop, all
the water pipes are warm and will not freeze.
Getting closer to having it ready for our Calgary trip over Xmas.
