Two Space Heaters on 30A FW

Sounds like a good plan. I'll fill the fresh tank, use that when not connected to shore water and dump whatever is left just prior to leaving. I generally carry 5 gal or so in the fresh tank.

Thanks

2112 wrote:
I brought an extension cord and I may put one in the basement. I'm playing all this by ear so we'll see what happens.

I mentioned dripping the water at the shower and leaving the gray valve open so I don't have to disconnect the supply. Good idea? Bad?

What's your expert opinion on this one Jim?

I personally would not drip water. If it's truly cold, the water running through the grey system will get caught in all the divits/curves of the drain hose and begin to freeze on the way out - likely causing an ice dam....

If you haven't fashioned a heated water hose, fill your fresh water tank and only dump when the grey is full. The larger volume of water takes a much lower temp to freeze than the small amount.

Hope that makes sense.

I brought an extension cord and I may put one in the basement. I'm playing all this by ear so we'll see what happens.

I mentioned dripping the water at the shower and leaving the gray valve open so I don't have to disconnect the supply. Good idea? Bad?

What's your expert opinion on this one Jim?

jauguston wrote:
This may not make sense to the OP but most RV's are equipped with propane fueled furnaces to keep them warm. Propane is not expensive. Why not use the furnace??? Seems like a lot of trouble to save a few dollars worth of propane.

Jim

Gee Jim, I never thought of that.
Maybe because I don't want to have to listen to it all night. Does that make sense to you?

One in every crowd!

Good luck Jim. Thanks for the heads up!

SolidAxleDurango wrote:

TNRIVERSIDE wrote:
Maybe I missed something. Someone help me out here.
If you are using an adapter plugged into the 50A service then plugging in your 30A cord to this setup you have lost the protection of the 30A circuit breaker. In this arrangement your cord is not protected form a over current situation. I understand that the internal wiring in the camper is protected by the 30A breaker in the camper but the service cord between the camper and the adapter is NOT protected. There is a reason we have these components sized and matched to their usage. Sounds like NEC is be disregarded here. I'm not asking CAN it work I asking SHOULD it be used.

Your 30 amp cord is protected by the fact that you cannot draw more than 30 amp through your 30 amp main breaker. Electricity is not PUSHED through the cord; it is DRAWN through the cord.

Same argument could be made in a household lamp.... The 16 gauge wire supplying the power (between lamp and the wall) is way undersized for the 20 amp circuit it is plugged in to.

Thanks for the information. Your explanation helps.

2oldman wrote:

Lantley wrote:
Many experienced campers use electric heater when ever possible to reduce the cost and amount of propane consumed.

But don't forget about the pipes in the basement in freezing weather. Those aren't free.

Agreed. The idea still applies however. One can still supplement their lp furnace with electric heat. When temps are below freezing the furnace should be set to turn on periodically

Hi 2Oldman,

Hence the fan. I developed it because in my class C in cold weather the furnace won't run if I am driving. The dash heat prevents the thermostat from cycling and was getting freeze ups of the fresh water lines.

Side benefit was being able to heat 100% electrically.

Lantley wrote:
Many experienced campers use electric heater when ever possible to reduce the cost and amount of propane consumed.

But don't forget about the pipes in the basement in freezing weather. Those aren't free.

Hi 2112,

Plugging into 50 amp, as you know by now, will still only give you 30 amps of power.

The continuous rating for 30 amps is not 3600 watts. It is 80% of that or 2880 watts. Set one of the heaters so it will cycle on and off.

I did replace and upgrade all but three 120 volt outlets in my RV. I did not feel comfortable "pushing" the OEM ones with a lot of watts.

Open the cabinet doors at night to help prevent water line freeze ups.

I would run a 2nd shore power cord to the RV and run one of the heaters on that. It can be fed in through a window--which will provide some relief from condensation build up. That heater can be run "flat out", and if you do this--so can the one on the OEM service You may also wish to crack a roof vent.

I've "broken out" my water heater and converter and added some outlets to those circuits, so I have the OEM 30 amp, an auxiliary shore power cord of 20 amps, and a third one at 15 amps. Since I used male and female plugs I can return to OEM configuration in 20 seconds.

I've replaced the return air grill on the furnace with a fan. On my rv that circulates warm "living space" air under the cabinets and pushes some air along the furnace duct work. I chose to use a dual window fan unit which is controlled by a mechanical thermostat that lives beside the water pump next to the outdoor wall of the RV.

The fan unit draws just 23 watts and works better than a 1500 watt fan based heater which I tried using inside the cabinet.



These modifications allow me to heat 100% electrically.

2112 wrote:
We are going to the IL's for Thanksgiving, staying at their local city park for several days. The lows for two nights will be 26 degrees or so and I plan on using two 1500W space heaters while connected to 50A using my 50A-30A dog bone.

Should I be concerned using other items such as the microwave or is it life as normal?

I'm questioning the 30A main panel connection. The house power cable will be on the cold ground so it should handle a little overloading without concern. I hope to have the heaters on separate breakers so I'm good there. Is there anything I should be worried about?

jauguston wrote:
This may not make sense to the OP but most RV's are equipped with propane fueled furnaces to keep them warm. Propane is not expensive. Why not use the furnace??? Seems like a lot of trouble to save a few dollars worth of propane.

Jim

While propane may not be expensive it is not free. In extreme cold and RV furnace will consume a lot of LP.

However the cost of electric is typically included in the site fee. While it is not free you do not pay any additional to heat with electric.
Many experienced campers use electric heater when ever possible to reduce the cost and amount of propane consumed.