rug buddy for heating our (cold) floors

Hi,

The heaters are "out of the way" so no one trips over them. I.e. one in each rear corner of the bedroom, and etc.

Skirting would be fine if I were not moving the rv.

Harvey51, the heat output is about 85 watts per square foot. 30 x 85 = 2550 btu's. That is about 750 watts. I am not counting on that to do much space heating. Just for warming the floors.

I think everything Tuna's done so far is going to help. Biggest omission AFAICT is the skirt. The Dakota oil patch guys swear by them, and once I tried it I was a believer.

Buy a $20 heavy duty tarp from Walmart and cut it lengthwise. Align the two halves end-to-end and use some 3m spray glue on an overlap. Run some light rope through the grommets (which are now all on the same side), and you have a cheap-and-cheerful skirt. I'm thinking you'll want one long enough to run around all four wheels. On my TT I skirt along the back bunmper up to the wheels and leave the rest of the TT exposed. The benefit is that I have a very small enclosed areas centered around my (exposed) tanks. Once skirted, a single 100-watt bulb warms those tanks right up.

The carpet heater is going to help, just like an electric blanket will help. I'm still scratching my head as to why the heaters are in "out of the way" locations--aren't those the last places you want to heat?

Bottom line, -30 temps must be respected, and any camper who contends with those conditions deserves respect also.

Three or four hundred watts is not a whole lot of heat. Under the carpet means a good deal of that heat won't get through to the room. A heat lamp with the same wattage would be better, I think.

Don,

Is there one thing you are forgetting ... or at least didn't make the cut for your cold weather lines of attack list above: Skirting all around the outside perimeter of your RV.

Better still, how about kindof permanent heavy canvas skirting that is kept rolled up with ties all along and under the outer edges of the exterior coach walls such that you merely undo the ties and let it flop down to the ground while setting up at each new winter camping site?

Hi DiskDoctr,

My lines of attack have been:

add insulation where ever possible

remove and block off areas such as the outdoor shower

use vent and skylight cushions

use oil filled heaters in multiple but out of the way locations

use radiant heaters

use a window fan thermostatically controlled replacing the return air vent on the furnace

use a thermostatically controlled heater in the waste tank area

use a thermocube tc-3 operating a 60 watt bulb in the fridge access hatch

install 34 square yards of insulbright covers for windows, doors, and isolate the cab area. (this reduced delta t from about 145 watts to 76 watts per degree above the ambient).

Basically, only the carpet covered floors in the bedroom, the floor in the commode, and the side entrance will not be heated. The entire aisle from the cab to the bedroom and the dinette floor will be covered by the Magic Carpets. They will draw around 1000 watts and produce about 3000 btu's. They cover a little over 30 square feet in total. That, at a guess, is about 75% of the entire floor area.

Stratification doesn't seem to be an issue. In fact I was able to warm the rv up when it was cold soaked at -31 c (-24 f) ambient, using only electric heat. It took three hours to get from -20 c (-4 f) to +5 c (41 f). I was running between 4500 and 5500 watts of electric heat.

I use a 12 volt electric blanket as a mattress pad.

Thanks for the offer of the chicken soup--it is a favorite of mine.

I refuse to use non vented combustion heaters. My daughter is a CO survivor.

Humidity was hovering at 25%. I'm reluctant to increase that as there are areas where the temperature may be below the dew point.

DiskDoctr wrote:
You are dealing with some serious temperature challenges! It requires multiple avenues of attack to make things more comfortable for you.

I don't think the heated floor mat will heat much of the floor. I expect it will provide a smaller respite from the cold on wanting feet, though :)

I would recommend "Red Head" synthetic socks from Bass Pro. They have free shipping now, though I doubt to Canada, so you may want to check that first. Lifetime guarantee, about $10/pair. I just ordered a bunch of them for my family and as gifts. Hint: Order one size too large. They are not constrictive on the calf as many are and are very thick, soft, and warm.

A tip that may help with the stratification of heat in a camper is to use a small, low velocity fan and point it from about table level to the ceiling (we use a bit of an angle to help in circulation).

You'll lose the hot spots, but gain in overall comfort.

If you were closer, I'd bring over a hot thermos of coffee or chicken noodle soup!

We do use a twin electric blanket (twin size are inexpensive and are the ones they advertise as special prices) as a throw blanket for DW, DD and I on the sofa while we watch a movie or play a game in cold weather. It helps some.

Our Wave-6 does a nice job of adding comfort heat (radiant warms these aching bones).

How is your humidity? Too high or too low makes your body feel colder.

Hot stew in the crock pot all day helps. Spicy foods help with the cold 'feeling' Actually, the flushing it causes can cool your body's core faster, but it feels warmer. Just be sure you are not in danger of hypothermia!

Foods such as a piece of sugar candy can temporarly help raise your core temp. Butterscotch is excellent!

Keeping hydrated (warm fluids are best) can be a challenge in the cold.

Hopefully some of these warm thoughts can help with your challenge!

Feelin' for 'ya Don. I've stayed in RV's that had cold floors and it just seems to permeate everything. Yes, we had snow and ice by the entry door. It was actually easier in some regards as the ice and snow didn't melt and create a mess, a shake out of the entry mat happened a few times a day.
I'm betting the electric mats with their insulative construction helps quite a bit. If you can get ahold of some, 1/4" extruded fanfold insulation, it helps wherever it is placed. It's inexpensive as well.

You are dealing with some serious temperature challenges! It requires multiple avenues of attack to make things more comfortable for you.

I don't think the heated floor mat will heat much of the floor. I expect it will provide a smaller respite from the cold on wanting feet, though :)

I would recommend "Red Head" synthetic socks from Bass Pro. They have free shipping now, though I doubt to Canada, so you may want to check that first. Lifetime guarantee, about $10/pair. I just ordered a bunch of them for my family and as gifts. Hint: Order one size too large. They are not constrictive on the calf as many are and are very thick, soft, and warm.

A tip that may help with the stratification of heat in a camper is to use a small, low velocity fan and point it from about table level to the ceiling (we use a bit of an angle to help in circulation).

You'll lose the hot spots, but gain in overall comfort.

If you were closer, I'd bring over a hot thermos of coffee or chicken noodle soup!

We do use a twin electric blanket (twin size are inexpensive and are the ones they advertise as special prices) as a throw blanket for DW, DD and I on the sofa while we watch a movie or play a game in cold weather. It helps some.

Our Wave-6 does a nice job of adding comfort heat (radiant warms these aching bones).

How is your humidity? Too high or too low makes your body feel colder.

Hot stew in the crock pot all day helps. Spicy foods help with the cold 'feeling' Actually, the flushing it causes can cool your body's core faster, but it feels warmer. Just be sure you are not in danger of hypothermia!

Foods such as a piece of sugar candy can temporarly help raise your core temp. Butterscotch is excellent!

Keeping hydrated (warm fluids are best) can be a challenge in the cold.

Hopefully some of these warm thoughts can help with your challenge!

Hi bucky,

I've got slippers. Not good enough for crawling out of bed in the middle of the night.

Slippers work well.

Hi DiskDoctr,

I'm dealing with an insulated floor but there is no "basement" to heat. I use oil filled heaters as much as I can. They do have a radiant component. I do use true radiant heaters as well--but will not leave them unattended.

The simple facts are that I'm rv'ing full time in extreme cold. Tonight it is -27 C (-16.6 f). I want the floors to be comfortable, and the magic carpet appears to be the way to do that.