using electric heat

When it comes to electric space heaters, if they have the proper protective elements (Such as a thermal fuse and a tip over switch) all are equally safe/dangerous. Also all produce the exact same amount of heat per watt.

The O/P also ask "if plugged in does the heat also burn propane" (or use propane)

The RV's built in furnace is a propane furnace, So yes, it eats propane.

Very little electricity (just the fan, control and DSI power)

but the heat is from burning propane.

The furnace in an RV runs on 12 volt and propane.

all righty then ,,,, thank you all for the input ,,,,, i have learned a few key things ,,,,one being ,,,slow down and be patient ,,,, but come on how often do you get to cash in and go see the country with no restraints in a beautiful beast . i am just trying to get her ready for a may 1st departure ,,,, sooner if weather allows . we have to load her up from dishes to toilet paper , well you know what i mean .

chomping at the bit ,,,,feels like im 8 waiting for santa ,,,,and at my age that feels awesome

otrfun wrote:
Question for those in the know:

I'm assuming the OP is wanting to heat his TT 24/7 while it is UNoccupied, correct?

If so, what is more safe, a fan-driven, ceramic heater (750/1500 watt) or a passive, space heater (watts??)?

Thanks!

for that kind of usage, i'd go with an oil-filled radiator style heater.

Plugged into a standard house outlet 15/20 amp, you can run ONE electric space heater (1500 watts) I suggest if you are pre-wired for a washer that's where you plug it in. if it is a 20 amp, then after six hours you MIGHT be able to plug a 2nd one in on LOW... However I do not recommend this, but you can run 2 of them on LOW Just make sure they are plugged into outlets fed by DIFFERENT breakers).

on 20,, And possibly on 15 depending on what LOW means.

Be prepared for a big electric bill.

If you are going off on a trip on 1 May, then let the whole thing freeze till 28 April. Just winterize the thing (pink stuff in water pipes) and pretend it is not out there till it warms up!

It is already past freezing time here of course, so your turn will come eventually :)

Meanwhile even in the cold, leave it plugged in so the converter on Float charge can keep the batteries up to speed.

You may have a heatpump as electric. These are either not efficient in very cold weather OR will not work at all. With ours, the propane will come on if the electric (heat pump) will not heat sufficiently.

On another note, you mentioned at the beginning that you started it up. Manufacturers warn not to start the engine just to "warm it up". You will do the engine no good and can lead to problems; fuel washing down the cylinder wall, contaminating the oil etc. They suggest NOT starting the engine unless you are able to drive it 20 or 30 miles to ensure that all parts of the engine and transmission get up to operating temperatures. Leaving it sit for several months will not harm it. If in doubt, check with the chassis manufacturer--not the RV salesman who sold you the rig!

elle8 wrote:
so thank you all who have helped me out so far ,,,, now i need to know does the heat when plugged in electrically use propane also ....

The on-board furnace will use propane to heat. But it takes electricity to run the electronics behind it.

My parents had a travel trailer and the heater in it was propane. It was all radiant though, no fans, no electronics. Older heaters were designed to run with no electricity. I know we use to have one.

In your camper, the furnace will run from the 12 volt (DC) side -- your battery. If you do not have a house battery, it will run directly through your converter. But if you looses AC power and you have no battery, you have no power to the furnace. So, your on-bard furnace needs both propane and DC electricity. Your on-board furnace will have a blower too. That blower also runs from the battery.

You can plug into any normal household plug a stand alone electric heater. As stated above, depending upon the outside temperature, they are only good to a point. I think most people use electric space heaters, oil heater, or radiant electric heaters to help supplement their on-board propane furnace.

In fair weather (55 - 70 degrees), an electric heater will keep the camper nice and toasty. When you start dropping lower than that, electric usually doesn't keep up too much. So you set your furnace to your desired temperature, then crank the electric heater.

About the wiring in your camper, as someone suggested above, your camper sounds like a newer one, so the wiring is probably OK, unless you have a reason to suspect otherwise. You can test very easy by using the electric heater. After some time, feel how hot the plug is, then check how hot the trailer plug is. If they are cool, your OK. If they are excessively warm, then you might want to use a lower wattage heater.

I hope this helps, and makes some sense.

Also, as stated above, if you're not living in the camper over the winter, there's really no reason to keep it heated. Just warm it it up when you do intend to use it.

About wintering your water lines, if you live in snow country, and if the camper has not previously been winterized, it's too late anyway. This has been one horrible winter for most of the country. Once things thaw out, you'll need to check each "system" in the camper, especially the water and drains. I guarantee you, once you've had the camper throughout the upcoming summer, next winter you'll KNOW where the camper stands and you'll have no problems. Getting one that had a previous owner, especially in the middle of the winter and you cannot start working with it immediately, IS frustrating. But be patient... you'll get there!

elle8 wrote:
okie dokie ,,,,,see im learning here and i did mention ,,,,dumb,,,,,so , i own a 36 ft. winnie vista ,,,2011,,,1st one ,,, okay now ,, one person says rv's dont have electric heat ,,,another says they do . im sooo confused ..lol,,,, so what i think i will do is plug her in and put a space heater in the beast . now if i am understanding correctly ,,, her being plugged in will keep the batteries charged . because its so cold here and we plan to hit the road for god only knows ,no later than may1st , i am just trying to her ready for my maiden voyage . thanks ,, and any suggestions are welcomed please ......

Most RVs use a propane furnace for the "main" heat source, there are some that use a combination of heat pump (A/C unit which is specially made to reverse the cooling cycle to heating cycle) and propane backup (heat pumps tend to get less effective as the outside temps drop to 40 degrees or less and will switch to the backup heat.

Generally RVs do not include a all electric heater (base board or forced air) like you might find in homes or apartments.

What a lot of folks do who own RVs is they will BUY a small PORTABLE plug in electric heater. Typically they do this in a effort to reduce propane usage while camping in a RV park using non metered sites (some campsites have "metered" electric and you pay for the electric you use in addition to the site fee and a electric heater is going to be very costly in this case).

The problem is with those is it often will take at least one 1,500W portable for small RVs and for larger RVs TWO 1,500W electric heaters to keep a "reasonable" temp in a RV.

Two electric heaters are the limit of a 30A shore power connection, the problem you will run into is if you are plugging in to your standard home outlet which is typically limited to 15A/20A and will not support two heaters.

Not to mention running one or two electric heaters in an unused RV is simply going to drive your electric bill sky high for no reason.

otrfun wrote:
Question for those in the know:

I'm assuming the OP is wanting to heat his TT 24/7 while it is UNoccupied, correct?

If so, what is more safe, a fan-driven, ceramic heater (750/1500 watt) or a passive, space heater (watts??)?

Thanks!

Just guessing that you are correct that the OP is NOT using the TT during the winter.

So... IF you are NOT camping (IE using) the TT then there IS no reason to even heat the TT provided the water lines, water heater, drains and tanks have been winterized.

By winterizing I am talking about removing any water from the water lines, fixtures, water heater either by using compressed air or combo of compressed air and the PINK RV antifreeze.

You MUST use this special RV anti freeze in your water lines since it is not toxic if ingested (although I would not recommend doing so) if you do not trust just blowing out the lines with air.

RV antifreeze is colored PINK so as to not be confused with automotive antifreezes which are green, orange colors which are DEADLY if ingested.

Holding tanks should be emptied and some RV antifreeze should be poured into the sink and tub/shower drains to displace the water in the traps. I also put a little amount of RV antifreeze in the black tank since not all liquid may have drained and I don't want the tank drain plumbing and valve to break :E

So.. As I mentioned, if not camping/using the TT during the winter as long as the water systems have been winterized (and any food/drinks are removed and fridge is turned off) just turn off the heat. There is no real good reason to burn through propane or electricity in an unused living space..

If you are planning to camp in the cold weather you can still store your trailer with the heat turned off. You simply just turn the heat on for a short time before leaving or when you get to the camping spot but you would still want to keep your water systems winterized to ensure no harm will happen to them..

okie dokie ,,,,,see im learning here and i did mention ,,,,dumb,,,,,so , i own a 36 ft. winnie vista ,,,2011,,,1st one ,,, okay now ,, one person says rv's dont have electric heat ,,,another says they do . im sooo confused ..lol,,,, so what i think i will do is plug her in and put a space heater in the beast . now if i am understanding correctly ,,, her being plugged in will keep the batteries charged . because its so cold here and we plan to hit the road for god only knows ,no later than may1st , i am just trying to her ready for my maiden voyage . thanks ,, and any suggestions are welcomed please ......