Adding electric heat to coleman Mach3+

I have a heat strip and an electric "fireplace". It sure is nice to just set the thermostat for the heat strip and go to dinner. No worries about things too close to other means of heat. I do use the fireplace more but the heat strip is a useful device and it does distribute the air better. The fireplace, or any portable heater, is hot at one spot and cold a distance away.

Huntindog wrote:
There are advantages to both approaches. BUt overall, long term the heat in the TT will be the same.

Incorrect. Warm air rises - a heater situated on the floor is generating heat where it's needed, warming the interior of the camper and occupants as it rises and is distributed about the camper. :B An A/C mounted heater is generating heat where it's not needed, at the ceiling, where it's trapped and there is no one to benefit from that warm air. :( The only rationale I see for an A/C mounted heat strip is for blowing warmed air into the bed ends of a hybrid trailer, otherwise it's a useless exercise in futility when a $20 floor situated electric heater will prove far more effective at distributing warmed air where it's needed.

In order to install a heat strip on a Coleman it has to be the correct heat ready cieling assembly inside the trailer. If you have ducted AC with a wall mounted stat and the chill grill air dump louvers chances are you don't have the correct one, as the RV manufacturers don't typically use the heat ready cieling assembly as it costs more. The correct one is around $150 if that's the case. There are two different ones with the chill grill that look the same externally.

5118 btu's. Use the fan on low, and realize the furnace would probably output 4 to 5 times that many btu's.

Tyandkate wrote:
Do you happen to know the BTUs of that strip heat kit?

Tyandkate wrote:
Do you happen to know the BTUs of that strip heat kit?

They're all the same, ~ 5600 BTU. Unfortunately you won't feel much because the A/C fan is forcing that warmed air out at such a high (and noisy) rate. :(

Do you happen to know the BTUs of that strip heat kit?

We had a heat strip in our Pup AC. Not really worth the trouble. Didn't heat it up at all. No different than turning on a hair dryer, actually. the hair dryer put out more heat

pianotuna wrote:
Tyandkate,

That is why I replaced all the outlets in my RV. Even so I do not run 1500 watt heaters. I prefer to use the 900 watt or 600 watt setting on oil filled heaters.

Tyandkate wrote:
So to reference the electric heater to plug in to the wall. I purchased one plugged it in to a surge protector for the breaker protection. It popped in ten mins the cord was very warm to touch and the prongs were so hot you could barely touch them. Moved it to a gfi plug same results. I returned it. I don’t want to lose my trailer over a heater. I got the idea for the add on heat strip because the service wire to the unit is larger than the wire used to the outlets.

I have a couple of small cube heaters. One is 700W/1400W, the second one is 350W/700W. I use the smaller one on low as long as it will meet the needs.

Tyandkate,

That is why I replaced all the outlets in my RV. Even so I do not run 1500 watt heaters. I prefer to use the 900 watt or 600 watt setting on oil filled heaters.

Tyandkate wrote:
So to reference the electric heater to plug in to the wall. I purchased one plugged it in to a surge protector for the breaker protection. It popped in ten mins the cord was very warm to touch and the prongs were so hot you could barely touch them. Moved it to a gfi plug same results. I returned it. I don’t want to lose my trailer over a heater. I got the idea for the add on heat strip because the service wire to the unit is larger than the wire used to the outlets.