Electric Mattress Pad - Electricity Help
We plan to do some cool weather camping this winter and went out and bought an electric mattress pad, but didn't think about electricity limitations. Now keep in mind and the reason I am posting, elec...
Forum Discussion
I have used an electric blanket plugged into the camper's 110v inside outlet, being powered by a 4KW gas generator, connected to camper via shore power cord. It worked fine, as did the A/C and microwave, powered the same way.
It is more efficient, however, to use the propane fired, thermostat controlled RV furnace for warmth, provided you have enough battery power to run the furnace's 12vdc blower motor. This way, your whole RV inside is warm, instead of just your bed, and you don't have to run a generator all night.
Run the generator in the morning to re-charge the battery as it will be low, from powering the blower motor all night. You'll be wanting to run the generator in the morning anyways, to power the coffee pot and microwave, so it's a good time to recharge the battery too.
This is the least expensive way I have found to operate a camper- propane, battery, standard converter/charger, and a standard gas generator. Complex electrical systems involving inverters, smart chargers, solar charging systems, multi unit banks of AGM batteries, inverter generators, and the like are all very nice, but are also very, very expensive! It is very easy to spend $5000 and up on a custom RV electrical system!
It is more efficient, however, to use the propane fired, thermostat controlled RV furnace for warmth, provided you have enough battery power to run the furnace's 12vdc blower motor. This way, your whole RV inside is warm, instead of just your bed, and you don't have to run a generator all night.
Run the generator in the morning to re-charge the battery as it will be low, from powering the blower motor all night. You'll be wanting to run the generator in the morning anyways, to power the coffee pot and microwave, so it's a good time to recharge the battery too.
This is the least expensive way I have found to operate a camper- propane, battery, standard converter/charger, and a standard gas generator. Complex electrical systems involving inverters, smart chargers, solar charging systems, multi unit banks of AGM batteries, inverter generators, and the like are all very nice, but are also very, very expensive! It is very easy to spend $5000 and up on a custom RV electrical system!
