Furnace BTUs 18 vs 30
We are narrowing down our trailer choices. The three we are looking at all have their manufacturer's version of an arctic package. Two of the three have 30 btu furnaces and one has an 18 btu. All t...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
The closer the furnace is to 100% run time the more the comfort. This favors a smaller furnace with better insulation in the RV.
However, "better insulation" is pretty much a joke in RV land. The walls are simply not very thick and construction does not attempt to isolate the frame.
Radiant heat floors are desirable, but doing a hydronic system is not inexpensive. It is possible to get electrically heated under floor materials. The highest output I've seen is about 85 btu's per square foot. On a 20' x 10' that works out to 17000 btu's in total. It requires a 50 amp service to run that much power (about 34 amps on one leg). More usual numbers are about 40 to 50 btu's per square foot. In that case extra heating capacity needs to be added.
I did find carpets with the 85 btu's per square foot. They are a great way to retro fit.
Adding tank heaters with a heated basement is what I would do, using the 18000 btu furnace preferably with a two speed fan. With a larger furnace the tank heaters become even more necessary.
I do heat 100% electrically and use my furnace as a backup should the power fail.
The closer the furnace is to 100% run time the more the comfort. This favors a smaller furnace with better insulation in the RV.
However, "better insulation" is pretty much a joke in RV land. The walls are simply not very thick and construction does not attempt to isolate the frame.
Radiant heat floors are desirable, but doing a hydronic system is not inexpensive. It is possible to get electrically heated under floor materials. The highest output I've seen is about 85 btu's per square foot. On a 20' x 10' that works out to 17000 btu's in total. It requires a 50 amp service to run that much power (about 34 amps on one leg). More usual numbers are about 40 to 50 btu's per square foot. In that case extra heating capacity needs to be added.
I did find carpets with the 85 btu's per square foot. They are a great way to retro fit.
Adding tank heaters with a heated basement is what I would do, using the 18000 btu furnace preferably with a two speed fan. With a larger furnace the tank heaters become even more necessary.
I do heat 100% electrically and use my furnace as a backup should the power fail.
