heat in the lower storage bay

[Blazing_Zippers]

There was a post someplace about a person placing a light bulb in the lower storage bay to keep the contents from freezing.
Anyone have thoughts about this practice?
Sadly, we've winterized our trailer, but hope to use it in a couple months. Loading the bays in snow doesn't sound fun.

[rhagfo]

shadows4 wrote:
What about just a small electric heater? One that will run say 350 watts? Like this one.

Interesting that the heater pictured is for use in Great Britain by looking at the plug. :h

[Cummins12V98]

Electric heater with a T stat.

[Blazing_Zippers]

I have a hidden stash of old illegal light bulbs. The idea of a small heater sounds better then a bulb. Thanks for the ideas.

[eHoefler]

I have a small ceramic heater with a fan in our basement with a real thermostat on it set at 55*. Been down to 7* with out any issues with the water system.

[blofgren]

bcbackroad wrote:

blofgren wrote:

shadows4 wrote:
What about just a small electric heater? One that will run say 350 watts? Like this one.

x2. Much more efficient and effective.

Our fiver has 2 furnaces as part of the winter package and the upper furnace has a duct off of it that heats the basement. You may want to have a look for that.

Never heard of General Coach before. Full Time warranty as well as a -30C warranty....nobody builds them like they use to.

That’s for sure. They were built in Oliver and we toured the plant in 2005 before we bought our Citation Supreme 28.5RKS new. It was a fantastic trailer and we only sold it to buy a larger unit in 2015 and you can see we stuck with General Coach. We looked long and hard to find this model in good condition. Unfortunately they did not survive the recession and shut down in 2009.

[bcbackroad]

blofgren wrote:

shadows4 wrote:
What about just a small electric heater? One that will run say 350 watts? Like this one.

x2. Much more efficient and effective.

Our fiver has 2 furnaces as part of the winter package and the upper furnace has a duct off of it that heats the basement. You may want to have a look for that.

Never heard of General Coach before. Full Time warranty as well as a -30C warranty....nobody builds them like they use to.

[Johno02]

The post might have been mine. I thought about one of the small under-desk heaters that were low-wattage, and yes, one would probably be better than the light if you need more heat. I used a clamp-on lampholder from Walmart, with a 75-watt bulb, clamped in such a manner to make sure it was well clear of any objects in the bin. Hardest part was finding a 75-watt incandesent bulb. they have all been replaced with LEDs.

[blofgren]

shadows4 wrote:
What about just a small electric heater? One that will run say 350 watts? Like this one.

x2. Much more efficient and effective.

Our fiver has 2 furnaces as part of the winter package and the upper furnace has a duct off of it that heats the basement. You may want to have a look for that.

[shadows4]

What about just a small electric heater? One that will run say 350 watts? Like this one.

[ksg5000]

Depends on the size of compartment, insulation, and how cold things get. I would argue that a 60 watt old fashioned bulb is considered "inefficient" because most of the energy is wasted as heat vs light - in a tight compartment that heat is constant and builds up .... might compete with the heat generated by RV furnace which tend to vary by distance,furnace BTU, and thermostat setting. Be interesting to see a test.

Long story short - not much downside in putting a light bulb in the storage area - if it's enclosed and has ducted heat - consider it insurance. If it's not ducted then it's likely your only alternative.

[royl]

For my last motorhome I purchased two 200 watt heaters and two thermocube that plug into an outlet and automatically turn on at 40 degrees and off again when the temp rises. They kept the storage compartments warm enough so nothing froze.

[2oldman]

Itching2go wrote:
I've done this as a supplement to the furnace over night when the temperatures are particularly cold, but I don't believe it would be sufficient in and of itself to keep things from freezing up without the furnace. .

x2. If you can even find an incan bulb anymore. It's barely a help at all. Now, a big ol' heat lamp may work. Of course that would require more electricity and you'd have to pay for it.

What contents are you concerned about?

[Itching2go]

Putting a light bulb in the storage area will definitely help keep the plumbing warm, but the key word here is 'help'. I've done this as a supplement to the furnace over night when the temperatures are particularly cold, but I don't believe it would be sufficient in and of itself to keep things from freezing up without the furnace. I suppose it all depends on how cold it gets, though.