CheapHeat Add on for Propane Furnace

[beelbill]

I recently wrote a lengthy rant about my attempts to prepare for full time winter camping in my Trailer. I installed an extend-a-stay valve so that I could add an external propane tank for heat. The problem I ran into was none of the local propane dealers would deliver to a tank attached to an RV. Fifty miles in any direction, I found propane dealers that would, but none here.

So, my question is, does anyone here have any experience with the CheapHeat add on from www.RVComfortsystems.com ? If I could convert my Suburban heater to Gas/Electric, then I could run it off of the electricity normally but have the propane for a back up if the power went out.

[harold1946]

Heat pump work well down to 40F Thats 4.4c for you metric folks. Below that they are next to worthless. So if one is a fair weather camper they are fine.

[pianotuna]

heat pump

beelbill wrote:
The Camping World where I get my RV repairs said that the electric heaters in motor homes are just heat strips in the air-conditioner. I don't know of any heat pumps for an RV. Can you tell me the name of one or give me a web page?

[Paw_Paw_John]

I have installed the cheap heat system from rvconfortsystem and love it. I'm going on five years also. I have a 50 amp service and have no problems with the electrical usages in the camper. From what I'm hearing this system is being installed at the factory if ask to.

[beelbill]

Can't rent any tank for propane. The larger horizontal tanks they won't connect to an RV. The smaller vertical tanks they don't have. I would have to buy my own. This is a farming community. They carry 500 and 1000 gallon tanks. The Camping World where I get my RV repairs said that the electric heaters in motor homes are just heat strips in the air-conditioner. I don't know of any heat pumps for an RV. Can you tell me the name of one or give me a web page?

[pianotuna]

Consider a heat pump.

I am able to heat 100% electrically at -37 c (-34 f). I use a variety of heaters to do so. I upgraded all outlets from the stab type connectors.

How big a tank can be rented for propane?

[Bumpyroad]

the DH 18 is a joke. wouldn't consider that.
bumpy

[harold1946]

The kits are available at amazon.com The new instructions are very clear for the DIY type person with everything color coded and exelent instructions, saving the cost of having it installed by a dealer. Basic tools are all that is needed for installation.
We have had ours for over 5 years and are very pleased.

[beelbill]

Thanks for the information Old Biscuit. It sounds as if I would have to have the 50 amp service. Most of the campgrounds I have checked into require the full timer's to pay their own electricity. I don't really know what it would run, but it would have to be cheaper than heating a home. Even propane is getting expensive anymore.

BarbaraOK wrote:
What size external tank are you talking about? And are you sure there are no local ordinances prohibiting it? In Mesa, you can't fill tanks in a park, but you can have a dealer deliver replacement tanks and take the empty ones away.

Barb

I don't know about ordinances. I just know the propane dealers won't do it. There are two main kinds of tanks that I can find. First, the horizontal tanks that are fixed at the site. The local dealers require them to be hard piped to a permanent structure. They would be measured in gallons. None of the dealers here have 250 gal. tanks so it would be a 500 gal. I figure I will use around 300 gal a year.

The second kind of tanks are vertical tanks. They are filled by weight. They include the tanks on the trailer which are 30#. I can buy 100# tanks, but the dealers won't fill them at the site. The older trucks used to be able to do it, but the newer trucks have no way to measure the weight and risk over filling. They make larger vertical tanks but I wouldn't be able to handle them. I have to lift them alone and the 100# tanks weigh 170# when full. The dealers don't have the smaller tanks to deliver to the site to exchange. They just have 500gal and larger tanks.

Even if I wanted to run back to the propane dealer to have the 30# or 100# tanks filled every week or two, it would be a lot more expensive than even the electric. I priced it at the local dealer and they said 300 gal of propane delivered to a 500 gal tank would cost a little over $300. But the same amount of propane dispensed 30# at a time into smaller tanks would cost $1200.

At this time, my best two options are either something like this cheap heat or abandoning propane all together and having an all electric heater put in. I don't want to do that because in the future at another campsite, I may be able to use the propane and save money.

[BarbaraOK]

What size external tank are you talking about? And are you sure there are no local ordinances prohibiting it? In Mesa, you can't fill tanks in a park, but you can have a dealer deliver replacement tanks and take the empty ones away.

Barb

[Old-Biscuit]

There are three available models.
The DH-50 puts out the most heat and draws 21.6 amps from each of
two legs of 120-volt AC power.
The middle unit (DH-37) draws 15.6 amps from each of two 120-volt AC legs
The smaller system (DH-18) draws 15.6 amps but from only one 120-volt AC leg, which makes it the only unit that can operate on 30-amp service.
The other two require 50-amp service.

The above info is from Trailer Life 2013 Article (Couldn't find info at CheapHeat Website :H)

DH-50.....
120V AC at 21.6 amp---that's 2592W per 50A leg (almost 1/2 of available amps/watts)

DH-37....
120V AC at 15.6 amp---that's 1872W per 50A leg

DH-18......
120V AC at 15.6 amp---that's 1872W on 30A leg (over 1/2 of available amps/watts)

$495 for heat unit........and company states installation of 5-8 hrs with costs between $1200-$1500 (Roughly $1700-$2000 total)

Granted....I have no doubt the DH-50 can heat up an RV pumping out almost 5200W of heat using 43.2A or even the DH-37 at 3744W of heat using 31.2A.
The DH-18 might have issues cause it is not much larger wattage than a 1500W space heater which does a OK job in a limited area. Pumping that low of a heat source thru ducting will not have much heat at end of run.

Electric costs........all of them are going to really jack up the electric meter.
OK if electric is included in CG site.......although CG owners will catch on quickly and then there will be 'issues'.
As it is some don't allow electric heaters already.