How you heatin?

[Lurker52]

Maybe a bit early for some but winter is coming and I always wonder how full timers heat there rigs. The past few years I have been work camping /volunteering and have had electricity provided. This year family matters have landed us in the Ocala Fl. area.

We are in a park that we pay for our own electric so the space heaters may cost a lot to run. I am thinking I will just have to use the furnace. I don't like the noise and I hope the propane cost is not to bad.

This area can get pretty cold at times but it usually don't last to long.

So, how do you keep cozy on those cold winter nights?

[GeoJG]

I'm in a 31ft Class C. Have solely used 2 space heaters without problems. My pad rent includes $75 of electricity and only once have I gone over and then it was less than a dollar and that was during the summer using the AC. The lowest temp has been an overnight of 11 degrees. I will say I bought an electric blanket for the really cold spells and have kept my hot rollers sitting on the floor behind the toilet as well as heat tape on my water hose.

[jrnymn7]

I figured someone would have already developed a hybrid solar electric/solar hot water system:

http://www.solimpeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/pvt_presentation_en.pdf

[Paw_Paw_John]

I'm guessing that the property you are staying at is not yours. How long are you going to stay t,here? I would check into posible getting an electrician to price out a 30 or 50 amp line from the main house electrical panel. I wired a hundred amp service to my shop so I could tie in my 50 amp service for my camper. This might be an option for you. Good luck!!,

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

To answer the questions on are available power. We are parked next to an out building that is on a sub panel from the main service in the house. I looked at the size of the wiring coming out here and it was big enough to support a 30 amp breaker but nothing bigger. I installed your typical 30 amp rv box from Lowes. Inside the sub panel the lights for the building is on a 15 amp breaker and the outlets for the building are on a 20 amp breaker. The heat tape and most recently the bedroom heater is also plugged in to an outlet. Believe me I would love to install a 50 amp service but I don't think the wiring from the house would handle it. I welcome ideas if you think it can be done safely.

[Paw_Paw_John]

I have only camped in 25 degree weather one time since I installed my cheap heat system. I sent the thermostat at 67 degrees and was very comfortable. I always camp where I have access to a 50 amp supply and if I get to that point of camping out in the wilderness I would use my gas unit. I'm only saying that I camped with three portable heaters and now love to camp with my cheap heat system. I only use the 50 amp access that I pay for!!! Good luck in all your ventures and stay safe thru the winter.

[pianotuna]

Hi Paw Paw,

I do heat 100% electrically and have tested down to -36 c (-33 f). It takes about 18500 BTU's (peak demand 5400 watts or 45 amps) to do so. Those are impossible numbers for a single 30 amp circuit. That is why I added additional shore power cordage.

I am often in locations that have no 30 amp, nor 50 amp supply, but do have multiple 15 amp discreet circuits available.

I have added 20 amp and 15 amp shore power cords to the OEM 30. This allows me to use up to 45 amps of power for heating in the winter time. In the summer time I use the 15 amp to run the converter, and the 20 amp to run the water heater. That leaves me with 15 amps on the OEM shore power any time there are multiple circuits available to me.

On the OEM 30 amp, when plugged into 15 amps, because I have a hybrid inverter I can use the battery bank to supplement power to 30 amps using the "load support" feature on the inverter. Of course, I can not do it "forever" but it does make starting hi draw appliances such as the air conditioner and microwave safe to do without risking "brown out" damage to them.

Paw Paw John wrote:
As for Pianotuna if I read his post correctly he is using one 30 amp shore power and two 15 / 20 amp extension cords at the same time. Why!!!

[Paw_Paw_John]

Fleet wood

Where you are camping is there a 50 amp connection also or just a 30 amp & 15 / 20 amp receptical. If you have access to a 50 amp, you could make a box to convert that 50 amp to a useable two 120 volt recepticals. You also could convert your present supply from a 30 amp to a 50 amp supply. Then you could add the cheap heat system and heat your camper with no problems. I have also been using the cheap heat system in my 36 foot Moblie Suite, 2004 model going on five years also. This system cost me $658.00 total.
I also used three portable heaters and a light bulb in the basement. I got tired of tripping over them and when my grandchild tipped one over and I burn't my hands from panicking & picking it up. I'm also a vol.fireman in my home town and during the winter we repond to at lease one home fire caused by these portable heaters. If I was in your shoes I would upgrade my electrical service cord to a 50 amp and install the cheap heat system. This system is something any DIY can handle.
As for Pianotuna if I read his post correctly he is using one 30 amp shore power and two 15 / 20 amp extension cords at the same time. Why!!!
I'm very happy with the cheap heat system and love the even heat, it also keeps my underbelly heated at the same time. Good luck with your future heating options.

[jrnymn7]

Perhaps one could mount their solar panels into a shallow box, ducted to their rv, to harvest all that heat building up behind their solar panels, and blow it into the rv for free solar heating. It would just be another take on this idea:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Experimental/PopCanVsScreen/PopCanVsScreen.htm

I would think the heat collector would work somewhat like a heat sink. So, using a low draw 12v fan, one could use this set-up all year round; for heating in winter, or simply cooling the back of the panels in summer. Using dampers, one could direct the air flow either in and out of the rv, or simply back out into the environment.

Perhaps an even better set-up would be to run water lines in and out of the heat collector box, and hydronically heat the undercarriage of the rig. The hot water (radiant) heating would continue well past sundown, and heating with water is more efficient. In summer, one could use a small heater core and 12v fan as a heat exchanger to remove the heat from the water.

Results, free solar heating, and more efficient solar.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

The heat tape only does about 168 watts for 24 feet. Either that, or it draws a heck of a lot more than 7 watts per foot.

I suggest you invest in one of these:



Kill-a-Watt

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

Sorry I should have said heat tape. Available in different lengths. Package says 7 watts per foot seems like a lot to me. Today as a test I went into the outbuilding plugged in a long enough extention cord to reach the bedroom of the rv and plugged in the heater and turned it on high. Made sure the heat tape was on and the breaker didn't trip so I pulled the cord up though the access under the bed. Turned the heater back on and went back out to put things back in the building and when I turned the light on it tripped the breaker in the house going to the sub panel. The lights and outlets are on a different circuit, but 30 amp breaker in the house wasn't having it. So I will have to remeber not to flip the light on if I need in there, or unplug the heat tape for the time.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

What is a 24 foot heat strip?

How many watts is it drawing?

Fleetwood Couple wrote:
There is and outside extension cord ran from a 20 amp outlet, that is plugged into my 24 foot heat strip.

[harold1946]

Fleetwood Couple wrote:
No not heat pumps, it's just one propane furnace. It has heat 1 for the main area and heat 2 for the bed/bath 2 seperate thermostats. There is and outside extension cord ran from a 20 amp outlet, that is plugged into my 24 foot heat strip. Do you think it can also handle another cord and a small heater? I do need to have the propane kick on a few times to heat the basement area. I also have a 125W brudder bulb in the tank area.
Thanks

Guess I mis-understood your first post and thought you had two furnacee, hense my thinking they may be heatpumps.
With only 30 amp supply there would be little gained with your size coach using the comfort system in 30 amp configuration..
You would have to know the amp rating of your existing heat strip and that of the one being added to calculate whether a 20 amp circuit would handle it.

[jrnymn7]

I have yet to boondock in the cold, but I'm working on making it easily do-able. I have experimented with a couple of homemade hydronic heat systems, and am seriously considering one of those Olympian Wave 3 catalytic heaters. And in a similar, earlier thread on this forum, I saw a great idea for installing one inside a cabinet door; but in my case it would be installed on the rear bus door.

In my case, I could have a small hydronic heater near me, for personal heating, and the wave 3 for general heating, when required. (I have no basement plumbing to worry about). And I love pianotuna's idea of using a 'thermocube' and light for heating the fridge compartment.

http://www.thermocube.com/

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

No not heat pumps, it's just one propane furnace. It has heat 1 for the main area and heat 2 for the bed/bath 2 seperate thermostats. There is and outside extension cord ran from a 20 amp outlet, that is plugged into my 24 foot heat strip. Do you think it can also handle another cord and a small heater? I do need to have the propane kick on a few times to heat the basement area. I also have a 125W brudder bulb in the tank area.
Thanks