Hi,
My waste tank area is not heated either.
How much wattage is needed depends on what the ambient temperature will be, the size of the compartment and the surface area. I know that 200 watts will work down to -27 C (-16.6 f) for my Class C. I do use a mechanical thermostat set to cut in at 4 C (40 f).
200 watts @ 12 volts =~ 17 amps of demand on the battery bank.
Wire will need to be #12 (#10 would be better). Since wire is going to have to be pulled, it is just as easy to make it a 120 volt system run from a small inverter.
Given the demands on the battery bank, a thermostat would be a good idea. I can't find a mechanical one that does 17 amps DC.
On a sunny day on Dec 21 I get about 17 amp-hours in an entire day from 256 watts of solar. That is only enough to run a 200 watt heat source for one hour.
Some one mentioned large Christmas tree lights. They draw 7 watts each and, of course, are 120 volt.
I currently use a 600 watt heater in the waste tank area. It does cycle on and off. I replaced the 200 watt because the fan motor ceased to function. I'd rather have too much wattage that too little. A frozen waste tank is not my idea of "fun".
camper19709 wrote:
hummm. I have no 110 power close to my wet bay. My water tanks are down the center of the motorhome between the rails. That is the only tank area that gets heat. I wanted to stick with using the 12volt system to provide the heat to the bay. I have solar to recharge the batteries. Only 120watt but with conservation and sunny days I can keep the generator running to a minimum while boondocking. The 6 12volt fixtures would be attached to the metal sides and metal top of the wet bay. I would leave the plastic covers off of the fixtures. I have a remote thermometer in the wet bay. I could even put a smoke alarm in there "just because".
Opinions / thoughts?
