Changing heat pump to heat strip

[mc_cc]

Has anyone changed a roof air heat pump to a heat strip?

[AllegroD]

Good to hear. If it works for you, it is the right answer.

[down_home]

deleted

[Mile_High]

There you go! Good resolve. Our Mach 8s had a heat strip option that would come on to preheat while the heat pump was getting up to temp.

[mc_cc]

I appreciate everyone's input. I use my coach year round and like to do winter camping. This is a 2016 MH with Coleman units on top. One has a heat pump function. This other is a standard AC unit. Many nights it drops below that 40 degree threshold. I hate using space heaters and propane. My Coleman units have an optional heat strip add-on which I am having added as we speak. Fortunately, I am not having to give up the heat pump function on my one unit as I originally thought, and as one poster mentioned, it gives me both options. I personally like the noise of the roof air units to sleep by, so it fulfills the heating issue and the "white noise" matter for sleeping. I may come back at some point and update everyone on whether it was money well spent.

[down_home]

Our Heat Pumps come with Heat Strips already!
It has been some time or I would remember details of adding Heat Strips to Coleman or Carrier Air Conditioners that did not come with them.
The whole idea of a Heat Pump would be defeated if it didn't have Heat Strips too. The Hat Pumps are better than in our o5 coach but still about 50 degrees or maybe 45 thy don't work too well. Our heat pumps at home had heaters in the compressor to keep it thawed and putting out heat somehow. We have two new units and I don't like Energy Efficient at all.
sounds like you have older units and perhaps the best route if you can afford it is to buy new units but not at retail or from CW.Just be sure they ill fit your openings and if you need new thermostats that you have wires for it or can fish new wires to it. We talked with some Folks, and the same subject might have been posted here of sources being found for half what some people pay for Heat Pumps.I don't remember where though.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

My RV came with a Dometic thermostat. Of course that limited heating to either/or furnace/heat strip. Since I wished to use both, I added an additional thermostat and moved the furnace over to the new one. Now I can leave the furnace set cooler than the original thermostat and the furnace will "pick up the slack" if needed.

It also means I can boost the 25000 btu's from the furnace by an additional ~5000 btu's.

Air mixing is faster, too.

[Two_Jayhawks]

dougrainer wrote:

Two Jayhawks wrote:
I've had heat strips & currently have heat pumps & I don't care for either source for producing heat. Both are loud & obnoxious and as mentioned, since heat rises, rather illogical. To be fair I've never seen a RV that didn't have a actual heat source (furnace/hydronic/etc.) so these are just redundant anyway. If the OP's question was about replacing a failed roof unit with either of the two models, not sure the heat strip isn't the more practical.

RV Heat Pumps are no Louder than when they are in COOL(AC) mode. IF you have a loud or abnormal noise, you have a problem. ALL a HP does is reverse the flow of coolant. If it makes a noise in HEAT mode, it will make a noise in COLD mode. The REASON, HP's became more popular was the sound of an LP furnace Blower motor and the hotter output temps, a lot of RVer's did not like. Hydronic systems are almost totally silent. The radiator muffin fans barely make a noise. Most CG's your 120 shore power is part of your daily fee. So, use your HP's for free instead of paying for LP on a furnace or Diesel on a Hydronic system. Hydronic also has 120 elements so that would be "free" also. Doug

My heat pumps work fine and I'm familiar with how they work. I suppose If I was honest my issue is why wear out a very expensive component doing what a $15 Walmart heater will do quietly. Running a HP is no different that running the unit on AC (same wear & tear). Surely in your experience you have seen roof units all have a finite life span.

[PastorCharlie]

Double post

[PastorCharlie]

My Heat Pumps have settings for A/C, Heat Pump and Heat Strips. I do not use the Heat Strip as it is insufficient heat by its self.

[dougrainer]

Two Jayhawks wrote:
I've had heat strips & currently have heat pumps & I don't care for either source for producing heat. Both are loud & obnoxious and as mentioned, since heat rises, rather illogical. To be fair I've never seen a RV that didn't have a actual heat source (furnace/hydronic/etc.) so these are just redundant anyway. If the OP's question was about replacing a failed roof unit with either of the two models, not sure the heat strip isn't the more practical.

RV Heat Pumps are no Louder than when they are in COOL(AC) mode. IF you have a loud or abnormal noise, you have a problem. ALL a HP does is reverse the flow of coolant. If it makes a noise in HEAT mode, it will make a noise in COLD mode. The REASON, HP's became more popular was the sound of an LP furnace Blower motor and the hotter output temps, a lot of RVer's did not like. Hydronic systems are almost totally silent. The radiator muffin fans barely make a noise. Most CG's your 120 shore power is part of your daily fee. So, use your HP's for free instead of paying for LP on a furnace or Diesel on a Hydronic system. Hydronic also has 120 elements so that would be "free" also. Doug

[Two_Jayhawks]

I've had heat strips & currently have heat pumps & I don't care for either source for producing heat. Both are loud & obnoxious and as mentioned, since heat rises, rather illogical. To be fair I've never seen a RV that didn't have a actual heat source (furnace/hydronic/etc.) so these are just redundant anyway. If the OP's question was about replacing a failed roof unit with either of the two models, not sure the heat strip isn't the more practical.

[Chris_Bryant]

dougrainer wrote:
Answer to original question.
You can ADD a heat Strip to certain model RV Heat Pumps.
There would be no reason to REPLACE a HP for a AC only model with the add on Heat Strip. The Heat Strips are 5600BTU's. The Heat Pumps are their BTU rating----13,500k or 15,000k. basically 3 times the Heat production of a Heat Strip. Using Heat Strips as HEAT in sub 35 degree weather is not a good Heat Source. Heat Strips are marketed as removing the Chill in the RV, not to heat the RV. Doug

At least he got one correct answer to his question 🙂

[AllegroD]

Heat pump down to about 40, then 2-3 space heaters works for us.

[dougrainer]

ScottG wrote:

msturtz wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:
THe only way I'd even consider switching a heat pump for heat to heat strips.

For one thing... A/C's on RV's tend to be roof mount. I want A/C's on the roof as that is the hottest part of the RV.. but for heat I want it down near the floor. Heat pumps DO have advantages that make 'em worth it. but if I'm going to use resistive heat (Electric heat strips) I want 'em near the floor where my space heaters sit...

NOTE: most RV's are not wired to support space heaters. I added heavy duty wiring to mine just for that 12ga wire feeding 15/20 amp outltes wire bent around a tightened screw.. NOT the uni-box **** the factory put in.

Absolutely correct! RV wiring is substandard at best. Small wire size, uni-box outlets, undersized main panels, and so on. Not fun.

All the 120V outlet wiring in a RV is the same Romex 14 awg stuff that's in your house. So the wiring is not smaller.
The much maligned RV outlet is UL and even CSA approved right up to its 15A limit and I have used these outlets all over my RV to run a1500 watt space heater. They hold up just fine.
Now if someone doesn't install one correctly it will overheat just like residentail outlets will but for all intent and purposes, the RV will run a space heater just fine.

Non-engineer types don't like the connection style that the RV outlet uses but that same blade type of connection is used all over new houses and commercial buildings.

RV's have both 14/2 and 12/2. Depending on the load the circuit is supplying
AC will have 12/2
Microwave will have 12/2
Fireplace will have 12/2
Inverters In and Out will have either 12/2 or 10/2 depending on the Inverter model and wattage rating
Some CONVERTER circuits will sometimes have 12/2.
BUT, almost ALL the wall and kitchen receptacles will have 14/2 and be on a 15 amp breaker/s Doug