Roof A/c

forget the heat strips. use a $18 ceramic cube from walmart instead. I have heat pumps in my houses. hate them.
bumpy

I use my roof top heat pump every Winter but it only works down to about 32 degrees. Other than that limitation, it works great to cool and to heat our coach.
I have a portable heat pump that I also use inside the RV that we have used in sub-zero temps. It uses less amps than a resistance type heater.

I have a large basement heat pump in my RV and it stops heating at 33* then, I have to turn the furnace on if it's really cold or use a small portable heater.

How often are you going to be in sub freezing weather? I think having the heat pump is a good thing as an option instead of a separate electric heater. Ours works fine and if it's too cold for it to be effective then I probably want the furnace on anyhow to heat the tanks and water lines.

I have 2 heat pumps and if I have to replace, will most likely not go with heat pumps. I prefer to use a ceramic at each end, and an oil filled radiator mid-ship, so the extra cost isn't worth it for me. Mine also has 2 gas furnaces, which love to burn propane, so only on the coldest of trips do I use them.
BTW: We camp year around in the coldest of winters.
Unlike Bumpy, I prefer my homes heat pump, supplemented by a propane fire place. My old home had gas forced air, and my wife and I could not stand the 120 + degree air when the heat was on. With the heat pump it pretty much follows the 20 degree split rule, so if the air is 68 the heat is 88. On real cold days, when the resistance heat kicks in, then we see similar spikes, but I usually have the fireplace "fired" up.

We have two with heat pumps and when the time comes will replace with heat pumps. As stated good to 32 or below. No cords laying around to trip on.

1. Heat Strips do NOT heat an RV. They are designed to take the chill off, nothing else
2. The BTU's of a Heat strip is about 5800 btu. Your HP heat will be at the BTU rating of the Roof unit(13.5 or 15k).
3. The extra slight cost of upgrading to a HP even with the tstat will pay for itself. You will not have to use LP and your CG electricity is included in your CG fee. Doug

I like to camp in the winter because it's not crowded and hopefully quiet -- that all goes down the drain when my neighbor shows up with a heat pump. One of the common issues every RVer faces is loud air conditioner - you can't get around that because you can't buy a quiet $40 electric device which cools your rig .... doesn't hold true for heating the rig. Nuff said?

ksg5000 wrote:
I like to camp in the winter because it's not crowded and hopefully quiet -- that all goes down the drain when my neighbor shows up with a heat pump. One of the common issues every RVer faces is loud air conditioner - you can't get around that because you can't buy a quiet $40 electric device which cools your rig .... doesn't hold true for heating the rig. Nuff said?

you know just when you think you know it all another deal crops up I never knew nor did I realize roof top Class A Ac Units were so noisy it disturbed the neighbours.I must be deaf because I run both of mine in Indio in the spring and sitting outside you cant even tell their running

ksg5000 wrote:
I like to camp in the winter because it's not crowded and hopefully quiet -- that all goes down the drain when my neighbor shows up with a heat pump. One of the common issues every RVer faces is loud air conditioner - you can't get around that because you can't buy a quiet $40 electric device which cools your rig .... doesn't hold true for heating the rig. Nuff said?

I prefer the quite hum of a heat pump to the loud roar of the propane furnace.