heating in winter

[SuzyQ51]

do you have to be plugged in to electric for the furnace to work? i know the furnace is propane, but do you need electric to run the thermostat and blower?
Thank you.

[ppine]

a furnace and a blower require about 4-5 amps. If you are moving the truck alternatore will bring you batteries up. I usually only run the furnace in the morning when we first get up when boondocking.

[afidel]

Merrykalia wrote:
If I were leaving Michigan and heading south, I would "WING" it for one night until I got down far enough that I needed little/no additional heat.

You don't say what you are driving/pulling, but if your batteries are in good shape, they will last one night unless it is below 10 degrees.

Take extra blankets, hats, mittens that you can use JUST IN CASE. Warm the RV up, cut the thermostat back down and crawl in bed. Don't use up your battery with lights, TV, etc.

Next morning, run the thermostat back up, warm it up for your morning rituals, then get on the road.

Unless you are in the UP, you should be down in warmer weather by nightfall of the 2nd night.

Lol, it was 32 degrees in Atlanta last December 22nd, still need plenty of propane for that 😃 Coming back it was 28-32 overnight in Atlanta and Kentucky, definitely glad I blew out the lines before leaving Florida. If you're traveling pretty much anywhere north of Orlando in late December figure that there's a good chance of seeing freezing temperatures. Heck, the one year people in the Keys were freaking out because it was forecast to hit 33-34 overnight one night around New Years, the lowest temp they had ever seen (**** polar vortex) so even south of Orlando isn't a guarantee, though freezing temps down there generally only last for a few hours so not enough to freeze pipes.

[mowermech]

I can only describe personal experience.
When we got our firts Class A (1977 Pace Arrow 27 foot), we couldn't wait to try it out, so to Wood Lake, in the mountains above Augusta, MT, we went.
Beautiful! Total solitude, good fishing, dark and quiet.
The coach had one 8D battery, the HUGE 12 volt beast. That will last all night, right? WRONG!!
At 3 AM a strange noise woke me up. It was the furnace blower trying to run, and failing due to low voltage. That huge battery was almost totally dead! The temperature in the coach was about 35 degrees. I had to get up and start the engine to get enough power to start the generator.
Lessons learned:
1. Run the generator before bed to ensure that the battery(s) are FULLY charged!
2. The furnace is a power hog!

[JaxDad]

A typical 12 volt blower is like anything else, 'X' amount of work requires 'Y' amount of energy input.

If a given blower consumes less than half the input power, 4 amps versus 8.9 amps, it means it is moving half the volume of air too.

[free_radical]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi ppine,

I wish I had your furnace. Mine draws 8.9 amps.

ppine wrote:
The furnace draws around 4 amps. That will use up your battery fast. Plan to use it only in the morning when you wake up when boondocking or just make coffee.

You might want to invest in Espar diesel heater,,

I have only one 105 amh battery and it used no more then 20% of juice when running all night at -20C..

[wa8yxm]

Currently as I type this I'm at a restaurant, but the RV is in a membership campground (Outdoor Adventures INC, Lakeshore Resort, Davison (Really Richfield Twp) Mi. THey do offer year around to members but you still have to follow the rules. RV can be left on site all winter (NOT PLUGGED IN) but you still do your 2-3 weeks in one out bit. Or every weekend, I'd winterize (Dry method) before leaving campground since you can't plug in.

NO water,, Sewer is ok but no water. Only selected bathouses open (You can get water there to fill your on-board tank)

ME... I'll be in Oconee, County South Carolina where freezing is not such an issue and the parks are open year round 🙂

How best to wnterize.. Strap snowblower to front of Rig, Drive south, when someone pushes their head back, Scratches where their hair used to be and says "What the ()@!#$ is that?" you are winterized.

[pianotuna]

Hi ppine,

I wish I had your furnace. Mine draws 8.9 amps.

ppine wrote:
The furnace draws around 4 amps. That will use up your battery fast. Plan to use it only in the morning when you wake up when boondocking or just make coffee.

[ppine]

The furnace draws around 4 amps. That will use up your battery fast. Plan to use it only in the morning when you wake up when boondocking or just make coffee.

[portliz]

Lots of campgrounds open all year on the way to Florida. Depending where in Michigan you are you should be able to find one. We stay winterized and carry bottled water and anti freeze to flush. Often campground washrooms are open and heated. You will be surprised how many workers are living year round in these campgrounds. Have a safe trip.

[Campinfan]

SuzyQ...last Christmas we went to the Keys. We stopped in Savannah GA the first night...drove 900 mile and 19 hrs but I chalk that up to having a diesel...a lot less stress. On the way home, we stopped just south of Atlanta so the next morning we got up early and beat the rush hour. Stayed at KOAs both times....can't say what the Savannah KOA looked like, go their after dark and left before sunrise.

[Merrykalia]

If I were leaving Michigan and heading south, I would "WING" it for one night until I got down far enough that I needed little/no additional heat.

You don't say what you are driving/pulling, but if your batteries are in good shape, they will last one night unless it is below 10 degrees.

Take extra blankets, hats, mittens that you can use JUST IN CASE. Warm the RV up, cut the thermostat back down and crawl in bed. Don't use up your battery with lights, TV, etc.

Next morning, run the thermostat back up, warm it up for your morning rituals, then get on the road.

Unless you are in the UP, you should be down in warmer weather by nightfall of the 2nd night.

[steveh27]

I do a lot of boondocking in deer hunting, and when I drive to FLA the end of Jan. My Class B's furnace can run for several days before the battery is a problem. I have a 105 AH battery. But I conserve power as much as possible, led lights, etc. Just driving recharges the battery. I sometimes take a portable 120 watt solar panel or my Honda 2000 genny.

I left the water system winterized until reaching FLA.

[Grit_dog]

GordonThree wrote:
Winter camping is the best IMHO - it's often very quiet, and little crowds depending where you go.

just takes preparation and more money for fuel.

late December in Capitol Reef NP, it was down in the teens at night, 20s during the day. I was the only one in the campground. Asked the ranger if I could ignore generator hours to keep my heat on - they said no problem! So little blue ran pretty much all night keeping my plumbing heat and tank heaters on, and recharge batteries from the propane blower furnace, which was running more often than not. Same deal at Natural Bridges. Little blue ran all day and most of the night... Woke in the morning and it was buried under over a foot of fresh snow. Refilled with gas and it started right up.

Paradise right there! Jus some coffee n Kailua watching it snow.......

[Lwiddis]

Adequate batteries and solar system and you should be set to run your heater as needed.