12 volt blanket?

[mtnbbud]

I'm thinking about buying a 12 volt heated blanket as a Christmas present for my wife for our camping trailer. I have two 6 volt Trojan T105 batteries. 225ah.

Most 12v blankets claim they draw something from 4.5 to 6.5 amps. Some turn off after 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Some stay on until you turn them off. Some have different heat settings.

Does anyone have experience using a 12v heated blanket? I think my wife would enjoy using it if it works well enough. Would I risk drawing down my battery too low when dry camping for 3 or so days? (We're pretty frugal with our battery since we don't have a generator or solar)

Anyone else using one? Any positive or negative experiences? Brand recommendations?

[steveh27]

I only use the electric blanket to warm the bed before getting in and then turn it off. I only use it with my Honda 2000 watt genny which I turn off before bed as well.

I did just replace my 105AH lead acid house battery with 200 AH's of lithium batteries. I do not know how to run the blanket off them yet as bad health issues are keeping me from using my Class B.

[JimK-NY]

If you want an electric blanket odds are you are going to be also running the furnace and you might want to conserve as much power as possible.

Instead of electric heating, I found extra large, very sturdy hot water bottles. They are designed to be filled with very hot water and have a knit bag to retain the heat and release it slowly over a period of many hours. It is warm enough that I turn the furnace off at night at least when the outside temps are freezing or higher.

[mtnbbud]

2oldman wrote:

mtnbbud wrote:
Supposedly it run for 8 hours on low using a 10000 amp bank.

I think you're missing a decimal point.

Yep - missing an m. Should be 10000mah.

Good info everyone. Thanks for your advice.

[garyhaupt]

We camp in very low temps, often..minus 15. We have a very cheap, very warm man made fibre, sleeping bag that opens up to cover the bed..and we use that. I am a power miser and don't want to wake up to low batteries.

Gary Haupt

[NRALIFR]

The weak point on any 12v heated blanket or mattress pad is the plug. I haven’t found one yet that holds up over the long term without getting too hot. We have one of the old Electrowarmth brand queen size 12v mattress heaters, and after trying 3-4 different style plugs on it, I finally hard-wired it to its own resettable CB. A small pad or blanket might be ok.

The Electrowarmth pad itself is great, and I like the old style analog control with no shutoff, but I think they were pushing the amperage limits of the 12v cigar lighter plug with that size pad. That’s probably why they don’t make a queen size any longer.

:):)

[2oldman]

mtnbbud wrote:
Supposedly it run for 8 hours on low using a 10000 amp bank.

I think you're missing a decimal point.

[ppine]

Much like an electric knife.
Buy some good down bags or quilts.

[mtnbbud]

Thanks for all the replies. Even if my wife doesn't use it much, it could be a fun gift for her. (I have a tough time finding fun Christmas presents for her.) If I got one with a automatic shut off, we shouldn't need to worry about running down the battery too much.

I do have a small 400 watt inverter I could plug into the outlet I added to my trailer. I included a 15 amp fuse in my wiring, but the wiring I used was a bit thin as I only put it in to charge phones and tablets. Do you guys think a 120 volt AC blanket would draw too many amps? Would I need to replace the wiring on my DC plug to something thicker?

I'm thinking a blanket as she could wrap it around her as she's reading or lounging as much as for sleeping. She's a little more cold blooded than me and we've been avoiding using our furnace as it needs to be replaced.
(I have a Little Buddy Heater I use to taker the chill off before turning in or when waking up.)

Along with the typical 12 volt blankets, I've found there's a new one out there that's being marketed for backpacking that will run off a portable power pack or USB. Supposedly it run for 8 hours on low using a 10000 amp bank. I can't imagine it getting very warm, but the ability to pack it along when away from the RV is pretty neat. It's too new to have any reviews yet though...

[corvettekent]

We use a 120 volt mattress pad and a PSW inverter. Works great for us but we have four 6 volt batteries.

[2oldman]

mattress heater, inverter

[cummins2014]

dedmiston wrote:

naturist wrote:
Let’s do some simple math. Taking that 4.5 amp draw, over an 8 hour snooze, we get 36 amp hours per night. At 6.5 amps, that’s 52 amp hours per night. If you have the single 80 amp hour battery most TTS come with, that blanket will completely drain as much power as you dare or even damage the battery. You need to check you battery AH rating before deciding.

Let's do some simple reading. :W

mtnbbud wrote:
I have two 6 volt Trojan T105 batteries. 225ah.

When are they going to add the like button :B

[qtla9111]

We use a regular electric blanket under the mattress pad. We keep it on the lowest setting and keeps us nice and warm. Two 6V and solar, very little draw.

[Lwiddis]

Who hasn't got a bunch of stuff in their RV we never use? I can't remember it all....but "just in case" is the answer Mickey gets! lol

[time2roll]

Have one stuffed up in the cabinet above the bed. DW has used it to warm her side before turning in or has used it on the sofa as a warming pillow. IIRC only used the first year or two. Stays along for the ride if needed but I think it is long forgotten.