Best portable heater (30 amp) for my rv?

[jimbo4UT]

Would appreciate anyone who has a ceramic or other type portable heater to chime in and tell me what brand they have and if they feel it does a good job heating. My rig is a 32 feet Class C.

thanks in advance,

Jimbo

[RAS43]

Lots of good advice here and good brands out in the market. I have a Holmes and a 1Touch, both 1500 watts. When one of them quits I will try a Vornado. I usually run one on low all night and have the furnace set as backup, the setting depends on the overnight low. Down to about 35 degrees the furnace may come on near morning. I have used 2 heaters at times when colder but placing them can be an issue and having 2 running is a concern for us. We have been out in nights down to the high teens. On those nights We open the kitchen and bath cabinet doors to warm the piping. I haven't had an issue with the tanks with these methods.
One thing I highly recommend is to run another heavy duty cord into the unit for one heater if the electric box has a 20 amp outlet. This takes the load off of the RV's circuits and makes it safer if two heaters are used. It is easy to do with slide outs as the cord can be passed by a seal.

[pnichols]

jimbo4UT wrote:
Would appreciate anyone who has a ceramic or other type portable heater to chime in and tell me what brand they have and if they feel it does a good job heating. My rig is a 32 feet Class C.

thanks in advance,

Jimbo

Here's what we use in our RV. It's an outstanding combination electric heater that simultaneously puts out both radiant heat and warm air heat.

We've had ours for years and have used it in our home and now use it in the RV. It's worth the wait until it becomes available again:
https://www.kmart.com/holmes-quartz-tower-heater-hqh320/p-006W060046311312P

[rk911]

pianotuna wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
750 watts keeps my TT warm but not my tanks. How are you warming your tanks?

Hi Lwiddis,

I replaced the furnace return air grill with this...It pressurizes the duct work and keeps the plumbing from freezing up. It is controlled by a mechanical thermostat which is tucked against the outside wall inside the kitchen cabinets.

got a link to share, pls?

[coolmom42]

CA Traveler wrote:
We have 2 of the small cheaper 1500W ceramic heaters that are common to Walmart etc. They are easy to store and you can run 2 on high (25A for both).

I second this. Unless it's really cold, you may need only one. I've used one in a 25' trailer and it would heat up the place really fast.

[pianotuna]

Lwiddis wrote:
750 watts keeps my TT warm but not my tanks. How are you warming your tanks?

Hi Lwiddis,

I replaced the furnace return air grill with this:



It pressurizes the duct work and keeps the plumbing from freezing up. It is controlled by a mechanical thermostat which is tucked against the outside wall inside the kitchen cabinets.

[pianotuna]

My preference is for no one type.

If there is a frozen compartment--a radiant heater is best. I've been able to meld the ice on the seal.

If there is a cold floor--electric heated carpets are best.

If there is room in the bedroom, a pair of oil filled, one on each side of the bed, may be the most comfortable.

If size is a concern, then fan based ceramics work a charm.

I keep a 240 volt incandescent bulb fed with 110 volts, on a mechanical thermostat beside my water pump.

To heat 100% electrically, replace the cold air return grill on the furnace with a twindow fan. In my RV that keeps a small amount of warm cabin air circulating through the duct work for the furnace, preventing plumbing system freeze ups.

My peak wattage in the deep cold is 7700 watts, and the continuous load is 5.4 kwh.

I do use my autoformer to keep the voltage up, so I get the full number of watts from my various and sundry heaters.

I've boondocked at -37 c (-34 f).

[gbopp]

rk911 wrote:

gbopp wrote:
If you want quiet, get an oil filled heater. They take up more space but do the job.
Otherwise, get the heater you like. As said, they are all about 1500 watts.
Even the cheap ones.

our 1500-watt fan heaters are whisper quiet and take up virtually no space.

I stand corrected, thank you. I'll have to check them out.

[mchero]

ksg5000 wrote:
Lots of opinions on what to buy ..

The very reason the question was posted. Lots of opinions/suggestions!


For those of you using electric heaters, make sure you don't overload your circuit(s). I strongly suggest people inspect their AC panels . I found a loose neutral connection on the bus bar that was starting to overheat turning the white insulation brown. Caught it before it fried the bus bar! Don't want to find out the hard way you have a loose connection.

[Lwiddis]

750 watts keeps my TT warm but not my tanks. How are you warming your tanks?

[rhagfo]

Personally I hate portable electric heaters. We installed a Cheap Heat electric add on unit to our gas furnace. Not cheap to buy, but heats the basement also, provides 1,800 watts on 30 amps, and 5,000 watts on 50 amp. We also have an electric fireplace heater that will work well in really cold weather.

[ksg5000]

Lots of opinions on what to buy ... but running an electrical heater on lower setting often creates more heat because they tend to shut off prematurely running on high. Two heaters run on lower settings on separate electrical outlets will often generate enough heat to keep the RV warm.

[rk911]

gbopp wrote:
If you want quiet, get an oil filled heater. They take up more space but do the job.
Otherwise, get the heater you like. As said, they are all about 1500 watts.
Even the cheap ones.

our 1500-watt fan heaters are whisper quiet and take up virtually no space.

[wa8yxm]

I like the ceramic's because they are small.

Portable Electric Space heaters are unique in all of the electric/electronic world as they are 100% efficient. The Reason for this is that all losses become heat so since heat is the desired product they are 100% efficient

OH I know some folks will talk about the fan. but the fiction of moving air creates heat. So that's recovered

or the GLOW from a red hot element.. Absorbed by surfaces it impacts and converted to Heat.

So TECHNICALLY it makes not difference.

Now some.. may do a better job of moving air and that may make you feel more or less comfortable.. but they are all 100% efficent.

And 12.5 amps (1500 watts) is a bit more than I care to put on most RV wiring. THe wires (14ga) are up to it but the "Unibox" or "Quickbox" type outlets.. The connections are often NOT up to double digit current.

Two 750 watt on different circuit breakers.. Should be no problem though .(less than 10 amps per line).

[pauldub]

I have a Vornado and it's about the quietest fan based portable heater around.

[gbopp]

If you want quiet, get an oil filled heater. They take up more space but do the job.
Otherwise, get the heater you like. As said, they are all about 1500 watts.
Even the cheap ones.