RV Furance on Predator 3200 (4000)?

[ken_burke]

Help all. I have a 3200 (4000) Predator generator at home. I want to be able to run the Cedar Creek furnace on the generator when the shore power goes out.
Is this possible? What is the best way to run the furnace when shore power is out. . . put the refrig on propane? Use several portable 1500 heaters in the trailer?
I just don't want to freeze. Also I want to keep electrical power to the water line.
thanks . . . . ken

[j-d]

A friend wintered over in Gainesville Virginia. I mention the location because you might be able to figure if that climate is equivalent to where you'll be in VA. "Heated Hose" tipped me off...
In addition to Yes, the Generator will indirectly support your RV furnace, via converter and batteries as discussed here...
...My friend had a local propane gas supplier deliver a 100-pound (or so, it was the stand-up kind, not the bigger "pig") and connect it to the RV. RV was a 36-ft Jayco Fiver, so it had the twin 30-gallon portables like OB mentioned. With the heated hose supplying water, shore tie power most if not all the time, and a better supply of LPG, he and his wife had a comfortable accommodation.

[ken_burke]

Alll thank you very much for the knowledge and suggestions. I now have options. Good to have.
ken

[mkirsch]

wolfe10 wrote:
Sorry, that is not quite true. While the furnace does run off 12 VDC, the size of your battery bank will dictate how many hours of run time you will have before the batteries are discharged. Ideally, you don't want to discharge below 50% for long battery life. And, unless you have a very large solar system and a lot of sun, you WILL be running your generator to power your converter to recharge the batteries.

The batteries in a typical RV can run a furnace for at least one night and still be within the 50% capacity the next morning.

Most power outages are no more than a few hours. If his battery can't hold out that long he needs to replace the battery. Power comes back on, battery gets recharged. Not rocket surgery.

[time2roll]

ken burke wrote:

smkettner wrote:
Best (IMO) is to have extra battery and 250+ watts of solar.
A couple extra propane bottles may help.

"electric power to the water line" What does that mean? Heat tape?

I will be running a 75 foot electrical heated water hose. (a 50 foot connected to a 25 foot water hose).

That hose (heat tape)really needs continuous electric power to be effective. Probably too much for an inverter run off the battery. Generator would need to run near continuous when temps are well below freezing.

Consider instead to fill your existing on-board fresh water tank and the 12v pump will supply you with water. Connect hose only to refill and then remove for the day.

[wolfe10]

ken burke wrote:

mkirsch wrote:

ken burke wrote:
I am not sure what you mean by "trading propane consumption for much longer gen run time".

If you use the RV furnace, you would not have to run the generator AT ALL during a power outage for heat. It would run off the battery, and use propane.

Okay. Thanks . . . . . I didn't know that.
ken

Sorry, that is not quite true. While the furnace does run off 12 VDC, the size of your battery bank will dictate how many hours of run time you will have before the batteries are discharged. Ideally, you don't want to discharge below 50% for long battery life. And, unless you have a very large solar system and a lot of sun, you WILL be running your generator to power your converter to recharge the batteries.

No idea what converter you have or its amp rating and whether it is smart (for faster charging of deeply discharged batteries). That as well as how many amp-hrs you used from the batteries will determine generator run time. But as already discusses generator run time will be significantly less than using an electric space heater which would require the generator to be running 100% of the time you want to use the electric space heater.

[ken_burke]

mkirsch wrote:

ken burke wrote:
I am not sure what you mean by "trading propane consumption for much longer gen run time".

If you use the RV furnace, you would not have to run the generator AT ALL during a power outage for heat. It would run off the battery, and use propane.

Okay. Thanks . . . . . I didn't know that.
ken

[mkirsch]

ken burke wrote:
I am not sure what you mean by "trading propane consumption for much longer gen run time".

If you use the RV furnace, you would not have to run the generator AT ALL during a power outage for heat. It would run off the battery, and use propane.

You would only need to run the generator to recharge the batteries if the power outage was very long. Most power outages are no more than a few hours, so you would likely not have to run the generator at all.

If you use electric heat, then you need to run the generator EVERY MINUTE the power is out.

[ken_burke]

2oldman wrote:
Battery.. but since you've been here 12 years I suspect you know that.

We usually spend the winters in Florida. However, this winter we will be living in MD for the winter. Not going to be fun. I am not looking forward to using a snow shovel.
ken

[ken_burke]

wolfe10 wrote:
Ken,

Assuming you have a standard RV furnace that runs on propane, it runs on 12 VDC from your battery.

So to run it for extended periods of time, you would need to run you generator to power your converter or charger to recharge the battery.

Yes, you could also use space heaters directly from the generator, but that would be trading propane consumption for much longer generator run time. You have to decide which way you want to go.

You will have to check you rig to see if the propane furnace heats the tanks/plumbing.

I am not sure what you mean by "trading propane consumption for much longer gen run time".

[ken_burke]

smkettner wrote:
Best (IMO) is to have extra battery and 250+ watts of solar.
A couple extra propane bottles may help.

"electric power to the water line" What does that mean? Heat tape?

I will be running a 75 foot electrical heated water hose. (a 50 foot connected to a 25 foot water hose).

[time2roll]

Best (IMO) is to have extra battery and 250+ watts of solar.
A couple extra propane bottles may help.

"electric power to the water line" What does that mean? Heat tape?

[Old-Biscuit]

A good 12V DC supply and a propane.

Battery or shore power via converter supplies the 12V DC....although battery is limited cause furnace fan is a DC hog.

Propane.......depends on what you have
30# propane cylinder (7 + gallons) will last a while if moderately cold
IF temp in the minus category.....I had to refill a 30# every other day :E

[2oldman]

Battery.. but since you've been here 12 years I suspect you know that.

[wolfe10]

Ken,

Assuming you have a standard RV furnace that runs on propane, it runs on 12 VDC from your battery.

So to run it for extended periods of time, you would need to run you generator to power your converter or charger to recharge the battery.

Yes, you could also use space heaters directly from the generator, but that would be trading propane consumption for much longer generator run time. You have to decide which way you want to go.

You will have to check you rig to see if the propane furnace heats the tanks/plumbing.