Space Heaters in a fifth wheel

[Curlida]

We are still newbies at this and if the moderator needs to move my question, please do so. We are preparing to take another trip and I am always cold, so I asked my husband if it would be okay to use a space heater to supplement the heat in our unit.
He didn't know for sure and thought it would be a safety issue. Does anyone out there use space heaters, or ever need them? We have furnace heat for the bedroom and kitchen area, but only the fireplace heat in the living room. Thank you for any help in this
matter.

[Dusty_R]

If you can find a place to install it a toe kick heater with a relay so you can have a remote themonstate is nice.

[Bumpyroad]

CJW8 wrote:
I think any type of electric heater with a glowing red element is a fire hazard. .

that is why I use the ceramic cubes. the only glowing element one I use is in the S&B and is a parabolic ? disc that really heats up whatever it is aimed at.
now a ceramic cube can scorch a bedspread if it is sitting on the floor next to the bed and the spread falls across it.
bumpy

[MEXICOWANDERER]

3,300 heater watts shouldn't be an issue

3,300 heater watts plus hot water, refrigerator and converter is an issue.

[CJW8]

I think any type of electric heater with a glowing red element is a fire hazard. I have had several fail on me over the years. On cheaper ones, the fan can quit and the element stays on until they melt down. I use the oil filled heater because I have to leave my camper heated and unattended. They cannot get hot enough to start a fire. As others have said, manage them so as not to overload your circuit. This can easily be done by not running them on the 1500 watt setting. 1500 watts at 120 volts is 12.5 amps.

[j-d]

I helped an OP here with total shore tie power failure in his 30-amp Class C. Turned out the wire nut splices where the flexible shore tie met the solid house wire had burned out. We were able to troubleshoot it over phone and email thanks to Winnebago's on line wiring diagrams.

He later told an RV tech, who said it's common for RVers using electric space heaters to have that happen. Asked if our OP was using portable electric heaters and he said "Yes, Two."

We can run two 1500-watt heaters in our 30-amp Class C using separate interior circuits. I actually added a dedicated socket to allow that.

Just wanted to reinforce the idea that two portable heaters can take a 30-amp coach to its max.

50-amp offers the power capability, but outlets are likely to be on 15-amp branches so your load will have to be divided up between two of them.

[John___Angela]

Here is an another alternative. We are not fans of space heaters. fans, usually goofy looking, trip hazard or kick over hazard. I think they are safe but...just don't like em.

These are available in various wattages. Permanent mount, paintable. Low key.

Here's a 300 watt for the bedrooom.



Here's a 500 watt by the front door, takes the chill off the big windshield.



We have a couple others including one in the basement. All on their own thermostat.

[Bumpyroad]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
For the life of me, I cannot find the word "electric" anywhere in the OPs question. ?¿?

if the OP is talking about a KeroSun, I'm against that.
bumpy

[Merrykalia]

We use this one in our fifth wheel and it will keep it toasty warm, even down into the 20s. We will run the furnace before we go to bed, just to make sure the underneath is good and warm and we unhook the fresh water hose so it doesn't freeze.

Edenpure infrared heater

My sister has this one in hers.

Northern Tool

I am pretty sure they are the same heater, but hers was $169 and mine was more expensive, even though I purchased it at Sam's Wholesale.

I have a large gauge electrical cord that I run directly to the post through the slide and plug my heater up that way. We don't overload the circuits inside the RV that way.

This thing is about the size of an ottoman and there is virtually NO WAY to turn it over. The dogs and cats play around it all the time, their tails can't get into it, if something gets tossed on top of it, it won't catch on fire, it is just a great little heater.

[Dave_H_M]

Since we have pets i n the fifth wheel, a space heater with a tip over switch is a must for us.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

For the life of me, I cannot find the word "electric" anywhere in the OPs question. ?¿?

[JonArmstrong]

Yes it is OK to use. Just make sure you don't overload the circuit. We have had that problem a few times and its not fun.

[wa8yxm]

One caution about running a dedicated extension cord back to the park outlet.

The park where I'm at has great power near as I can tell.. Some others disagree with me but one of the things that makes it good is this.

Mist parks you have something like this;

Box w/200 amp breaker-------Site box----Site box---_Site box----Site box

We have

Box with 50 amp breaker-----Site box
l. . . . 40 amp breaker-----site box
2 - 2 - .50 amp breaker----- site box

24 sites

Each site has it's very own breaker in the master panel

Now all sites here are 50 amp so it's all I can eat but .......

IF you were on a 30 amp sites (Actually 2 sites are less,, They are tent sites) you will trip the park's "Master" breaker instead of the one you can reset. If you come to a park like this.

Of course parks wired properly (like this one) kind of rare.

[DrewE]

I have a small cheap heater fan that I use occasionally in my motorhome, mostly to take the chill off in the morning or when parked at home and I'm working on something. Like many here, I would be rather hesitant to leave it running unattended for very long—if only because it's a cheap heater fan and I'm not 100% trusting of its quality and safety.

Your electric fireplace is really just a space heater with a gizmo to project pretty looking flames in the window. If you want to get an idea of how much heat a 1500W electric heater will put out, turn on the fireplace.

Do check to see if the electric plug of an electric heater is warm or hot after a couple minutes of operation. If it's anything more than a tiny bit warm, I'd recommend using a different receptacle as it's clearly not making great contact, causing heating which, if it goes on too far, can lead to a fire.

It's strange that the furnace isn't ducted to the living room area at all, but I guess sometimes RV makers do some really strange things.

[Bumpyroad]

no furnace heat in the living room, that does not seem likely. and yes, use a $20 ceramic cube from walmart to supplement the heat.
bumpy