Toe Kick heaters

[Acampingwewillg]

I'm just like most in our mild cool temps where I generally RV and break out the small electric heater when hooked up rather than firing up my diesel fired heat(Webasto). I'm doing a little remodeling in the MH and thought I might add one or two Toe kick heaters. I already have the vents available(small modification) and the locations are close enough to 20 amp outlets that I could hard wire into. Just wondering what those that may have these think of them? Any particular models? (Amazon has the Broan 1500 watt with thermostat for about 140.00?) Thanks...

[Acampingwewillg]

Thank you for the excellent write up and options given...that's the info I was looking for. One of the locations I was thinking of installing was where my now removed washer/dryer combo was...so that was and is a dedicated 20 amp circuit...the other spot is just below my electric panel in the MH(on the floor, of course) and should not pose a tremendous hardship to pull wires to( I have an empty breaker already in the panel). I will take a look at those heating carpets....I had never heard of theses, so Thanks for that too.

[wa8yxm]

You have 20 amp outlets? Or did you wire it yourself?

The reason I ask is because I have 3 or 4 (not sure which) 20 amp outlets, I wired 2 of 'em, the converter and possibly the washer/dryer. But most RV outlets are 10 if you wish to be safe. rated 15

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I've added "magic carpet" which is electrically heated. It can be cut to size as it doesn't have wires in the traditional sense. It produces 85 btu's per square foot.

[myredracer]

Yes, toe/kick space heaters tend to be expensive. Most fan-forced ones are (wall or ceiling). Technically/functionally a good choice.

Permanently mounted heaters should be on their own dedicated circuit. You can run multiple heaters on the same circuit (depending on total wattage). If you want to use the accessible 20 amp wire that is there, you should permanently disconnect the receptacles on them.

You can also install a fan-forced wall heater if you have a suitable location and if it's near your panel, that helps. A ceiling fan heater will also work and I installed one in our last unit. One challenge can be where to install the thermostat. It's best if you can totally conceal the wiring, but not always possible. With some effort and creativity, you may find a feasible route in the ceiling, walls, accessible spaces like behind shower or bathtub, in cabinetry and in the fridge cavity if you pull it out (which I did). You can use low voltage wire (need a LV transformer and relay) to make it easier to install (which I did).

It's really nice to have a permanently mounted electric heater as opposed to a portable plug-in one. Safer and doesn't take up floor space. Won't come close to putting out what your furnace will but it's great for times when you just need a small amount of heat and don't want to burn up propane. Also, can be MUCH quieter... If you install larger wattage heater(s) and you have to plug a 50 amp service into a 30 amp pedestal, you may not be able to run the heater(s).

There's a number of manufacturers of the kick-space heaters (King, Ouellet, Dimplex, Qmark, Broan, Cadet, etc.) I'd buy online if you want the best price. Or - I normally buy electrical products at a wholesaler for about 1/2 of retail price. Many of them will sell to non trades persons. On some products you'll also get better quality compared to retail places. Dimplex says their heater is "RV compatible". I doubt there's anything special about them for RVs.

One consideration with any fan forced heater is noise. Some are better than others. If you buy the cheapest one, you may be disappointed. There's one brand call the "Quiet One" which claims to be quiet. Quiet One heaters

Some heaters have a delayed start and stop and need a 3-wire cable so you should be aware of that too. Wiring of heater with delay feature

If you're handy, I think it's well worth the effort.

[Acampingwewillg]

Your certainly right on about the cost....my only draw to this is that its one less thing I'll have on the counter top taking up room. I can't place a standard heater on the floor because of the dogs. So I guess the only attraction is convenience and space saving and with the way my wife fills the counter space, it may just be worth it. 🙂

[donn0128]

That seems about three times the price for a decent 1500 watt electric heater. Is the additional cost worth it to you instead of placing the same watt heater on a counter or table and storing it when not needed? Only you can say for sure.

[Dusty_R]

I put one in our 12' Itasca.
I wired it to the same breaker as the AC. You only use one at a time.
I didn't get the t-stat with it but used a wall mount programable one. I figure that the t-stat that mounts inside cabinet would be effected by heat within the cabinet.

Dusty