First Time Boondocking.....Need a few Questions Answered

[Glen1978]

We bought a 2005 Fleetwood Gearbox last month and are goin to take it to Taylor Park, Co next month. Ive tried to read as much as I can off here and have answered alot of my own questions. BIG thanks for that. Some mods we have already done include replacing wheels with 16" and swithing to 225/75-16 Firestone Transforce LT tires (load range E). Bought a Reese twin cam sway/weight distribution setup. Purchased a Honda 2000 watt Inverter/genny, Weber Q1200 grill, all LED lights for inside. And a HUGE AC Delco battery that sets on neck....think its 125 ah. My main concern is HEATING as it will be 30s to 40s at night. Read the furnace will suck alot of propane and eat at the battery.....dont plan to run genny all night, just top battery off in the AM. Do the Wave 3 or 6 heaters work at that altitude....10k'? I keep reading different reviews that say yes, then no. Pretty much everyone says the Buddy heaters wont. Need some ideas on this heating issue. Thanks VERY MUCH!!!!

[Glen1978]

I have one battery (125 amp hr if i read the specs right online). We have a Honda 2000 watt genny. NO SOLAR. I dont mind running the genny everyday to charge up. Id rather not go out and spend more money on batterys. A like battery would cost as much nearly as two 6V Trojans. With that said a wave heater is $225 and the Trojan batteries are about $250. So its a wash I guess. Just heard the built in furnaces are not efficient at all. Seems all the boondockers recommend alternative heat vs RV furnace.

I was asking about the Olympian Wave heaters....not the Buddy heater.

[FrankShore]

If you have a way to recharge the battery (and you should have 2 batteries) don't worry. You do have a portable solar unit, right?

[rtate]

JiminDenver wrote:
Buddy heater at 10'000 Ft? I think they are limited to around 7000 ft unless the sensor fails. Then you die.

We camp at 10,000 ft and the furnace runs at night during the summer months too in cooler years. It always runs at night spring and fall when it can get into the 20s. We have only a single 95 Ah grp 27 that runs the trailer and it has never had a problem making it through a night. We would run the generator for a few hours a day when we used one. Now with the solar we never think about it at all.

Funny! I dont feel dead. We use a Big Buddy regularly at 9500'. Works fine. Be sure to leave a window cracked open an inch or two

[JiminDenver]

Buddy heater at 10'000 Ft? I think they are limited to around 7000 ft unless the sensor fails. Then you die.

We camp at 10,000 ft and the furnace runs at night during the summer months too in cooler years. It always runs at night spring and fall when it can get into the 20s. We have only a single 95 Ah grp 27 that runs the trailer and it has never had a problem making it through a night. We would run the generator for a few hours a day when we used one. Now with the solar we never think about it at all.

[Thom02099]

Taylor Park is a beautiful area. The reservoir sits at about 9300 feet, the surrounding mountains are 10-14000 feet. The weather there this past week has been with highs in the 80s, lows in the 60s. Yes, it can get crisp at night at that elevation, but in July it will be even warmer most of the time. You likely won't see 30s or 40s in July, and if you do, it will probably be just temporary.

Sounds like your setup will serve you well if you consider adding another battery. Batteries should be able to handle the heating needs, supplemented by your generator to recharge. I have a dual battery setup, no generator, and I'm good for 3-4 days easily with good electric management, saving the batteries to fire up the heater at night. As was suggested, set your heater to 60 degrees. In the unlikely event that you might need a propane refill, Buena Vista and Gunnison are not all that far away.

Thunder Mountain and some of the other folks who live over in that area may also be able to give you more info on specifics on the local weather and where to buy propane, should you need it.

[rexlion]

I have used a Coleman Black Cat catalytic heater at that altitude without issues. You do have to crack open a couple of windows for ventilation when using such heaters.

Have you looked at the Platinum Cat? I believe they are designed to be vented. Google it.

[westend]

Yup, another 12V battery would serve you well.

[Big_Love]

Since the battery is brand new, just add another similar 12v battery of same specs and connect them in parallel. That will assure enough amperage to get through 1-2 days/nights camping, especially if you are using the genny to recharge during the day.

[Glen1978]

Dang that battery is brand new....got put on two days before I got the rv. How much do the 6volts run and where do you get them? From what I hear the Olympian Wave heaters are 98% efficient vs the RV furnace being WAY less.

[whiteeye42]

first get rid of the single 12 volt battery and go with 2-6 volts trojan T-105 batteries wired in series and you won't have any problems with heating and battery usage as far as propane usage you should not have a problem as i can go 14 days on 2 30 pound tanks and using the heater every night just make sure the batteries are charged up before you turn in for the night also for good reading do a search for the 12 volt side of life part 1 and part 2 on the web tells you everything you need to know about batteries

[Ivylog]

Doubt it will get into the 30s next month in Taylor Park. 125 AH is not a lot of battery, but it should get you through the night if you put the trailer heat at 60 and use blankets. With a separate 10 Amp battery charger I'd jumper the truck battery to the TT and then unhook in the morning and charge the truck while the generator is charging the TT. Have not used a wave 3 or 6.

[Mmwtdh]

Wear socks and cuddle... if you keep the batteries up, you'll be warm.