Heater Question

[Joe_C]

I have an Jayco Eagle pop up trailer. I do alot of camping in areas that have no power hookups. I don't use the heater that much, but I use the lighting. My heater fuse is in with the porch light.I would like to run the lights without drawing current from the heater.The heater has a automatic thermostat which is switched off.I turned the heater switch off inside the heater and tried disconnecting some wires inside the heater. plus I disconnected the propane detector.

[RoyB]

You may get a real small spark when hooking up a battery but if you are getting a bigger spark you may have the battery hooked up backwards... Find the word "NEG" or the symbol "-" printed on the battery case and make sure the cable that is going to this terminal comes directly from FRAME GROUND very near the battery. It is real easy to to get these cables reversed...

The automotive ceiling lamps and the heater fan motor are very big 12VDC battery drains. You can change the ceiling lamps to LED lamps and save as much as 80% load for each lamp. Not much you can do with the 12VDC heater fan motor. It draws around 6-8AMPS when running.

Just a thought
Roy Ken

[robsouth]

If you get a "spark" at the battery during hookup with the porch light and the heater turned off, then something else is operating on that fuse as well. Things turned "off" generally do not draw current. Maybe one of the detectors, or the stereo system memory, or ???

[Joe_C]

I'm buying a battery operated co detector.

[red31]

It is not a good idea to disconnect the propane/CO detector.

[Joe_C]

What I'm trying to say the porch light only (not the rest of the lights)and the furnace are on the 15 amp. fuse together. So with everything off in the trailer I still get a spark at the battery when I hook the battery cables up.When I take out the fuse only then I don't get a spark at the battery. The batt. is still drawing current.

[beemerphile1]

robsouth wrote:
Lights do not draw current from the heater. The heater will draw current when turned on and will not draw current when turned off. Because they are on the same fuse is of no consequence...

Agreed.

[robsouth]

Lights do not draw current from the heater. The heater will draw current when turned on and will not draw current when turned off. Because they are on the same fuse is of no consequence. You have many lights in your home that are on the same fuse and the only ones that draw current are the ones that are turned on. Why did you unhook wires, etc?