Recommendation for heater?

[Brettmm92]

Hey,

I'm looking for a recommendation for an electric space heater. I live in my camper . Last year I bought a well reviewed space heater on amazon that kept flipping the circuit breaker switch. I returned it and settled with just the propane furnace. To help with the cost, I'm looking for a space heater that won't flip the switch. I'm assuming a lower wattage or amps one, but am kind of in the dark when it comes to electricity and how it works. If anyone has any input at all that would be appreciated. Especially if it's information about why space heaters are so ready to trip the breaker.

[BizmarksMom]

Brettmm92 wrote:
2oldman, I'm all ears. Let me make sure your not going over my head. I'm assuming the deal is, is that the flow of electricity is coming out of the outlet and has volts and amps. I'm thinking the volts stay at 120 and then whatever you plug in has a certain wattage to it that directly affects the amps needed to reach that wattage? Like a car driving down the road at a constant 120 but sometimes there's hills up or down that change the amount you need to press the pedal(amps) to stay at 120?

And to elaborate, I wasn't flipping the camper switch, it was flipping the switch to the house that I'm connected to with an adapter. I'm able to use most things, even air conditioner without a problem but the heater was just too much. But I did buy one that was supposed to really put out some heat. I've read that there are some radiant heaters that advertise themselves as low wattage but I see mixed reviews and always assume there are some fake reviews

What else are you trying to use at the same time? Microwave? Coffee maker? Is the water heater on electric? Something is overloading that circuit. If you need to use the electric heater, other electricity hogs need to be off.

[2112]

Brettmm92 wrote:
**snip** And to elaborate, I wasn't flipping the camper switch, it was flipping the switch to the house that I'm connected to with an adapter. I'm able to use most things, even air conditioner without a problem but the heater was just too much. **snip**

An undersized extension cord, poor quality adapter or a weak breaker at the house could be your problem. Is the tripping breaker a 15A or 20A?

If your battery is starting to short from age it can cause the converter to draw excessive current without you being aware.

A true 1500W heater will draw 12.5A at 120V plus a small fan current, but mine draws ~11A

[SoundGuy]

Brettmm92 wrote:
But I did buy one that was supposed to really put out some heat.

Heat output measured in BTUs of any electric heater is directly related to it's electric input measured in watts according to the formula 1 watt = 3.412142 BTU/hr. There's no magic, no way one electric heater can generate any more heat energy than any other electric heater at the same rated electrical energy input.

[2oldman]

Brettmm92 wrote:
I'm thinking the volts stay at 120 and then whatever you plug in has a certain wattage to it that directly affects the amps needed to reach that wattage? Like a car driving down the road at a constant 120 but sometimes there's hills up or down that change the amount you need to press the pedal(amps) to stay at 120?

That's a pretty close analogy.

Divide the wattage by 120 to get a good approximation of the amperage.

[Brettmm92]

2oldman, I'm all ears. Let me make sure your not going over my head. I'm assuming the deal is, is that the flow of electricity is coming out of the outlet and has volts and amps. I'm thinking the volts stay at 120 and then whatever you plug in has a certain wattage to it that directly affects the amps needed to reach that wattage? Like a car driving down the road at a constant 120 but sometimes there's hills up or down that change the amount you need to press the pedal(amps) to stay at 120?

And to elaborate, I wasn't flipping the camper switch, it was flipping the switch to the house that I'm connected to with an adapter. I'm able to use most things, even air conditioner without a problem but the heater was just too much. But I did buy one that was supposed to really put out some heat. I've read that there are some radiant heaters that advertise themselves as low wattage but I see mixed reviews and always assume there are some fake reviews

[Grit_dog]

donn0128 wrote:
Heater is a heater is a heater. All electric heaters are limited to 1500Watts. That keeps them undrr the 20A most household breakers will be. What else are you attempting to use in the same circuit? Realisticslly an electric heater must be on a circuit that nothing else is on it. Also plan on replqcing the breaker. Once they start tripping it will only get weaker.

Again, only in your world.
I have a couple electric heaters that pull significantly more than 1500W. But yes most Walmart plug in heaters are designed to work on normal household circuits.

Agree though, contrary to Dutchman, new breakers are stronger and get weaker with each flip. Same with GFCIs. They do wear out.

[wanderingaimles]

While all above are correct on electrical usage, One added thought. Oil filled will not use any more or less overall but with it having a thermostat you can turn off everything else, warm the oil on high, then turn it to the "low" setting and it seems to keep my trailer warm even on a lowered power. It also is safer with pets and children.

[Merrykalia]

I agree with jaycocreek. When we had our 30 amp trailer, we would run a heavy duty extension cord through our slide to the pedestal and plug into the 20 amp plug. That way, it did not run through the camper's circuits and we never had a problem, just don't forget to unplug it before pulling in the slide.

[donn0128]

Heater is a heater is a heater. All electric heaters are limited to 1500Watts. That keeps them undrr the 20A most household breakers will be. What else are you attempting to use in the same circuit? Realisticslly an electric heater must be on a circuit that nothing else is on it. Also plan on replqcing the breaker. Once they start tripping it will only get weaker.

[jaycocreek]

There is always the option to run a heavy gauge extension cord off the electric heater to one of the 15/20 amp receptacles at the power box.

Problem should be fixed.

[LJAZ]

I unplug the microwave and use its outlet to plug in the heater. The microwave is on it's own circuit so there's nothing else drawing power.

[SidecarFlip]

One thing to always keep in mind is that any thermal breaker has a finite life. That is, the more times it trips, the less it takes to trip it. If it's tripped numerous times, try replacing it. Replacements are available at any box or hardware store and they are cheap.

[_1nobby]

I use a NOMA baseboard heater. Doesn't trip the circuit breaker.

www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noma-digital-baseboard-heater-0435116p.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwr4beBRDNARIsAGZaZ5dXYmMrM2-yCEsTLxgcYAHymMmwhw8Xkl0k4ma52OtwndGMttTzRngaAoj8EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPfUl_bSg94CFV4_TwodocIA2Q

[CA_Traveler]

I added a second 20A circuit for ceramic heaters when I'm on a 30A CG pedestal. I run a 12 gauge extension cord to the 20A pedestal plug when possible. I use one heater on high and one on low for that circuit. This circuit is wired in the rig and has a plug for the extension cord in a storage area.

OP Good input above. What breaker trips and are you plugged into 20A or 30A?

[Artum_Snowbird]

A very likely possibility is the plug in receptacle that you use is robbing the circuit. Typically in RV's they use plug in wiring. What that means is they push in the wire, and two skinny blades make contact with the bare wire. There is not enough connection to the wire to actually carry the load properly to the heater, so the connection heats up a bit and uses part of the wattage in the circuit, and causes the breaker to trip.

If you can change out the receptacle that you plug into, and put in a proper residential receptacle where the wires wrap around a terminal that might help.

If you can get an electrician with a clip on ammeter to check your circuit loads, that will likely find your problem.