Electric Heater for winter

Alfred

Member
Have heard using an electric heater at night in your trailer sucks out oxygen. Is this true? Does anyone use one for this? Read that using electric heaters are O.K. if you keep temperature in the trailer lower so the heater doesn't stay on continually or for extremely long periods.

Please let me know as we would like to utilize a heater in the winter.
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
Yes we use a portable electric along with our FP, if we are not on metered electricity. They do work well.
Be aware though that they do make you feel dried out in the morning. I find it helps if you can crack a vent or a window for a fresh air source. Trace
 
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Rickhansen

Well-known member
Catalytic (propane) heaters deplete oxygen and many are equipped with Oxygen Depletion (ODS) Sensors. We have 4 electric space heaters plus the electric fireplace available and heat 95% with electric since it is flat rate for me at this time. It does dry things out, but lack of humidity is generally not an issue if you frequently cook and shower in your coach.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I use electric heaters and have never had a problem with them. I just purchased a Broan-NuTone 6201 Two Level Heater which has turned out to be a really stong heater. It is made very sturdy of metal not plastic and is nice and heavy. I only with it came with a digital readout for the tempature setting, but once I found a setting for a comfortable temperature I have no problem.

As stated above an open flame heater or a charcoal heater will deplete the oxygen and cause a problem. I have not had a problem with the heaters drying things out. We keep the temperature fairly low and when we leave the trailer we turn tnem down or some off. We have ran 4 electric heaters at one time when the temp was getting down below freezing.

BC
 

wingfoot

Well-known member
Have heard using an electric heater at night in your trailer sucks out oxygen. Is this true? Does anyone use one for this? Read that using electric heaters are O.K. if you keep temperature in the trailer lower so the heater doesn't stay on continually or for extremely long periods.

Please let me know as we would like to utilize a heater in the winter.

If you are considering an electric heater you might want to consider a Vornado. We have one and it does do an excellent job. They are a little pricey but offer several levels. I saw that Costco has started handling them in my area. I also know Bed Bath and Beyond carry them. You can usually also D/L a coupon from their website good for 20%...
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Any heater that burns a hydrocarbon fuel will consume oxygen and has the potential to generate carbon monoxide if the fuel/air ratio gets out of kilter. Electric heaters only consume electrons (actually they just sort of impede their movement a bit). The concern with them is having the right gage wiring and breaker to support their current draw.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
We have a couple Bonaire electric heaters that we use often with no problems and we are in our rig almost 365 days a year.
Electric heat is a safe choice for keeping warm.I always have concerns when using propane as it consumes oxygen.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
The furnace is a direct vent, sealed burner type, so the air it consumes in combustion is drawn from outside the coach via one of the two ports on the outside vent. There is no "open" flame in the basement of your rig. Unless there is a leak in the heat exchanger, the exhaust gases are blown out the other port.
 

lwmcguir

Well-known member
Electric heat cost about 3 or 4 times as much as propane in some areas. Using it a a supplement makes sense if you are on non metered sites. Otherwise it depends on how much you want to spend to keep warm. Heat pumps are the best way to go down to about 20 degrees F to save money for everyone.
 

sengli

Well-known member
We live in northern Indiana, and we love to camp when its cooler too. We just bought our elkridge fifth wheel this year. I too was wondering if the AC wiring used in these trailers is of a large enough gauge to support like a 1500W heater for a any length of time without issue's.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Welcome to the forum Sengli. This is a great place for information on our rigs.
The AC wiring is typically #12 on a 20 amp breaker, which is enough for a 1500 watt heater.
I cant help but wonder why or how you would run a heater off that circuit. Why not add a dedicated 20 amp circuit to you rig. If you don't have any slots left in the breaker panel you can get a piggy back breaker that will work just fine.
I would, and have done just that.

Peace
Dave
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
I run 2 electric heaters (1500W & 1100W) in our rig off the existing wiring without problem and have been doing it for years. With 50A hookup, I can run both heaters, watch TV, run water heater on electric, and use microwave all at the same time. So, to answer sengli's question directly, YES, your rig can easily support a 1500W electric heater without worry or rewiring.
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
A 1500 Watt heater could draw as much as 12.5 amps of current. The 1100 Watt heater could draw as much as 9.17 amps. I would not run the larger unit attached to a 10 amp circuit.

P.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-ohmslaw.htm

I don't have any 10A circuits in my coach. I doubt anyone does. I run the 1500W heater on the bedroom 20A circuit, and the 1100W on the living room 20A circuit. The TV & entertainment system, also on living room circuit, only draw about 3A. The water heater and microwave have their own dedicated circuits. That leaves the kitchen circuit free for coffee pot, etc. I've never tripped a breaker in the rig, but I have tripped the main pedestal breaker if running on 30A.
 

HappyKayakers

Well-known member
I recently had to replace my GFCI outlet in the bedroom after running a small electric heater all night long at the 1500w setting. I still use electric heaters; I just don't run them on high anymore and I don't leave them plugged in when I leave the rig. And for those wondering which way is more economical to heat a rig, I found this website on another forum http://www.adventure.1tree.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=292&Itemid=285 Not sure if all the numbers are accurate but it sure looks like a lot of work went into the calculations.
 

ghosst666

Member
hey my unit 2009 sundance 3300sk has a dedicated switch on the hall wall.its for the a/c in the summer and the fireplace in the winter,,or cooler nights.must be wired direct for the two appliances check to see if your unit has plugs under the entertainment center???
 

Noobie

Active Member
We use electric heaters in our current coach and will continue to use them in our next coach

Just word of warning make sure you run the furnace also to heat the underbelly and tanks
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Have heard using an electric heater at night in your trailer sucks out oxygen. Is this true? Does anyone use one for this? Read that using electric heaters are O.K. if you keep temperature in the trailer lower so the heater doesn't stay on continually or for extremely long periods.

Please let me know as we would like to utilize a heater in the winter.
I can't imagine where some of these ridiculous rumors get started. Running an electric heater doesn't consume any oxygen. Just as using a toaster, electric fry pan, light bulb or any other electric device doesn't use any oxygen. If you have enough capacity in your wiring you can safely heat it to any temperature you want. Keep in mind that a 1500 watt electric heater will only produce 5,250 BTUs of heat when running wide open. It won't matter if it's an overpriced "Amish" heater or a $15.00 milk house unit. Same input, same output. In comparison your furnace is probably a 35,000 BTU unit...Don
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
If you are considering an electric heater you might want to consider a Vornado. We have one and it does do an excellent job. They are a little pricey but offer several levels. I saw that Costco has started handling them in my area. I also know Bed Bath and Beyond carry them. You can usually also D/L a coupon from their website good for 20%...

We have a Vornado heater in the bedroom, it is excellent!! Much better as distributing the heat than any other heater we have tried.

In the living room we have a small electric "stove", since our rig didn't come with one: http://m.lowes.com/mt/www.lowes.com...=2&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

We plug it into the dedicated plug for a fireplace, in the cabinet in the entertainment slide.


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