"Cheap Heat" furnace

Seren · Oct 18, 2014

Purchased our Landmark in March and had the "Cheap Heat" stystem installed. The times the we used it in the spring it worked perfectly. However, now that it has gotten colder here in the mountains of NC, we turned the furnace on and all that comes out is air when on the "Cheap Heat" mode. When I switch to propane the furnace works fine. Anyone have any idea why in the electric "Cheap Heat" mode that it is not giving off heat?

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jbeletti · Oct 18, 2014

There is a control box for that system somewhere. Wondering if there are breakers or fuses for the electric elements?

Guessing you got your LM from RVsForLess. If so, give Butch a call today. He can give you ideas or contact the Mfr for you.

On edit:

Mfr info...

RV Comfort Systems
P.O. Box 1554 Bothell, WA 98041
Phone # 1-425-408-3140 Fax # 1-800-453-8961
e-mail: info@rvcomfortsystems.com

Nabo · Oct 18, 2014

Your Landmark was installed with the 50 amp version CheapHeat which we also have. If you are using 30 amp service at the campground, it will not work, therefore you have to use the propane. The company is working on a new circuit board that will switch between 30 to 50 and visa versa but it's still in testing and not released yet. As of right now, the company isn't giving a release date.

Seren · Oct 18, 2014

jbeletti said:
There is a control box for that system somewhere. Wondering if there are breakers or fuses for the electric elements?

Guessing you got your LM from RVsForLess. If so, give Butch a call today. He can give you ideas or contact the Mfr for you.

On edit:

Mfr info...

RV Comfort Systems
P.O. Box 1554 Bothell, WA 98041
Phone # 1-425-408-3140 Fax # 1-800-453-8961
e-mail: info@rvcomfortsystems.com

Gave them a call this morning and believe it our not Butch and Karen are taking a vacation! Well earned if you ask me - wonderful people. Their "Cheap Heat" person was off today, but will give me a call on Monday.

We are on 50 amp so it should work, but it is not a big deal right now since the fireplace is all that is needed until it gets below freezing and Ii can always use the propane too.

Since we are only a few hours away, will probably stop at RV's for less in a week or so since we also had a water leak for the residential refrig that needs to be looked at.

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ndmac · Dec 4, 2014

I am a new owner of Cyclone 4200 and have been researching this "Cheap Heat system" found some intresting information on Propane usage and thought I might share.

Just using this information (from heating and cooling manual on this site) it looks like 2.5 days/tank @ 30Lb. tank (where we are currently camping it is $26 for 30lb. tank - Cheap)
So two tanks will get you approx. 5 days or $10.20/Day. So $10.20/day X 30 days = $306/month. We have shore power included on our monthly fee so payback on the Cheap Heat would be less than one 5-6 month season even at lower LP prices in our area.
Propane characteristics in cold weather
[FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]As outside temperatures fall below freezing, propane pressure from your tanks may fall below what’s necessary for reliable furnace operation. Propane gas pressure at 0 degrees (F) is about ½ the pressure from the same tank at 50 degrees (F).
For example, if you have a 30 pound tank that’s 40% full, and a 42,000 BTU furnace, at +20 (F), the propane pressure will be slightly under what’s needed to reliably operate the furnace.
In very cold weather, an external tank may be necessary.
[/FONT][/FONT]How Long Will a Tank of Propane Last?
[FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]This is a little like asking "how long is a piece of string?" It depends on how cold it is, how well the RV is insulated, what kind of windows you have, size of the tanks, size of the furnace, furnace efficiency, and perhaps other factors.
That said, a 30 pound tank contains enough propane to supply 646,440 BTU of heat. If the furnace consumes 42,000 BTU per hour of operation, that would give you about 15.4 hours of furnace operation. Of course you don’t normally have the furnace running continuously. So if it runs for 10 minutes of every 30 at night, and 5 minutes of 30 during the day, the tank might give you about 2.5 days of operation.
Because propane vapor pressure drops as temperature drops, the efficiency of the furnace may decrease as outside temperatures drop. This may result in a drop in the temperature of the hot air coming out of the registers.
Also, as temperatures drop, the trailer loses heat faster and the thermostat will call for heat more frequently to keep the trailer warm. So you may get far less than 2.5 days from a 30 pound tank if temperatures drop to zero (F) overnight.
[/FONT][/FONT]

ksmnet · Dec 10, 2014

I had the Cheap Heat add on installed in my Cyclone 4200 back in August. It has been doing a great job out here in cold ND. That is, until yesterday morning when it was blowing cold air. I checked the 30A breaker for the unit. It had been tripped. I reset the breaker, and it was heating again for a few minutes, then the breaker tripped again.

i called RV Comfort Systems (the manufacturer), and spoke with Larry. He is extremely helpful and knowledgeable on RV furnaces. He told me that, more than likely, I had a bad breaker or loose wire. I checked it out, and one wire on the breaker was not entirely tight. I tightened all screws on both sides of the breaker, as well as the neutral wire screws. We are back heating with the CheapHeat unit.

Best at decision I could have made rather than trying to mess with propane all winter.

ndmac said:
I am a new owner of Cyclone 4200 and have been researching this "Cheap Heat system" found some intresting information on Propane usage and thought I might share.

Just using this information (from heating and cooling manual on this site) it looks like 2.5 days/tank @ 30Lb. tank (where we are currently camping it is $26 for 30lb. tank - Cheap)
So two tanks will get you approx. 5 days or $10.20/Day. So $10.20/day X 30 days = $306/month. We have shore power included on our monthly fee so payback on the Cheap Heat would be less than one 5-6 month season even at lower LP prices in our area.
Propane characteristics in cold weather
As outside temperatures fall below freezing, propane pressure from your tanks may fall below what’s necessary for reliable furnace operation. Propane gas pressure at 0 degrees (F) is about ½ the pressure from the same tank at 50 degrees (F).
For example, if you have a 30 pound tank that’s 40% full, and a 42,000 BTU furnace, at +20 (F), the propane pressure will be slightly under what’s needed to reliably operate the furnace.
In very cold weather, an external tank may be necessary.
How Long Will a Tank of Propane Last?
This is a little like asking "how long is a piece of string?" It depends on how cold it is, how well the RV is insulated, what kind of windows you have, size of the tanks, size of the furnace, furnace efficiency, and perhaps other factors.
That said, a 30 pound tank contains enough propane to supply 646,440 BTU of heat. If the furnace consumes 42,000 BTU per hour of operation, that would give you about 15.4 hours of furnace operation. Of course you don’t normally have the furnace running continuously. So if it runs for 10 minutes of every 30 at night, and 5 minutes of 30 during the day, the tank might give you about 2.5 days of operation.
Because propane vapor pressure drops as temperature drops, the efficiency of the furnace may decrease as outside temperatures drop. This may result in a drop in the temperature of the hot air coming out of the registers.
Also, as temperatures drop, the trailer loses heat faster and the thermostat will call for heat more frequently to keep the trailer warm. So you may get far less than 2.5 days from a 30 pound tank if temperatures drop to zero (F) overnight.

ndmac · Dec 11, 2014

KSmnet,
Thank you for your feedback. Definately going to investigate this option when spring rolls around and get back into my Cyclone. It seems like a good soultion for us here in our area. Typically not to harsh of winter except for two - three weeks of extreme cold. (last year was really extreme though!)

Nabo · Dec 11, 2014

This is the second coach we have added CheapHeat on and would do it again. Right now the Silver Bullet is tucked away for the winter with the thermostat set on 55 degrees. Had to go out in 30 degree temp last night to get something out of the coach and she was great inside. Sure is nice not having to worry about when the propane tank is going to run out.

Miller0758 · Dec 12, 2014

Do you feel you get enough heat from this system? I just don't want to go through the expense and expected installation headaches only to find there is too much air flow loss or inadequate heat ... Thoughts?

Nabo · Dec 12, 2014

Personally I think the heat is better. With the factory installed propane furnace, you hear the blower kick on blowing cold air before the burners kick on therefore its just cold air coming thru the ducts. With CheapHeat you feel the hot air much quicker. Also when RVs For Less installs the unit, they rework the duct into the bathroom so you don't get too much heat in that area with better air flow thruout the coach.

Seren · Dec 13, 2014

We have used it all winter with no problems and I also agree that it heart faster. Granted, we are in the hills of NC not ND, but the heart is on nearly every night. Haven't had to get any propane so far and since electric has been free...

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cookie · Dec 14, 2014

Seren, back in October you reported a problem with your Cheap Heat.
Is it back to working good again and what was the fix?

Peace
Dave

Seren · Dec 17, 2014

cookie said:
Seren, back in October you reported a problem with your Cheap Heat.
Is it back to working good again and what was the fix?

Peace
Dave

Yes it has been fixed. I believe that when they installed it back in March that they used an 8 (or 10 - I don't remember) gauge wire and it burned out (luckily it did not result in a fire) so it was only getting 30 amp instead of 50. They said that in May or June that "Cheap Heat" said it should use 6 gauge wire for all installs. So all installs since then should not have this problem.

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cookie · Dec 17, 2014

Thank you for the update.

Peace
Dave

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Toy1Ton · Oct 7, 2015

What is the cost of cheep heat installed?

Hunter11 · Oct 7, 2015

About $1500.

Toy1Ton · Oct 7, 2015

For that price you can buy a lifetime number of portable heaters

Nabo · Oct 7, 2015

I also have had CheapHeat installed on my last two campers. We found with portable heaters that we have a bunch of cold spots throughout the camper but with the CheapHeat going thru the campers existing ducts, we haven't had near the cold spots as before. Would I do it again - yes.

jayc · Oct 8, 2015

I found the RV Comfort System (Cheap Heat) on Amazon.com for $545.

Bohemian · Oct 8, 2015

jayc said:
I found the RV Comfort System (Cheap Heat) on Amazon.com for $545.

Which model?

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