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Heaters

From:
Which heater is best: Forced air, ceramic or catalytic? - RV Travel

FORCED-AIR
Standard on virtually all RVs, thermostatically controlled
Big, heavy, expensive (but built-in and well-hidden)
Heats the cabin very quickly, much faster than portables
Noisy
Battery hog (8-10A) – can drain batteries overnight
Propane hog – 70% efficiency at best, much heat is exhausted outside RV
 

CERAMIC or BLUE-FLAME
Inexpensive substitute for forced-air heater
Available with thermostat
Uses NO battery current
Nearly 100% efficient
Generally long-lasting and trouble-free
Available in portable and wall-mount
Intermittent or non-op at >4,500-feet elevation
Can produce carbon monoxide
 

CATALYTIC
Much more expensive substitute for forced-air heater
Thermostat not available
Uses NO battery current
Nearly 100% efficient
Operational to 12,000 feet elevation
Cannot produce carbon monoxide
Must be covered when not in use, susceptible to dust/dirt/spills
Configurable to free-standing or wall-mount
Fuel contamination (western states) requires periodic replacement

Re: Heaters

Reply #1 –
We have two of these, fore & aft. Under $100.00, quiet as can be, use very little juice. A little bulky, but we've been down to the low twenties outside and been very comfy!  ^.^d  Amazon has them.
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Heaters

Reply #2 –
"Intermittent or non-op at >4,500-feet elevation"

Have used ours at elevations higher then 5000ft with no intermittency.

Roland
1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers

Re: Heaters

Reply #3 –
Quote from: mike leary –
We have two of these, fore & aft. Under $100.00, quiet as can be, use very little juice. A little bulky, but we've been down to the low twenties outside and been very comfy!  ^.^d  Amazon has them.
You can also purchase them at Home Depot or Lowes.  We use these also in our park model.  We use 2 in 400 sq/ft and they work well and quiet.
John M.
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Heaters

Reply #4 –
Have to agree with Mike those Dimplex heaters are the way to go if you're on the power pole. We had them in England and then on the ranch in Wyoming and S.Dakota. When do the last roundup at Golden Gate SP in Colorado it's usually November @ 8500 ft the heater on low will keep out coach "just right"
No flames no emissions shuts off if tipped over !
Mick
88 Grand Villa 36' ORED 3208 (throwaway)Cat.
 Build # 3150
Happiness is the maximum agreement of reality and desire.

Re: Heaters

Reply #6 –
John, your saying 2 of thes 400 watt heaters keep your coach warm if it's 30 outside?
They say for 40 sqft
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My advice and experiences are Free, you decide if they are worth anything .

John - driving Old Faithful
1994 U280 GV
C8.3, Banks, Pacbrake, 900 watts, Resonator, XLHD tow dolly
Retired Army Warrant Officer

Life is what you make of it - if it is lemons, make lemonade!
Former Coaches:
1988 GV 40' ORED 300HP CAT - 9 years
1990 Winnebago LeSharo - 3 years
2000 Newmar London Aire - 3 years (#18 of 23 produced)

Re: Heaters

Reply #7 –
Quote from: fouroureye –
John, your saying 2 of thes 400 watt heaters keep your coach warm if it's 30 outside? They say for 40 sqf
The secret to the liquid-filled jobs is to fire them up a hour or so before you need them. They are not a replacement for our fire burning propane furnaces, but we sleep in warm quietness with the radiators.  ^.^d
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Heaters

Reply #8 –
Quote from: fouroureye –
John, your saying 2 of thes 400 watt heaters keep your coach warm if it's 30 outside?
They say for 40 sqft

John,
I have a 400 sq.ft. park model and I use 2 like the ones Mike posted to keep the place warm.  They are 1500 watt and are good for 350 sq.ft. each.  In my motorhome I use the aqua hot.  Mike uses 2 in his motorhome.  The other one I posted is a smaller alternative. less power.
John M.
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Heaters

Reply #9 –
I think most people will realize that a 1500 watt electric resistance heater, the biggest you can put on a normal 110 receptacle, will only put out 5100 Btu's of heat no matter what type it is, oil filled, ceramic, old type glowing wire, high or low dollar. In many cases this will keep coach warm depending your coach insulation and construction. Your propane heater or heaters will produce 35000 btu's or more and your aqua-hot 50000 btu's. If you have a heat pump ac unit, it will produce 12000 btu's for the same power that the electric resistance heater uses. [down to 45 f. or so]


Electric resistance heating – "efficient" but costly!
Jim C.
coachfree, previous 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2003 Foretravels.

Re: Heaters

Reply #11 –
When we were unexpectedly marooned in our driveway this winter, I used the larger Mr. Heater.  It worked very well during non sleeping hours.  However, we turned it off at night while we slept.  At that time we used a small electric and set the onboard at its lowest setting to help keep the bays warm ( we also had the 200w personal on farm thermos in utility bays per a post from Barry). After closely monitoring bays, it wasn't necessary to have the onboard running at all. 

For me, the greatest comfort came from the electric mattress topper.  Turn on the preheat before heading back and oh my instant sleep.

 I also plugged in a second CO2 alarm so we had one at both ends.  I did note the Mr. Heater left a light oily residue on the windows.  Not sure how healthy inhaling that would be. 
George and Steph
1997 U270 36 Build 5081 "Honu"
1180w Solar 400A lithium all Victron house system
Motorcade 17670, SKP 128300, FMCA F459019
73 VW Camper, 79 VW Camper, 2363 Sunline, and an Arctic Fox 25P

Re: Heaters

Reply #12 –
Just replaced the original Atwood Boeing Jet impersonator with a quiet two-stage Suburban forced air heater, model SHD-2542Q furnace. It is much quieter and only weighs 44 pounds. On the low, 25,000BTU stage, the fan motor runs slower and the flame noise is almost imperceptible. See http://www.bdub.net/manuals/Suburban_Service_Manual.pdf

My issue was with the non-existent access panel insulation, so I put 2 inches of aircraft self-stick foam insulation on the door and surrounding areas. Rock wool was used around the high-temperature exhaust port.

Love the efficiency of the catalytic heater, but the "ten warnings" rules about ventilation, oxygen deprivation and carbon monoxide issue are too cautionary for me. They will produce carbon monoxide if the element gets fouled. That's why Coleman stopped producing them, probably due to a lawsuit.

Our rig is non-winterized, so when storing the rig in my driveway, I use basement electric heater tapes (400Watts total) and an electric quartz heater and a fan in the main cabin to keep the water from freezing (1400 watts). This works down to about 25 degrees F. After that, the propane furnace is used. There is no substitute for 40,000 BTUs.
1997 U270 34FT Build 5140 Cummins 8.3 Allison 3060R
Solar 1920Watts, 14KWH lithium. Orion BMS.

Re: Heaters

Reply #13 –
one of the things i liked the very least about my gran Vill and my U270 was the propane heater impersonating a Boeing jet - great to know there is an option. I am aching for a 2 stroke detroit 106" wide Unihome with good bones 36" long to restore/remod for something to keep me occupied - after I take my U-320 to AK next year, and someplace warm the following winter -  I am buying a pretty good sized trawler here on the Puget Sound and will be selling my U-320 -

was considering what I wanted RV raise a that point, but a rehabbed Foretravel 36' coach is in the team picture of what to have post U-320

Tim Fiedler

Sure Start Soft Start - home of SureStart soft starters TCER Direct - home of Generac Approved Aluminum and Copper TCER Composite cable generator-gas-prod - home of X-Riser Gas Risers for PE installation Call me at 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro
Tim Fiedler    2025 LTV Unity MBL on Order
2000 Chevy Tracker 2 Door Convertible 4WD Now lifted 4.5"
1985 Citroen 2CV6 Charleston
Murphy Rebel on wheels with 175HP Titan
Cessna P337
1980 48' Westport MY (!/4 Share)

Re: Heaters

Reply #14 –
Quote from: Tim –
Just replaced the original Atwood Boeing Jet impersonator with a quiet two-stage Suburban forced air heater, model SHD-2542Q furnace. It is much quieter and only weighs 44 pounds. On the low, 25,000BTU stage, the fan motor runs slower and the flame noise is almost imperceptible. See http://www.bdub.net/manuals/Suburban_Service_Manual.pdf

My issue was with the non-existent access panel insulation, so I put 2 inches of aircraft self-stick foam insulation on the door and surrounding areas. Rock wool was used around the high-temperature exhaust port.

Pictures?  Was it a difficult installation?  Did you have to alter the size of outside fiberglass wall cutout?
97 U295 40, Build #5040, 6C8.3 325 HP
Oregon Continuous Traveler
Samsung Residential #RF20HFENBSR,
Xantrex SW2012, (3)AGM8D Hse, (2)AGM Grp24 Eng, Victron BMV-712, 1800w Solar 4 LG & 2 Sunpower
Extreme Full Body Pt w/hdlmps, new furn/floor, 4 down Lexus 2004 GX470 AWD curb weight 4,740 lbs
Prev: 1990 Barth, 10L 300 2 yrs; 91&92 Monaco Signature, 10 yrs, 10L C 300 &  6C8.3 300; 1997 ForeT 6C8.3 325 since May 2017.  Employed by Guaranty RV 14+ yrs.  Former VW New Car Dlr/Service Dlr, Sales Mgr, Rv Sales, and Service Adviser from 1968-2017
"Don't criticize what you can't understand" Bob Dylan

Re: Heaters

Reply #15 –
Things might have improved with Atwoods: our rear furnace was jet- noisy and finally gave up the ghost. The new one has more BTUs than the old, and, YOU CAN ALMOST SLEEP WITH IT ON!  ^.^d
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'
 

Re: Heaters

Reply #16 –
No modification of the existing cutout was necessary. At a minimum, the following modifications are necessary to replace an Atwood Excalibur III 8900 blast furnace with a quiet Suburban SHD-2542Q (which is no longer made but supported):

- Kept existing access door, but was required to:
  — Make an adapter plate out of airrcaft aluminum. I bent a three inch overhang to prevent water intrusion.
  — Cut sxisting access door slightly to fit new exhaust and fresh air supply
- Re-gasket access flange, door, adapter plate and Suburban exterior exhaust plate using 1/4 inch half round EPDM self-adhesive gasket from Home Depot.
- New thermostat to control the two stages with associated new wire. I used an Ecobee4: long story I wrote in another post.
- Insulation. The old Atwood furnace was not insulated, so I added self-adhesive foam insulation and rock wool around the exhaust port.
1997 U270 34FT Build 5140 Cummins 8.3 Allison 3060R
Solar 1920Watts, 14KWH lithium. Orion BMS.