Cheapheat by rv comfort, doing great!

[TXiceman]

Mark, the lower dew point (less moisture in the air) will help, but the coil will still ice eventually. I do see operating slightly below 40 degF, but not down to 30 degF. RVP has a temperature sensor in the outside coil that is set to turn off the compressor when the coil temperature drops to a specified temperature which I do not recall. But, it equated to the unit operating down to about 37 or 38 degF. I don;t know what Dometic has for a compressor protection.

 

Ken

[budeneighe]

it's possible you have an air leak in the inside air box that is letting enough heat from inside out to keep the unit a bit warmer. I had a similar problem when it got around 40deg. It would even work at 38 outside as long as I already had enough heat inside to keep the unit warmer. When it got marginal, it would short cycle. It would be warm enough to startup but it was moving enough outside air around in the top box that it cooled it down to where the 40 termal would trip it off until enough heat from inside the RV leaked up into the box and warmed the temp cutoff termostat enough to have it cut back on.

[Kirk W]

I'm thinking I'd be better with leasing 325 pound tanks during the winter and burn baby burn. If I want to reduce noise at night, maybe I could use those DC thermal blankets on the tanks and run more electric heat inside with my fireplace and ceramic heaters.

What I don't find is an indication of where you are planning to spend the winter? The ambient temperatures there play a major part in all of this as does the cost of energy and a host of other factors. If noise is a factor then any of the add-on devices will not make things any less noisy. But if you have wet storage that needs heat they do keep that from freezing. Back when we were fulltime I gave serious thought to installing one of those to our furnace because we spent most of our winters as resident volunteers with utilities supplied including electric service. But the catch in this is the return on investment. At that time the devices were lower priced but the same was true of propane which usually is not supplied. In the present situation you will pay $500+ for the device, plus install which is likely to double the cost. You can buy a lot of propane for $1000.

 

It is likely less costly to rent a large propane tank this winter, but there are size of tank related issues. In most areas the largest tank that is allowed to be close to the living unit is 100 gallons. We have a 200 gallon tank for our home-base and it is required to be no closer than 20' from the structure. Usually any tank of 100 gallons or more can be placed into a "keep full" service so that you don't need to watch as closely as you would otherwise. On the other hand, there is often a price break for propane deliveries that exceed 100 gallons.

[outwestbound]

What I don't find is an indication of where you are planning to spend the winter?

 

I'm in North Carolina this winter, so no big deal, but my goal is to winter in the mid and north west next year and forward. I figure $1,200 for the cheap heat paying others to do the work. Monthly savings is a total wild card, but I figure I might get my return of capital over 6-7 years, which isn't feasible in an economic sense. This is an expense to increase enjoyment. When uneconomic reasons enter the process, everyone will reach their own decision, but I've decided against the cheap heat for our rig.

 

I used a 100# tank and if that's the biggest it works. I've seen folks using the bigger ones, so I guess it location dependent.

[4x4ff]

I have been following this topic with much interest. My wife and I plan on starting to fulltime within the next year or so and I am seriously considering installing the Cheap Heat system for no other reason than to provide options. While I anticipate spending most of my winters in a warmer more moderate climate there will be times where I will be in a colder area. If I purchase the Cheap Heat I will install it myself so I am looking at a $500 investment maybe add another $100 for incidentals so I will have maybe $600 invested. My 5th wheel is 50 Amp and has a spot for the extra breaker required already. My thought is this.....It sure would be nice to have a 'backup' if nothing else so when I inadvertently forget to fill or switch over my propane and it runs out at 2:00 AM I have the ability to switch over. Also the area I will spend most of my time in except the deepest part of winter has electricity included. As an added plus I would then have the ability to use either system as my needs and/or budget dictate. I do have space heaters that we currently use but all in all it isn't as good or even heat as with the furnace and quite frankly I am not a bug fan of using 3 or 4 space heaters strewn around my camper when all I would need to do is flip a switch, use my furnace and consume about (I said 'ABOUT'...not exactly) the same amount of electricity.

Consider this analogy: People spend $3,000 to $6,000 for an auto leveling system to set up their coach easier. To me yes at some point in the future I will probably add this option but it takes me 15 minutes to level my rig and I have to only do it once when I stop. If I spend $500 on this system not only will I get more of my 'moneys worth' out of it , it allows me a backup heating plan if nothing else.

 

Just my $.02

 

Steve

[outwestbound]

I have been following this topic with much interest. My wife and I plan on starting to fulltime within the next year or so and I am seriously considering installing the Cheap Heat system for no other reason than to provide options.

 

 

Congrats on your decision to hit the road.

 

Yep, it's all good; most of the stuff on these rigs is personal preference and it's all an expense, much of which as you point out, is simply luxury to improve comfort. I have no issue with paying much more than a cheap heat unit for comfort and enjoyment. I'm figuring that if an electrical central heating option is a good idea, and clearly it is for many legitimate reasons particular to each user, then it seems that the Atwoods and Surburbans of the world would introduce this option. I was in the apartment business, so we've been passing costs through to tenants that had been historically a landlord expense for years. I don't know RV parks, but if passing electrical expenses (the variable cost component) through to monthly users (often full timers) is the norm and increasing, and considering the risk that a park may prohibit central electric heating as one poster says, this option may be harder to pencil out for those seeking investment in the margin, but for me, I just can't get comfortable with the "life-safety" related issues involving electrical capacity, but that's just me.

[4x4ff]

I guess my biggest question is I don't understand the difference in running 3 1500 Watt heaters plus a couple of 100 Watt light bulbs in the basement vs. running one 5000 Watt heater that also takes care of the bathroom, basement and heated underbelly. In my mind I would be running 4700 Watts vs. 5000 Watts which isn't that much apart. Quite frankly being a firefighter all my adult life I have some concerns with the space heaters and the potential for trips over the cords(you guys would understand if you lived with my wife...lol), fraying cords or stuff falling onto the heater or blocking the air flow not to mention the unshielded light bulbs in the storage area. I would think the electrical usage would be close to the same especially when you read about people running these space heaters and then having to put a 100-150 Watt light bulb into their basements and what have you to provide heat for those areas. This seems to me to be one stop shopping if you will plus I don't have to find a place to store the heaters in the summer. Am I missing something else?

 

Steve

[outwestbound]

I guess my biggest question is I don't understand the difference in running 3 1500 Watt heaters plus a couple of 100 Watt light bulbs in the basement vs. running one 5000 Watt heater that also takes care of the bathroom, basement and heated underbelly. In my mind I would be running 4700 Watts vs. 5000 Watts which isn't that much apart.

 

Excellent point Steve and I'm no authority. Space heaters impose risk. Watts is watts in terms of total load. I don't know whether there is merit to distributing the overall electric heating load over various breakers by using electric space heaters vs. a 5KW load on a single breaker with the cheap heat: no idea. I have a 1500 watt electric fireplace heater, so my living room is covered. I decided that, rather than have a single 5,000 watt cheap heat, I'd set my gas furnace at a low temp so it supports the electric heaters in the night. My big issue in all of this was not having to run the poop out of my gas furnace to keep the tanks from freezing, as I've got an "artic" package. Considering this, I'd leave the gas furnace duct into the tanks for dry camping, but thinking I'll install the Ultra-Heat Holding Tank Heater solution, or something like that, so that I have an electrical option to heat the tanks. When temps are always - at night or during the day - around 20 degrees, the tank heaters running is helpful, expecially since they run while traveling off 12DC, then switch to AC when on shore power. That the T-stat inside is disassociated with the tank's temps seems silly, but these are RVs. I was thinking about pulling the 4" furnace duct off the tanks and pushing it up under the living room 10 feet or so, as I've got about 14" or so under my finished floor but above my insulated underbelly just over the axles. But as I say, I guess I'll leave the gas line on the tanks for dry camping, where electric heading isn't a viable option. I can put a valve in so one duct may go either to the tanks or under the living room, but that's just plain greedy!!!

 

Man, I'm glad all this is just a hobby. My set up is to winder mid and north west, which isn't typical.

[sushidog]

Wintering in the mid-west or NW wouldn't be an option for me. I guess it depends on where you were raised. I was brought up in Louisiana, (I think its snowed 3-4 times during my life here) so I avoid going outside in anything lower than "sweater weather" (55-65 degrees F) unless it's a matter of life and death (like I run out of food, money, etc.). Then I bundle up and dash out and back in as quickly as possible.

 

What's the point of going somewhere and being trapped inside all the time? IMHO the purpose of an RV is to live where it is a pleasant temperature, or as close as possible, year round. That means I'll be avoiding that white stuff that accumulates on the ground where it is uninhabitably cold - below 40 degrees I my book. This makes a heat pump a viable option for me as a primary heat source; not so for your (insane ) plans.

 

Chip

[outwestbound]

Wintering in the mid-west or NW wouldn't be an option for me. I guess it depends on where you were raised. I was brought up in Louisiana, (I think its snowed 3-4 times during my life here) so I avoid going outside in anything lower than "sweater weather" (55-65 degrees F) unless it's a matter of life and death (like I run out of food, money, etc.). Then I bundle up and dash out and back in as quickly as possible.

 

What's the point of going somewhere and being trapped inside all the time? IMHO the purpose of an RV is to live where it is a pleasant temperature, or as close as possible, year round. That means I'll be avoiding that white stuff that accumulates on the ground where it is uninhabitably cold - below 40 degrees I my book. This makes a heat pump a viable option for me as a primary heat source; not so for your (insane ) plans.

 

Chip

I hear ya; grew up in Tampa, FL. I'm into mountaineering - alpine snow work, etc. Training at some altitude and snow is pretty useful. I know, I'm insane.........

[4x4ff]

I live in the mid west (St. Louis) and plan on being in this area for mid October through the first of January just for the holidays every year. Come January 2nd or 3rd my plan is to be on the road headed South.