Basement heat while traveling

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Al Juby

Al Juby

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2011
Posts
54
Location
Lyman S.C.
My 1999 Strom has basement heat in the water pump area. If the propane heat is not on then no basement heat. My thought is to install a 200 watt 12 volt heater in this area to prevent freeze ups when using an inside electric heater and or when moving. What am I missing?
 
Just out of curiosity, if traveling in that cold of temperatures that you are nervous about the water freezing up, why isn't the propane heater running?

Mike.
 
That works - some brands of coaches are factory equipped like that. A caution, though: a 200 watt heater has a steady draw of about 18 amps @ 12v, so you don't want it running long without engine running or generator/shore power active.
 
I got lucky.  I learned my Voyage has a heater in the belly that works of the engine coolant.  It also heats the water in the water heater.  Works great and gets it nice and toasty inside and I always have hot water when we pull in.
 
I got lucky.  I learned my Voyage has a heater in the belly that works of the engine coolant.  It also heats the water in the water heater.  Works great and gets it nice and toasty inside and I always have hot water when we pull in.
Click to expand...

Yes, we have the same deal in our Voyage. It's great -- in winter. Unfortunately the switch does not have a light for when it is on, and more than once we accidentally hit the switch and became uncomfortably warm while the dash A/C is going.  ::)

We're smart enough that the heater switch is the first thing we check if we don't feel the A/C is doing its job.  ;D
 
aggiedad said:
Yes, we have the same deal in our Voyage. It's great -- in winter. Unfortunately the switch does not have a light for when it is on, and more than once we accidentally hit the switch and became uncomfortably warm while the dash A/C is going.  ::)

We're smart enough that the heater switch is the first thing we check if we don't feel the A/C is doing its job.  ;D
Click to expand...
Here is a thought, wire in and LED indicator light.  You could even get one that has two collors so you know if it is on high or low speed.
 
I have 12 volt heat in the basement and a heat pad, but I think too it draws too much current. I am installing more insulation around my tanks and I will bypass some heat from the furnace down to the basement. I will install a valve to shutt it off when not below zero. It should work, my truck camper bigfoot has this set up and it never freezes.
 
When moving in sub-freezing weather I burn propane

When parked... There is a gap of a few inches between the bottom of my fresh water tank and the bottom of the compartment it lives in I layed a string of C-9 Christmas tree lights in this gap.  These are the larger "Outdoor" lamps and are incandescent.  That's over 200 watts of electric heat,, They are powered via a thermostatic outlet adapter so it comes on at around 35 degrees (off at 40) you can get those outlets at places like Lowes, Home Depot and Tractor supply (They use them for pipe heat strips and eve trough/overhang defrosters)

In the other end of the bay also on the same T-Stat is a 100 watt Incandescent lamp.

On the fresh water hose controlled by a 2nd T-state outlet adapter (This one under the RV instead of inside the bay) is a string of Incandescent rope lights.  Ducttaped to the hose.  Looks rather nice at night (I used fancy duct tape)

If it gets REAL cold (like 11 degrees) I add more heat (150 watts) to the bay and drain the hose.  One line (cold) did freeze when that happend. but it froze in the middle of the run far from the elbows and connectors  PEX does not mind freezing at all (The connectors and elbows do)  SO I just used hot water to flush for a few hours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 876 (members: 21, guests: 855)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,963
Posts
1,388,298
Members
137,716
Latest member
chewys79
Back
Top Bottom