Heating a trailer
- Thread starter vassock
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
gwcowgill
Well-known member
We have used the small 1500 watt cube heaters. We carry 2 of the small cube heaters that do quite well down in the teens. Any colder you will probably need to use the propane. Most travel trailers are not made for really cold weather. Some may suggest getting a large residential propane tank if your heating needs are more than the cube heaters can handle.
If you're plugged in some place where your electric is included in your rental, then electric space heaters will be essentially free. If you're paying for the electric, then the best option will depend on the cost of the electric.
Wendy
Wendy
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
If you have no electric alternative, you need a furnace of some kind, either LP or fuel oil (including diesel). Fuel oil is probably cheaper than propane as far as fuel cost (more BTU content per gallon), but a small fuel oil furnace may be hard to find. There are such things, but usually designed to be built in rather than portable or add-in. Most RVs use a propane furnace (they are typically standard equipment), but high end diesel motorhomes may have an Espar or Webasto diesel-fired heater.
http://www.espar.com/
http://www.espar.com/
glen54737
Well-known member
Without electricity it won't work even the propane furnace needs some 12vdc power for the blower and ignition sources.
Maybe catylitic heater would not need that but i'm not too sure.
Maybe catylitic heater would not need that but i'm not too sure.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
He will need some battery power for lights and to run both furnace and fridge, which then brings the question of how to recharge batteries as well. Vassock needs to tell us a bit more about this trailer and how it will be used before we can make constructive suggestions.
Gary RV Roamer said:
Mostly it will be running a a PC, monitor and a fluorescent light strip. The PC and monitor generally use 140 watts according to what my UPS is showing. The light strip will use 64 watts. That's 204 watts or less than a fourth of the generators rated output (225 watts). But that's when I'm using all of the devices. Obviously I won't be using a PC 24 hours a day. The only thing I might use for that long is a small netbook, but the wattage cost of that is negligible I think.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
But what about lighting in the trailer? And power for the fridge & water heater circuit board? There is more to your energy needs than just powering a PC. And if you need a furnace of some sort, a forced air fan is a likely extra power draw, whether 12v or 120v.
When I'm home & it's really cold, I set the propane furnace to 55 & the electric heater on low. I figure low wastes less power in line loss and when it gets really cold the furnace will come on and heat those places that the electric heater doesn't.
I think it's probably foolish to run a generator just to power an electric heater but haven't run numbers.
Last winter, dry camping, when I was running generator to watch TV & charge batteries, I ran the electric heater on low. My thinking was that the incremental costs of powering the heater would be less than propane. Again, haven't run numbers.
Joel
I think it's probably foolish to run a generator just to power an electric heater but haven't run numbers.
Last winter, dry camping, when I was running generator to watch TV & charge batteries, I ran the electric heater on low. My thinking was that the incremental costs of powering the heater would be less than propane. Again, haven't run numbers.
Joel
Luca1369
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2008
- Posts
- 1,410
I too use a Mr. Buddy for heat, along with a small electric heater, and sometimes the AC/Heat unit in the bedroom. If I'm boondocking I only use the Mr. Buddy set on low.
If I use the Mr. Buddy a lot I can go through two or three 20lb propane tanks in a month, but that's rare, usually I'm using one or two per month.
If I use the Mr. Buddy a lot I can go through two or three 20lb propane tanks in a month, but that's rare, usually I'm using one or two per month.
P
PatrioticStabilist
Guest
I noticed in the diesel pusher we bought it has a 27 gallon propane tank. BUT then I see the thing has 2 furnances, I can't imagine that propane will last very long. But maybe its well insulated, don't know, since it has no slides perhaps. I know the bed platform over the engine did have insulation under it, its now crumbling and it fastens tight. I have purchased dynamat for both noise and heat insulation so know that will help there, I'm going to clean all the old off and put this stuff in. Haven't looked it over yet, but 2 furnaces, got to suck some propane. Has a 10 gallon water heater, electric or gas don't know yet.
I'm thinking I will probably take some electric heaters for in there too. One of them will really putout some heat, those little cheap ones are good and they will turn off if they tip over. Though I won't travel a lot in winter if I do I still want to be warm. I have one for in here but haven't had to use it yet.
I'm thinking I will probably take some electric heaters for in there too. One of them will really putout some heat, those little cheap ones are good and they will turn off if they tip over. Though I won't travel a lot in winter if I do I still want to be warm. I have one for in here but haven't had to use it yet.
Dont know how big the OP's trailer is. I have a 27 ft enclosed snowmobile trailer. I am running a heater out of a crashed RV. I use 2 batteries and have 2 7 gal propane tanks. I would suggest that you insulate your walls and ceiling, & even the floor if you feel the need. If you do not insulate all the heat you produce will only have half or less value. You can use a blue flame heater. However, you will have rain dropping on you from all the humidity that it will produce. Mr Buddy heaters can work as well. But then again the size of your trailer may be too large for it to handle.
You can insulate for cheap by using styrofoam sheets and cutting to your size to fit between the stud rails. Then put plywood or whatever type of paneling over that. I would suggest painting or getting the panels as light as of color that you can. As that will inhance your light on the inside. Also install a vent to help with air flow and also to allow the humidity to evaporate. A Blue Flame type heater will work but you need to vent to get the moisture out as I stated above.
Most all the guys I know that have snowmobile trailers are using RV type heaters one brand or another. They are easy to install and work great. You can pick them up off of ebay pretty cheap. Or if you have an RV repair business nearby they may have one laying around.
You can insulate for cheap by using styrofoam sheets and cutting to your size to fit between the stud rails. Then put plywood or whatever type of paneling over that. I would suggest painting or getting the panels as light as of color that you can. As that will inhance your light on the inside. Also install a vent to help with air flow and also to allow the humidity to evaporate. A Blue Flame type heater will work but you need to vent to get the moisture out as I stated above.
Most all the guys I know that have snowmobile trailers are using RV type heaters one brand or another. They are easy to install and work great. You can pick them up off of ebay pretty cheap. Or if you have an RV repair business nearby they may have one laying around.
Old trailer I had I used 2 Coleman catalitic heaters with a vent open about an inch and a window open about an inch. With the cost of Coleman fuel now I expect a Mr. Buddy would be about as cheap to run. It took about a gallon a night with the heaters set on 3000 btu.
