Living in a 5th Wheel in Kentucky

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No, dont think a pellet stove would work. First I did some research to learn what that is, and how it works. :) I came across this:

With pellet stoves, you’ll need to purchase 40-pound bags of pellets and store them on your property if you don’t want to have to run to the store and back every few days to keep your property adequately heated.

In order to get through an average snowy winter, you’ll need over one ton of pellets, which can take up a fair amount of space. What’s more, pellets need to be stored in a cool, dry place so they remain high quality before you actually use them.

That does not sound conducive to an RV. Not to mention where the exhaust/smoke would go, and the potential waste of heat from a poorly insulated RV (although I guess that applies to any source).

I really think a small space heater or two, combined with occasional propane, will do the trick for you. It'll just take some adjustment the first few months to figure out the most economical combo of when (and at what level) to use each heat source.
 
A pellet stove works fine, but where does it get its air and vent its exhaust? Any kind of flame consumes oxygen from the air and emits CO2 and smoke particles. If there is no fresh air coming in, the oxygen inside get depleted and can be fatal to humans. You have to arrange for venting, in & out.

Bags of pellets can be stored - many people have utility sheds or simple covered stacks. But it uses a lot of pellets too.
 
No, dont think a pellet stove would work. First I did some research to learn what that is, and how it works. :) I came across this:



That does not sound conducive to an RV. Not to mention where the exhaust/smoke would go, and the potential waste of heat from a poorly insulated RV (although I guess that applies to any source).

I really think a small space heater or two, combined with occasional propane, will do the trick for you. It'll just take some adjustment the first few months to figure out the most economical combo of when (and at what level) to use each heat source.
thank you so much,l will buy a couple of amish heater,great information thank you this has brighten my day gives me hope l can do this
 
Hello
I actually live and work here in Kentucky and cannot wait to retire and get out of dodge so to speak. The winters here are soul sucking to put it mildly. Nothing major like up north but constantly chilly/cold and dreary. Could you consider moving south to warmer climes from December through March? That’s what I’ll be doing traveling throughout the warmer states during winter and then exploring the northern states and waters during summer. Of course I’ll rest up back in ol Kaintuck.
 
l have thought about that and l believe it is something l look forward to,l took early retirement l had in 26 years with the state ,l like the thought of seeing new places,l am looking to summer to do some fishing and hiking ,
 
I have a pellet stove back in NH and it looks like I will be lighting it off when I get back this weekend from sunny Fl. I think it would work just fine for you. You’ll just have to get a small one or else you’ll be opening windows. They have a very small flue pipe for the exhaust and the same wall flange has a port for combustion air. The exhaust pipe is a pipe inside of a pipe around 4” outside diameter. Exhaust goes out the inner pipe and the space between the 2 pipes act as a insulated. When my stove is running, I can put my hand right on the outer pipe. It will be just a little warm.

I have a Harman stove model P68. Very happy with it. Had it for 15 years.
 
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I have a pellet stove back in NH and it looks like I will be lighting it off when I get back this weekend from sunny Fl. I think it would work just fine for you. You’ll just have to get a small one or else you’ll be opening windows. They have a very small flue pipe for the exhaust and the same wall flange has a port for combustion air. The exhaust pipe is a pipe inside of a pipe around 4” outside diameter. Exhaust goes out the inner pipe and the space between the 2 pipes act as a insulated. When my stove is running, I can put my hand right on the outer pipe. It will be just a little warm.

I have a Harman stove model P68. Very happy with it. Had it for 15 years.
l have read some good things about the Pellet stove ,thank you
 
Yes BUT you would need a tall chinmey about 3 feet higher than your trailer and a good source of fresh air. People do it here with hunting shacks. You would need to cut holes in the trailer and it would be worth $0 once your done
 
Yes BUT you would need a tall chinmey about 3 feet higher than your trailer and a good source of fresh air. People do it here with hunting shacks. You would need to cut holes in the trailer and it would be worth $0 once your done
That’s not true if the pipes exits the wall and it goes out horizontally a couple of feet, no need to have it go up. The exhaust is forced out by a fan at least on my stove it is.
 
there is so much to consider ,l like the thought of a pellet stove but there are pros and cons,and l worry about fire ,right now l have gotten some great advice on here and feeling l can take some action and make this work,thank you
 
Interesting input on the pellet stove. But even if the venting works there is still the issue of buying/hauling/storing big bags of pellets constantly during the cold months.

On a recent trip to TX the overnight lows dropped to 30s and 40s... cold snap for them. We were able to easily keep our trailer at 65-70 with a regular sized "radiator on wheels" style space heater on low setting.
 
Have y'all ever seen an RV burn? Once they start you have at most 30 seconds to get out. A pellet stove would add a lot of weight and another combustion source. Do people do it? Sure. Would I? No way in heck.
 
Nowhere in the replies in this thread have I seen mention of heating/protecting the water system. It all seems directed at heat in the cabin, but ignoring the fact that with electric heaters, pellets, etc. the water system will freeze during portions of a Kentucky winter, so heat needs to be directed to those areas, too. The furnace in most RVs is designed to heat the water too, though there certainly are exceptions to that. Additional heaters would be needed in the water bay(s) and tank areas with cabin heaters of whatever type.
 
With a proper install and proper care I don’t see any issues here. I would do it and I am a former firefighter. If the RV was going to be moved you would have to anchor it to the floor somehow. You could buy pellets 4 or 5 bags at a time and just store them in the rig. 5 bags may last 8 to 9 days of course depending on the outside temps.
 
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That’s not at all the case. The stove I have is air tight which means that no air gets in and moisture does not comes out into the house in fact it gets very dry. Any moistures gets removed through the flue. Also pellets have been processed to get rid of most of the moisture. I’m told they need a little moisture which helps the pellet to stay formed.
 
I meant the normal condensation created with warm or hot air inside,, and very cold air outside.>>>D ( Normally not a problem in a larger home with insulation, but always present in a thinwall RV with little insulation and many windows and vents proportionally.)
 
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