Community Forums

icejim · 11-22-2011, 06:24 AM

Any input on all electric motor homes, we do very little dry camping?

FlyingDiver · 11-22-2011, 07:48 AM

Any specific questions? If you don't boondock much, all-electric can be really nice. The residential refrigerators are much better than the propane ones.

joe

GaryKD · 11-22-2011, 08:40 AM

Hi icejim,
Like you I don't boondock. My next coach will be all electric. For those of us who use full electric hookup, all electric is really nice and has no disadvantages.

Iron Man · 11-22-2011, 08:49 AM

We have all electric coach. We have diesel fired hydronic heat and a residential fridge. We dry camp 10-12 days a year and have no problems. Most of the time we dry camp the weather is hot and we are running the generator for the AC so the batteries get charged. On a plus we gained a extra bay compartment that was were the propane tank was located.

Lug_Nut · 11-22-2011, 09:49 AM

I agree with John. Mine is also all electric and I too dry camp frequently without issue. I would not go back to non-all electric mainly due to the trouble free huge residential frig.

Peter

targaboat · 11-22-2011, 10:28 AM

We are almost all electric with what many would consider a standard coach. We have heat pumps down to 40F, electric water heater, electric frig, and a convection oven. The only thing is the cook top stove which we do mostly outside anyway. However, the little infrared hot plates are real handy and very functional for when the weather is bad. The propane is there when we do boon dock we seldom need to fill it up. Even there we have the the inverter for many things and a solar panel to help. I certain would not pay much extra for any more cost toward all electrical. In fact with the generator we would almost not miss it.

hellojohnny · 11-22-2011, 03:39 PM

Just for the record: With most manufacturer's including Newmar you can have a residential fridge and still have a propane tank which is used for your stove top, stove (if ordered) and BBQ hook-up. I had this set-up on my Allegro Bus with Aqua Hot.

I am planning on ordering a new Mountain Aire and just decided to go all electric at the last minute. I thought about where we camped over the past couple of year's and what we used and how much and realized that the only time we dry camped was at the airshow once per year and even when dry camping you need to run your generator to charge up your batteries anyway so why not do that while using the stove top?

I will miss having a gas stove top vs. electric and having the big tank to hook-up my BBQ to. I will not miss having a big bomb with no real protection from a side swipe or other. I will also not miss worrying about a propane leak or added fire risk compared to only having diesel on board. Too bad they haven't invented a diesel BBQ yet?

Newmar need's to offer the Summit stove top which uses induction cooking. After reading about induction cooking it will be hard not to have it. Tiffin is now offering it standard on the Allegro Bus and Zephyr. Stove top does not get hot enough to burn you even on it's highest setting and it heat's up instantly.

Adam

FlyingDiver · 11-22-2011, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellojohnny

Newmar need's to offer the Summit stove top which uses induction cooking. After reading about induction cooking it will be hard not to have it. Tiffin is now offering it standard on the Allegro Bus and Zephyr. Stove top does not get hot enough to burn you even on it's highest setting and it heat's up instantly.

Adam

If you're going to be ordering an MA to be built, request an induction cooktop as a special. It'll probably be only a few hundred extra. We'll be doing that with our next coach - in fact, we'll be requesting a 240v unit instead of the 120v cooktop they normally install.

joe

greezykid · 11-22-2011, 03:42 PM

Do you think that will have any effect when you get ready to sell it?

FlyingDiver · 11-22-2011, 04:04 PM

What? Having induction, or all-electric? I don't think induction will hurt the resale price any, and I really don't care. I'm putting it in because I'd rather have it.

joe

hellojohnny · 11-22-2011, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingDiver

If you're going to be ordering an MA to be built, request an induction cooktop as a special. It'll probably be only a few hundred extra. We'll be doing that with our next coach - in fact, we'll be requesting a 240v unit instead of the 120v cooktop they normally install.

joe

Joe,

Thank's for the advice. I will definitely order it with an induction cook top now that I know that I am able. I was looking at the dimensions of the summit cook top's and the measurements were quite a bit different. Is there another brand that Newmar uses?

Adam

FlyingDiver · 11-22-2011, 09:54 PM

As far as I know, Newmar only uses Seaward on their high end coaches. But if their regular distributors carry another brand, you can probably get it. The Summit looks like a decent candidate, and there's several residential brands I'd be OK with. In fact, I need to see if I can fit that four burner Summit into the floor plan we're looking at. Since I would want it flush mounted with no folding cover over it, I can get away with a bigger one than they would normally put in.

joe

hellojohnny · 11-23-2011, 10:11 PM

If you have a 240V stove top can it be used when you are hooked up to 30amp power? If it could would you have to stop using all other power consuming things?

Adam

FlyingDiver · 11-23-2011, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellojohnny

If you have a 240V stove top can it be used when you are hooked up to 30amp power? If it could would you have to stop using all other power consuming things?

Adam

Depends on the design of the particular unit. It might not work at all, or perhaps only half of the burners would work.

My single burner portable induction unit pulls 15amps at full power. If I had a 2 burner 120v unit, it could (if both burners at max) use all 30 amps.

We so rarely end up with 30amp power that it's not an issue for us. YMMV.

joe