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10-21-2019, 06:39 AM
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#1
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Community Moderator
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Central, Arkansas
Posts: 11,223
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Aqua Hot on Electric
We normally camp throughout the winter locally on and off. In the past I have only winterized the 5th wheel if the temps were going to be in the teens for a few days and we were home. My question is, in the coach if I leave the Aquahot on electric and set the thermostat to say 55 will it keep the coach safely warm or do I need to run it on diesel ? I will have it plugged into a 50 amp pedestal.
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2004 Beaver Monterey Laguna IV
Cummins ISC 350HP Allison 3000 6 speed
2020 Chevy Equinox Premier 2.0t 9 speed AWD
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10-21-2019, 06:50 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Grasonville, MD -- Golden, CO
Posts: 6,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdracr39
We normally camp throughout the winter locally on and off. In the past I have only winterized the 5th wheel if the temps were going to be in the teens for a few days and we were home. My question is, in the coach if I leave the Aquahot on electric and set the thermostat to say 55 will it keep the coach safely warm or do I need to run it on diesel ? I will have it plugged into a 50 amp pedestal.
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I'd give it a test with a few good Thermometers to Just be sure - we have used our Electric in the Hydro Hot 200 series with good results - keeping it warm - 65 - with the outside temps above freezing - so I'd think you would be good to say around 20 and the coach would hover in the 40's?
I would think it would be prudent to just turn on the Diesel if the temps got into the teens. If it Doubt just Blow it Out to be safe and leave the electric on. that will work.
JMHO,
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Busskipper
Location - Grasonville, Maryland - and/or - Superior, Colorado
2005 Travel Supreme 42DS04 - GX470 Toad
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10-21-2019, 07:38 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,027
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Which AH do you have? If you have the 220 version it might work. I would not take a chance on temps below mid 20's. If the AH freezes you would be out over $6000. We have 2 120 elements and when the temp is below freezing I turn on the diesel.
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Moisheh
2008 Dynasty 42' Diamond IV
1988 Bluebird PT38
2009 Silverado Toad
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10-21-2019, 08:02 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boise Valley (SW Idaho)
Posts: 2,013
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If you have a single element AquaHot, it will be roughly equivalent to a 1400 watt space heater, in terms of how much heat energy it will deliver to your total coach. If you are in the teens, I would not expect it to keep your whole coach safely above freezing if the temps go that low and stay below 32 degrees. If you only run zone 2, and if you have the little basement thermostat turned on and your zone 2 on the rear thermostat in the "FURNACE" mode, you may be ok on just the electric.
You could set your front thermostat to as low as it will go, "FURNACE" mode, and the same with your bath thermostat, and you might be ok with it on just the electric. The return air for the heat exchangers under the kitchen sink and under the bathroom sink are in the air space that contains most of the plumbing to your points of use. NOT ALL, but most. The majority of your plumbing is in the bay where the basement heat exchanger is located so it should be ok.
Be sure the heat tape is working on your ice maker plumbing on the back of your refrigerator. I would absolutely trust it to do the job if you turned on the diesel, though. Shower, and washer/dryer plumbing may be a bit more vulnerable, as they are probably located in areas that don't really get a lot of heat benefit from air flow inside the coach and are more vulnerable to outside wall temperatures.
If you are getting warm during the day and only that cold at night, that will help. It's a worry!!
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Jim & Angie, Boise, ID
2021 Entegra Esteem 27U
2017 GMC Acadia Denali
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10-21-2019, 01:36 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Blairsville, GA & WPB, FL
Posts: 3,993
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In theory the diesel should not come on until the electric cannot keep up. If the 120V power goes out you'd want the diesel on, especially if you are not close to the rig.
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10-21-2019, 01:43 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,325
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I thought the same and mine works that way. 2 thermostats. Electric comes on about 2deg different than the diesel. That was changed and now there is only a single thermostat controlling both the diesel and electric elements they come on and off together.
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2023 Coachmen Encore 325SS
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10-21-2019, 01:58 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,732
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BillJinOR
I thought the same and mine works that way. 2 thermostats. Electric comes on about 2deg different than the diesel. That was changed and now there is only a single thermostat controlling both the diesel and electric elements they come on and off together.
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Yeah, don't know what year / model they made that un-improvement!
My 450-DE1 works this way. The way I see it, your just wasting some electricity if you have both turned on together !!
The OP's Beaver is an 04', so he may have one of the good ones with seperate thermostats.
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Ben & Sharon
2008 43' Holiday Rambler Scepter PDQ
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10-21-2019, 02:08 PM
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#8
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Community Moderator
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Central, Arkansas
Posts: 11,223
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Sounds like some testing is in order before the big freezes hit but I will plan on turning the diesel on when below freezing. I really didn't think about a power outage but certainly should have.
__________________
2004 Beaver Monterey Laguna IV
Cummins ISC 350HP Allison 3000 6 speed
2020 Chevy Equinox Premier 2.0t 9 speed AWD
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10-21-2019, 06:20 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boise Valley (SW Idaho)
Posts: 2,013
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Our '06 Dynasty has the AHE-100 series AquaHot, and there is only one thermostat. When the unit calls for heat, the electric element and the diesel burner both come on at the same time and then shut down, together. The same is true for the AHE-120 and AHE-130 series. So it depends on your unit whether the diesel fires at that same time that the electric input is called for.
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Jim & Angie, Boise, ID
2021 Entegra Esteem 27U
2017 GMC Acadia Denali
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10-21-2019, 06:54 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,325
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Aqua Hot on Electric
Well not all AHE 100 units
AHE100-2 has 2 thermostats unit was built in late 2002 ... electric and a burner thermostat .. I helped the repair guy rebuild it 2 years ago Wonder when they changed. The guy had to pay attention to which one was which as they looked the same .. except for the temp rating.
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2023 Coachmen Encore 325SS
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10-21-2019, 07:18 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boise Valley (SW Idaho)
Posts: 2,013
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Interesting, especially since all four of those descriptors begin with AHE-100. I don't know. I am looking at the shop manual for model numbers AHE-100-04S, AHE-120-04X and AHE-130-04X. The last page says Copyright 2004. So I wonder if the "1" in the "100" denotes one thermostat.
Also, I wonder if your Beaver was built after they came under the Monaco umbrella, or before then when they were still at their Bend facility. Maybe the change happened when Monaco took them over.
I REALLY WISH ours worked like yours. I don't like using the diesel when we are in a campground environment as no matter how clean they can be made to burn, they still smell, and they still have the whine of the fuel pump and burner air fan. It would be great to leave both heat sources turned on and have the diesel only fire on the few occasions when the 120 volt element can't cover it, alone.
Just as soon as I think I have an answer for a question, I find that the next coach is totally different. They can even be different within the same make and model series. My heart goes out to folks that can make a living servicing these things with all the variations that are out there.
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Jim & Angie, Boise, ID
2021 Entegra Esteem 27U
2017 GMC Acadia Denali
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10-21-2019, 09:53 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 3,441
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Put a few ceramic heaters in the coach , a 250 watt one in the left side water bay and leave on the electric element. Just make sure the power doesnt go out. I lived in mine down to 6 degrees that way.
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10-22-2019, 01:24 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: On the road
Posts: 1,917
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K7JV
Interesting, especially since all four of those descriptors begin with AHE-100. I don't know. I am looking at the shop manual for model numbers AHE-100-04S, AHE-120-04X and AHE-130-04X. The last page says Copyright 2004. So I wonder if the "1" in the "100" denotes one thermostat.
Also, I wonder if your Beaver was built after they came under the Monaco umbrella, or before then when they were still at their Bend facility. Maybe the change happened when Monaco took them over.
I REALLY WISH ours worked like yours. I don't like using the diesel when we are in a campground environment as no matter how clean they can be made to burn, they still smell, and they still have the whine of the fuel pump and burner air fan. It would be great to leave both heat sources turned on and have the diesel only fire on the few occasions when the 120 volt element can't cover it, alone.
Just as soon as I think I have an answer for a question, I find that the next coach is totally different. They can even be different within the same make and model series. My heart goes out to folks that can make a living servicing these things with all the variations that are out there.
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My older coach can run both diesel and electric at the same time. That's how I use it when it gets colder...not very often in Mesa, AZ
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Full Time 2000 Dynasty Regent FD, 8.3, Banks Turbo, 5" Diameter Exhaust, 475 HP 1425 Torque, FASS system, towing 05 Pilot 1500 Watts solar 800ah lithium & E-Bike
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