Bay Heater in 2008 Safari/Cheetah ??

[PJGMG]

Hi. I have looked under my RV and in the "Utility Bay" for the basement heater and found Zilch.. Also pushed the button on the panel and the light came on ..But I could not hear it... The RED light to the right of it (Active) was not on, but I understand from other posts it does not always come on ...
I also checked where the water tank is and found nothing there.

Does anyone have an idea of exactly where it is located on this RV ? Or please redirect me to the posts and I will review it.

TIA..

[Jim Stewart]

My 2005 Safari has an electric power reel in the water bay and the heater is tucked up behind it. When the switch is on, the temperature has to be below a certain level for it to run. The light just lets you know that the heater switch is turned on. I can't remember what temperature the thermastat for the heater is set to come on or to go off. Hope this helps.

[Mandys Man]

Ours is basically pointed right at the Dump Valves. Behind all the switches in the panel. You do not notice it sitting in there unless you are specifically looking for it.

The active light will not be on unless the heater is running. Ours turns on when outside temp hits about 25*. The 27* you are expecting in Durham tonight may cause it to activate.

[PJGMG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Stewart My 2005 Safari has an electric power reel in the water bay and the heater is tucked up behind it. When the switch is on, the temperature has to be below a certain level for it to run. The light just lets you know that the heater switch is turned on. I can't remember what temperature the thermastat for the heater is set to come on or to go off. Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mandys Man Ours is basically pointed right at the Dump Valves. Behind all the switches in the panel. You do not notice it sitting in there unless you are specifically looking for it. The active light will not be on unless the heater is running. Ours turns on when outside temp hits about 25*. The 27* you are expecting in Durham tonight may cause it to activate.

Thank you both for your feedback... I did see a couple of black boxes towards the rear of the bay.. I currently have it parked in storage, hopefully no issues will arise... I have not winterized... yet..

Again Thank you..

[LewF]

PJGMG

That heater, you will see when you find it, is a ceramic "cube" heater powered by 12v and it draws a lot of power so I assume you are hooked to shore power or this thing will suck your batteries down very quickly. This is our second coach with this type service center heater and from my sample set of two I can tell you that the snap disk thermostats that control these heaters have a very broad range of on/off temperatures. Out last unit came on at about 40 F and went off at about 60 F (based on a remote temp sensor I keep in the bay), our new unit comes on at about 35 F and it currently has the bay up to about 65 F and is still heating away. If you find the snap disk you can put a ice cube on it to see if it turns on the heater.

I have heard several folks who do not like their similar system for various reasons but our two experiences have been positive - of course we live in Tennessee so it doesn't get real cold and stay there around here, but single digit nights are not unusual during the winter. Hope this is helpful.

Lew

[LewF]

PJGMG

Here is a picture of my heater, not a great one but you can see it hiding behind the dump valves.



Lew

[PJGMG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LewF PJGMG Here is a picture of my heater, not a great one but you can see it hiding behind the dump valves. Attachment 1983 Lew

Lew... you saved the day... I found mine.. Thank you very much..
It works fine...

[Drifter]

PJ, Your picture of the Cargo Heater is a rare one. It seems that actually have one that works, Very rare.

PS. they have a very short life span.

[Ed_G]

Well, yours may likely be elsewhere than mine, but on my 2008 Safari Trek 29RBD it is on the back wall of the wet bay... behind the fresh water filter area... colored black and not real obvious. So far I have never used it although I probably should be since its 25 outside right now... but the tanks and lines are drained.

[PJGMG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drifter PJ, Your picture of the Cargo Heater is a rare one. It seems that actually have one that works, Very rare. PS. they have a very short life span.

Drifter, you are killing me...

Hopefully I will outlive it..

Seriously what has been the life span and how much do they cost to replace, or is their a better alternative...

I must say.. I enjoy this forum just a bit more than another one.. on an another link.. I also see many people from the other one on this one.

Lets be happy.. Life is to short..

PJGMG

[LewF]

Not sure about the life span issue. Our personal experience is with two coachs where the heaters worked fine. The first one was nearly two years of experience and the new one is only a short time. Granted most of our winter is spend in Tennessee or further south but the previous coach made two trips to Yellowstone, in September, and had lots of freezing nights to operate in.

Is there any info on modes of failure - they are a pretty simple ceramic heater so not much to fail. I have heard of thermostat snap disks being a bit problematic, I am having to move mine around in the service bay on the new coach to make sure it is sensing the high temp cutoff correctly and shutting down the heater but that is the only problem I have had.

Lew

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PJGMG Drifter, you are killing me... Hopefully I will outlive it.. Seriously what has been the life span and how much do they cost to replace, or is their a better alternative... I must say.. I enjoy this forum just a bit more than another one.. on an another link.. I also see many people from the other one on this one. Lets be happy.. Life is to short.. PJGMG

99 % of the time this is what fails:
443°F (228°C) Thermal Protector Fuse - RadioShack.com

not the heater. I fixed mine and it works fine now. When the thermal fuse goes out the fan blows but the heater does not glow red. Everyone who depends on this heater to keep their water bay from freezing should seriously consider a wireless thermometer mounted in the bay. When the weather is below freezing make at least a daily check from your stick house or the coach to make sure the temp in the water bay is not going below freezing. If you store your unit then you had better winterize and not depend on this heater even if you are plugged into shore power. The exception would be if you can stop by the storage area daily during freezing weather.

Bob

[LewF]

I second Bob's recommendation to put a wireless temp sensor in the service bay. I have done that on two coaches. I keep the receiver either in the house - the coach is parked next to the house - or inside the coach if traveling. This lets me know what the temp is doing the the service bay and lets you know if the heater is working.

Lew

[PJGMG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nodine 99 % of the time this is what fails: 443°F (228°C) Thermal Protector Fuse - RadioShack.com not the heater. I fixed mine and it works fine now. When the thermal fuse goes out the fan blows but the heater does not glow red. Everyone who depends on this heater to keep their water bay from freezing should seriously consider a wireless thermometer mounted in the bay. When the weather is below freezing make at least a daily check from your stick house or the coach to make sure the temp in the water bay is not going below freezing. If you store your unit then you had better winterize and not depend on this heater even if you are plugged into shore power. The exception would be if you can stop by the storage area daily during freezing weather. Bob

Bob, thanks... Where is this fuse located ? I do have it in storage, approx 4 miles from my home... I have NOT winterized it... yet.. I do go down every few days...

Clueless here: a wireless thermometer mounted in the bay... Can I pick up one of these from Wally World ?

Lew...again thank you for getting me on the right track..