Community Forums

efstewart · 12-07-2011, 11:09 AM

Can anyone recommend a good quality portable plug in heater to use in my class A while I am hooked up to power at a RV park? I don't want to use my propane heater all of the time. What are the safety concerns for portable eletric heaters?

RJay · 12-07-2011, 11:23 AM

I have three small Pelonis 1500 watt electric heaters. It has two heat levels and a thermostat. During this past weekend we had night time temperatures go to 10 deg F. In the front part of the coach with one heater on high the night time temps got to about 58 deg. F. In the bedroom area with the heater set to high and the thermostat set to about 3/4 the temp was very comfortable for sleeping. In the morning we set the third heater on low to warm the front to about 66 deg. F and use the central heat as a supplement to the electric heaters if needed.

I have to add that if we need to run any appliances we need to lower or turn off heaters so we don't blow fuses.

gfs1943 · 12-07-2011, 11:34 AM

I have a small ceramic heater from Walmart that I've used for years in various RVs, but never in very cold temperatures. The best electric heaters I've found are the "Milk Barn Heaters" from Vermont Country Store. Two different heat settings, and they seem to last a long time - no thermostat burnout like I've had on others.

pumper9x9 · 12-07-2011, 11:50 AM

First by a new heater, second look for the UL or comparable listing 3rd make sure it has safeties build into such as over heat shut off or knock over shut off. Next size one for you MH 750 watt seems to handle cool weather when the temps are in the 50's but doesn't keep up when it's below 40. I just bought a 1500 watt 12.5 amp heater from walmart and it heats up the place very nicely. Let me know if you find a small convection heater I can mount on the wall of my basement storage to cut down the on the run time of my hydronic heater when I'm plugged in.

Cat320 · 12-07-2011, 12:05 PM

Check out Lasko, many options.

macnkat · 12-07-2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat320

Check out Lasko, many options.

Yep, I have a couple of tower units and they are great for the RV.

HaRVie · 12-07-2011, 05:06 PM

I picked up a Lasko 754200. It is thermostatically controlled and has a low (900 watt) and a high (1500 watt) setting. Cost is around $20.

cjkroodsma · 12-08-2011, 05:43 PM

It is a given that 1500 watts of electricity gives approximately 5200 BTU's of heat. Having established that FACT you can now go with any variations you desire, You may chose a ceramic, a "burning wire",oil filled tubes, a quartz lamp or others. You can chose it to be fan forced or natural convection. You can surround the heat source with copper, oil and many other materials. Some units will heat up slowly but continue to give off heat after the heat source is shut off (oil filled) or some will heat and cool quickly like the hot wire type (toaster effect). You may plug it in and it heats or control it with a thermostat. The FACT remains that 1500w equals 5200BTU and that is not affected by any other additions to the heater. Try explaining what I have just stated to an Edenpure heater salesman however, after all the other ptches about his product I could not get him to acknowledge/understand the 1500=5200 principle. Buy something that has a thermostat, tipover/safety controls, is fan forced and relatively quiet while operating, 1500w at 110V is the safe max for a normal 15A circuit. When you find something with these specs, then look for a good price. If you spend $300 you will have spent at least $250 too much. Others opinions may vary.

docj · 12-08-2011, 05:48 PM

We bought two Vornado heaters after reading recommendations in a similar post. We are very pleased--they distribute the air extremely well and the temperature of the air leaving the heater only feels slightly warm. It is actually hard to believe they can deliver 1500 watts of power; the heat is distributed so well that it just feels warm, not hot. Of course, it has tip over protection. The fans are also very quiet and the models we bought permit the fan to operate in a continuous mode to keep air moving. Since they are so quiet we don't mind it at all (even at night) and it makes for more uniform heating.

VSPA · 12-08-2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJay

I have three small Pelonis 1500 watt electric heaters. It has two heat levels and a thermostat. During this past weekend we had night time temperatures go to 10 deg F. In the front part of the coach with one heater on high the night time temps got to about 58 deg. F. In the bedroom area with the heater set to high and the thermostat set to about 3/4 the temp was very comfortable for sleeping. In the morning we set the third heater on low to warm the front to about 66 deg. F and use the central heat as a supplement to the electric heaters if needed.

I have to add that if we need to run any appliances we need to lower or turn off heaters so we don't blow fuses.

X2.

I've use two or three different brands of ceramic heaters over the past 20 years in both the RV and the stick house and like the Pelonis brandthe best. Overall I have found the best price in the local area is at Ace Hardware. If you have to use it on other than a hard surface, get yourself a 6 by 6 piece of ceramic tile to set it on for the sake of safety.

RJay · 12-08-2011, 06:22 PM

I forgot to mention that the Pelonis heaters are small, 8”x6”x5” so you can put them in more places for effectiveness. I store the three heaters in a box that one Honeywell heater came in, as a full-timer I appreciate this feature.

docj · 12-08-2011, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjkroodsma

It is a given that 1500 watts of electricity gives approximately 5200 BTU's of heat. Having established that FACT you can now go with any variations you desire,

Actually, watts are a measure of power (energy per unit time) and BTU's are a measure of energy. To make this equation correct it needs to be re-written as follows:

A 1500 watts heater running for one hour produces approximately 5121 BTU's of heat energy.

Saying it another way, 1500 watts for one hour is 1.5 kilowatt hours of energy so we can also write: 1.5 kW-hr = 5121 BTU

efstewart · 12-12-2011, 11:58 AM

Thanks for the help. I picked up a "Bionaire" heater at Costco for about $39, and it works very well. Most of your posts mention the "Pelonis". I will look for that brand also and conpare when I shop for another heater.

VSPA · 12-12-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by efstewart

Thanks for the help. I picked up a "Bionaire" heater at Costco for about $39, and it works very well. Most of your posts mention the "Pelonis". I will look for that brand also and conpare when I shop for another heater.

By the time all is said and done, even though I perfer the Pelonis, it's going to to end up with what brand you like and get used to using. If you get good and long service out of the one you bought, you will be prone to look for another like it. My first ceramic heater was not a Pelonis, don't even remember the name brand on it, but I paid $ 39.95 for it on sale in the early spring of '90 at a True Value in Avondale , AZ. It lasted for several years and I used it in the camper and the house. Couldn't find another when it finally went down, so I bought a couple of cheapies that lasted only one winter. I stumbeled on to the Pelonis through a referal from another camper. IIRC when I first ran into them they were a little higher and harder to find than most brands and the only place I could find them was Ace and Camping World and Ace was $10 cheaper than CW. Seems like I've even seen them a Wally World on occation. Anyway, hope ya' get good service out of the one ou got.