Community Forums

DSL417 · 01-13-2020, 10:10 PM

Sold our place in LVMC in Oct. we just got our coach back with our new TV lift console. Now in Junction City OR waiting on delivery of Lambright theater seating. Pictures to come.

Then we are darn well headed South to warmer weather. This cold stinks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DebbieMH

Great information, Dave! Hopefully y'all are ready to head back to LVMC now ... enough of that cold, cold weather!

photraveller · 01-14-2020, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSL417

...

Finally, not using zone 2 for floor heat may save fuel, but the floor tile also heats up and radiates heat longer. My guess is using floor heat is a net positive.

Agreed, thermal mass of the floor should help reduce zone cycling if not fuel use. Once it is heated up. In our experience, without floor heat on, opening the door to get the dogs in or out in cold weather causes zone 1 to kick on most of the time. With floor heat on, it rarely kicks on before we are in and sitting down.

Either way, the heat seems much more consistent with floor heat. So if it's going to stay cold all day, we have it on.

However, I also notice a difference of a couple of degrees in basement temperatures with floor heat on, so some of that heat is going into the basement. So, the fuel savings might not be there, but I'm pretty sure it helps the holding tanks stay warmer in really cold weather.

Steve

RubiconTrail · 01-14-2020, 10:13 AM

Very interesting to me at this juncture in my life, Dave. Thanks.

We are currently living in the caoach while doing a "to the bones" remodel of the house. Been living in the coach since June.

We cannot really use the AH for day to day heat as it fills the RV garage with diesel fumes, and we would have to move it once a month just to go get fuel.
Up until a month ago we were using the floor heat with the electric element, but living in a PG&E served area soon found that at $.29 a kilowatt hour, we were spending a tremendous amount on heat.

As I was trying to figure out how to reduce our $800 a month utility bill, I analyzed usage very carefully. I figured out in rough figures that $300 a month was the house (heated 24/7 in order to do finish work and acclimate wood going on the floor). I also figured out that another $300 a month was going to keeping the coach warm and running, and the last $200 was going to the shop for lighting, heat and usage.

As I'm not going to quit working in the shop, and the house is necessary for now, I looked to the coach for savings. I found that the electric element in the AH uses about 12 amps, and when it's cold out, it runs 24/7. I also found that a single heat pump uses 14 amps, but only runs 25% of the time to keep the coach warm. Of course, we switched to heat pumps, which I calculate costs about $4.00 a day. The electric element was costing $11 a day due to its constant run time.

Your analysis of the AH running on diesel tells me it would cost in the neighborhood of $10 to $12 a day and be inconvenient.

Cliff Notes:

Electric element on floor heat = $11 a day
Heat pump = $4 a day
AH on diesel = $12 a day

Of course these are Highway robbery electricity rates...the nationwide average for electricity is $.18 per kilowatt hour, and many places are around $.12 per kilowatt hour. California and the New England states are the highest in the continental US, and Hawaii is consistently the highest in the country.

Busskipper · 01-14-2020, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubiconTrail

Very interesting to me at this juncture in my life, Dave. Thanks.

We are currently living in the caoach while doing a "to the bones" remodel of the house. Been living in the coach since June.

We cannot really use the AH for day to day heat as it fills the RV garage with diesel fumes, and we would have to move it once a month just to go get fuel.
Up until a month ago we were using the floor heat with the electric element, but living in a PG&E served area soon found that at $.29 a kilowatt hour, we were spending a tremendous amount on heat.

As I was trying to figure out how to reduce our $800 a month utility bill, I analyzed usage very carefully. I figured out in rough figures that $300 a month was the house (heated 24/7 in order to do finish work and acclimate wood going on the floor). I also figured out that another $300 a month was going to keeping the coach warm and running, and the last $200 was going to the shop for lighting, heat and usage.

As I'm not going to quit working in the shop, and the house is necessary for now, I looked to the coach for savings. I found that the electric element in the AH uses about 12 amps, and when it's cold out, it runs 24/7. I also found that a single heat pump uses 14 amps, but only runs 25% of the time to keep the coach warm. Of course, we switched to heat pumps, which I calculate costs about $4.00 a day. The electric element was costing $11 a day due to its constant run time.

Your analysis of the AH running on diesel tells me it would cost in the neighborhood of $10 to $12 a day and be inconvenient.

Cliff Notes:

Electric element on floor heat = $11 a day
Heat pump = $4 a day
AH on diesel = $12 a day

Of course these are Highway robbery electricity rates...the nationwide average for electricity is $.18 per kilowatt hour, and many places are around $.12 per kilowatt hour. California and the New England states are the highest in the continental US, and Hawaii is consistently the highest in the country.

May be of interest - rates in Maryland - https://electricityrates.com/compare...elmarva-Power/

FYI we use a Heat Pump that works well to 0 Degrees - think the largest electric bill was just under $200 with about 3,000 sq ft heated. We thought it was High.

DSL417 · 01-15-2020, 06:48 PM

Busskipper,

One might be inclined to attach an exhaust tube to the AH exhaust. You see this sometimes in auto repair facilities for engine exhaust. I learned something from a good AH technician when I required service during this cold weather time.

Being a good neighbor and not wanting to burn the grass from the AH exhaust, I placed several bricks about 1 foot away from the exhaust to deflect to the sides and on the pavement. The tech told me that the approach I used probably caused the need for service as the system is very sensitive to back pressure, fouling the firing system.

That tells me that using an exhaust tube or any other deflection device likely isn’t a good idea.