Community Forums

davidcbaker · 11-23-2021, 07:58 PM

I thought I'd run an experiment just for the purposes of general edification. Not really sure what to do with this, but I like actual data. The most obvious conclusion is that the coach and the basement are pretty well insulated. The other is just how effective even minimal floor heat is in heating the cabin.

Conditions:

2021 New Aire 354

5 plugged into 50a shore power, top of a hill with no shade.
Heat pump thermostat set to 44-degrees, though it never kicked on.
High the day of the test reached 52-degrees, clear and sunny.
Oasis fuel was OFF but both electric elements were ON.
All three sections of the heated tile floor were at 2 bars (1 bar above "store"). In other words, this was the only heat that operating the entire night.
Outside temp dropped to 24-degrees.
Basement temp dropped to 43-degrees.
Coach temp dropped to 54-degrees, 2 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature earlier in th

e day.
I'm pretty impressed, just honestly. Attached are the two charts that depict the temperature movement. They are labeled at the top left of each.
The drop off in temperature inside the cabin was very smooth, but the basement wasn't. Almost like a fan was cutting in and out? Not sure, but I'm curious.

Dutch Star Don · 11-23-2021, 10:23 PM

A couple of years ago, we stayed in Williams (base of Grand Canyon) in late January. The overnight temps were 22 degrees and during the day 45-50 degrees. We left the floor heat on to the middle position (three positions) and early evening turned the floors to HIGH. Our coach stayed toasty all night, (mid 60's). The next day we turned the floors back down to the middle position because it was too hot inside.

Currently, we're at the Kern River in the California Sierras. It's 47 out and the floors are on the middle position. It's beginning down to 40 around 2:00am, coach is staying at 68-70 all night.

USMCRET · 11-24-2021, 04:38 AM

I, too, have been experimenting over the past few days. I have the floor heat set to “low”, and everything else is off. As I type this, it is 26 deg ambient. Ambient never climbed out of the 40s yesterday. Our living area is currently 44 deg and the wet bay is 42. It’s costing me about $2.50/day to run the floor heat. Today I’m going to move the floor heat to “high” and see what the marginal cost is, as well as the impact to interior temps.

Hey, everyone needs a hobby.

davidcbaker · 11-24-2021, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

A couple of years ago, we stayed in Williams (base of Grand Canyon) in late January. The overnight temps were 22 degrees and during the day 45-50 degrees. We left the floor heat on to the middle position (three positions) and early evening turned the floors to HIGH. Our coach stayed toasty all night, (mid 60's). The next day we turned the floors back down to the middle position because it was too hot inside.

Currently, we're at the Kern River in the California Sierras. It's 47 out and the floors are on the middle position. It's beginning down to 40 around 2:00am, coach is staying at 68-70 all night.

Don, it sounds like my floor controls are different than yours. It's off at zero, as you would expect, and then "1" is called "store" which I'm not sure what it means. And then 2, 3, 4, except. I think it goes to 7 or 9. I can't remember.

I keep getting different answers on what "store" means.

davidcbaker · 11-24-2021, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USMCRET

I, too, have been experimenting over the past few days. I have the floor heat set to “low”, and everything else is off. As I type this, it is 26 deg ambient. Ambient never climbed out of the 40s yesterday. Our living area is currently 44 deg and the wet bay is 42. It’s costing me about $2.50/day to run the floor heat. Today I’m going to move the floor heat to “high” and see what the marginal cost is, as well as the impact to interior temps.

Hey, everyone needs a hobby.

Yes, I fear what my FRIENDS will say at the memorial service for me. Eek.

Hey, how are you measuring the cost? Are you just measuring kW hours? How do you separate that from the inverter use?

Sealyn · 11-24-2021, 07:39 AM

The floor heat controls are just a simple on-off timer, the higher the setting the longer they are on between the off cycles.

davidcbaker · 11-24-2021, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sealyn

The floor heat controls are just a simple on-off timer, the higher the setting the longer they are on between the off cycles.

Do you know what the "store" setting is for and how it works? It appears between "off" and the lowest heat (timer) setting.

USMCRET · 11-24-2021, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidcbaker

Yes, I fear what my FRIENDS will say at the memorial service for me. Eek.

Hey, how are you measuring the cost? Are you just measuring kW hours? How do you separate that from the inverter use?

I didn’t say my methods are flawless.

I am measuring kWHs as reported by my Hughes Autoformer EMS. There are also two fridges actively running, so the actual cost of floor heat is less than I’m taking into account. However, it puts me in the ballpark, and I’m a ballpark kind of guy.

Sealyn · 11-25-2021, 11:33 AM

My controls are low, medium, high.

Steele · 11-27-2021, 06:46 AM

There is a temperature controlled radiator/fan unit in the wet bay. It is just like the units in the interior. On my 17 DSDP it is controlled by a temp sensor mounted on the wall of the wet bay that kicks in around 40-45 degrees. This could account for variation in you basement temps.

Let me add, on mine the zone that controls the bedroom and baths must be on furnace to activate the wet bay heat. It’s zone 2 on my thermostat but on the Oasis silver control panel in the Oasis bay it shows as zone 3.