Running Heat Pumps Indoors

[mattdewalt]

We are supposed to get below zero degrees here for three days next week. I keep my coach in a insulated 50x60 pole barn. I have a small mini split in there that keeps the space about 50 when it's 25 outside. We normally don't get this cold for this long of a stretch. I was thinking of turning on the coach heat pumps and opening all the windows to help heat the garage. Anyone see any issues with that?

[jharrell]

Heat pump, well pumps heat, so in heat mode it pumps heat from outside to inside cooling the outside. In your case the outside is the inside of the garage, so you will pull heat from the garage and put it inside the RV, then with the windows open it will escape back out into the garage.

You will have a net gain in heat which is the amount of power drawn by the compressors, roughly the same amount as a space heater each (1500 watts).

My suggestion would be to just use some space heaters.

[d23haynes57]

Originally Posted by mattdewalt

We are supposed to get below zero degrees here for three days next week. I keep my coach in a insulated 50x60 pole barn. I have a small mini split in there that keeps the space about 50 when it's 25 outside. We normally don't get this cold for this long of a stretch. I was thinking of turning on the coach heat pumps and opening all the windows to help heat the garage. Anyone see any issues with that?

Do you have an Aqua hot or Oasis and adequate electric power? Turn that on. Can you vent the exhaust? If you can then run the burner. That will give you about 40K Btu of heat.
Even on electric the Aqua hot will keep the coach water systems from freezing, especially inside.

[Country Road]

Originally Posted by mattdewalt

We are supposed to get below zero degrees here for three days next week. I keep my coach in a insulated 50x60 pole barn. I have a small mini split in there that keeps the space about 50 when it's 25 outside. We normally don't get this cold for this long of a stretch. I was thinking of turning on the coach heat pumps and opening all the windows to help heat the garage. Anyone see any issues with that?

I would not do this. The amount of heat that will be inside your coach coming out of the windows won’t do much good, in my opinion.

If you are afraid the shop heat won’t keep up with the cold temps, then it may be wise to winterize this one time. You probably will be ok anyhow because all you need is to keep the temp above 32 degrees. Now this assumes you don’t lose power.

I have a similar situation but I have a whole farm generator that runs the entire farm including out buildings.

Stay warm.

[Mgtv53]

Originally Posted by Country Road

I would not do this. The amount of heat that will be inside your coach coming out of the windows won’t do much good, in my opinion.

If you are afraid the shop heat won’t keep up with the cold temps, then it may be wise to winterize this one time. You probably will be ok anyhow because all you need is to keep the temp above 32 degrees. Now this assumes you don’t lose power.

I have a similar situation but I have a whole farm generator that runs the entire farm including out buildings.

Stay warm.

In the barn you temp should safe for 32 degrees it take several hours to start freezing ,I would just blow the line to get the water out open all facets including the toilet

[SailorSam]

As jherrel noted, you would be as well served by just plugging in a small space heater in the garage. Your objective is simply to keep the inside of the garage above freezing. Since you note that the garage is insulated, it won't take much to maintain that temperature level in your area.

[NLOVNIT]

As noted, running heat pumps with the windows open will do nothing to raise the temp in your storage unit. Heat rises, not go out side windows. The heat will just stay at the top of your RV ceiling. Second, it's not going to be cold that long to be concerned about the inside of your barn getting below freezing long enough to freeze anything in your RV.

3 days below zero won't drop the inside temp on an insulated building below freezing. It may get into the 40's but that'll be it. I have an insulated, but unheated, garage & even on over a week's stretch of near zero temps, the coldest it got was 43.

[Dutch Star Don]

Keep in mind, when in heat pump mode, it's just the air conditioner running backwards. The roof units will be producing refrigerated air above the coach. So, I doubt there woold be any gain as you'll be cooling the garage.

The temps that your garage maintains, will probably be below the effective range for using a heat pump. Heat pumps aren't very effective from 40 degrees and below.

[TonyMac]

You realize that a heat pump doesn't make heat, it moves it around. Same with an air conditioner. The outside exhaust from the top of rig is really cold when the heat pump is running, offsetting every bit of heat inside. Your net gain will be close to zero heat. Propane heaters make heat from fuel, same with electric heaters. Best to run a device that turns fuel into heat, like a propane furnace or an electrical heater.

[Paul_D]

Unless the mini-split running in the pole barn is a model designed for extreme cold, it will shutdown between 20 and 30 degrees. Buying a space heater might be a better option for the extreme cold.

[SafariBen]

There's no telling how well or poorly insulated the pole building is, so no way to tell if it will maintain 40 or 20F.



The heat pump will not help with windows open, you could keep the interior of the RV warm with the heat pump and windows closed. Or use electric heaters inside the RV with windows closed.

[WILDEBILL308]

Why don't you just turn on your furnace? That way you are shure you are getting heat to your basement.
Bill

[OMMM4747]

I use the Oasis hydronic system electric heating elements (not the furnace mode). When the temp drops below 40F in the basement it starts to heat which in turn transfers heat to the living space (hot air rises). It's not great, but it keeps the coach above 32F (the lowest I've seen is 44F w/outside temps in the single digits). My plumbing system is presently filled w/anti-freeze. Do not use the hydronic heating system if all you did was blow the lines and did not winterize w/anti-freeze. Although it is not in the ITR/Oasis manual, I called tech support and they stated it's OK to run the Oasis w/anti-freeze in the hot water line so I'll be heading out tomorrow to do just that. I turn the Oasis off once overnight temps will remain above 20F.

Good luck

[Rev. Roy]

I have an exhaust connection for my motorhome in the RV barn for both the furnace and generator to exhausts to outside. I would just turn the furnace on if I was concerned. We're looking at the same forecast with wind chills as low as -30f but I am not concerned about my motorhome. It's insulated and so is the garage. BTW the heat pump won't work in the garage is below 40f.