Few Questions about Heater

[letsride4]

About 3 months ago we purchase a 2003 36' Intrigue, which has a Hurricane CO45XL heater. The heater seems to function just as described in the manuals. I will be using the motorhome this winter to go snowmobiling in the mountains, typically staying around 10,000 ft. elevation. Normal lows at night are in the single digits, but I have been in -20 F a number of times. The three previous motorhomes I have owned had catalytic heaters that I installed, and moved from motorhome to motorhome. I did not remove them when I sold the last motorhome, thinking a better built coach will have adequate heating capacity. So far I have been in temperatures in low to mid 30's F, and it seemed like the heater ran more than I expected.

I am looking for opinions based on experience of Country Coaches owners with the same furnace - do you think I am going to have adequate when its cold - taking into account at 10,000 ft elevation the heater output is about 30% lower than it is at sea level?

If I understand the heater plumbing in this coach the heater circulates hot water through the engine any time the furnace and water pumps are circulating the fluid. Is that correct?

Assuming that is correct, a considerable about of heat will always be used keeping the engine warm, which means less heat available for the interior of the coach. Are there valves or controls that allow me to heat the coach and not heat the engine? If there are no controls for this is anyone aware of anyone adding valve(s) that allow coach heating without heating the engine? I don't need a warm engine the entire time we are parked, only need warm engine when we get ready to leave. Typically spend 3 -5 night per trip. We park at remote sites, so the only electrical power available is what we generate, and I don't want to be running the on board generator all night long.

I don't see any mention of electrical heating elements in my unit, but I see people referring to having electrical heating elements in their Hurricane heaters. Do some Hurricane heaters have electrical heating elements and some do not?

Thanks in advance -