Bay heaters

[ThePowells]

Originally Posted by Alan24601

Great solution, we have been using our coach propane heaters on the very cold nights and it has been expensive for fuel. Your whole solution costs about one tank of propane. Thanks.

Plus the price of electricity.

They are coming out next week to install an extension line to our LP line. We are having the extension line put in from one side of the deck to the other for a gas grill (an outlet already on the other side). Now the only addition is the connections for the coach. We will only use it when it will be below freezing. The LP is much cheaper from that big tank also.

[Tony Lee]

In my limited experience with travelling around in below freezing weather, if a 100W bulb does the job, it probably wasn't cold enough to need it anyway - especially if there was a bit of wind blowing through the usual poor fitting hole around the dump pipe.
Cube heaters running on half throttle definitely do the job though.

[OLYLEN]

Interesting statement. 100 watt bulb heating 12-20 cubic feet and a 1500 watt heater in a salon heating 300 cubic feet are heating about the same space relative. We used 100 watt bulbs in well houses, here I realise most don't even know what a pump house is, to keep pumps from freezing in 20 below zero constant temps with more civic feet to heat and we did not freeze up. Now we move forward to today and we have the small "personal" heaters I would use this option as they only run when below the set temp, EZ and fuel deficient. Point any small heat source in a small space will keep the plumbing safe. We have several short below freezing times, couple or three days at a Time, before we head south every year and usually winterize but last year I was lazy, set the furnace at the lowest set point I could and let it run for those days. On for about a month, cost less than 6 gallons of propane. I worry more for freezing up while heating south over the high pass's heading for the warmer climates.

LEN

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by bgholson

I used thermo cubes for a couple of seasons and them had 2 in a row go bad. No way to know if they are not working until it's too late!

If the outside temps are below freezing I check the thermometer inside that is monitoring the bays to be sure all is well!

[bgholson]

Yep. But mine was in an off site storage!!

[georgelesley]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

I finally got around to putting some freeze protection in the bays under the MH. Many had recommended using light bulbs but I decided on a different approach.

I bought the Thermo Cube devices Amazon.com: Farm Innovators TC-3 Cold Weather Thermo Cube Thermostatically Controlled Outlet - On at 35-Degrees/Off at 45-Degrees: Patio, Lawn & Garden
from a local hardware. These turn on the outlets at 35 degrees and turn them off at 45 degrees.

I bought two of the Lasko 100 My Heat Lasko Products My Heat Personal Heater - Walmart.com low-wattage electric heaters from Wal-Mart. These are 200 watt heaters with fan which are perfect for this application! I actually paid less than $15 for them!

I went to Lowes and bought a 3' length of 1/8" x 3/4" aluminum flat bar to make the mounting brackets for the heaters.

I mounted one of the heaters in the holding tank bay.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y...0/IMG_2546.JPG


I mounted the other one in the equipment bay that has the water pump, water manifold, and LOTS of water pipes.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1...0/IMG_2547.JPG

The service (wet) bay where the fresh-water inlet, dump valves, and outside shower are located already has a built-in 12vdc heater with thermostat.


I bought three indoor/outdoor thermometers and mounted the remote sensors in the three bays, with the inside monitors in the overhead cabinet where the inverter and solar power controllers are located.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3...0/IMG_2541.JPG

When we're not using the MH, I keep the inside temp set on 50 degrees. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now and not worry about frozen pipes!

Couldn’t get the remote sensor link to work.

[Crasher]

I did a similar thing with our 2003 Phaeton when leaving WI in below zero temps. I bought the same heater that Holiday Rambler used for years in their wet bay. It's called "The Back Seat Heater" and works on 12 volt power. I set the thermostat at 40* and the wet bay never got below 38* even in extreme below zero temps. I think that the same type heater was used in the cars built in the 1940's and earlier.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by georgelesley

Couldn’t get the remote sensor link to work.

Yup, don't know what's wrong with that, but I later took out the three separate sensor setups and put in a multi-zone unit with three remotes!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

As I stated on some of the other winterizing threads. I just use a 100 watt light bulb in an aluminum reflector in the wet bay.
I also have the thermo cube that I bought locally as well as two of the 200 watt Lasco "personal" heaters that I got at Wal*Mart when they closed them out early last year. Paid $10 for each of them. Haven't used them yet and the light bulb does just fine for our mild winters here. The heaters are now $18 each at the local WM's

The above was written in 2013 before we got the present rig. Now I keep a couple pickups for a remote thermometer in the rig, one on the kitchen counter and one in the wet bay. When we get cold temps (not warming up above freezing overnight) I turn on the AquaHot set as low as it will go which is 45°. Last year was pretty cold and I used about 10 gal of diesel some of which was running the gen to exercise it.

[CoachStreamr]

I have a thermocube on at 35 off at 45. I do have furnace vents in the basement bay(s) and will keep the furnace going.

For backup I have a drop light with a 60 watt bulb in the smaller wet bay and I want to have a thermocube there.

I went to test the thermocube the other day with outside temps at 32-33 F. Turned off the furnace and opened the wet bay's door. Watched temp in that bay go from 53F to 40F but cube/light did not come on.

So, will the thermocube only activate near 35F?

What if you plugged a thermocube in when the temp are below 35F (25-28F range and staying there for days).

My intention was to use a 2nd thermocube in the large bay with a Lasko My Heat as backup if the first cube was working the way I wanted.

.

[Wanderer23]

You might want to check out Xtreme Heaters. Used them in my previous boat engine compartment to keep everything below deck from freezing and currently use one in my home pump house to keep pumps and lines from freezing too. Really small, thermostatically controlled, works really well and low power consumption. Find them online and at some bigger boat supply stores.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by CoachStreamr

I have a thermocube on at 35 off at 45. I do have furnace vents in the basement bay(s) and will keep the furnace going.

For backup I have a drop light with a 60 watt bulb in the smaller wet bay and I want to have a thermocube there.

I went to test the thermocube the other day with outside temps at 32-33 F. Turned off the furnace and opened the wet bay's door. Watched temp in that bay go from 53F to 40F but cube/light did not come on.

So, will the thermocube only activate near 35F?

What if you plugged a thermocube in when the temp are below 35F (25-28F range and staying there for days).

My intention was to use a 2nd thermocube in the large bay with a Lasko My Heat as backup if the first cube was working the way I wanted.

.

The ThermoCube should turn on at about 35 degrees. If you plug it in when the temp is below 35 then it should come on as soon as it cools down to that temp.

[CoachStreamr]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

If you plug it in when the temp is below 35 then it should come on as soon as it cools down to that temp.

You mean as it warms up

Is there a thermocube that activates at any temp below 36F and off at 45F?

So far I have not found one

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by CoachStreamr

You mean as it warms up

Is there a thermocube that activates at any temp below 36F and off at 45F?

So far I have not found one

No, I meant as it cools down from the higher temp where it has been. I was assuming that it had been inside. Guess that's what you get for assuming!