Community Forums

Dutch Star Don · 10-05-2022, 07:20 PM

When we had our Monaco Diplomat, it had two AC/Heat pumps. The pros.....if you have full hookups and not paying for electricity, why use your propane. The cons....they're noisy (like running the AC). They also heat the upper half of the coach. You can be sitting in your chair and be cold yet stand up and suffocate on the heat up high.

We found the better approach was to have an electric heater in the center of the room and leave the heat pumps off. The occasions that we did use the heat pump, since our A/C units were ducted, we would turn on the rear heat pump in the evening, so we didn't have to listen to it, and the heat migrated forward. When we went to bed, we reversed it and ran the front heat pump and let it migrate to the rear.

Propane heat is fine, but you're using propane and you have the constant cycling of the unit. Again, an electric floor heater was the best option.

KingKid · 10-06-2022, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

When we had our Monaco Diplomat, it had two AC/Heat pumps. The pros.....if you have full hookups and not paying for electricity, why use your propane. The cons....they're noisy (like running the AC). They also heat the upper half of the coach. You can be sitting in your chair and be cold yet stand up and suffocate on the heat up high.

We found the better approach was to have an electric heater in the center of the room and leave the heat pumps off. The occasions that we did use the heat pump, since our A/C units were ducted, we would turn on the rear heat pump in the evening, so we didn't have to listen to it, and the heat migrated forward. When we went to bed, we reversed it and ran the front heat pump and let it migrate to the rear.

Propane heat is fine, but you're using propane and you have the constant cycling of the unit. Again, an electric floor heater was the best option.

And that what I will thinking about, why use my propane, we really don't do any camping when it's cold but sometimes we be out and it will be chilly, we also have two heat pump.

TXiceman · 10-06-2022, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crasher

The couple times I tried them, it took longer to warm up the coach. It's never efficient to warm a room with the heat source at the ceiling. I would rather warm up quickly than listen to the roof AC units fight against the physics of heat.

The reason heat pumps take longer to warm the RV is that the typical heat pump in an RV produced about 10,000 to 12,000 BTUH whereas a propane furnace produces 30,000 BTUH or more....3 times the capacity.

Ken

KingKid · 10-06-2022, 08:54 PM

Oh, thank you brother Ken, so I wonder is it worth using the heat pump, I guess in some situation.

Fiesta48 · 10-07-2022, 11:57 AM

Why are you using heat pumps and furnaces? I use two space heaters, why? Cheap to replace, instant heat, are 100% efficient, take up minimal space. Placed on the floor, heat rises and is safe. Cost no more to use on a BTU bases than propane.
Heat pumps are slow to generate heat, generally vents are on the ceiling, cost way more than a grand to replace.
Furnaces are hundreds to replace, are not a reliable product. Had many problems personally. Poor installation was a major one.

Bigtoado · 10-09-2022, 02:53 PM

We just have one in the front of our Vilano fiver. It takes the chill off the bathroom first thing in the morning when its cool. Doesn’t take long and no propane. Doesn’t have run long before the mercury has warmed things up outside.

The furnace is better at overall heat and we do supplement with a space heater. This is just our way that works for us.

Phil and Charon

Tilted Kilt · 10-09-2022, 03:20 PM

No dumb questions here: theroc's answer nailed it.

FLRosebud · 10-09-2022, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

Why are you using heat pumps and furnaces? I use two space heaters, why? Cheap to replace, instant heat, are 100% efficient, take up minimal space. Placed on the floor, heat rises and is safe. Cost no more to use on a BTU bases than propane.
Heat pumps are slow to generate heat, generally vents are on the ceiling, cost way more than a grand to replace.
Furnaces are hundreds to replace, are not a reliable product. Had many problems personally. Poor installation was a major one.

We do this most of the time as well.

Al

cruizerEd · 10-09-2022, 03:52 PM

We generally do not use the heat pump to save wear on the AC for which there is no reasonable or economical substitute.

We use small 1500W resistive heaters most of the time when we have 30A or 50A service.
The main reason is they are cheap, small, effective, and quiet.

We us the heat pumps if it is over 40 outside and we what to warm the coach up faster than the small resistive heaters. Our system fires off the propane furnace if the set point is more than 5 degrees above the thermostat temperature measurement. To avoid that I'll set it to 4 degrees over the current temp and then periodically raise it a few degrees until I get to the desired set point. Our heat pump does not produce hot air but it is very good at heating the coach almost as good as the furnace.

When we don't have power we typically use a "little buddy" portable propane heater. These need to be used with caution, they are very hot and burn a lot of oxygen. The little buddy also produces a great deal of water vapor. We use the little buddy because it is very quiet, produces a lot of heat, and is much more efficient than the furnace. Ours is quick connected into the coaches propane system the little buddy has to be modified to use it this way.

The furnace gets used when temp start dropping below freezing because it heats the basement, not very well but it does blow some heat down there.

Your system my vary.

triplewide · 10-09-2022, 04:18 PM

Dumb questions are good, usually the only ones I can answer. Unfortunately every one else beat me to it.

KingKid · 10-09-2022, 06:45 PM

Thank you guys, wow, you guys are awesome this is the reason I join this site, I'm in the PNW and it does get a little chilly at times and sometimes down right freezing. I guess that in a pinch I can use the heat pump if we are out camping more than 14 days or so I want to try to save my propane and even though I install the Extended Stay Kit on my main propane tank I want to conserve.

@ triplewide I see that you are in Greensboro, NC I grew up in Goldsboro and LaGrange, NC I was just there visiting my 93 old mother. Lol, on your answer, the only one you can answer are the dumb ones, funny.

Bob and Lisa · 10-09-2022, 07:46 PM

We live in Oregon and use our coach through the winter... If you think about it, budgeting heat is pretty easy.
Near or below freezing - the furnace - so that the bays are heated as well; to avoid plumbing freezing.
If plugged in and well enough above freezing - electric - your choice either the heat pumps with your roof airs or small portable heaters; or a mix of both... No wrong answer; just play with it awhile and you find your own comfort level (pun intended)...
Just don't use the portable electric heaters to augment the furnace when close to freezing or expected to go below freezing overnight because you may get enough heat in the cabin to fool your thermostat into thinking that it doesn't need to turn the furnace on, when if fact you should be heating the bays!!!
Bob

Crasher · 10-09-2022, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingKid

I guess that in a pinch I can use the heat pump if we are out camping more than 14 days or so I want to try to save my propane and even though I install the Extended Stay Kit on my main propane tank I want to conserve.

If in a pinch as you say, a small oscillating electric heater on the floor would heat the room or the coach much quicker than a heat pump in the ceiling. Plus, it was quiet. A heat pump would be our last choice. Our electric fireplace would warm everything in front of the bedroom door in just a few minutes.

dickb46 · 10-10-2022, 12:18 AM

We have a basement heat pump, The inlet is 14" from my ear when I'm in bed.
We leave the Fan Mode set to On all of the time. The white noise is great while sleeping and it's nearly unnoticed if the air conditioning turns on or off.
Different story with the heat side. The fan goes on when the heat pump comes on and goes off when the heat shuts off (very hard to sleep like that) we have only used the heat part once.
We use a small space heater when it gets cold, the fan moves the heat around just about as fast as the space heater makes it.