Community Forums

micki49 · 12-11-2013, 08:06 AM

How can you tell if your cargo bay heater is working if it will not come on until the temp gets down low enough to turn itself on. Is there a way to check to see if it is in working order?

fastcat · 12-11-2013, 09:47 AM

I opened the wet bay door on a 30 degree day and put a fan in the door, blowing the cold air in until it activated. You could find the snap disc that activates the heater and put an ice cube on it until the heater comes on.

Be prepared for it to run a long time to get the bay up to temp, especially if there's much in your tanks.

We just went through a cold snap here and my heater ran for 3 days straight.

Dr4Film · 12-11-2013, 09:54 AM

Use an ice cube like what was stated by fastcat or use a can of compressed air turned upside down to spray the cold liquid onto the Snap Disk.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

LandKinaMoho · 12-11-2013, 10:04 AM

Use a wireless remote temp sensor. Ours monitors from inside the rv. 16 F outside 59F in the wet bay behind the cover using a trouble lamp cage and a 75 watt service bulb plugged into a $5 farmers plug outlet. .....

Dutch Star Don · 12-11-2013, 11:50 AM

Mine just came on for the first time in 8 years at Yosemite last week. I had tested it years ago and it worked. So many had problems with it and doubted mine would actually work when I needed it. When I saw the second red light illuminate on my panel one morning I ran outside to look. The little heater worked great. It really drains your batteries though so pay attention when boon docking.

micki49 · 12-11-2013, 04:04 PM

Thanks guys for the info. Now can you tell me what and were the Snap Disk is. Is it behind or above the heater?

Dr4Film · 12-11-2013, 05:49 PM

Try looking on the back wall of the Service Bay or mounted on one of the walls. Use a mirror to look around, you can't miss it. it should be a round disk with wires.

Photo attached of my snap disk.

The rust spot you see is where my old Bay Heater was sitting. The black bracket is where I installed the new Road-Pro Heater to take its place. 180 watts which is plenty to keep the service bay warm.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

micki49 · 12-11-2013, 06:15 PM

Thanks for the photo and info. Were did you get the Road-Pro Heater and do you use the same switch to turn on the new heater as you did with the old Cargo Bay Heater?

Dr4Film · 12-11-2013, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by micki49

Thanks for the photo and info. Were did you get the Road-Pro Heater and do you use the same switch to turn on the new heater as you did with the old Cargo Bay Heater?

I bought it at Amazon last year.

Amazon.com: RoadPro RPSL-581 12V All Season Black Heater and Fan with Swivel Base: Automotive

Because the OEM Cargo Bay heater had an internal relay, I had to install a 30 or 40 amp automotive 5 pole relay to activate the heater.

I use the same switch that is in my overhead cabinet above the co-pilots seat.

More photos attached.

Truthfully the OEM heater I think is 300 watts which is WAY too much for that small service bay. The 180 Watt Road-Pro does just fine. Some people have used a 60 or 100 watt bulb but I wanted something more permanent and not have to use 120 VAC to run it.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

micki49 · 12-11-2013, 09:45 PM

Thanks for the photos and info they look great. Thanks again for the help.

MSHappyCampers · 12-12-2013, 06:17 AM

Dan, I have remote thermometers in my bays with the readouts inside. I installed low-wattage heaters in the bays also. See the previous post below.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/bay-heaters-149096.html