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01-20-2019, 09:02 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
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Is electric Aquahot element enough to stop freezing when in storage?
I have a 2019 Aspire 44R and I live in north GA where it occasionally gets into the 20s overnight but is rarely below freezing in the afternoons. I store it in a big enclosed building with several other coaches and boats but the building is not heated or insulated so it gets as cold as the outside air. I cannot run the diesel aquahot burner in the enclosed building. So my question, is the electric heating element in the aquahot enough to keep the coach from freezing?
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01-20-2019, 09:06 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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Interesting question.
I have a 45' CC with the AquaHot 600D. Mine is stored outside beside the stick house on 30 amp power. If the temps get above freezing and go below freezing at night I don't even run the Aquahot at all. If it stays below freezing day and night I'll turn on one of the two electric elements. Each element is 2,000 watts so I can't run both on 30 amp power. Luckily I can run the burner though.
On one element and in the mid 20°'s I've seen 54° in the wet bay and mid 40's inside.
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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01-20-2019, 09:53 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2,812
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I have the same setup as MR D but only have two 1500 watt elements. Setting bays/toilet, and front thermostat at 40F with one element, will keep those areas at 40F with no problem at 25F ambient.
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Foretravel tag axle 40 ft. 500 hp/1550 ft/lbs ism 1455 watts on the roof. 600 a/h's lithium down below.
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01-20-2019, 10:03 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
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I believe mine has one 1,650 watt element. It is the aquahot 400D
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01-21-2019, 09:45 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Montgomery, TX (Home Sweet Home)
Posts: 2,501
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Congratulations on the coach, nice choice by the way.
The electric element is only functional on 50A shore power, or generator.
I’m not sure if you have that as your power, but if not the rest is irrelevant.
Your 400D does only have a single electric element. In my experience, in mild winter temps the single element will keep the basement warm.
Our situation is a bit different as we are in a paved fully enclosed storage bay. I suspect our lows inside the storage unit are a bit warmer than what you experience.
There are any number of wiresless temp monitors on the market. If you have the ability to connect this device to WiFi, you could see what actual temps are.
-Matt
__________________
Currently Motorhomeless
2017 Entegra Aspire 44R (bunks) towing 2019 F-350 LB (Sold)
2012 Tiffin Phaeton 40QKH (Our Phaeton was so nice, we bought it twice)
2016 Open Range RF376FBH (Sold)
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01-21-2019, 09:53 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 8,107
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What happens if the electric power goes out?
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Marc and Jill, Wellington FL
2013 Entegra Anthem 44SL
2018 Lincoln MKX
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01-21-2019, 10:20 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Memphis, TN
Posts: 1,562
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As others have already asked: are you connected to 50amp power?
Buildings like you’re describing will usually reach equilibrium at the average outside temperature, so it’s unlikely to get below freezing unless you have an extended period with below freezing temps and no sun.
While the electric element alone won’t keep you warm in the coach (in the temps you’re describing) it should easily keep anything from feeezing.
I suggest you use something like an iSocket device to notify you if the building power goes out. This is what I use in similar circumstances:
https://www.isocket3g.com/us/
It also monitors temperatures. To work, the device must be plugged into a non-inverted outlet. Fortunately, in the 17s (and later models, I think) Entegra took the basement outlets off the inverters so that’s where I have my iSocket device plugged in.
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Bill & Lynne
Memphis, TN
2017 Entegra Anthem 44B - Victory Blue
2016 Ford Edge Titanium
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01-21-2019, 10:33 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 11,531
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Sseimon
You fail to mention the most important piece of information. What power source DO you have for your coach.... 30A @ 120VAC, 20A@120vac, 50A @ 120 VAC?
The simple answer is that the AquaHot element is not enough to handle below freezing temperatures that stay below freezing for several days. And if it is a lot below zero, definitely will not be enough, and that would be only the basement. Trying to keep the coach warm at the same time in those same conditions will simply overwhelm the electric element.
Now, one answer is to drain all your fresh water and blow out the lines and "winterize" your AquaHot in the standard process of "winterizing" the AquaHot and then you don't need to worry about low temperatures at all. Lots of information on how to winterize a coach on the web.... Google it if you don't know how.
Second answer: If you have at least 30A service, go out and buy a couple (2) 1800 watt with 900 watt dual power level electric heaters at WalMart. Run them on 900 Watt setting and put one in the bedroom area and one in the living room area. I use 2 900 watt heaters which does not overload the Magnum bypasses and keeps the living area of the coach sufficiently warm along with the AquaHot electric element just working to heat the basement and that has easily gotten me through 3 or 4 consecutive well below freezing days in Northern Louisiana. I have never "winterized" my coach.
Although 1800 watt heater setting works on any individual power circuit, when connected to shore power, you are none-the-less pulling too much current through the Magnum bypass relay for 2 1800 watt heaters, but two 900 watt heaters works well just about anywhere. I put mine on timers that kick on ~ 9:00 pm and run until 9 am on the "regular" cold below freezing nights.
Gary
__________________
Gary and Dee, Zowie and Bowie (traveling cat sibs)
2019 Cornerstone 45B, X15-605hp, Imperial, Spartan K3,
2013 Honda CR-V toad, Demco Excali-Bar II,
Demco Baseplate, Demco Toad Light system, 73 de W5FI
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01-21-2019, 11:11 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SW FL
Posts: 31,620
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Is you power source shared in your storage location? I am on shared 20 amp and running electric heat with everyone else running battery charges would be almost impossible without tripping the circuit breaker.
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Chuck in SW FL
Digital 2021 Cornerstone "B"
A "Digital" 2019 Cornerstone "B" Traded
A "Classic" 2014 Anthem 42 RBQ---Sold
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01-21-2019, 11:16 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2,812
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Just curious, why do you need 50 amp or generator to run a 1650 watt 120 volt element in your aqua-hot?
__________________
Foretravel tag axle 40 ft. 500 hp/1550 ft/lbs ism 1455 watts on the roof. 600 a/h's lithium down below.
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01-21-2019, 11:33 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 11,531
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You dont if the whole coach is set up right, but it also wont keep his coach from potentially freezing in a much below freezing cold snap.
Gary
__________________
Gary and Dee, Zowie and Bowie (traveling cat sibs)
2019 Cornerstone 45B, X15-605hp, Imperial, Spartan K3,
2013 Honda CR-V toad, Demco Excali-Bar II,
Demco Baseplate, Demco Toad Light system, 73 de W5FI
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01-21-2019, 12:35 PM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,078
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcussen
Just curious, why do you need 50 amp or generator to run a 1650 watt 120 volt element in your aqua-hot?
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Before I got the 50 amp finished I used a 10 ga extension to a 30 amp plug
Worked fine
I set the two basement thermostats higher and turn the front two zones in the coach off and set the rear at 45 on gas/diesel as a backup
This setup I tested with temperatures down to 12-17 however I always open the low point drains at the Aquahot and wet bay as a bit of insurance
On the colder nights the Aquahot diesel burner did have to augment the electric
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01-21-2019, 01:15 PM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,582
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Are you throughly confused yet?
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01-21-2019, 03:08 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,078
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollin101
Are you throughly confused yet?
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Open questions do allow open answers
Really comes down to all the variations possible so no definitive answer is possible
Good point by the way
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