Small ceramic heater question

[geO]

What is a decent ceramic heater for the Oliver? I have my trailer plugged into standard house current and not sure on what type of heater I should get. For the colder nights I would like to have something powerful enough to keep the tanks from freezing.

 

 

[John E Davies]

I can’t recommend a specific unit because mine is a pretty old cube heater. I can suggest that two small heaters are better than one bigger one. Look for ones with 500, 1000 and 1500 watt settings.

 

Set them up at opposite ends on the cabin and leave all the access panels open, including the Service Only ones. Make sure the bath door is wide open.

 

Having two heaters running on lower settings will give better coverage and provide some redundancy if one should quit. Unless it fails and pops the circuit breaker. Don’t exceed 1500 watts total for the circuit. If you can run a seperate cord from another outlet (on a different house breaker), you will have a failsafe system, and you can turn them to higher power settings.

 

Unless there is a prolonged power outage: if you are not able to visit the trailer after a day with no power, then you had better make sure you do a complete winterization, then you won’t need heaters or worry about it. I think heaters are OK but they should not be the only means for protecting the trailer.

 

Do you live in a humid climate? If so you might want to get a good medium capacity residential dehumidifier. That will be of more benefit than just circulating slightly warm moist air around. If you live where the humidity is low, it isn’t needed....

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[topgun2]

Nothing specifically wrong with what John states above.  I've got a small ceramic electric heater that I almost always have with me on my trip out West.  It has a thermostat on it that will automatically vary the fan speed and the wattage output (from 500 to 1500 watts).  At exterior temperatures of 29-30 degrees this little puppy will warm the interior from the low to mid 40's to 65 in right around an hour with only one human inside the Oliver (nicely tucked away in a sleeping bag).  Therefore, unless you are expecting temperatures to be well below the mid-20's I doubt that a second unit is necessary unless (as John states) you want protection against failure.

 

The "complete winterization" is really no big deal and should only take a tad less than two gallons of RV anti-freeze and about 30 to 60 minutes of your time.  Since you would probably want to sanitize your lines and fresh water tank in the Spring anyway, the flushing of the anti-freeze probably only adds another 10 to 15 minutes to the project.

 

Bill

[geO]

Thank you John and Bill very much for the info. I was afraid of blowing the fuse running one without 30amp.

[John E Davies]

Thank you John and Bill very much for the info. I was afraid of blowing the fuse running one without 30amp.

Your inside AC outlets are protected by a 15 amp circuit breaker in the dinette fuse panel. 15 amps is about 1800 watts so you want to keep a constant load like a heater well below that.... 1500 gives you a good safety margin.

 

Unlike powerful motors (like the one in your air conditioner) there is no huge surge of current when an electric heater starts up, though the fan will make a very small spike when in turns on. You won’t trip a breaker unless you overload it, or the device at the other end (or its power cord) shorts out and causes a massive current draw....

 

If you are relying on a regular 15 amp house circuit to power up the trailer, not just run a heater, you need to figure other constant loads like the converter, to make sure you do not get too much going on at once. A 30 amp/ 120 volt rv connection for your house might be a good thing to add to your Honey Do list. Then you can run your air conditioning in summer. ... http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/30-amp%20Service.pdf

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[trumpetguy]

Check out the Delonghi oil filled radiator.  They seem to be a safer option for consistent steady heat.  We use one in our sunroom during cold snaps and it does a great job.

[Mike and Carol]

We use a small Vornado. It has three settings, 750W, 1150W and 1500W. We almost always have it on the lowest. It’s quiet and doesn’t blow hot air. It blows warm air and keeps us plenty warm. We had a few nights in the low 20s last year and it kept up on the medium setting. It’s here:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W1Q5GWI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

We leave it in front of the night stand, so it doesn’t get in the way.  At night the bathroom door is open so the heat blows back keeping the bathroom warm.  It’s easy to reach when in bed.

 

In our trailer:

 

 

Mike

[donthompson]

I'm curious about this discussion.  Why do so many Oliver owners use small electric heaters like this rather than just turning on the furnace?  I'm sure there are good reasons, but I haven't ever talked to anyone about it.  The downside is having anything taking up valuable floor space in the camper.

 

 

 

Don

[Mike and Carol]

Don, if we’ve got electrical hookups I’d rather use electricity than my propane. Our little Vornado is quieter than the furnace and keeps a more consistent temperature in the trailer. It doesn’t take up much floor space and is not in the traffic pattern in front of the nightstand. Mike

[rideandfly]

We've used this Lasko Ceramic heater while camping for about 5 years with our previous camper and Ollie. Place it in front of the entry door at night so the bathroom door is not blocked. Prefer to use an electric heater whenever we have shore power so we don't use LP gas. Have used it down to upper 20s so far.

 

 

 

 

 

[geO]

Great info John and thanks for helping me understand the electrical system in the Oliver.

 

Mike I like how compact the Vornado is and I think I'm going to get one.

 

Thank you all!

 

George

[John E Davies]

We use a small Vornado. It has three settings, 750W, 1150W and 1500W. We almost always have it on the lowest. It’s quiet and doesn’t blow hot air. It blows warm air and keeps us plenty warm. We had a few nights in the low 20s last year and it kept up on the medium setting. It’s here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W1Q5GWI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We leave it in front of the night stand, so it doesn’t get in the way. At night the bathroom door is open so the heat blows back keeping the bathroom warm. It’s easy to reach when in bed. In our trailer:  Mike

Mike, how durable is this unit? Does it seem fragile, like at the air slots? I dislike lightweight plastic stuff for RV use since I worry that it will get damaged during storage and travel. My old cube heater is tiny, and the size and shape makes it dead easy to store. OTH it is not nearly as good as this Vortex in providing even heat everywhere in the room.

 

Thanks,

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Mike and Carol]

 

Mike, how durable is this unit? Does it seem fragile, like at the air slots? I dislike lightweight plastic stuff for RV use since I worry that it will get damaged during storage and travel. My old cube heater is tiny, and the size and shape makes it dead easy to store. OTH it is not nearly as good as this Vortex in providing even heat everywhere in the room. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

 

John, we’ve been using this little guy for over a year. We leave it parked in front of the nightstand even when moving. It does have a plastic body, but seems pretty sturdy even around the air slots. Never had it tip over. While probably not as small as your cube, it stores easily.  We’re leaving Wednesday for about three weeks so I know it will get more use as the weather cools down.  Mike

[John E Davies]

John, we’ve been using this little guy for over a year. We leave it parked in front of the nightstand even when moving. It does have a plastic body, but seems pretty sturdy even around the air slots. Never had it tip over. While probably not as small as your cube, it stores easily. We’re leaving Wednesday for about three weeks so I know it will get more use as the weather cools down. Mike

 

Thanks for the comments, I might try one. I do suggest that you not leave it on the floor while towing. Olivers have pretty strong brakes and if you have to make an emergency stop you will find the heater smashed up against the bathroom bulkhead. This happened to my rear (bedside table) drawer, it busted out the too short screws and travelled the length of the trailer. And it was empty.....

 

How about setting a towel in the sink and putting the heater there? Easy access and no way it will go flying..... if it does you will have bigger things to worry about.

 

Have fun on the trip. I am close to the end of my camping season since soon snow will be falling in the NW passes and the road crews will start spraying mag chloride all over the streets. Yuck.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

 

I do suggest that you not leave it on the floor while towing. Olivers have pretty strong brakes and if you have to make an emergency stop you will find the heater smashed up against the bathroom bulkhead. This happened to my rear (bedside table) drawer, it busted out the too short screws and travelled the length of the trailer. And it was empty….. How about setting a towel in the sink and putting the heater there? Easy access and no way it will go flying….. if it does you will have bigger things to worry about.

 

Good suggestion. I did make a hard emergency stop a year or so ago and found the drawer on the floor when we stopped.

[J-Rhett]

I’m curious about this discussion. Why do so many Oliver owners use small electric heaters like this rather than just turning on the furnace? I’m sure there are good reasons, but I haven’t ever talked to anyone about it. The downside is having anything taking up valuable floor space in the camper. Don

Don, Another good reason for using an electric heater/heaters is some campgrounds furnish the electric but I don't think ever furnish propane.  So, your heat is free if you are using their electricity.  In fact, I'm going to a Texas campground in November and their electric comes with the monthly rent.  We will just stay a month and then back home and to the Philippines in Jan.  BTW, very nice meeting you in Fall Hollow Campground!  Thanks for coming over to chat.  The next morning I had to go back and get something else done to my Ollie.  So sorry to have missed your great coffee!

[bradbev]

When traveling from Dallas to Odessa yesterday, used the inverter to warm lunch, then to run a small electric heater for a few minutes to take the chill off.  By the time we reached Odessa, the batteries were fully recharged between the truck alternator and the solar panels.

[MikeandGerri]

We use the small Vornado heater as well!!  It is very quiet and small enough to not be in our way!!  Works like a charm!!

[SeaDawg]

We bought an inexpensive heater about eight years ago. We used to go to the solar decathlon every other year when it was in Washington DC. It's been moved to California. In October,one year,  the campsite was beautiful, but the rain and cold was awful. We bought a little heater because we had power at our camp site.

 

That was pretty much our experience of camping with electricity.

 

I'd recommend this...

 

Get a heater with tipover and overheat protection. Ul. That's pretty common, even in budget heaters.

 

For $40 mol, at Costco, you can get all the above, and maybe a remote, and certainly, a timer. And, ceramic. Which reduces the contact heat ????, and can make life safer for your pets

 

I think the ceramic and oil filled heaters are primarily chosen for safety reasons..

 

We don't have a lot of experience, as we have about five or six days on electric hookups... But, I have to say, I remember how nice it was to have that heater.  .

 

 

[geO]

We use the small Vornado heater as well!! It is very quiet and small enough to not be in our way!! Works like a charm!!

I got that Vornado and very impressed. Here in FL we've been running a/c though.

[ShallowGal]

Check out the Delonghi oil filled radiator.

My brother uses one of these in *his RV & says it heats better than the propane one.  (*He does not have an Oliver.) We use one in our bedroom so we don't have to heat the entire house. The Delonghi website has a nice way to determine what you may need. http://www.delonghi.com/en-us/products/comfort/find-your-ideal-heating-system

[KarenLukens]

So... Why not use the Dometic Heat Pump instead of carrying another heater? It's electric also.

[Mike and Carol]

So… Why not use the Dometic Heat Pump instead of carrying another heater? It’s electric also.

We like the little Vornado because it is very quiet and provides nice even heating. Mike

[SeaDawg]

The few days that we actually could use the little heater, I was delighted.

No overhead fan, no noise to speak of, etc.

You have to remember that we have an older trailer. Even so, if we had electric hookups,. As we don't, (almost never), I would opt for a little , quiet, heater.

I still have ours in a storage bin, just in case we actually plug in someday, and it's cold. ..

Truth is, I am always awake from even the slightest noise.

The little electric heater is virtually silent. I'm a very light sleeper

Sherry

[Overland]

We bought the Vornado on Mike and Carol's advice and we love it.  We think it heats the trailer faster than the furnace, and is definitely quieter.  We keep ours stowed in the closet when not in use.

 

If you aren't plugged in, the heater sucks batteries, of course.  Normally, we found ourselves at 80% charge in the AM, and warming the trailer up with the heater would take us down to 70%.  We would then let the furnace take over from there, but if we kept the heater on until we left for the day, it would be down around 50-60%.  With our extra solar, though, we found that if we're expecting good sun we can run them down that much and still have 100% charge before night.

 

We tried running the heater along with the toaster oven, but the inverter began to complain, lol.