John E Davies Posted July 5, 2021 Posted July 5, 2021 I have been trying to come up with a simple back-up heater, the portables all seem to be problematic and they can be in the way for both storage and when in use. At night they are a tripping hazard. This heater mounts to the wall, and it will just fit on the entry wall of an LE2 in front of the fridge. It is a slim 2.2 inches deep so it would not stick out enough to be in the way. The thermostat is mounted on top, so no extra control wires are needed. https://www.eheat.com/envi-120v-plug-in-electric-panel-wall-heater-2nd-generation/ Manual: https://www.eheat.com/content/Envi-Owners-Manual.pdf It would require an outlet to be installed low on that wall, or alternately run the cord internally up to the microwave outlet. I would prefer the former, you could remove the heater entirely in summer when not needed, the two mounting clips would remain visible. The retractable cord is 6 ft long, any excess stows in the lower compartment. I do NOT know how strong this setup is for RV use. It might need additional fasteners. I am going to email them to ask. I think it would be a great supplement for cool weather or long term storage, when you are connected to shore power but don’t want to run the furnace all the time, or the noisy heat strip in the overheat AC unit, if you have one. (My Atwood Air Command does not have one.). “Can the envi heater be left on for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Yes, envi wall mounted heaters are constructed in such a way that they can be left on indefinitely if needed. High energy heaters are typically oversized for most rooms and are ineffective in circulating warm air evenly around a room. As a result the room develops hot and cold areas. In contrast, envi wall mounted heaters are efficient, low energy heaters that, due to their low operating costs, and robust construction, can be left on for long periods of time heating rooms in a softer, more sustained manner.” That is a big deal for me, portable heaters in general (especially the cheap ones) are not safe and they don’t recommend leaving them on unattended. I am tempted to order one anyway, and if it won’t work on “Mouse” I will install it in by master bathroom, which could use a little more heat. Any comments? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA 1 SOLD 07/23 "Mouse": 2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.
Moderators Mike and Carol Posted July 5, 2021 Moderators Posted July 5, 2021 What about installing it under one of the beds? Would it fit under the mattress extension overhang? Looks like a nice unit. Mike Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L
Galway Girl Posted July 5, 2021 Posted July 5, 2021 John, I agree with your comments about trip hazard, and safety for small heaters. Does the unit have a fan that circulates the heat or is it radiant only? If this pans out for you, I'm sure many will want to have it in their "to do list" of updates. Craig 1 2019 Elite II (Hull 505 - Galway Girl - August 7, 2019 Delivery) Tow Vehicle: 2021 F350 King Ranch, FX4, MaxTow Package, 10 Speed, 3.55 Rear Axle Batteries Upgrade: Dual 315GTX Lithionics Lithiums - 630AH Total Inverter/Charger: Xantrex 2000Pro Travel BLOG: https://4-ever-hitched.com
John E Davies Posted July 5, 2021 Author Posted July 5, 2021 38 minutes ago, Galway Girl said: Does the unit have a fan that circulates the heat or is it radiant only? If this pans out for you, I'm sure many will want to have it in their "to do list" of updates. No fan, no moving parts or filters, no radiant effect, it is purely convective. Cool air goes in the bottom, warms up around the internal plates and vents naturally out the top. So it might need a little air mover like my Caframo fan to help it circulate around the cabin when people are inside. I do think it would help keep the cold front of the trailer a little cozier if the mirror door were held open. It would not be effective in preventing plumbing from freezing. It is far too tall (23”) to fit under a bed, and it would cook the person lying there or perhaps cause it to overheat. It needs at least 6 inches at the bottom and more on top for free air flow.. I did send them an email about RV use, I will post their response. John Davies Spokane WA SOLD 07/23 "Mouse": 2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.
routlaw Posted July 5, 2021 Posted July 5, 2021 Nice looking heater, although 475 watts is not much heat to throw out, and of course you would have to be plugged into shore power or run a generator to use it. On more than one occasion with really cold Montana weather even a full blown 1500 watt electric heater could not adequately heat our Oliver and I've tried 3 of the darn things all to no avail. Not sure what the best solution is for your heating requirements but I would be skeptical of this unless using it in some coolish to only slightly cold weather. For that matter I would have preferred the installed heater system in our Oliver to have been more than the 16000 BTU's currently implemented. While adequate it seems slightly lower than it should have been. 1 Legacy Elite II #70
John E Davies Posted July 6, 2021 Author Posted July 6, 2021 This is what they said about RV use. “All of our units come with a locking bar screw, which prevents the unit from moving from its permanent place once it is installed. This safety feature is specifically design for RVs and other kinds of mobile homes.” John Davies Spokane WA SOLD 07/23 "Mouse": 2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.
John E Davies Posted July 6, 2021 Author Posted July 6, 2021 routlaw, thanks for commenting. I agree, this heater is in no way suitable as a primary heat source for cold weather camping in Montana. My intended use is supplemental “soft” heat to reduce furnace cycling and to add some extra warmth to the front of the trailer, or as a solo heat source on chilly days in place of the furnace. Dead silent, no jet engine sounds directly under the bed or from an AC heat strip fan. Obviously, only while plugged into some power source…… I think this would be attractive to a lot of owners, but I still am interested in hearing opinions, both positive and negative. So many of the little portable electric heaters are garbage. John Davies Spokane WA 1 SOLD 07/23 "Mouse": 2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.
LongStride Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 Looks like a pretty nice unit to use for supplemental heat or to just knock off the chill in storage. I like your choice of location too. Likely more heat loss next to the entry door than anywhere else, and you have pretty good access to 120V through the microwave cabinet. Have you looked at infrared glass heating panels? They also work by convection and fit close to the wall. I took a look at them but couldn't find any that would fit the area that you have in mind. There are all kinds of flat panel type space heaters available on Amazon's UK and New Zealand websites. Unfortunately their voltage and plug types are not compatible with ours, and they won't ship to USA. Bummer. Mike and Yasuko 2021 Legacy Elite Hull #820
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