Camping questions.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,706
Likes: 12,845
From: Wyoming
My tanks are exposed underneath the camper. They have electric heaters but I have not used them. The front compartment where the waterpump is ducted with heat though. I would like to take the camper out one more time if we get a nice weekend.
If it is cold cold and it will be freezing or below most of the time I doubt we will be going anywhere. It is ok for the older kids but too cold for the little guys. 5 months and 17 months no fun if someone has to be inside with them the whole time. If I do camp that cold it will be winterized.
Most of the time we need the heat is when it gets down to the 40's or 50's at night. The kids sleep in the main area of the camper and it cools off much more than our bedroom up top. plan on heating just the main area of the camper with the space heater and letting the heat drift up to us.
If it is cold cold and it will be freezing or below most of the time I doubt we will be going anywhere. It is ok for the older kids but too cold for the little guys. 5 months and 17 months no fun if someone has to be inside with them the whole time. If I do camp that cold it will be winterized.
Most of the time we need the heat is when it gets down to the 40's or 50's at night. The kids sleep in the main area of the camper and it cools off much more than our bedroom up top. plan on heating just the main area of the camper with the space heater and letting the heat drift up to us.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 1
From: Frederick MD
Originally Posted by HRTKD
I was at boondocked at elk camp for almost 10 days this month. I have dual 6v Trojan flooded cell batteries (T-125). They ran my furnace just fine throughout the night and it got down to 8 degrees one night. (my furnace flaked out but that's a different issue) I have a single solar panel on top of the trailer and it came real close to recharging my batteries from the furnace draw. It was nice and sunny most days. The only reasons I ran the generator was to run the microwave or to make sure the batteries were topped off on days that weren't quite as sunny.
I tried using my Big Buddy heater on the lowest setting and I couldn't handle the odor. The kerosene type smell was just too much. I had to get up in the middle of the night, open some windows to clear the air and then turn on the furnace. Due to recovering from throat cancer I'm probably a bit more sensitive than others when it comes to smells. If it hadn't been for the smell it would have worked just fine.
I tried using my Big Buddy heater on the lowest setting and I couldn't handle the odor. The kerosene type smell was just too much. I had to get up in the middle of the night, open some windows to clear the air and then turn on the furnace. Due to recovering from throat cancer I'm probably a bit more sensitive than others when it comes to smells. If it hadn't been for the smell it would have worked just fine.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,706
Likes: 12,845
From: Wyoming
My trailer came used with two batteries already. So I don't know if the OEM wires were used or not.
The wiring is different depending on if you use dual 6v or dual 12v batteries. Be sure you understand exactly how to wire it up. Either way, one or more additional wires are needed. My dual 6v setup requires only a single wire connecting the two batteries.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,665
Likes: 4,758
From: Itinerant
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,665
Likes: 4,758
From: Itinerant
I tried using my Big Buddy heater on the lowest setting and I couldn't handle the odor. The kerosene type smell was just too much. I had to get up in the middle of the night, open some windows to clear the air and then turn on the furnace. Due to recovering from throat cancer I'm probably a bit more sensitive than others when it comes to smells. If it hadn't been for the smell it would have worked just fine.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 1
From: Frederick MD
Originally Posted by scraprat
Here is a quick read to get you started. http://deepcyclebatterystore.com/con...s-dry-camping/
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,706
Likes: 12,845
From: Wyoming
I knew the propane heater generated moisture but I wasn't aware of how much. After starting my heater I watched the humidity reading inside the trailer creep up, up, up! I think it went up at least 25 percentage points.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,665
Likes: 4,758
From: Itinerant
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,471
Likes: 727
From: Calgary Canada
Just to echo what the folks above said that you should be able to run the furnace fan enough overnight without a generator. If you can't, something else is wrong.
If you are worried, ways to help is to make sure the whole trailer is 100% up to temp before your genny is shut off, and also get your hot water tank full of hot water too. That thing radiates most of it's heat back into the trailer in my experience.
If you are worried, ways to help is to make sure the whole trailer is 100% up to temp before your genny is shut off, and also get your hot water tank full of hot water too. That thing radiates most of it's heat back into the trailer in my experience.
Junior User
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 75
Likes: 4
From: On the road
Yeah, upgrade your battery bank. Maybe even add solar. Get a space heater but be careful. They're one of the leading causes of fires. And like someone else said, talk with the management and your neighbors. If your neighbors dont care, the management wont. Usually if you're in a place that doesnt offer power than someone else is already using a genny anyway. I've heard many furnaces that were loader than a honda, lol.
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