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Old 01-12-2018, 09:11 AM   #1
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Exclamation Cold Weather Question

The wife & I will be moving into our 2016 Eagle 321RSTS next week while we're doing some much needed repairs to our home. Temperatures are expected to be as low as 17 degrees at night, with daytime highs in the mid-40s.

My dealer says that I must utilize the furnace (propane) in order to prevent the holding tanks and under-floor plumbing from freezing.

My thought is that if I use the electric fireplace, an additional small electric space heater and keep the furnace fan "ON", this would suffice. Electricity is less expensive than propane and less of a hassle.

Heat is heat, unless I'm missing something.

Who's right: The dealer or me?
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:16 AM   #2
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Your furnace has ducts into the underbelly which is why it will help keep things from freezing down there.


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Old 01-12-2018, 09:25 AM   #3
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So are you saying that recirculating warm air from inside the RV (electric space heater and having the fan set to ON) won't provide warm air through the ducts to the underbelly?
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:35 AM   #4
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WestTex, you make a good point. We’ve not camped in temps that cold but into the upper 20’s we have done what you’re talking about but into the ‘teens may be another story. You could probably get by with what you’re talking about but if it doesn’t work the results could be costly.
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:44 AM   #5
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You have to use the units furnace to heat the underbelly. Not sure it will work when it's THAT cold out. There's not enough heat being generated by that small furnace that'll keep your pipes from freezing up at those temps. I would say temps no lower than 25. Anything under that, you're playing roulette.
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:56 AM   #6
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The problem you will have is the propane furnace output temp is 140-170 degrees and cools as it passes through the system. If you use the furnace fan to move the air its starting at 70 degrees and will cool very fast once it hits the underbelly ducts, that won't help with freezing.
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Old 01-12-2018, 09:58 AM   #7
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I have heard of some putting a small electric heater in the storage area to assure it's warm enough not to freeze the tanks and pump but I would not even do that at 17 degrees.
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Old 01-12-2018, 10:34 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by WestTexasRanger View Post
So are you saying that recirculating warm air from inside the RV (electric space heater and having the fan set to ON) won't provide warm air through the ducts to the underbelly?


Put a couple wireless temp sensors in appropriate places in the belly and track the temp. If it’s too cold, turn the furnace on.


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Old 01-12-2018, 10:44 AM   #9
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You have to use the units furnace to heat the underbelly. Not sure it will work when it's THAT cold out. There's not enough heat being generated by that small furnace that'll keep your pipes from freezing up at those temps. I would say temps no lower than 25. Anything under that, you're playing roulette.
I appears from this video that the furnace should keep things from freezing:

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Old 01-12-2018, 10:47 AM   #10
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The problem you will have is the propane furnace output temp is 140-170 degrees and cools as it passes through the system. If you use the furnace fan to move the air its starting at 70 degrees and will cool very fast once it hits the underbelly ducts, that won't help with freezing.
What about RVs that use a heat-pump instead of a furnace? The output air of a heat-pump is going to be 85-90 degrees.
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Old 01-12-2018, 10:54 AM   #11
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Heat pumps work optimally in outside temps above 40. Think of a camper as a bridge. What signs are on a bridge? Bridge ices before road. Why is this? Because the air circulates under the bridge,,,like it will for your camper. If you're going to stay put for awhile it would be advisable to skirt your camper. Maybe skirt it with the same material Jayco uses for insulation...Astrofoil. Basically it's bubble wrap with silver foil on both sides.
Hope this helps...
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Old 01-12-2018, 11:07 AM   #12
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Heat pumps work optimally in outside temps above 40. Think of a camper as a bridge. What signs are on a bridge? Bridge ices before road. Why is this? Because the air circulates under the bridge,,,like it will for your camper. If you're going to stay put for awhile it would be advisable to skirt your camper. Maybe skirt it with the same material Jayco uses for insulation...Astrofoil. Basically it's bubble wrap with silver foil on both sides.
Hope this helps...
Great analogy comparing the open area below the RV to a bridge!

We'll be in the RV for 3 to 4 weeks. Living in West Texas (wind capitol of the U.S.), I don't think the Astrofoil would hold up to the task.

Our temperatures this time of the year are all over the place, so the 40/17 degrees I mentioned are the extremes for the 10 day forecast. It's supposed to be 69 degrees (low of 41) next Friday.

Sounds like I'll need to crank up the propane furnace when temperatures plunge overnight.
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Old 01-12-2018, 11:22 AM   #13
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WestTexasRanger

The skirting idea sbarlag suggested is a good idea.

Since you're in a windy environment, another option could be to make a skirt out of plywood / OSB board and the Blue Insulation Board.

Once you have the skirting on, you could run some lights under that trailer, that may help keep the under trailer and underbelly warm and from freezing.

As other's have mentioned you could also run an electric heater in the basement of your trailer, open up the access panels to the underbelly to allow heat to flow in there.

Just some more food for thought.
Good luck.
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Old 01-12-2018, 01:10 PM   #14
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ADDITIONAL PROPANE RELATED INFO:

A burner or appliance rated at 60,000 BTU/hr (with burner turned on to "High") will burn 60,000 BTU every hour which means consumption of fuel is one gallon of propane every 1.53 hours. (92,000 BTU/Hr / 60,000 BTU/Hr = 1.53 hours that one gallon would last Providing the burner remains on "high" you can determine the number of hours your propane supply with last. To adjust for appliances, like a furnace, that are controlled by a thermostat and only cycle "ON" maybe a few minutes per hour, you would then need to adjust your calculations. For example if the furnace cycled on for 15 minutes every hour in the winter you would adjust by a factor of 4. (92,000 BTU/Hr / 60,000 BTU/Hr = 1.53 hours that one gallon would last x 4 = 6.12 hours of furnace use for each gallon in inventory)

Hope this helps...by the way...I'm not smart enough to have come up with this, I copied it from another source...
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Old 01-12-2018, 04:32 PM   #15
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Hay bales make great insulation when skirting, if available.
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Old 01-12-2018, 06:02 PM   #16
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If you’re heating the house and have water there, just winterize the RV then you don’t have to worry about it.
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Old 01-14-2018, 09:45 PM   #17
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My buddy uses his camper for dear hunting. if you don't use your furnes it will freeze your holding tanks he has froze them using other heaters in side. jaykos are rated to 0 if you use your furnace
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Old 01-17-2018, 10:25 PM   #18
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I've used my RV late into the season in Canada and well into freezing temperatures. Skirting is important. If electric heat is cheap, put a space heater under the RV and make the skirting as close to airtight as you can.

There are lots of good and simple ideas on youtube. My first time trying to do "should be good enough" to push a week into freezing temperatures really wasn't as good as I would have hoped. Water feed line froze. Inlet froze (and broke). Dump valves froze. Holding tanks froze. Without good planning it was a major pain. The next time around I may have gone a bit overboard but a weekend of prep made everything work without any hiccups.
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Old 01-18-2018, 09:39 PM   #19
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My advice: do not go cheap and not run the furnace! I did that and now am chasing a leak from a frozen pipe. I would gladly pay the propane bill tonot have to do this!!!
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Old 01-20-2018, 07:46 AM   #20
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So, as stated above, your furnace heats under the trailer to keep tanks and water lines from freezing. If you don't run the furnace very much you run the risk of frozen pipes (right now, after a 28F night my water hose is frozen, inside pipes are fine).

I do use an electric heater to supplement the furnace, but, it is sized such that the furnace comes on regularly.

Heat pumps are almost useless when temps get much below freezing. And, no, they are not ducted to the belly. No reason to since at temps where you need heat to the belly they don't work very well. Turn on the furnace.

Good skirting will save you a ton of propane cost during the winter. If you are going to be stationary do it. I'd do as suggested and get a small electric heater for under there as well. The oil radiator type if possible, or an IR heat lamp controlled with a thermostat. Our trailer has rubber propane lines under the trailer so I would not want an open heating element under there.
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