What kind of heater is everyone using. Do you have a RV type heater, just a wall mount from Home Depot or any other type of heater. What are the pros and cons. Just bought a 09 pace american 4 place and looking for some info on all types of heaters so I can see what would work best for me. Thanks.
trailer heater
- Thread starter sledmann21
- Start date
I used a propane 120,000 btu small size heater to dry out my gear and sleds.
It didn't work because the propane fuel is moist when it burns. It needed an outside vent. I had the top vents open in the trailer but it didn't help.
Not to mention I could have died from the co2 levels in an enclosed space.
I would only use it to warm up a cold trailer for dressing in the morning. For drying, it sucked.
To answer your question, I don't know what works. This didn't work for me.
I didn't die.
It didn't work because the propane fuel is moist when it burns. It needed an outside vent. I had the top vents open in the trailer but it didn't help.
Not to mention I could have died from the co2 levels in an enclosed space.
I would only use it to warm up a cold trailer for dressing in the morning. For drying, it sucked.
To answer your question, I don't know what works. This didn't work for me.
I didn't die.
I have a Suburban 35,000 btu rv furnace in my 4 place. It's vented to the outside which means the combustion air and the heated air are separated from each other. It's forced air and ducted around the trailer. It works very well and I would recommend it or something very similar. These furnaces are usually available on E-bay and if you're patient you can get one for a pretty good price.
How big are they it looks kind of bulky. Do you have any picks of it installed. Thanks for the info guys keep it coming.
My trailer is a Trails West, I think there are pictures on their site but to be honest I haven't looked. The trailer came with a 30,000 btu Suburban furnace and it did a very POOR job of heating the trailer. I bought a 35,000 btu Suburban furnace off of E-bay. The dimensions of the two furnaces are the same so it was really easy to install, probably about 1.5 hours to remove the old and install the new. The new furnace also has a bigger blower fan so it not only puts out more heat, but moves more air. It is really a huge improvement over the old furnace. Plus I sold the old furnace on E-bay so the difference in price was pretty small.
The furnace is quite small and the dimensions would be on the Suburban web site. I really think that installing one from scratch would be an afternoon job providing there was a good plan in place prior to starting.
The furnace is quite small and the dimensions would be on the Suburban web site. I really think that installing one from scratch would be an afternoon job providing there was a good plan in place prior to starting.
My favorite heater for drying my stuff was an electric plug in with a built in thermostat.
At the end of my sled day I would load the sleds, hang up my long underwear, pull out the liners on my boots, hang up jackets, bibs and my toasty comfy socks on wire racking I got from home depot.
I had my driving comfy stuff to change into of course.
When I got home, I would back the trailer into its spot and plug in the heater. By the time the next weekend rolled around, I unplugged, hooked up and off I went. No big bags, no back packs, checking if everything was packed etc. because it was all dry and in the trailer.
I didn't have to wash clothes every time cuz I would only wear the clothes for maybe 6-7hrs max and it was good quality stuff so not a lot of sweating.
I don't know if it would work in a really cloud climate as it rarely froze in the winter near the ocean.
So convenient, so easy. So sad I have no enclosed trailer now.
At the end of my sled day I would load the sleds, hang up my long underwear, pull out the liners on my boots, hang up jackets, bibs and my toasty comfy socks on wire racking I got from home depot.
I had my driving comfy stuff to change into of course.
When I got home, I would back the trailer into its spot and plug in the heater. By the time the next weekend rolled around, I unplugged, hooked up and off I went. No big bags, no back packs, checking if everything was packed etc. because it was all dry and in the trailer.
I didn't have to wash clothes every time cuz I would only wear the clothes for maybe 6-7hrs max and it was good quality stuff so not a lot of sweating.
I don't know if it would work in a really cloud climate as it rarely froze in the winter near the ocean.
So convenient, so easy. So sad I have no enclosed trailer now.
Thought this may help you in your sizing question.
http://www.rvcomfort.com/suburban/products/sf.php
J
jerrydecoy
Well-known member
40k suburban rv heater. It works great and will dry the sleds and gear out overnight even in really cold temps. I've heard some guys say they have troubles with them at high elevation but we frequent Cooke city and It always works fine. I bought it used from an rv dealer but I've seen them on eBay as well. You can go cheaper with the ventless heaters but most of them put a lot of moisture in the trailer which to me defeats the intended purpose! I put a couple extra lines that pump the heat directly to the floor. It made a huge difference!
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The Suburban 30k, 35k & 42k all have the same exterior dimensions but exterior clearance criteria changes as you go to more BTUs.
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Thanks guys for all the input. Looks like I will be investing in either a 35 or 40. Now just have to find one on the cheep side. Thanks again
