electric heater? December 05, 2009, 06:42:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108172Hi Here I am freezing in LA after driving all the way from MI!!! I have a little Pelonis heater but it no longer seems to be doing the job & I'm finding I have to put the furnace on also:-(. I've used it for a couple of seasons & it seems to be less effective now. Can that happen? What heaters are other folks using that they like? I'm heading for TX & know this is not the only cold weather I'll encounter & don't like freezing but don't like the noise of the furnace. Thanks, freezing at Fountainbleau, Pat
Re: electric heater? Reply #1 – December 05, 2009, 07:40:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108174QuoteWhat heaters are other folks using that they like? I'm heading for TX & know this is not the only cold weather I'll encounter & don't like freezing but don't like the noise of the furnace. Thanks, freezing at Fountainbleau, Pat A lot of us have installed propane catalytic heaters from Olympian. They do require leaving open a ventilation path, but they are extremely efficient and silent. A 3000 Btu model is roughly equivalent to a 1500W electric heater, but the heat is radiant instead of convective. For overnight use, best bet is an electric heater with a down comforter on the bed, and tricks like a blanket hung between cab and coach, Reflectix on the windows, etc.SteveSteve
Re: electric heater? Reply #2 – December 05, 2009, 08:18:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108177I bought one of these little DeLonghi heaters on Amazon
Re: electric heater? Reply #3 – December 05, 2009, 08:41:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108180"I have a little Pelonis heater but it no longer seems to be doing the job..." First, I'd suggest disassembling and cleaning your Pelonis heater. Those things do get clogged with lint and dust over time, and it can greatly reduce their heating efficiency. Cleaning at least once a season is a smart idea. you'll be amazed at how much crud is in that little box, and how much more hot air it puts out once the crud is gone! Second, my experience has been that a single electric heater, even on its highest setting, isn't able to heat a 27' or 30' coach in really cold weather. What I've found works very well is two small heaters, each one set to half power (750W) so that they can both be on the same 15A circuit without tripping a breaker. I keep one in the lounge area and one in the middle of the coach, opposite the bathroom door and facing forward. Of course your optimum placement may be different, depending on your floorplan (I have a midbath), but the important thing is that two heaters running on half power will do a MUCH better job than one heater on full power. You can even add a third heater if you plug it into the same duplex outlet as the microwave oven, because that's on a separate circuit. The outlet is way in back in one of the upper kitchen cabinets, but it's accessible if you reach far enough in--no need to take anything apart. You will need to shut the heater off before using the microwave, of course! Another heat source: if your air conditioner has a heat setting (standard in newer LDs, optional in older ones), you can use that--again, it's on a separate circuit, so you can do this in addition to your two small heaters running on half power. Personally, though, I find that blower annoyingly noisy, and the amount of heat contributed seems to be minimal... possibly because it's being released up at ceiling level, instead of down near the floor where it's needed.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: electric heater? Reply #4 – December 05, 2009, 09:50:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108183Quote "I have a little Pelonis heater but it no longer seems to be doing the job..." "...What I've found works very well is two small heaters, each one set to half power (750W) so that they can both be on the same 15A circuit without tripping a breaker..."Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/ Better yet, if you are using an electric heater you probably are hooked up to an electric pedestal. Most have not only a 30 or 50 amp outlet, but a 20 or 15 amp outlet. Run a heavy duty extension cord to the pedestal and plug into the 20 amp outlet and run one heater off that thus freeing up more amperage in the LD. Less chance of tripping the breaker. Ted H put this nifty external extra outlet in his RB to to just that: http://www.wxtoad.com/index.asp?page=LD/heaterrb.htmChris
Re: electric heater? Reply #5 – December 06, 2009, 12:14:53 am Yahoo Message Number: 108188We stay warm with either two cat heaters (3000 btu each) or one electric heater and one cat heater - depending upon whether we have electricity for the night - three down sleeping bags, and a couple of microfiber blankets.My husband sleeps in a La Fuma lounge chair because of his bone problems, and during cold weather, he puts one down sleeping bag on top of the lounge chair, and another one on top of him. He puts a baby blanket made of microfiber over the top of his head, which is also home to a wool watch cap. He also wears a sweat shirt, knit sweat pants, angora sleep socks, and down booties. It looks weird, but he is completely warm at night.I sleep in the overcab bed, and have four inches of flannel-wrapped memory foam on top of the regular mattress. I put a microfleece blanket directly over me, and then spread my down sleeping bag over the blanket. I wear knit jammies, a knit sleep cap, and down booties over angora sleep socks.I usually leave the hatch open at least half way, and am perfectly comfortable - temperature wise. I keep a clock/thermometer up there with me. On this six-week trip, the temperature has been as low as 34 degrees up there, but has usually been around 45 to 50 degrees by early morning. I don't know what the outside temperatures were except for one morning when our hostess told us it had been 19 degrees when she looked in her greenhouse. That was the morning it was 34 degrees just outside my nest of covers in the overcab bed!Extra tip: Close the cab windows when you stop for the night! Leaving the passenger one open even six inches creates a whole lotta cold!Virtual hugs,Judie (2005 RB) Writing tonight from Holt's Shell Gas Station and Campground in Gila Bend, Arizona, where they have free WiFi
Re: electric heater? Reply #6 – December 06, 2009, 08:28:10 am Yahoo Message Number: 108193Thanks for all the ideas for heat! The combination of heat strip & heater seems to noisily do the trick. I only need it when I'm up & around. I always like it cold when I sleep so can turn the heat strip off then. Andy, other than cleaning the filter thing (which I do frequently, my Pelonis HC 461 doesn't come apart. However still think it's less efficient than it used to be. Lazy Daze talks about superior insulation but I wonder. I use their foam covers on all my vents & upper windows, have a heavy quilt hanging between the coach & cab & still am experiencing problems. Thanks again for ideas &, if there are any others, please keep them coming.Pat
Re: electric heater? Reply #7 – December 06, 2009, 01:16:31 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108215QuoteLazy Daze talks about superior insulation but I wonder. I use their foam covers on all my vents & upper windows, have a heavy quilt hanging between the coach & cab & still am experiencing problems. Another thing to check - outside compartments located above the coach floor typically have no insulation between them and the coach. Their outside walls are insulated, but if their floors are below 'grade', that part of the walls and floor are not insulated either, nor are any of the compartment doors. Adding styrofoam or other suitable insulation to those areas will reduce heat loss from your coach. And, Reflectix panels on single-pane windows will also slow down heat loss - The huge window area is great, but comes with a penalty...Steve
Re: electric heater? Reply #8 – December 06, 2009, 02:56:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108225I believe your pelonis DOES come apart. I have the pelonis HC-455 which appears to be the same body but with different controls. I took out the 4 screws in the lower back. After that all I could find was the tab on the top where the front and back seperate. I tried pulling it apart and it seemed like it must be glued together and i thought it was going to break. Then i found the picture at the bottom of this page:www.payroll-ips.com/Pelonis/rating.htm and I knew it was possible. there were tabs on each side, which are not visible, i think just below 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. I stuck a flat screwdriver in under the collar and pried them out of their slots. Again i thought it would break but it didn't. When you get the front and back apart, pay attention when you take the front apart because its tricky to get back together if you don't know how the pieces go. I took all the internal parts apart and cleaned them well, soaking the ceramic discs in water and then ran them under the faucet. Be very careful with the discs they come apart very easily, every time i clean one of these heaters it seems like small pieces crumble off the edge of the discs. Overall it takes a couple of hours to clean everything. After this your heater should run like new. Good luck.Beth
Re: electric heater? Reply #9 – December 06, 2009, 03:13:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108228"I took all the internal parts apart and cleaned them well, soaking the ceramic discs in water and then ran them under the faucet." I'm not sure this is a good idea, Beth, especially given your experience with the discs crumbling around the edges. While I haven't disassembled one of the Pelonis heaters, I've taken apart several other brands, and my experience has been that they can be thoroughly cleaned by a combination of brushing lightly (a soft toothbrush works well in small spaces) and blowing away the dislodged residue with canned air. It's a lot safer than dunking. ;-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: dunking Reply #10 – December 06, 2009, 03:30:49 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108230... It's a lot safer than dunking. Made me recall a cartoon in this morning's paper: Pearls Before Swine Rat: Yo, Pig... You met the new owners of this diner? This is Tina and that's Archie. They've re-named our diner, 'Evita's'Pig: That's great! Hi, Tina. Hi, Archie.Tina: Hi.Archie: Call me Arch.Rat: Dude, you've got to taste their toasted rye bread and coffee.Pig: Oh, yeah? Rat: Yeah. Before they serve it to you, they dunk the corners of the bread in the coffee. Tastes great.Pig: Oh boy! I want that!Rat: Well then, tell them.Pig (yelling to the new owners): Dunk rye for me, Arch and Tina!!------ David (running as fast as I can)
Re: electric heater? Reply #11 – December 06, 2009, 05:13:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 108233As someone who has actually cleaned pelonis disc heaters (I have 4 of them), let me tell you, don't be afraid to run the discs under the faucet. Soaking mine in water and rinsing them very clean. I would not brush them with a brush as that would definitely be much harder on the discs. The discs that had small bits crumble around the edges did so when handled or were like that when removed from their housing, not when soaked/put under the faucet. They still worked perfectly when the heater was put back together. I just mentioned it in the first place to let you know that they are fragile. It is really a non-issue. Most of the dust is on the other parts of the heater.Beth
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