Lazy Daze Owners' Group

General advice:

1. All electric heaters are 100% efficient, and a 1,500 watt heater (which almost all of them are) puts out the same amount of heat whether the box says it's for a small, medium, or large room. So don't be mislead into spending more for a model that claims it's for larger rooms.

2. Yes, two heaters on low or medium power will do a better job of heating a Lazy Daze than one heater on high power. They spread the heat around more effectively.

3. A heater with three heat settings (in addition to fan only) is desirable, because you can run two of them on their lowest settings (typically 600 watts) and still have some power left over for other things. But all small heaters have at least two heat settings, so if that's all you can find, fine.

4. The reason for all this concern about running multiple heaters is that all the household outlets in your Lazy Daze are on a single circuit, with a maximum total capacity for all outlets of about 1,800 watts. If all the appliances you have plugged in and turned on add up to more than that, you're likely to trip a circuit breaker.

There's one exception: the outlet that powers your microwave oven is on a separate circuit, which it shares with your air conditioner. That outlet is typically buried deep inside one of the upper kitchen cabinets. In a midbath, it's the one in the corner behind the sink. Reach w-a-y back in there, and you'll find a duplex outlet with one plug in it--the microwave's cord. You can power a heater from the other half of that outlet, and thus avoid overloading your other household outlets... as long as you don't try to run the microwave at the same time. (I assume you won't be running heaters and the air conditioner at the same time.)

5. The same caution goes for other high-wattage appliances: you probably won’t want to run a coffeemaker, hair dryer, or electric frying pan at the same time as a heater that’s plugged into a household outlet. Doing so risks tripping a breaker.

6. When choosing a heater, avoid "ceramic" heaters and those whose heating element is a small, densely finned core. No matter what the labeling claims, they're no more efficient per watt. (Remember, all electric heaters are 100% efficient.) More important, those tight cores accumulate lint and pet hairs, and can clog to the point where a fire is a real possibility. I've seen a heater whose core was almost half clogged with lint that was visibly scorched. Preferably choose a heater with large, open coils of heating wire inside. They gather less lint, and they're much easier to blow clean.

7. Surprisingly, I've found the best heaters to be the cheapest ones, such as this twenty dollar model, or similar cheap heaters from Holmes. This one has two heat levels, but I've found similar ones with three levels at local stores such as Walmart and Home Depot for less than twenty dollars.

8. One more thing: power in Mexico can be unreliable, and in particular can run to excessive voltages that could damage your appliances. If you don’t have an energy management system such as the Progressive Industries EMS-30 , you should get one. It will protect your rig against improperly wired outlets, too-high or too-low voltages, spikes and surges, and other potentially damaging problems.

Spot on advice, Andy. Over the 19 years that we traveled in our 30', I used the same cheapo Holmes heater I bought new in 2002. It still works fine. In my bring up file, I had a reminder to blow the fuzzies out each year with a vac. And often I used the duplex behind the microwave.

Yes, we had the Vornado heater also and really liked it.  Well, we still have it but the 2006 26.5 RB has gone onto another owner.  One sure means of making the most of keeping your rig warm is to remember to block off the cab with a heavy blanket and pull the privacy curtain across the upper bunk.   This will help keep the warmth in the 'living area'  where you want it. 
Enjoy your trip and stay.  
Happy Trails,
Juli W.