Heater location on 2720SL/3326--deal-breaker

[smile711]

Hello,
We were looking at online photos of the 2720SL , 2720 and the 3326, and noticed on the 2720SL and 3326 that there is a brown panel on the front of the couch/sofa where your legs go. Is that the heater? If so, who's the unlucky guy or gal whose legs are gonna get cooked there?

Where is the heater located in the 2619, the 2720, or the 3023? I couldn't spot the heater in those pictures. My main thought about the heater (besides it being uncomfortable in the sofa area) is heat distribution. I don't know about other couples, but some ladies are inclined to get cold tootsies when they're in bed. If the heater is 20+ feet away at the sofa/couch, I would think their toes would really be cold! Any thoughts, comments would be welcome.

Can the heater be legally and SAFELY re-located to another location by the dealer if the heater's sofa location is a "deal-breaker"?

Thanks.

[masterge]

I beleive the heater is located at the same place in all moodels. My 2007 2720 has it right where you decscribe it. Suggetions might be to use electric blankets or a space heater if you don't want to have it on and someone will be sitting there.

[Hitheroadave]

I have a 2007 ,3326 and the heater is mounted under the back seat( blows towards the isle) of the dinnette across from the kitchen sink. This is about mid trailer and seems to work well.

Dave

[Joe]

We have a 2720SL and the heater is under the sofa as has been described. We us an electric heater that has 2 heat levels, 750 and 1000 watts. Most of the time we only use the electric heater. When we do have to use the gas heater we set the electric heater on low heat and keep the fan running. When the temperature drops, the gas heater comes on for a few minutes.
For the bed we have an electric blanket. We turn it ON about an hour before going to bed so as to have the bed 'toasty' warm when we get in. As a plus we lay our PJ's on the bed so they will be warm also. Most of the time, after we get into bed, we set the blanket on the lowest setting, or turn it OFF.
We don't often camp in extremely cold weather but a few times we've camped when the temp was in the teens and twentys.

[smile711]

I really appreciate these helpful replies. As I read them over, I realized that I didn't mention that the GAS heater was important because I like to go "dry" camping, boondocking where there are few if any hookups. I'm used to our ALiner we have now going literally anywhere, so the new TM will be like camping at Hearst Castle! (which is about 1 hr. 10 min. north of us).

The electric heater and blanket is something I hadn't thought about, and would certainly be possible at a full hookup campsite--- I'm not sure I'd want to run a generator out in the boonies to use one,though. Maybe an extra blanket instead... Anyhow, I did read one reply re the 3326 which is the one my wife favors because of the "permanent" dinette. Apparently the heater is located in that general area which makes a LOT of sense to me from a heat distribution standpoint. Now if I can just find a late model USED 3326. That would be GREAT!

Such great advice and info, and so fast--- thanks again to everyone. And I hope all of you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

Joe

[commodor47]

smile711,

Those ladies with the cold tootsies just love sitting on a couch with a heat vent! We've spent two winters in the Benson, AZ area (where the temperature can drop into the low 20's) without any heating problems. DW loves to sit with her feet close to the heat vent. She uses a small folding chair (with open legs) to support her legs when the heat is on.

Some members use catalytic heaters to keep warm when staying at a location without shore power. We recently purchased a Portable Buddy Propane Heater as a back up heat source.

http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=41&id=24

Another new acquisition (new to us) is a heated mattress pad. It is difficult to heat the bed area in the 2720 SL so we also use a small electric heater pointed towards the bed. At night it is turned down or off, depending on the ambient temperature.

http://www.rvpartscenter.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=34726&StoreID=11&DepartmentID=84&CategoryID

Good luck with your search for TM.

[smile711]

Great idea---I'm new to all this portable stuff. esp. this portable Buddy propane heater. I will look it up later.

Thanks again for the tips, and if the heat doesn't blast out (which apparently it doesn't or your wife would be most unhappy)--- it sounds like a GUY'S concern (translated- I know about gadgets but nothing about how they influence or impact on women?). anyhow. The portable propane heater sounds possible too. Maybe there is a safe and legal way to may a connector for the portable heater down by the bed? They make them for those outdoor grills; I've seen them. They connect to a flex hose that is somehow off of the same line the main stove is connected too. Except that the outdoor part has a quick disconnect you just pop your outdor grill into and voila, outdoor grill. Granted, this was about 12 years ago at an RV show near LA, so knowing things as they are now, it's probably been banned by the safety folks.

Anybody know for sure whether you can connect a Quick-connnect/disconnect off the gas line in a TM to connect in the properly outfitted propane gas heater ?

Thanks,
Joe

[dlkcub]

We have a 98 3326 and the heater is under the back seat of the dinnette just like the was stated for the 2007 so I must assume that for the 3326 it's always been there. We have only used the heater a few times as we usually only camp where we have electricity when it's cold.

Dave

[PopBeavers]

We normally only use the furnace while sleeping. For us the furnace runs for about 5 minutes each hour. The minimum setting on the furnace is about 55 degrees. I wish I could set it lower.

We only camp from April through November, and not in the snow. Might try the coast in january this time.

It just isn't cold enough in California to use the heater all that much.

On our 2720 the furnace is under the bed/dinettte. I was concerned about trapped heat in such an enclosed space. Then I discovered how little we use the furnace, so I no longer think about it. I do try to remember to not store stuff in front of the furnace. The space under the dinette/bed is a good storage space for over night stuff like shoes and duffle bags.

[Bill]

There was a L-O-N-G thread on this topic a couple years ago, from someone getting panicky about burned legs. I can't find it at the moment, but I'll post if I do. At any rate, the conclusion was that the furnace puts out a lot of heat, but it also blows a lot of air, so the temp of the air is warm - no one gets burned. As was pointed out above, that flow of warm air is welcome on a cool night. No one gets burned.

The question about moving air to the rear bed is harder to address if you are dry camping and a fan is not an option. The cold-feet answers include preventing infiltration of cold air (many threads on this), adding an extra blanket over your feet, or using (dare I say it?) a hot water bottle. But those of us who have winter-camped do not consider this to be a "deal-breaker".

It is certainly possible to break into a propane line to connect a cat heater, although you have to be sure you understand the difference between high-pressure propane (right out of the bottle) and low-pressure propane (after the regulator). I'm not sure which is required by the Buddy Heater.

YMMV, of course.

Bill

[smile711]

Excellent. Thanks everyone for all the tips.

Joe

[camp2canoe]

We have a suggestion for circulating warm air throughout the TM when boondocking. We carry a portable fan which is very compact and runs on 4 "D" cells. It has variable speeds and a soft blade that won't hurt fingers. Best of all, it is extremely efficient - we place one behind the wood stove in our family room and only replace batteries once a season. They claim 300 hours before changing batteries. We bought ours from www.westmarine.com where it is model number 1844851 and sells for $19.99. We use it during the summer as well and even carry it when canoe camping in a tent in July and August. -Camp2Canoe

[YWORRYDOG]

We do almost the same, only we use the 12 Volt Endless Breeze Box Fan. It can take the hot air from the ceiling and push it to the bed area. It doesn’t seem to take a lot of current on low, so it will run all night with the furnace cycling off and on. Our battery is a group 31.

[countrygirl]

Use a goose down comforter and/or flannel orrr fleece sheets.

[grill-n-go]

We use the smaller model of the Buddy Heater with a seperate 20 Lb bottle and a 12 Ft. hose which lets us keep the propane outside and bring the hose into the trailer through a small gap either by the door or one of the vinyl flaps depending on where we want to place it. With temperatures outside as low as 40 degrees F we've never been uncomfortable. For sleeping purposes it's placed by the fridge and pointed towards the bed area. I don't like the idea of placing a heat source in the hallway itself nor have I ever felt the need to do so.

[Buzzardrump]

Goose down booties work wonders for cold feet :)