Supplemental Heaters - Who's using what?
First, forgive me if this topic has been discussed elsewhere or is old news...
I own a 2005 2619 and usually camp about 6 to 8 times per year or more. A favorite trip is from San Diego, CA (Home) to Moab, Utah in October and sometimes in December for Jeep runs. These trips typically last a couple weeks for some quality R & R time in a few nice RV parks along the way.
After a few trips in some pretty cold weather (see image below) I learned pretty early on that having a nice electric heater to supplement the onboard Suburban gas heater can really save $$$ on butane and many times ends up being my sole source for heat on any given day.
So far I have used a small but powerful 1500W ceramic blower type heater that I place in the hallway just in from of the back bed blowing towards the front and sometimes assist with a 6" ocilliating fan to help distribute the warm air. It works very well on most trips that are above 50-degrees or so I can use that heater without using the Suburban gas heater at all.
However I would prefer something a bit safer and less toxic smelling. The heater puts out an odor smelling like pretty potent plastic fumes and I am not fully comfortable with what those fumes might be. It's never changed, it always had that odor. Plus the heater can be noisy at night BUT not nearly as loud as the stock Suburban gas heater built-in to the 2619. So the main concerns for me are fire saftey and fumes.
Recently a fellow RVer and good friend mentioned that he bought an oil filled, radiator type heater that he really likes and uses in his 36 foot RV. This year we have a Moab trip coming up in December/January so I decided to buy an oil filled radiator type heater and see how it works out. I got a 1500W/900W/600W Delonghi Dragon series (TRD0715T) for around $60 from Amazon. I have been testing the unit at home and am very impressed with just how cleanly and quietly it puts out fantastic heat, LOTS and LOTS of heat. One aspect people seem to dislike about the other ceramic or orange glowing element blower type heaters is what they can do to the air, by drying it out and altering (burning) the oxygen in subtle ways because of the way they produce heat. These oil filled radiator type heaters don't have those problems. Initially when new they need to be "burned-in" to remove a protective coating they apply for shipping, but after that it's odor free, works great.
They aren't necessarily any cheaper to run than other types of heaters BUT in every RV park I have stayed in the power is a flat rate included in the space fee, so while camping using electic heaters makes lots of "Cents", literally.
I plan on putting this unit at the end of the dinette. The Dragon models primary blow heat out of the top using well designed heat pipe on the sides. That way they also stay relativley cool on the sides, allowing safe placement adjacent to the dinette. This heater was designed with saftey in mind, I like that, especially for RVing. I also plan on using a small 6" oscillating fan set on the dinette table blowing across the top of the heater to help distribute the warm around around the RV.
It's probably obvious I am very pleased with this new heater for winter tirps in my TM. It much safer and cleaner, with a touch of old fashioned functionality of silent radiantiator heat..
I opened this thread because I imagine other people have favorite ways they supplement their heating in their TMs during the winter time, and it might be interesting to see what people are using, either happy or unhappy with and share their thoughts. With wintertime bearing down this might be a timely topic for some.
Take care and as always, Happy Camping!
Bob.
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