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Old 03-10-2019, 01:14 PM   #1
KC10Chief
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Tank heaters? AC or DC?

My 2019 Cougar 29BHS has heated tanks. I've noticed that the switches will stay lit when I'm just running on battery power. Are they DC powered? There is no info from Keystone. Would be nice to know if I needed to tow with some fluid in the tanks when below freezing. My storage unit has power as well. Just curious how they work. Thanks!
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Old 03-10-2019, 01:19 PM   #2
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Tank heaters? AC or DC?

Should be 12V. They a pad that is glued to the holding tank near the drain. The idea is they get warm enough to keep the liquid from freezing at the drain. Do you need liquid in the tank when towing? Not really.
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Old 03-10-2019, 03:05 PM   #3
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I'd like to avoid it for sure. But I do some boon docking in the winter. I might need to go somewhere with the fresh tank full and return with the other tanks partially full. Can't dump a black tank out in the middle of nowhere.
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Old 03-10-2019, 03:14 PM   #4
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I don't think you mean "can't" - I think you mean "shouldn't"

Just kidding (in case the smiley face wasn't enough).
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Old 03-10-2019, 03:30 PM   #5
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I had a tank heater on my last trailer. It was dealer installed, and would run on 12v via a switch or 120v with a seperate plug in. I am not sure on a factory installed heater.
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Old 03-10-2019, 03:37 PM   #6
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According to the Keystone website, https://www.keystonerv.com/travel-tr...tures-options/ the Climate Guard Protection Package has the following:

•Astrofoil Insulated Slide Floors
•Astrofoil Insulated Underbelly
•Reflective Foil Insulated Front Cap
•Forced-Air Heated and Enclosed Underbelly
•12 Volt Heat Pads on Holding Tanks
•Heated/Enclosed Dump Valves
•Heated/ Enclosed Convenience Center
•Dual Attic Vents

Whether the 12 Volt Heat Pads are switch controlled or operated by the "in command" system is something I can't answer. But they are powered by 12 volts. That would tell me that we're going to start getting "dead battery reports" from people who have a single GP24 battery, decide to dry camp for a weekend, turn their furnace on, thermostat to 72, turn on the tank heaters and watch TV with an inverter for a couple hours, go to bed at 11PM and wake up to a cold trailer at 1AM (if the battery will even last that long)....

If you're dry camping and "forget to turn off the tank heaters".... Well, you get the idea. It may be a "Climate Guard Protection Package" but if you're dry camping (without a generator or shore power) you are critically limited on how useful those 12 VDC heat pads really are.....
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Old 03-11-2019, 04:19 PM   #7
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Well, I have a generator for boon docking. Not too worried about the battery. It's plugged into my truck when being towed. My concern is if I have to fill the fresh tank with water and drive another ten or fifteen miles in freezing temps before I can get set up.
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Old 03-11-2019, 05:47 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Whether the 12 Volt Heat Pads are switch controlled or operated by the "in command" system is something I can't answer.
I've got a 2019 in a slightly different model, and the three tank heater switches are separate, above the InCommand control panel, not integrated.
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Old 03-11-2019, 07:33 PM   #9
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I've got a 2019 in a slightly different model, and the three tank heater switches are separate, above the InCommand control panel, not integrated.
Same on our 2018 Alpine, the 3 switches are separate, located inside under the In Command panel. My question is 3 switches 4 tanks, does the gray tank switch turn on heaters on both gray tanks?
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Old 03-12-2019, 06:10 AM   #10
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Same on our 2018 Alpine, the 3 switches are separate, located inside under the In Command panel. My question is 3 switches 4 tanks, does the gray tank switch turn on heaters on both gray tanks?
You'll probably find that the fresh water tank does not have a heater blanket installed. The original "feature list" from Keystone says, "•12 Volt Heat Pads on Holding Tanks" (not on "all water tanks").
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Old 03-12-2019, 04:00 PM   #11
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You'll probably find that the fresh water tank does not have a heater blanket installed. The original "feature list" from Keystone says, "•12 Volt Heat Pads on Holding Tanks" (not on "all water tanks").
Fresh water holding tank? I have three switches and four tanks as well. I asked the dealer about this when I bought it and they seemed pretty clueless.
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Old 03-12-2019, 04:29 PM   #12
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I think they only heat the tanks with dump valves (black and grey tanks).
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Old 03-12-2019, 07:48 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
You'll probably find that the fresh water tank does not have a heater blanket installed. The original "feature list" from Keystone says, "•12 Volt Heat Pads on Holding Tanks" (not on "all water tanks").
Now I'm thinking my memory is going (again) but I'd swear the switches are marked black, gray, & fresh. I'll check tomorrow if it stops raining and I can venture outside.
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Old 03-13-2019, 11:49 AM   #14
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I wasn't able to check out the switches in my rig earlier because I had a guest in residence, but after they left this morning, I was able to determine that they are clearly marked fresh, gray, and black. So it looks like the fresh tank is indeed heated, and it looks like both gray tanks are operated from the common switch.
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Old 03-13-2019, 12:17 PM   #15
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I wasn't able to check out the switches in my rig earlier because I had a guest in residence, but after they left this morning, I was able to determine that they are clearly marked fresh, gray, and black. So it looks like the fresh tank is indeed heated, and it looks like both gray tanks are operated from the common switch.
Does your trailer have one or two gray valves? If I remember, there are a couple of models that have combined both gray tanks with a manifold system which has only one valve to dump both tanks. Is yours like that?
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Old 03-13-2019, 12:29 PM   #16
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My 2019 26RBSWE (which should be posting in my signature, but looks like I need to see why it isn't) has two separate gray tanks, each with its own outlet and pull handle.
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Old 03-13-2019, 12:48 PM   #17
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Interesting. From your description, apparently there are four tank heaters controlled by three switches with two gray tank heaters wired to one switch...
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Old 03-13-2019, 08:14 PM   #18
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Interesting. From your description, apparently there are four tank heaters controlled by three switches with two gray tank heaters wired to one switch...
Isn't too often that we get to show John something new to him!
Checked my switches today and they also are marked Fresh, Gray and Black and both gray tanks have their own dump valves.
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