Heater in the belly?

[Richard6959]

I have read that some people put electric heaters in the basement of their 5th wheels. Can a heater be added to the belly of a TT? First thought is that it would be dangerous. However, with the improvement of electric heaters and their safety features, can it be done safely?

I see heaters auto shut off's if they are tipped or get to hot. I am looking at one that has a thermostat that will come on and off.

I am also considering a thermometer in the belly to monitor the temps with an alarm if it gets to hot. Lastly, considering a smoke detector in the belly.

What are your thoughts? Has anyone done this successfully?

We are going to be living in out TT this winter in the Dallas area, and I am concerned about those very cold nights.

[GaryWT]

I hate electric heat plus we close down by the end of Oct as the temps can dip below 32. I am sure there is a way if it was secured properly. Does your furnace blow down there? I know the "polar" package blow a little heat down there.

[Richard6959]

We will be living in it this winter (not by choice). I don't know if the furnace blows down there, but heat would radiate from the duct work some.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

I know the "polar" package blow a little heat down there.

Gary -
Yes, the furnace, when on, will blow a LITTLE heat down there. Personally, I would not rely on the Polar Package or any other Keystone "package" to keep the underbelly "warm".

Remember, if the furnace is not running NO heat is produced so there will be no "warm" air reaching the storage compartments or underbelly. Supplemental and SAFE electric heat - of some type - is almost a necessity.

I'd highly recommend that you search out geo's posts/threads about how he went about modifying and upgrading his entire underbelly area to do just what you are talking about. Do a forum search and you will be well rewarded with a lot of good information about this.

[geo]

Richard6959 -

I know I've given you this link before:

http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17015

On the second posting on that thread is other links that you would be interested in, such as using a Radon exhaust fan to circulate warmed air into the underbelly to keep pipes warm, straightening and re-routing twisted flexible duct work, etc. The answers are there from someone who has done it by himself! And, IMHO, if you are going to open the coroplast, I would suggest adding either rock wool or Fiberglass insulation to the underbelly! I used Fiberglass, rock wool wasn't available, but another member, Mguay, used spray foam. (He is a spray foam installer.)

If you are coming to the Dallas area, are you thinking about Destiny RV Park in the Denton area? If you are, send me a PM. We have lived in the Dallas area for 30 years, and have spent most of our lives in this locale. I have no idea what this winter holds, but last winter in December, we had 6" of ice, below freezing for 7 days, and the lowest temperature was 12F, followed by a 25F high the next day. See attached photo. Now, to follow that, just a few years ago, we had a winter that had only one night with a below freezing low. So, who knows what Ol' Man Winter will hold.

Ron

Festus2 -
I have noticed that the Search function only goes back about 500 posts in any one section. So searching for my "Underbelly" posts does not find anything. Of course, since I know when I posted them, I can find them and link them. Let me know if you would be interested in me putting together one post with the links, and then making it "sticky" to keep it on top. Maybe include Mguay's posts about foam insulation too.

Ron

[GaryWT]

I know that the "polar" package is go for about an hour at 31 degrees, lol. We camped one weekend last year where it got to about 28 and we were fine but would not risk it. I know Dallas had a nice storm or two last year based on info from Gas Monkeys but we, here in the north think Texas is hot year round.

[instymp]

I wouldn't do it but I have a fear of burning to death. If the propane heater is running in ours & many, there is a duct, small one, that blows in the belly & basement. Don't know about yours. We suppliment with an electric heater in living room during the day.

[geo]

Some more thoughts. From what I have heard, most times when a heater is added for basement heat, it is preferred to use an oil - filled heater in the storage basement and remove the wall separating the basement from the utilities and underbelly. This holds less of a fire hazard than using a ceramic or coiled-core heater. During the winter, I slide my separating wall to the side and use a small oil-filled heater, and have never seen a temperature below 50F in the basement yet.

As Festus2 mentioned, heat is only pushed into the basement by the furnace when the furnace is running, and at that, the distribution duct does a poor job of warming the tanks and pipes. See my pictures on previous posts . Radiant heat coming from the duct work will contribute nothing.

Now, running the furnace burns propane, thus many RVers prefer electric heat. And, yes, Cheap Heat is an option, but once you buy it, and have it installed, your on the topside of $1000, and have done nothing to keep the tanks, pipes, and underbelly warm. If I remember correctly, filling my 40# propane bottles at Destiny is just around $40 last time they were filled. With no additional measures, at below freezing temperatures, you could burn through 40# in 3 or 4 days, maybe less. That is why on the Alpine, I opted to push electric warmed air from the living area into the utility basement and then with a Radon fan and ducting, push that warmed air back to the pipes and tanks.

As John, Saabdoctor, and others have said, Keystone is a 4 season RV as long as one of those seasons is not winter. With modifications, a Keystone RV can be made into a 4 season RV, but it does take work.

Hope this will help.

Ron

[therink]

Personally I would not place any heater with open heat elements in the basement storage or belly. A fire waiting to happen.
I would place an incandescent light or radiant (oil filled type) heater in the basement of a fifth wheel (properly placed), but never would I put a heat generating device into the sub floor belly area. That is what the propane furnace is for.

[JRTJH]

I agree. Placing any heat generating device in an unmonitored enclosed area is a risk. Even a light bulb has been know to start a fire. Hundreds of fires every winter are caused by malfunctioning or tipped over electric heaters. I wouldn't trust any heater with an element that glows or that is too hot to touch unless it is in clear view during operation.

Keeping warm during the winter is important, but staying alive trumps comfortable use of an RV.

Modifying an RV so it is able to survive the winter is possible, but not by simply sticking a couple of electric heaters in the underbelly of a travel trailer. That's a sure way to gamble on becoming a statistic.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by therink

Personally I would not place any heater with open heat elements in the basement storage or belly. A fire waiting to happen.
I would place an incandescent light or radiant (oil filled type) heater in the basement of a fifth wheel (properly placed), but never would I put a heat generating device into the sub floor belly area. That is what the propane furnace is for.

I think we all agree that having an element/ceramic or other heat-generating heater is not a wise choice but placing an oil-filled one in that area is much safer and one that I would suggest.

The propane furnace, by itself may be marginally "ok" for the living area but is grossly inefficient for keeping the underbelly and surrounding area where water lines are routed adequately warm enough to prevent freeze up. I am not talking about short, overnight-type dips below freezing but rather about several days or weeks during which there are long periods of below freezing temperatures. In this scenario, you really do need some kind of supplemental "heat" in the basement area --an oil-filled heater.

You would have to have the furnace running 24/7 and I am not sure how effective it would be in preventing the underbelly area and water lines (where ever they are routed) from freezing.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by geo

Richard6959 -

I know I've given you this link before:



Festus2 -
I have noticed that the Search function only goes back about 500 posts in any one section. So searching for my "Underbelly" posts does not find anything. Of course, since I know when I posted them, I can find them and link them. Let me know if you would be interested in me putting together one post with the links, and then making it "sticky" to keep it on top. Maybe include Mguay's posts about foam insulation too.

Ron

Ron-
If you would combine the links (yours and Mguay's) into a single post, we can make a sticky from it. Thanks.

Festus2

[mikell]

4 Michigan winters with an oil filled heater in the basement with one wall panel removed also put 2" of Styrofoam on the backside of the propane tank in the basement. Climb in the basement during the day and plug everywhere you see light