12 V heat pads for tanks?

Courser Farm · 11-27-2021, 01:50 PM

Hi to all you brilliant sages:
We have a 2021 Cougar 24RDS with the climate guard package, and I know that the propane furnace heats the belly. I keep seeing folks looking for 12V heating pads under their tanks........ so I looked unsuccessfully for the switches referred to by many in this forum. Then I looked at the specs supposedly for this model and they refer to the forced hot air going into the belly.. BUT THEN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH REFERS TO THE 12V HEAT PADS! So I don't think we have or need heat pads since the forced hot air goes throughout the belly ( as long as the heat is on!!) but asking you experts if I'm wrong. Again. LOL. Thanks!

ASCTLC · 11-27-2021, 03:19 PM

I'm sure most have their own thoughts on which to use and when. If you're plugged into 120v all the time it only matters that you have water in the tank so you don't melt your tank with the heat pad.

How I use the furnace and/or tank pad heaters though is to use the furnace forced heat for keeping my belly warm...but that's because I'm boondocking and have to be very diligent with my generator and battery use.

95% of the time it all that's needed during freezing temperatures while boondocking with very limited generator power usage. To run the 12v tank pad heaters would eat the battery power severely and likely put me in a charging hole I wouldn't be able to dig myself out of with only a 3-4 hours a day generator run time.

However, there can be a time I have used the tank pad heaters. This past hunting season actually. I lost furnace functionality overnight and the belly got down to 32 degrees. While I was working on the furnace repair, I had the generator running and since I had 120v available for battery charging and excess converter capacity above what the batteries needed, I turned on my tank heaters.

My reasoning was 2 fold: 1) I didn't have to worry about excess 12v run down of the batteries while the generator ran and 2) with the belly having got so cold that night I used the tank heaters to get all that water mass heated up so that when the furnace did run those super cold tanks didn't suck all that heat away. The warm tanks (65 degrees) combined with the furnace once I got it fixed dug me out of that near freezing hole I was in that next morning.

Once the tank heaters did their job of getting the tanks to 65 degrees and shut off (I could see the amperage use that showed when they turned on and off) I was caught back up belly heat wise and never used them again for the rest of the 10 days boondocking.

Whether the tank heaters are actually needed though is a rarity if the furnace is kept going and keeping the belly warm but so helpful if you have to get the belly heat caught back up if you somehow let the belly get way too cold.

That's how I use them.

Andy

Courser Farm · 11-28-2021, 04:55 AM

Wow thanks for all the details! I didn't make myself very clear: do we have heating pads or not? and as I have looked everywhere for a switch... is there one? As a reminder this is a 2021 Cougar 5er 24RDS.

ASCTLC · 11-28-2021, 05:12 AM

Sorry Alan, I interpreted it as more about do you need them.

I see indication that waste tank heater pads are an included feature if the camper has the Climate Guard option package. I believe that is likely so but wouldn't bet my life that's 100% true.

I don't know the details of your specific model but in case it helps, my heater pad switches are inside in my passenger side pass thru door. When I open this door, they're to my left mounted on the bulk head, not part of the Command Panel control inside the camper like everything else is.

Hope that points you to them (if you have them) or someone who knows that specific model can direct you better.

Andy

Kootbiker · 11-28-2021, 08:40 AM

If you have tank heaters the switches are shown in your In Command panel.

Courser Farm · 11-28-2021, 08:54 AM

Thanks Kootbiker. That is definitive! We don't have tank heating pads! Many thanks!

AZtrailer · 12-04-2021, 06:11 AM

Courser,
I have the same fifth wheel as you do, a 2021 Cougar 24RDS. The rig does come with tank heaters. The tank heater controls are hidden in one of the screens of the In-Command control panel. To find them do the following;
At the main screen touch one of the tank level indicators at the top of the screen. This will take you to a screen that shows the holding tank levels and there will be boxes that allow you to turn on and off the tank heaters.

Courser Farm · 12-04-2021, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZtrailer

Courser,
I have the same fifth wheel as you do, a 2021 Cougar 24RDS. The rig does come with tank heaters. The tank heater controls are hidden in one of the screens of the In-Command control panel. To find them do the following;
At the main screen touch one of the tank level indicators at the top of the screen. This will take you to a screen that shows the holding tank levels and there will be boxes that allow you to turn on and off the tank heaters.

AZtrailer-- wow you rock! I'll go out in a few and find them! Thanks so much.
Kathee (I'm the techie half but sure couldn't find this! I'll report back.)

AZtrailer · 12-04-2021, 06:37 AM

We can thank my wife, she found it by chance!

Courser Farm · 12-04-2021, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZtrailer

We can thank my wife, she found it by chance!

Oh Mz AZTrailer! you rock. I immediately found it thanks to your advice- I only look at the levels on the top of the display!! Feeling dumb on one hand and really pleased on the other one! Thanks so much.
Kathee

Danimal713 · 12-10-2021, 06:10 AM

So some thoughts on the dealer "Climate Guard" or Extreme Weather" package as on our Croassroads Sunset Trails 291RK. (Crossroads and Keystone are both owned by Thor if I remember). I tore down the Coroplast to check some things and add some insulation, etc. To get the Coroplast down the "nails" had a hex head so I used a hex driver in my drill with a screw driver to get under washer then spun the nails out. I replaced with self taping metal screws and small fender washers. I also pre-drilled the hole so the screw didn't have to do all that work. That I-beam is fairly thick.

What I found for the 2" duct to the belly was the furnace being in the rear, the 2" duct hangs down into the belly - BEHIND THE KITCHEN GREY WATER TANK!!! Oh boy that is going to throw some major heat forward to my bathroom black & grey tanks- NOT!. I had some closed cell foam insulation rolls left over from insulation in shop so added it- R-17 is what is sposed to be rated as. I taped some along inside of frame I-beam then ran a sheet across bottom. I used foil 3M tape and it worked great (also used inside AC box to seal air leaks and make AC ducts much more efficient but a different story- basically the stuff is good). I then used PVC pipe sized close to the duct and routed it along back of tank then turned forward and drilled some 1/2" holes at an angle to direct air flow further forward. I also used the foam pipe insulation on all the Pex. Any hole in the floor was foamed. I did this for air flow control (stop leaks) but also vermin control. Now I have a much better Extreme Weather Package. I loaded a couple pictures that may not be the best quality (laying on back was grueling even with a creeper to roll on the concrete).

GeeDubb · 12-10-2021, 07:46 AM

I've got a '21 24RDS with the winter package and I can't find any indication of electric holding tank heating pads. If there were heating pads there should be fuses in the fuse panel and there aren't any labeled as such. I could not find any switches for the tank heaters.
I've got an call in to my dealer to get a clarification on whether the 24RDS is suppose to have tank heaters. My contract and the brochure list them as standard on the entire line of 1/2 ton 5th wheels so I see some interesting conversation with my dealer and Keystone.

Gary

Courser Farm · 12-10-2021, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeeDubb

I've got a '21 24RDS with the winter package and I can't find any indication of electric holding tank heating pads. If there were heating pads there should be fuses in the fuse panel and there aren't any labeled as such. I could not find any switches for the tank heaters.
I've got an call in to my dealer to get a clarification on whether the 24RDS is suppose to have tank heaters. My contract and the brochure list them as standard on the entire line of 1/2 ton 5th wheels so I see some interesting conversation with my dealer and Keystone.

Gary

Thanks to AZtrailer, I found them so to speak- did you see that you turn them on from the InCommand center? Now, I haven't looked for any fuses.... that's for another day. LOL

GeeDubb · 12-10-2021, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Courser Farm

Thanks to AZtrailer, I found them so to speak- did you see that you turn them on from the InCommand center? Now, I haven't looked for any fuses.... that's for another day. LOL

Yes, I found the switches after I finished reading this thread. Guess I should have read the thread to begin with.

I'm still tracking down the fuses. Seems odd that they wouldn't be in the fuse panel. I'm also curious as to why all four holding tanks aren't heated. I only have the fresh water and waste water tank switched. I suppose that since these two are on the ends, they are more likely to freeze than the two gray tanks that are in between them.

Gary

Colbymh5 · 01-04-2022, 11:04 PM

I have multiple pads on each tank. Whats stupid is the on/off for them was hidden under "triggers".

**flybouy** · 01-05-2022, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colbymh5

I have multiple pads on each tank. Whats stupid is the on/off for them was hidden under "triggers".

Triggers? The only triggers I know are on my guns. Oh, and one horse that Roy Rodgers rode.

Colbymh5 · 01-05-2022, 07:54 AM

Lol.. ya it makes no sense why they didnt label them as heat pads..

C&R Adventures · 01-27-2022, 06:15 PM

I have a 2022 Cougar 24RDS and I checked with Keystone as to why the heaters are only on the black and fresh tanks. They told me it was because when you are camping most people have their gray tank aligned to dump. I asked them what about when you are boondocking and they said they had not taken that into account.

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