A mattress heater?

[Steve S]

I won a pallet of mattress heaters today at an auction and I got to thinking if I could use one to keep the fresh water tank from freezing in the winter.
They're 110 and have thermostats so I'm thinking these should work great.
Good idea? Bad idea?

[antiqfreq]

Well I never thought of using them for that. Let us know how that goes!

Jo

[JRTJH]

The only consideration I'd have is water from condensation. I know there's a warning on the mattress pad we have (yes it gets cold in Michigan) is not to use it on beds where the "occupants" might pee while sleeping. Just how much condensation from temperature differences would occur would be my biggest concern. If the mattress pad ever got wet, you'd have a big mold problem as well as an electrical hazard on your hands. I'd suggest sticking to the "intended product" that's weather resistant as well as much better suited for the task. (just my opinion yours may vary)...

[geo]

SteveS -

Probably a bad idea. The mattress heater is larger than the fresh water tank. To properly transfer heat and to prevent "hot spots" in the heater, the heater needs to be in continuous contact with the tank. On a mattress, the heater would be spread across the mattress and in constant contact with the surface of the mattress. On tank heaters, one is warned to make sure that there are no air gaps or non-contact areas when attaching the heater to the tank. Mattress heaters have a warning that the heating element must be spread evenly on the mattress and not "doubled over". Geometrically speaking, there's just not going to be a good way to evenly attach a twin mattress heater to a fresh water tank without non-contact or doubling over.

What are the consequences? Well, my parents had a mattress heater pad inside which a heating wire broke. My dad, thinking he could fix it, found the break and soldered the two ends back together. This probably changed the resistance between the in-pad thermostats, because when he plugged it back in, the control unit overheated and actually started smoldering! Also, if the pad is not in continuous contact, the "free air" unattached part will become overheated and probably burn out - hopefully not causing a fire.

Now, it is only my personal opinion, so take it for what it is worth, but have you thought about selling the mattress heaters on eBay and using the proceeds to buy actual RV tank heaters? Might be safer.

Ron

[HappyCamperMN]

I agree with geo. The risk / reward considerations are tilted heavily to the risk side on this one.

[Andymon]

Originally Posted by Steve S

I won a pallet of mattress heaters today at an auction and I got to thinking if I could use one to keep the fresh water tank from freezing in the winter.
They're 110 and have thermostats so I'm thinking these should work great.
Good idea? Bad idea?

If you could, I don't think it would stay warm all the time as usually mattress heaters will cycle off after about 8 hours or so.

[hoffbrew]

Tell me more about these mattress heaters....

[Sofia Leo]

I agree with Geo, too. Is there a rule about not selling here? I know some people who could use some mattress heaters

[HappyCamperMN]

Originally Posted by Sofia Leo

I agree with Geo, too. Is there a rule about not selling here? I know some people who could use some mattress heaters

There is a wanted/for sale forum. And PM messages work too...

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by Sofia Leo

I agree with Geo, too. Is there a rule about not selling here? I know some people who could use some mattress heaters

Members can use the For Sale/Wanted section to advertise RV related items that are for sale or wanted. I think Steve might be better off trying to sell them on Craig's List or wait 'til winter and give them to his friends.

By the time you factor in shipping charges from Canada, it would probably be cheaper to go out and buy one from Walmart - if you can find a "heater" this time of year.

[Steve S]

Thanks for the great replies I here the words condensation, electrical hazards and that says fire to me and there's a big NO!
I looked on eBay today and they have a tank heater for 24 bucks, it seems small but would it work? It's 7x12 with no thermostat which is fine for me and its 25 bucks. It glues to the tank and I can have a switch inside.
As for the pallet of mattress heaters they'll be kept in storage until winter as I'll make some good coin on them.
I paid a dollar for the pallet and can sell it for 800, splitting it up piece by piece then adding shipping and duty plus time and labor due isn't a good financial move for me.

[Steve S]

This is the one I'm looking at. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-Rv-Camper...vxp=mtr&_uhb=1
Would it work well or should I buy a bigger one?

[Steve S]

Any opinions?