Furnace

[Glamper1]

Is programming this thing braindamaging or is it me?
All I want is to be able to turn it on when its cold and off when its not
I have a 2014.5 AI
Thanks!!!!!

[Lily&Me]

I don't know what you have, but my propane furnace has to be pushed to a "click" at the lowest range, to keep it from coming on by itself.


Maggie

[Glamper1]

Im thinking that if im plugged into shore power to just go with my little space heater instead of the furnace....at least while im awake.
They say space heaters shouldnt be used while asleep so I guess while asleep, the propane heater is the safest option on or off shore power.
Is that correct y'all?
THANKS AGAIN !

[Lily&Me]

I didn't realize initially that you are in a Class B.

If you're plugged into electricity, of course use your space heater. We pay the same site fee as bigger rigs, seems to even things out.

We have always run our space heater at night, and never once had a problem. Should there be a problem....there is a front and a back door.

Unless it is bitter cold, the space heater can run you right out, it does such a good job of warming a small space.


Maggie

[UKDUDE]

Here's the manual for the Dometic Thermostat:
http://www2.dometic.com/8dc07cfd-4b7...e4e0084e.fodoc

In the Interstate you have just one zone, don't really need any programming; just set it on, then set Mode to either Heat or Cool as required. Then arrows on the right to increase or decrease temperature. Pretty simple. Gas has to be on of course.

But I agree with Maggie, if you're hooked up, use a small ceramic space heater with temperature adjustment, not the furnace. And you can leave it on all night.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Glamper1

They say space heaters shouldn;t be used while asleep so I guess while asleep, the propane heater is the safest option on or off shore power.

Electric space heaters are fine while you're asleep— as long as you buy one with a tip-over switch on the bottom so that if it happens to fall over it shuts off.

However, if it's cold enough to also need the tank heaters on the fresh and gray tanks, you shouldn't use an electric space heater or the electric mode of the water heater; you'll be coming perilously close to your 30-amp limit will all of them sucking down electricity at once.

[jerhofer]

If you have accidentally set a program for the furnace, that may be the problem with getting it to turn on. In the thermostat instructions it shows how to remove all programs. Do that and the furnace will work like you think it should. Ask me how I know this!!!

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

However, if it's cold enough to also need the tank heaters on the fresh and gray tanks, you shouldn't use an electric space heater or the electric mode of the water heater; you'll be coming perilously close to your 30-amp limit will all of them sucking down electricity at once.

Well, you should certainly do the math for your own particular situation, but in general, those tank heaters don't draw that much current. It is rare to see one that draws 2 amps @120VAC. A 1200 watt heater would be 10 amps. Generally speaking, I think you would be fine if you have 30 amp service.

[Glamper1]

I didnt know that the 2014.5 AI has tank heaters !

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Electric space heaters are fine while you're asleep— as long as you buy one with a tip-over switch on the bottom so that if it happens to fall over it shuts off.

However, if it's cold enough to also need the tank heaters on the fresh and gray tanks, you shouldn't use an electric space heater or the electric mode of the water heater; you'll be coming perilously close to your 30-amp limit will all of them sucking down electricity at once.

I plug mine into the socket behind the driver's seat near the floor, so it's well out of the way of night journeys from bed to bathroom. But if you have animals, I definitely wouldn't use an electric space heater.

I have watched the amp usage when turning on the tank heaters and have been surprised to see only a small difference - perhaps one amp.

[Lily&Me]

Lily, and before her, Gus, had no problems wth our space heaters.

Navigated around them deftly, and never knocked them over, even in the Interstate.

Unless you have a particularly rowdy animal, and one which would be so during the night....in which case I, personally, would confine them at bedtime.....I wouldn't let that stop you. Our dogs always slept when we slept, but for the occasional trip for a drink of water.

Do what makes sense to you, for your particular situation.



Maggie

[73shark]

Maybe Protag was thinking about the amount of current that the tank heaters use at 12V DC which is what they run on even on shore power. (I think)

[avanti]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Maybe Protag was thinking about the amount of current that the tank heaters use at 12V DC which is what they run on even on shore power. (I think)

Watts are watts. You can do the calculation in 12V amps rather than 120V amps if you like, but you will reach the same conclusion (modulus any conversion losses that may be involved, which will not be material).

BTW: There are three kinds of tank heater pads: 12VDC, 120VAC, and those that take both. They do not use significantly different amounts of power, though. These things rely on low, continuous heat, not at all like a space heater.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by avanti

Well, you should certainly do the math for your own particular situation, but in general, those tank heaters don't draw that much current. It is rare to see one that draws 2 amps @120VAC. A 1200 watt heater would be 10 amps. Generally speaking, I think you would be fine if you have 30 amp service.

The tank heaters on my Interstate are 12vDC, not 120vAC (Page H-10 and H-11 of the 2012 Airstream Interstate owner's manual). The information I got from Foley RV when I bought my Interstate is that the tank heaters would completely deplete my house batteries overnight so I should only use them if hooked up to shore power.

I don't know exactly what the draw is on the tank heaters; they aren't fused, but instead have self-resetting thermal breakers, so I can't even estimate based on fuse capacity. But estimating based on completely draining 160 amp-hours of battery capacity in 8 hours of use tells me about 20 amps.

Y'all do what you want, but I for one do not use a portable electric heater when I'm also using the tank heaters. I'm I'm being overly cautious, then so be it.

[UKDUDE]

The 2015 Owners Manual is worth downloading since it has wiring diagrams (whoopee) and I can see the heating pads are each 68W - so combined that's just over 1 amp. However, a much bigger problem is if the water heater is on electric: that uses 1400W - 11-12 amps. So with that on, and an electric furnace running, you may be getting near the 30 amp limit, especially if other minor appliances are also running.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

The 2015 Owners Manual is worth downloading since it has wiring diagrams (whoopee) and I can see the heating pads are each 68W - so combined that's just over 1 amp.

By my calculations, that's 5.6 amps for 68 watts at 12v. But still a lot less than I was led to believe!

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

By my calculations, that's 5.6 amps for 68 watts at 12v. But still a lot less than I was led to believe!

68 watts for each tank pad. There are 2.

[UKDUDE]

I should add that when plugged into shore power we're monitoring the systems as seen on the Power Control Systems display, since that will start to shed the major appliances when you go over the limits; and that is at 120V. So I believe you should calculate the amperage based on 120V, not 12V.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

I should add that when plugged into shore power we're monitoring the systems as seen on the Power Control Systems display, since that will start to shed the major appliances when you go over the limits; and that is at 120V. So I believe you should calculate the amperage based on 120V, not 12V.

That is correct. There will be some conversion loss, but not enough to matter. These pads really are nearly insignificant if you are plugged in.

This does not really contradict the advice that your dealer gave. 11 amps for 8 hours is 88 amp/hours. That will indeed put a serious dent in an average house battery.

[73shark]

Originally Posted by avanti

Watts are watts. You can do the calculation in 12V amps rather than 120V amps if you like, but you will reach the same conclusion (modulus any conversion losses that may be involved, which will not be material).

BTW: There are three kinds of tank heater pads: 12VDC, 120VAC, and those that take both. They do not use significantly different amounts of power, though. These things rely on low, continuous heat, not at all like a space heater.

Watts were not mentioned, we were talking current. So the current at 120VAC would be about 1/10 of the 12VDC current ignoring convertor losses. Since he was plugged in to shore power, I don't think it's a serious AC draw compared to other AC loads.