2004 Airstream 19' Bambi Roof Top Heater not working well

[veg hed]

I have a 2004 19' Bambi with a Dometic rooftop heater. I'm hooked up to 30A shore power and running the heater to save propane. The heater has one temp control...ON. When it is on it doesn't see to be working well and doesn't push too much hot air. It still remains pretty cold inside the Airstream even when it's only 40 degrees outside. The heater seems weak.

So my questions are these:

Is this normal?

Is there some kind of service I can do to make it work better? I understand it's 14 years old at this point.

Is there a better heater on the market that has a temperature controlled thermostat so it doesn't run all night?

Thanks

[BigAl]

I suspect you are referring to the heat strip in your roof top airconditioner. If so it is only intended to take the chill off if it is cool out, not cold. I think it is about 700 watts.
If it is a heat pump then it should work off a thermostat.
Al

[veg hed]

Originally Posted by BigAl

I suspect you are referring to the heat strip in your roof top airconditioner. If so it is only intended to take the chill off if it is cool out, not cold. I think it is about 700 watts.
If it is a heat pump then it should work off a thermostat.
Al

Correct

[Tim A.]

Our 2002 19' Bambi has the same setup and the heat strip really does not provide much heat and the AC fan noise is quite loud. In our 16 years of ownership, we have used it perhaps 4-5 times. If you want to use electric heat instead of the propane furnace, a small portable electric heater works better and is quieter than AC heat strip.

We use one like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004473UK2...a-353894590732. When not in use, it fits conveniently in the cubbyhole below the refrigerator.

Tim

[Johnco]

I concur with Tim, we have the exact same heater and it does a great job of keeping the Bambi toasty and is very quite. The low profile makes it very easy to store.

[Silvr_Bullet]

Originally Posted by veg hed

I have a 2004 19' Bambi with a Dometic rooftop heater. I'm hooked up to 30A shore power and running the heater to save propane. The heater has one temp control...ON. When it is on it doesn't see to be working well and doesn't push too much hot air. It still remains pretty cold inside the Airstream even when it's only 40 degrees outside. The heater seems weak.

So my questions are these:

Is this normal?

Is there some kind of service I can do to make it work better? I understand it's 14 years old at this point.

Is there a better heater on the market that has a temperature controlled thermostat so it doesn't run all night?

Thanks

You may want To double check that the ‘Red’ control knob is set to the full position and all the vents are open. I found that there was a good amount of heat generated although it’s loud.

[rdb504]

I too have a Domestic AC unit with the optional heat. I believe mine has around a 1500 watt heat element. That being said, my wife's hair dryer is 1800 watts, so don't expect a whole lot of warmth. We occasionally use ours to knock the chill off on chilly mornings. I'm glad to set the furnace to come on if it gets too cold. If I ever need to replace it, I'll look into a heat pump.