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Old 05-08-2010, 05:08 PM   #1
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Quiet electric heat - is it possible?

The A/C in heat pump mode is Loud. The furnace is Loud.

I have radiant hot water heat in my stick house which is completely silent. I want to hear the crickets.

Has anyone performed an electric heat conversion that is quiet? Any advice? I'm using portable heaters now for this but don't like them from a standpoint of safety or convenience.
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Old 05-08-2010, 06:13 PM   #2
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I agree the heat pump is loud. The furnace, not bad at all.

For electric heat (or heat pump) you will need a generator which is much louder than the crickets. If you are in a campground with electric hookup, your neighbors' heat pump or air conditioner will drown out the crickets as well.

You could use a plug in oil-filled radiant heater and/or electric blanket with hookups or generator.

The great thing about Minnesota camping is you don't need A/C most of the summer, just open a window. Freeze warning in the 20's for tonight (May 8).
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Old 05-08-2010, 06:15 PM   #3
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We use the oil-filled heater in our trailer, and it is very quiet. As long as electricity is not a problem, it works well.
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Old 05-08-2010, 06:45 PM   #4
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Terry, what kind of Oil filled heater, and is it permanently mounted?
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Old 05-08-2010, 08:26 PM   #5
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WE use a small ceramic heater (twenty bucks from Walmart) and it will roast peanuts and people. However in more extreme temps we use a Mr. Heater attached to the top of a propane tank which works really cook.
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Old 05-08-2010, 09:23 PM   #6
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I am piecing together a hot water system (on a shoestring budget) similar to this: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f287...ler-23048.html

I doubt it will be silent but there should be no/low vibrations.
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Old 05-08-2010, 09:39 PM   #7
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This may be a bit off track for what you are looking for. At one time I had a conversation with a guy who had radiant heat in his Airstream.
I did not see the installation but here is his description as I remember it. Stock water heater with an “efficient Swiss made 12 volt circulator pump”, with radiators in front and back, on a loop spliced into the inlet and outlet of the water heater.
I believe he said he could run this even while boon docking off battery and propane alone for a few days.
Only his description, but something to sleep on during a cold spring night.

Tom
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Old 05-08-2010, 10:01 PM   #8
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We installed a Pic-a-watt wall heater on our 34' trailer - when installing, you can select the watt rating - the range is from 500 to 1500 watts in 250 watt increments. There is also a Pic-a-watt version with a dial on the front of the heater that selects the wattage based on available power. KING ELECTRIC - Electric Heaters - SELECTION OF ELECTRIC HEATERS - Manufacturer of Electric Heaters and Thermostats, buy electric heater, buy thermostat, wholesale electric heaters, wholesale thermostats, retail electric heaters, retail thermostats,
This heater is very quiet, hardly know it's on compared to the heat pump.
And, this product is made in the good old USA!
We have used the diesel fired hot water heater on our boat before - this type of system requires a "blower" to deliver heat to specific areas. Google Webasto Hydronic heaters.
In the early 1990's, there was an equivalent propane fired system called the "Hot Box", which was manufactured in Europe.
One of the problem with the "hydronic" heaters is that you have to have a 1) source to heat the water i.e. the "boiler", 2) a system of hoses to deliver the hot water 3) a "blower" to distribute the heat. Each blower require 12V power as well.
When you factor in the costs & installation, it's probably more economical to install a heater such as the Pic-a-Watt & buy a Honda generator.
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Old 05-08-2010, 10:22 PM   #9
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We use a Olympian RV Wave catalytic heater for most all our heating needs...yeah, I know it's not 'electric', but its quiet, and can be used anywhere - if we want 'electric' heat, we turn on an LED light next to the 'wave' heater...

Where is my swatter - that damn cricket is keeping me awake!

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Old 05-09-2010, 01:37 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jammer View Post
The A/C in heat pump mode is Loud. The furnace is Loud.

I have radiant hot water heat in my stick house which is completely silent. I want to hear the crickets.

Has anyone performed an electric heat conversion that is quiet? Any advice? I'm using portable heaters now for this but don't like them from a standpoint of safety or convenience.
Keep in mind, that in freezing temperatures, heat must be circulated thru the ducts, to protect the black, gray and water tanks.

Other than that, it's your choice.

Andy
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Old 05-09-2010, 08:26 AM   #11
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Terry, what kind of Oil filled heater, and is it permanently mounted?
It was a portable oil filled heater we paid $40 for at WalMart.
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Old 05-09-2010, 10:37 AM   #12
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In addition to being noisy the issue we had with the furnace and the typical ceramic heater was the temperature variation - by the time they kicked on you were cold and by the time they kicked off you were hot.

The oil filled radiator was much better on both accounts - but I still found it challenging to find the "magic" spot on its built in thermostat - on cool nights it was inevitable that I would have to get up in the middle of the night to adjust the setting (never did figure out why this was my exclusive responsibility .....)

This past year I installed 2 small 120 volt baseboards (400W each) - one under the dinette and the other by the entrance door. They are each switched separately and married to a digital thermostat that has a variance of +/- .15 degrees C. This gives us very even, quiet temperature control - very comfortable. These heaters are small - but so is the trailer - they do very well above freezing temperatures - anything below freezing and the furnace will supplement.



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Old 05-09-2010, 11:53 AM   #13
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setting the sweet spot on thermostats is a common problem. most often i've seen this with air conditioners. i tell people to find the right temperature setting for the middle of the night and leave it there! that is your sweet spot. in some extremes of climate you will have to use a day sweet spot and a night one. body temps vary by activity and time of day. also, the setting of "warmer" or "colder" is a bit of a misnomer. the device just runs "longer" or "shorter". turning the ac to colder does not change the output temp on the unit.

combination units that both heat and cool, can be capable of bending heat and cooling.
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Old 05-09-2010, 05:50 PM   #14
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My father recently had what I thought was a brilliant idea, and I'm not sure yet why AS and other manufacturers have not done this... Why not install in-floor heating elements? It would be completely silent heat, assuming you were plugged into electrical power. This is a website that provides similar products for home use:

www.warmlyyours.com

I've even thought of buying a simple heating mat from Indus-Tool:

Home page Cozy Products Personal Heaters

An 18" x 36" mat is only about $75, and as small as my trailer is, I wonder if it might not provide a surprising amount of heat.


Am I off my rocker?
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Old 05-09-2010, 05:59 PM   #15
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Quiet heat

DITTO

But Andy is right, if it dips below 30 the tanks need some heat to them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by overlander63 View Post
We use the oil-filled heater in our trailer, and it is very quiet. As long as electricity is not a problem, it works well.
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Old 05-12-2010, 02:57 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whitelight View Post
We installed a Pic-a-watt wall heater on our 34' trailer - when installing, you can select the watt rating - the range is from 500 to 1500 watts in 250 watt increments. There is also a Pic-a-watt version with a dial on the front of the heater that selects the wattage based on available power.
Whitelight that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

Where did you install it? How did you wire it? Any advice on how best to go about this?
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Old 05-12-2010, 03:17 PM   #17
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Here's a picture of the installation. This area is to the inside of the wheel well. There used to be a louvered cover where the heater is now.

The heater requires about 4" behind it for clearance. You do need to have open space in front as well, plus they recommend about 3-4" above the floor.

We purchased the heater from Prosupply Buy King Heaters Online!!!
You will also have to buy the single pole thermostat to turn on/regulate the heater.

We connected the heater to a spare 20 amp outlet by wiring a 12/3 electrical cable directly into the heater & then plugging it in.

Two of these heaters were installed on a sailboat that we owned & they gave us years of service. Periodically, we removed the front grille & removed any accumulated "dust bunnies." On the sailboat, the heaters were wired directly into the 120 V panel; each heater hat its own separate circuit breaker.
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Old 05-12-2010, 03:21 PM   #18
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Picture of install?

For some strange reason, when I went to upload the picture, the "Reply" screen went "blank" - the picture didn't seem to upload!

This picture is located in our personal picture section.
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Old 05-12-2010, 04:34 PM   #19
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For some strange reason, when I went to upload the picture, the "Reply" screen went "blank" - the picture didn't seem to upload!

This picture is located in our personal picture section.
If it works, here's your picture:
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Old 05-12-2010, 04:49 PM   #20
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We use a ceramic space heater and have a Cat Wave 8 for backup.

I'm intrigued with this setup http://www.solarhaven.org/HPArticle.htm
and have it on my "Future Experiments List" which in real life means that I'll probably never get to it.

The concept is interesting but there are obstacles I would need to consider before proceeding.
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