30' FC: Is one furnace enough in cold weather?

[TCwheels]

Originally Posted by timhortons

You can put some -45 washerfluid down with #1 and #2 in the bathroom on a winterized waste tank and use the potty (down to -25 I guess !) if you keep the ratio 1:1.

Never thought of that, thanks!

We do have tank heaters in the 20 but I'd rather not chance it with the fresh water tank and lines below 25F. This is a great idea to have the toilet available during cold weather camping while keeping the unit otherwise winterized.


WBCCI #7246 Michigan Unit,Texas Hill Country Unit (associate member), AIR #91367

[BAB]

I use a three prong strategy for warmth, depending on hookup status. I've found that the forward HP and the ducting will keep the trailer warm down to around 40. Also have a Dyson....and it does a great job unless it's really cold. The furnace (as everyone has pointed out), uses plenty of propane....but it really heats the trailer well, and very quickly. It also has an advantage of having ducts on the floor (heat rising)....whereas the HP dumps the heat out of the ducts on the ceiling, making it more of a challenge to move that heat downward.

[bullet661]

We have a 2014 30' FC. The heater works great. We camped at the coast with temps in the low 30s and the furnace worked like a champ. That being said, it's extremely noisy and woke everyone up each time it kicked on during the night. Due to the lack of sleep caused by the noisy furnace we bought the Dyson heater which also works well and easily fits under the queen bed.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by DHart

As Arizona residents, we don't often think much about furnaces, though it can get very cold in the high elevation parts of the state, in winter.

As we await delivery of our 2016 30FC, I'm wondering how we might expect our new airstream (2 heat pump/ACs and 1 furnace) to do in cold weather.

Does the single furnace keep the place comfy in cold weather?

I have stayed in mine overnight in -10 degree weather. The furnace kept up fine. 70 degrees inside. I have a thread or two with details and measurements and so on which you might find interesting to search for.

Heat distribution becomes a problem at higher temperatures. There are modifications you can make to address this. In general, the end of the trailer away from the furnace will be too cold with the stock ductwork.

Do any of you airstreamers feel the need to use auxillary space heaters in cold climates?

None of the portable electric heaters will provide enough heat to help in truly cold weather.

I don't recommend portable electric heaters for much of anything because of the fire risk. Certainly not in an RV.

I have a permanently installed electric heater in my Airstream, a King Pic-A-Watt, which has worked out OK for what we use it for. It will keep the trailer warm at temperatures down to about 50 degrees and is quieter than the furnace, and it has been helpful in some rare situations where we've been parked in the same location for several weeks in the fall and had the heat, in which situation it saved us the hassle of refilling the propane bottle.

Should we expect the two rooftop heat pumps and one furnace to be all we might need when visiting places in cold temps? (We don't plan to spend any time in the snow, in the Airstream.)

The heat pumps will be useless below 20 degrees. The furnace will be good down to at least -20 with no wind. On a windy night it should still be good to at least 0, maybe lower. At those temperatures a number of other problems become acute, particularly keeping the water and sewer lines from freezing, and having enough propane. (In general people use 100# propane tanks or larger on such trips)

Originally Posted by DHart

I think we will pick up the Dyson to reduce consumption of propane when shore power is available. I don't expect we will encounter lows much below 40 when we're Airstreaming.

I don't recommend that. You won't save enough propane to pay for the cost of the heater, and it is unlikely that you'll find any place in the trailer with enough clearance to comply with the suggested safe clearance to combustibles that Dyson recommends.

Dual heat pumps will keep the trailer warm by themselves down to 50 degress, perhaps as low as 40. They are loud though.

[larryglarson]

We have 30 ft. And have gone down to 4 and the furnace only ran half the time, no frozen water pipes.

[DHart]

I don't expect to be staying anywhere where freezing temps are expected. In fact if the temps get down below 40, we'll probably move along, and head south. It looks like the only reason we might make use of a small space heater, would be to just take the chill off without having to run the furnace or the heat pumps. I would think that a 750-1000w portable unit would probably do that job just fine.