Chill Factor

[randye]

HI all, my question is about heating the Montana for the Winter. We have the Fiver in Storage just across the lot were we now live in an Apt. I have the tower heaters, but have been recently told. The oil filled heaters that look like the old radiator heaters are safe to run when not in the Trailer. Would like your opinions on this. Thanks
The reason we would like to use Electric is we get that free in our benifits for the work we are doing at this Park.

[Art-n-Marge]

Well, the easy part to this is with the free electricity and being available you should use the electric and not anything powered by propane which runs out and gets expensive to keep refilling.

The concern with electric is how much electric? 15 amps, 20 amps, 30 amps, 50 amps? 15 or 20 amps usually means you run only one electric heater, then where do you place it so that it can run for long periods and not damage what's close to it, but doesn't cause a circuit breaker to set. With 30 amps you can run more heaters and distribute them throughout the rig for more even heating. 50 amps? Then rent out the rig as an apartment and make some money.

I think if it were me, I would minimize heaters that have fans, or those cheap filament heaters. I thought the radiator heaters might not reflect enough heat and aren't as efficient. Sorry I have only what not to use, hopefully someone will come along with what to use if you can provide how much power will be available. I'm guessing one or two 15 amp where one of the 15 amp can be adapted to the house circuit. Then there's concerns with running extension cords.

Other questions, Is the trailer winterized? If the electricity is plugged in are the converter and batteries still plugged in? This will affect how much electricity you can use for the heaters. How much other stuff is still "live" and can it be disconnected to save amps?

[DQDick]

One thing wrong with the tower heaters I have is that they are computer operated. When the power goes off (limb falls through a line during an ice storm) they do not reset and come back on. Not a real issue if we're around, but if we are gone for a few days it could be a disaster. We dumped them for the trailer and only use the cheaper ceramic ones now.

[NCFischers]

We have an oil filled heater that we leave on low when the Monty is in the barn to take the dampness out. It's worked great the last two winters.

[randye]

Art Thanks for your opinion. I have the Monty plugged into a regular pedestal of 30 amps. I am running a Dehumidifier full time. We are maybe 100 ft from the Trailer. I never shut off the battiers yet so its still like it would be if lived in. I have blown out the water lines, drained fresh water and the hot water heater. I will fill the lines with pink stuff soon, its still in the mid 40's here just yet. I am keeping an eye on the Weather ten days ahead so far still above 32deq. Thanks all.