junmy3
Middle Georgia
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Joined: 02/03/2004
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We use a small 1500W ceramic space heater that is not adequate. Today we looked a Lowes and saw a much larger heater, but is was also only 1500W. So my question is what kind of heater would be better. I know we could use the propane furnace, but prefer to not have to when we have electric hook-ups.
Jim & Junnie
2016 Jay Flight 27RLS
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mooky stinks
Cicero,NY
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We use the oil filled radiator type. Although they're also 1500watts, they produce more heat than our ceramic heater ever did. They have 3 heat settings and a thermostat and the best thing is they're completely quiet except for a click when they turn on/off. We have 2 in a 31ft trailer and they'll keep it very comfortable down into the 30's.
2020 F150 XL Screw 4x4 6.5”box
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IAMICHABOD
Sunny So Cal
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I dumped my ceramic heater and got The Vornado
I like the way it heats air in whole RV.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
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DougE
New Braunfels, Texas USA
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If you're a subscriber of KISS, this basic heater from Walmart is hard to beat. I have several.
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afidel
Cleveland
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I purchased this unit back in 2017 and it's been quite good. We've had our trailer down to the teens and woken up sweating because it managed to get it up to 80 (I've since learned that anything over about 3.5 dots will eventually get too warm, they are only to be used for initial heatup). YMMV based on a bigger trailer, more complex airflow, and perhaps worse insulation (though I doubt that, my unit is very entry level).
2019 Dutchman Kodiak 293RLSL
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Lynnmor
Red Lion
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1500 watts is about the maximum allowed in an electric heater, all of them will put out the same amount of heat. When choosing the brand or style, you just decide how you want to direct heat. If one is not enough, buy another if you have adequate wiring and power available.
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SoundGuy
S Ontario
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mooky stinks wrote:We use the oil filled radiator type. Although they're also 1500watts, they produce more heat than our ceramic heater ever did.
Your bones may believe otherwise but the fact is there's a direct correlation between electrical energy in and heat energy output, the equation being expressed as 1500 watthour = 5,118.2122198 Btu. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
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Gdetrailer
PA
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Joined: 01/05/2007
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Lynnmor wrote:1500 watts is about the maximum allowed in an electric heater, all of them will put out the same amount of heat. When choosing the brand or style, you just decide how you want to direct heat. If one is not enough, buy another if you have adequate wiring and power available.
To be clear, 1500W is the MAXIMUM ALLOWED FOR "PORTABLE" space heaters.
You CAN buy electric heaters higher than 1500W but you will need to install a dedicated circuit for it and directly wire the heater to it.
Once you go pass 1500W then the electric heater MUST be wired to a dedicated circuit just for that heater.
Typically though, wired electric heaters above 1500W will be 240V so won't work with any 30A 120V RVs.
30A 120V RV electrical service is your limiting factor in the equation 30A only gives you 3600W to work with, fridge uses 300W, converter uses some power, water heater with electric heating element if equipped takes 1200W and all of your electronic toys takes out wattage.
Typically only ONE 1500W portable space heater is all you are going to get away with.
Some enterprising folks will sneak out a extension cord to the campground shore box (making sure it is on a different breaker) in order to connect a second 1500W portable heater. If you do, make sure you use a 14ga or 12Ga extension cord and not the typical 18 ga cords folks tend to gravitate to..
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ken56
Tennessee
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We use a Vornado also and find it to be most adequate. You can't beat how quiet it is and it moves a lot of air for a small heater. Right now I'm heating a 224 sq.ft. addition with it until I get the mini split system going and it is doing great. It was 18 the other night and it kept it at 65 just fine.
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Gdetrailer
PA
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ken56 wrote:We use a Vornado also and find it to be most adequate. You can't beat how quiet it is and it moves a lot of air for a small heater. Right now I'm heating a 224 sq.ft. addition with it until I get the mini split system going and it is doing great. It was 18 the other night and it kept it at 65 just fine.
1500W IS 1500W worth of heat, doesn't matter the brand (vornado et all)or type (Oil vs fan vs ceramic).
1500W of heat with a fan pushing it can end up making you feel colder the further you are away from it due to cooler temperature of the forced air making it feel drafty.
1500W of heat from the oil filled heats up slow and will be really toasty around the heater.
Your choice, pick your poison but 1500W is 1500W and that is not changing..
The only thing the OP or anyone else can do is ADD a SECOND 1500W electric heater to the mix, but with only 30A (3600W) of electric available something must go. Going to be hard pressed to run 3000W off of 3600W of shore power capacity continually without popping the 30A main breaker!
Might be able to squeak by setting one heater to 750W if available but otherwise one will need to run an extra extension cord to the campground shore power in addition to the 30A cord..
Additionally, 1500W is roughly 5,000 BTU, small RVs typically will have 18,000 BTU furnace and larger RVs can have 30,000 BTU furnace..
5,000 BTU of heat out of one heater is a LONG, LONG stretch for heating an entire RV when considering it is a fraction of the heat a RV furnace can put out..
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