Fake RV Fireplaces Fire-Up Your Propane Bill

Many RV manufacturers have been installing fake fireplaces in their RV floor plans. These are really nice for atmosphere and they actually give off heat. They also take up space that could be used for storage and most folks don't use them much. Another drawback is they use a lot of propane gas but so does your furnace. (If they are the electric models they also draw a lot of electricity - hat tip to the folks contributing in the comments section).When you're buying an RV the manufacturers are selling you a dream. They're promoting an idea of home and hearth, warmth and romance, luxury and leisure. The fake fireplace helps to sell these units otherwise they wouldn't include them. If you want the fun of the fake fireplace, then by all means, pick one of these units. If you want efficient cost effective heat then have a catalytic heater installed instead. These units will warm your RV much more efficiently and be more cost effective though less romantic. We had these fake fireplaces in our last two stick houses and only used them three or four times. Those of you who have these units in your RV's please tell us if you think they are worth having. Tell us what you think by clicking on the light blue "comments" section below. Helping you get the right options in your next RV - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RV Propane Heaters Safer Now but Still Require Caution

RVers have been using propane heat for almost as long as there have been RVs. Most RVs come with a forced air heater that operates on electricity for the blower and uses a propane burner for a heat source. These heaters provide a warm comfortable environment for your RV and a big bite from your budget. Alternative heating sources are more common now but they all need to be handled safely. Properly installed catalytic heaters are very cost effective. They should be vented to the outside of your rig and installed in a safe place away from any flammable material. (You can read my complete story about this particular catalytic heater here: Catalytic Heater). As with all the heaters I’m going to talk about, they all require that you keep a window or vent open to allow for replenishment of oxygen (the stuff your body requires in order to keep breathing). Propane heaters with ceramic elements are very popular because many of them provide both radiant and forced air heat. The Mr. Heater company (Mr. Heater) makes many portable heater models, but the BIG Buddy is a good choice for the RV. This BTU beast has multiple settings allowing you to pump out 4,000, 9,000 and 18,000 BTUs an hour. The nice thing about this unit is that it has a built-in oxygen shutoff sensor and tip-over cut-off switch for safe indoor operation. I put a unit like this in one of my previous 5th wheels and I ran a flexible connector hose from the propane storage rack to the heater inside my coach. You can use a portable propane bottle with this model as well, however you may not bring the bottle indoors. Follow the manufactures directions carefully when using it in this manner. Mr. Heater also makes the “Portable Buddy” that has the same safety features as it’s big brother but uses a one pound cylinder and lasts 3 to 6 hours. It can also be connected to a larger propane tank. The nice thing about these heaters is that you can take them with you to workshops, enclosed porches, cabins, hunting blinds, tents and anywhere you need heat. Coleman makes the ProCat catalytic heater that can also be used inside an RV. It runs on two D cell batteries (up to 20 hours) and 1 pound propane cylinders pumping out 3,000 BTUs per hour (Coleman). As an added safety recommendation, I would advise that you also install CO2 detectors in your RV. Also, never go to sleep with these heaters running because if they burn up all your oxygen while you’re asleep you won’t wake up. Tank top heaters are for outdoor use only - NEVER use this kind of heater inside your RV. Please do not use your propane oven or stove top burner to heat your RV. People die every year because they try to heat their living spaces like this. Finally, check your fire extinguishers to make sure they are fully charged and ready to go to work in an emergency. Helping to keep you warm and comfortable - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing, Dr. of RVology and ROAD Scholar

Heating

Winter is upon us (or at least those of us not in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas or Florida) and winter calls for heat right? So how do we economically heat our RV's? Most every RV is equipped with a whole house propane heater. These heaters work great and we use ours to heat up the entire RV in the morning or when our small electrical heater is not keeping up. However this can get expensive, so I recommend you get a good quality portable electric heater with adjustable thermostate and automatic turn-off switch if it gets knocked over (our heater gets knocked over once in a while and the auto-turn-off switch works great). We use a Patton heater for this purpose. Since you are already paying for the electricity at your site, you might as well take advantage of it and save money on the expense of propane. Also, my wife enjoys pointing this little heater directly at her feet - you can't do that with a propane heater.

If you do a lot of boondocking (dry camping without hook-ups) you may want to install a ceramic propane heater. I installed one of these units in our last 5th wheel and it worked great. The nice thing about these heaters is that they use much less propane than your whole house heater and they don't use battery power. Your whole house heater will run down your battery bank in a day or two while these ceramic heaters will not.

You can operate these heaters with one panel ignited or two or three depending on the model you purchase. I recommend you install them permanently, although you can use them in a stand-alone fashion. You need to remember that you need to run a propane hose to the unit, so place it accordingly. Also, when using this type of heater you need to open a vent or window so as to allow adequate ventalation as per the manufacturers directions. Some of the newer RV's have a built in fireplace which also radiates heat and looks good at the same time.

Many RV's also have a heater unit combined with the air conditioner unit. These work great but some people complain that they are too noisy - they also require full electric hook-ups. There you have it - keep warm out there. Jim