elec. heat

[ruthi]

We installed basement air, with heat pumps. The heat pumps only work down to around 45. So, we are thinking of installing elec. toe kick heaters too.  Has anyone else done this? The bus is really insulated. Any idea as to how many we might need? We are mainly in the southeast. We do get into Virginia, W. Virginia, Tn area some too. Has anyone purchased any of these, and if so, where did you get them. We will have plenty of power to run them. Thanks, Ruthi

[Sean]

We have two electric toe-kick heaters.  I believe they are around 850 watts each (2,900 BTU/h).  We put these in so that we could get "free" heat in the event we happened to be on shore power (rare for us), or happen to be running the generator for other reasons.

The pair of heaters are adequate in ambient temperatures down into the low 40s.  We have a third 1,500-watt free-standing unit that we add to the mix below that, and below freezing we need to run the Webasto.

I'm sorry I don't remember the brand, and I can't see anything on the front grille that would tell me.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[luvrbus]

Sean, if you bought yours from Dick Wright or Sure Marine they are Cadet 2000 series 14 inches with a 18 inch wide grille, 8 inches deep 3 1/2 inches tall single control on the front nice little units the 2 I have.



good luck

[JackConrad]

We have a 1500 watt toe kick (120 volt) under the bathroom vanity.  It is great to warm up the bathroom before a shower on a chilly evening, when plugged in or the generator is running.  Easier then running the ProHeat to heat the entire coach.  We purchased it at Grainger's.  Jack

[ruthi]

Hmmm, we have a proheat system on the other bus that we could install, may end up going that way................

[buswarrior]

Here's some testing I did earlier in the winter with my stock MC8, FWIW

http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/11/33190.html?1263610080

Depending on the length of time that more heat is required, running a generator and some cube heaters is way cheaper than some things busnuts dream up?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[ruthi]

Yep, that is why we thought about using a few elec. toe kicks. We always have the gen running anyhow, so, no cost there.

[TomC]

What I do (when at the power pole) is to kick on the propane furnace (35,000btu) to warm up everything quickly, then plug in my two portable floor heaters at 1500 watts each. Pretty much keeps the bus warm down into the 30's.  I imagine with four of them, they would be able to keep the bus pretty much warm.
   I also have three roof tops with heat strips.  While they take about 5 minutes to warm up (and if you can put up with swirling cold air), and if you close the vents down, they do work well.  They're especially good to use when excersing the generator.  Good Luck, TomC

[white-eagle]

we've got 4 toe kicks.  front by the driver, kitchen, bathroom and hallway outside the bedroom.  We find 2 of them running is usually adequate down to mid 20's, with the bathroom heater for added comfort at selected times.  we also picked up a mr buddy for those really cold nights which we've had way too many of in Florida this year.  We run that sometimes rather than the genset when boondocking, or on 30 amp power or less.  1 toe kick and the water heater is about it on less than 30 amp.

We plan on adding either a propane furnace or wabasto type heat which would work better for boondocking.  the Mr. Buddy is a bit of a propane hog and drains the 2 tanks faster than a regular furnace would.

[edroelle]

Just some added infor.

My 2 Cadet toe kick heaters have failed.  Looking for replacement parts, I found that they were recalled and must be replaced.   Lint got in them and started fires.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

[belfert]

Man, I really envy you folks who can keep warm with two heaters.  Last fall going down the road in 30 degree weather we were lucky to hit 50 degrees in the bus with two electric heaters.

I do have spray foam in the ceiling and lower walls, but I also have some pretty big windows.  I am installing my Proheat system this summer for sure.

[ruthi]

So, Ed, I suppose the ones they are selling now, are okay? We are debating  if we want to go with elec. toes or use the pro heat. It seems it would be easier to use elec ones because of always running the gen. Also, I would think it would be quieter.

[Just Dallas]

Removed

[Dreamscape]

We bought a ceramic heater at Sams for 60 bucks a few months ago. We used it along with our electric wall heater and we stayed nice and warm during all the snow and cold we had here in Abilene this past winter. We can maintain 70 with no problem with it being in the teens outside.

[Lin]

We have two electric heaters built into the walls.  One in the bathroom and one in the bedroom.  They came with the bus and are alright.  One of them did not work originally, and some testing found the fusible link to be bad.  It was about $13 with about $10 shipping.  We ended up avoiding the shipping by ordering it through Home Depot since they handle other products by that manufacturer-- maybe it was Nutone.  Anyway, I tried to buy the link elsewhere but the manufacturer would not tell me its rating.  They said that electric heaters are a very high liability product and they would not take the risk of helping in any way to make a non-factory alteration.  They said that the fusible link, which fails due to excessive heat, usually does so for one of two reasons.  Either the fan is failing and not circulating enough air, or the unit is clogged with dust, also restricting the air flow.  So, in theory your unit should have a fusible link to fail before the fire starts, but in real life you should keep it clean and be aware if airflow is not as it should be.  We have found that the cheap, quite, plastic electric heaters are the most convenient.  One we have has a remote control that also acts as a remote thermostat.  They are convenient, cheap, put heat where you want it at the moment, and easy to clean and replace.  1500 watts puts out the same heat not matter what the unit costs.  I would not bother permanently installing an electric heater.