Mattress pad heater?

[Mike in GA]

I have heard that these pads do a good job, but I worry about the amps/voltage draw when boondocking overnight. Anybody know what they use per hr?
Mike in GA

[usbusin]

Here is what we have.  http://electrowarmth.com/12-volt-bunk-warmers/

Have used them in both our bus and now our truck conversion since ~ 1986.  Love it.

Just turn it on about one hour before going to bed then shut it off when you get in.  Only about 3 amps draw.

GaryD

Here is the street view of their "factory" where we visited when we bought our first one.  Complete with the "little old lady" sewing the pad and the ancient huge safe in the corner!  Brings back memories.  Good product.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/513+S+Market+St,+Danville,+OH+43014/@40.445497,-82.260522,3a,52.5y,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sMtAgJNswkEqHZv55H91drQ!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x8839d4328b1ded4b:0xc4277be064e62c9d!6m1!1e1

[Oonrahnjay]

    Don't know about a mattress pad heater but I use regular electric blanket about 7 months out of the year.  I love it - I would miss supper to go buy another one if this one died on me.   Like most people, I just turn it on about 15 minutes before I go to bed and usually turn it off 5 minutes after I get in (unless it's lower than 50 degrees in my bedroom). 

[chessie4905]

   Just get a mattress with memory foam. They make you hot. We have to turn over about every two hours because of getting too warm.

[georgemci102a2]

I have one like that but smaller(more like a heater for your back)never checked the amp draw,just use it to warm up the blankets for a bit then turn it off,and maybe switch it back on for a bit during the night when/if needed.Use one on the bus and on the boat when anchored off for the night....George.

[HB of CJ]

The provided link said they draw an average of about 3 amps?  Or ... 3 amps times about 14 volts, (?) equals about 42 watts per hour?  We must assume average means the average draw.  Then multiply that by the hours needed each day, (do not forget nice naps) and you will have a ball park figure per day.

I had one years ago and absolutely loved it.  Probably a different manufacture.  If your battery bank can handle it, (maybe multiply by 2 for two people?) then it would seem they might be a very good way of lowering the night time temp of the Bus Conversion.  Day time temp recouping I do not know.  HB of CJ (old coot)

[bobofthenorth]

We use a regular 110V electric blanket as a mattress pad.  The ones with digital controls don't like MSW inverter power but we found one with analog controls so we can use it on the inverter.  That doesn't happen very often but we discovered the hard way that - even if the digital ones aren't turned on - being plugged into inverter power is enough to fry the controls.

[HB of CJ]

Absolutely no disrespect intended nor implied, but are 110 VAC electric blankets designed and intended to be safely slept upon?  Over top OK, but the thing under you?  HB of CJ (old coot)

[usbusin]

Absolutely no disrespect intended nor implied, but are 110 VAC electric blankets designed and intended to be safely slept upon?  Over top OK, but the thing under you?  HB of CJ (old coot)

Our one in the house is 120volts; haven't caught on fire yet!  I should say ours is a "mattress pad", not an electric blanket.

GaryD

[bobofthenorth]

Absolutely no disrespect intended nor implied, but are 110 VAC electric blankets designed and intended to be safely slept upon?  Over top OK, but the thing under you?  HB of CJ (old coot)

No offense taken.  It absolutely never occurred to us to worry about it.  We've been doing it for a long time now in the bus - on the boat - in the house.  I'm not going to start worrying now.  Its a blanket fergawdsake.  If its "on top" of you it gets twisted around, rolled on, squished between you and your wife.  I think if they were prone to bursting into flames I'd have heard about it by now.  The more I think about it, it seems to me that it would enjoy a more serene life under me than it would on top of me but I can't imagine that it matters.

[Oonrahnjay]

Absolutely no disrespect intended nor implied, but are 110 VAC electric blankets designed and intended to be safely slept upon?  Over top OK, but the thing under you?  HB of CJ (old coot) 

    I only crawl into bed under mine (a 120V "blanket", not a "pad") and I only sleep under it.  I try not to sit on the bed or lean on it (like when putting on sheets or a different blanket on top), esp. when it's turned on (but I don't know if that's supposed to make a difference or not). 

[Scott & Heather]

Funny. Wife and I have been researching these last couple of weeks. First off, electric blankets and heated mattress pads are two different items. I would advise against using an electric blanket underneath you. Heated mattress pads (modern ones) have micro wires that you can't feel and are low voltage. They are meant for sleeping on and are UL listed and safe for this purpose. We currently use a dual control and dual zone heating blanket on our king bed. Any smaller and they don't come dual zone I think is what I read. One of our controllers went bad and I just don't like the weight of another blanket on me so we found a nice heated dual zone dual controller mattress pad and we are gonna get one. Heated bed linens are the best thing we've ever bought for our bus! We love ours!!!


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[RJ]

I hate crawling into a cold bed!  Not fond of electric blankets, but really like the heated mattress pads.  Now, thanks to GaryD's link, I can order a couple for Aesop's Tortoise.

Winters I use microfleece sheets.

Spring, summer & early fall I use jersey (t-shirt material) sheets.

Much prefer these two types of materials as opposed to the "satin" sheet feel.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Dawgs]

We use the electric pad in the house, Love it!!  Nice warm bed and programable thermostat for the house goes down to 55 at night.  we sleep great and stay warm.  i know we will have one in the bus.  i will check the electrical draw on it later.