Baseboard heaters

[brojcol]

We've moved into our new house in Bear Creek, PA.  Beautiful area and I feel like I'm living in a vacation (except for the ice).  Snow I don't mind, but ice...

Anyway, our house has three sources of heat.  Baseboard heaters in all the rooms with their own thermostat, a coal furnace in the basement and LP gas logs in the living room (very cozy).  I really like the baseboard heaters and being from Mississippi, this is my first experience with them.  They work pretty well (we'll see how the electric bill looks next month).

I would think that baseboard heaters would work pretty well in a bus.  Does anyone on the board use them?  I am currently in the planning phase...

[Reddog]

Here in Gunnison (-18 this AM), we have a similar multiple choice heating system. Get OT the walkie-talkies, stand outside and watch the electric meter while you have your assistant turn on the heaters one by one, you'll see the electric meter start to spin like it was a Skill saw. Baseboards are our last choice (maybe your electric Co. is more benevolent than ours....maybe). They are nice because you can heat by zone, but ours are not very efficient.
  They would be good as long as you're plugged into shore power, but all the baseboards in Thomas are covered with other stuff. Stay Warm!
Doug Engel, Gunnison, CO

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Jimmy,

I'm glad you are enjoying the Pocono's.

Your baseboard heaters are very much Electric.. and at 240v with individual t-stats.  A 4 ft. electric baseboard heater draws 9 amps

at 240v. So, it would draw 18 amps at 115v.   For use in a bus, Not so practical...

Now, Coal.... Hum...that might be an option that we don't concider much..

Nick-

[Reddog]

Upon further consideration, I had a house with baseboard hot water that worked well, I suppose you could go it a hydronic system and use baseboard radiators.
Doug Engel, Gunnison, CO

[Jerry32]

I had a house with baseboard electric heat and even in the NW it was spendy the juice. I put in a heat pump and used the baseboards for backup. Now the cost of fuel to run those hydronic systems is spendy so see the guy with the eagle accross from me using electric heat instead of his diesel fired hydronic baseboards. Jerry

[abebris]

I'm by no means a bus expert as I'm just starting my own conversion project, but I can speak from my experience with my 27 foot Counrty Squire...

For the past two cold weather seasons, we've taken out the RV in the cold weather months to State Parks in our area for weekends.  The OH State Parks have 50A hook-ups.  I have two baseboard heaters, a 15A (1500 watt) and a 10A (1000 watt).  The smaller heats the rear bedroom and the larger the front cabin.  We've been out as low as 15 degrees and not been cold at all. (In fact, my daughter says that my wife keeps the heat too high!)

I believe that its just a matter of looking at what your consumption is in amps and what you have available, and where you are going to be needing the heat.  I designed the above system to work just the way it does, knowing that where I camp I usually have a 50A service, and also that it generally dosen't get TOOOO cold here at night.  I would think that this system might not work as well in Wisconsin or Minnesota!  Soooo, in short, if you have the amps - you already pay for the electric of you're in a campground so I say get your dollars worth!!

As I do my own conversion, I plan on putting in a gas furnace, but also putting in at least one baseboard heater, so that if the amps are available I won't use as much gas/propane.

NOW... about the coal comment - I've never seen that, but did see someone that had a fireplace in a customized bus conversion so its not THAT far feached an idea... maybe someday an all green conversion - Solar Panels to charge batteries, WVO for fuel, and wood / coal heat!!! (LOL - only kidding!!)

Alex

[michal]

  I agree- I have hot water base board heat in my house,propane fired,Which also gets pricy during these Michigan Winters. But bottem line,if your paying to plug your bus in somehwere,use all electric heat-your paying for it already. If your boondocking-the propane furnace heats my bus quite well. I am having a problem with my propane furnace setting off the carbon monoxide detector in my coach however.I have not had time yet to rip into it to see whats up (maybe a bees nest or something??) If anyone has any thoughts on what may cause that let me know.