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RV Electrical Safety, RV Electrical System, RV Electrical Tips, RV Space Heaters, RV Tips, RV travel, Space Heaters, winter camping, winter rving
Winter RVing can be a beautiful, quiet, and fantastic time to go camping. If you decide to go RVing in colder weather, you may find out just how good or not good most RV insulation is. Even with the furnace keeping your rig at a toasty temperature, place your hand on the wall of many RVs, and you will be able to feel the cold pressing in.
Due to this lack of thick insulation, it takes a ton of energy to keep an RV warm in the winter. RVers are faced with two energy choices in colder weather, electricity or propane. Rather than run out of propane quickly, many RVers attempt to forgo running their furnace to heat their rig with space heaters instead. Space heaters can be a great tool to supplement your RV furnace heating. However, there are some considerations and safety practices one should follow.
30 Amp RVs
The biggest issue with space heaters and RVs is the amount of power required to make them work. Your average fan or ceramic heater that you can pick up cheaply at big box stores has two settings. The low setting uses about 700 watts when running, and the high setting uses 1500 watts.
If your 30 amp RV tries to run more than 3,600 watts (or slightly less due to voltage variance among RV parks), it will start tripping breakers in your RV or at the power pedestal of the park. You can probably do the quick math to realize that a 30 amp rig simply can’t handle more than two space heaters on the high setting.
To add to that, your RV fridge and other electronics all pull power too, so running two space heaters day in and day out can push the system. Running an RV electrical system at its upper capacity, especially an older rig, can cause heat to build up in the wires posing a potential fire risk.
Bottom Line: If you plan to use a space heater in your 30 amp RV, it’s safest to limit it to one.
50 amp RVs
If your RV has a 50 amp system, you have a little more leeway as to how much you can run. Without going into a lot of details, a 50 amp rig has two 50 amp arms on its system. In other words, you have two 50 amp circuits in your rig totaling 12,000 possible running watts at 120 volts.
In theory, a 50 amp rig could handle about 6 or 7 space heaters and still run the other electrical appliances like the fridge, etc. Most RVers would stay comfortable in a moderately cold environment using just a couple of space heaters. A 50 amp RV can quite easily handle space heaters as a supplemental heat source from an electrical standpoint.
Other Electrical Concerns
Regardless of your RV’s electrical capacity, most RV plugs are wired to a 15 amp breaker. So let’s say your RV kitchen has four wall sockets on one breaker. You can only plug one space heater on high into any one of those sockets. If you plug in a second, that will start tripping the breaker as a 15 amp breaker can only handle 1,800 watts at 120 volts.
Another thing to consider is your power bill. If you stay at a park monthly that charges for electricity, running a 1500 watt space heater several hours a day will significantly increase your power bill. In other words, whether it be propane or electricity, it takes power to heat your rig, and someone must pay for that power.
Other Potential Problems
Close Quarters: In general, RVs are pretty small spaces, and it may be challenging to keep space heaters far enough away from flammable material like bedding and furniture to use them safely.
Frozen Pipes: Some RVs have enclosed underbellies and use some of the warm air from the propane RV furnace to keep the plumbing from freezing when winter RVing. Relying solely on space heaters in freezing temps could result in frozen pipes.
General Safety Concerns
In general, the safest heating method is to use the heat pump setting on your RV air conditioner (if equipped) when outdoor temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and your RV’s propane furnace when it’s below 40 degrees. However, if you wish to supplement your heating with a space heater, following the tips below will result in the safest experience.
1. Buy the right size heater. There’s no need to have a heater intended to heat a warehouse in an RV.
2. Buy a space heater with covers or guards to prevent burns.
3. Make sure the heater is at least three feet from all objects.
4. Pets can easily knock them over, or children can get burned on them, so place space heaters out of their reach.
5. Never leave a space heater turned on when going to bed or leaving the room or RV.
6. Ensure your space heater has tip-over protection and overheat protection. These features will shut the heater off in the event of malfunction by tipping or getting too hot.
7. Only electric or vented fuel-fired heaters should be used. They do make small propane heaters that can be used inside, and there are also many stories of rigs going up in flames due to improper use or going to bed with them running.
8. Plug space heaters directly into an outlet. Don’t use extension cords or power strips. Almost ALL power strips are not wired to handle the load of a space heater.
9. Though the majority of this article concerns electrical space heaters, it should be mentioned that one should never use gas heaters intended for outdoor only use. This can result in carbon monoxide poisoning and death.
Stay Safe When Winter RVing
Winter RVing can be a fantastic experience, and you can find some good tips for a comfortable and safe experience on the Coach-Net ~ Travel and Adventure Blog. When it comes to any questions, concerns, safety information, or help, remember that your Coach-Net roadside assistance comes with 24/7 Protect.
Whether you need advice from an RV technician who can guide you through many common technical and operational issues or roadside and campsite assistance when you’re on the road away from home, our extensive provider network throughout the United States and Canada is available whenever and wherever you need it. Learn More
About The Author: Levi Henley
Levi Henley and his wife, Natalie, have been full-time RVers for over 5 years. They have also been Coach-Net customers for the same amount of time. They travel and work camp around the U.S. in their 26-foot Itasca Sunstar motorhome with their two cats. They write for multiple RV-related publications and recently co-wrote “Seasonal Workamping for a Living: How We Did It.” You can follow their adventures on the road at henleyshappytrails.com
Gary E. ~ “Coach-Net is the resource we trust when mechanical surprises arise!”
An RV furnace requires almost no maintenance. If necessary, clean or vacuum out the ducts if they get dusty or dirty. Regularly inspect the furnace intake on the outside of the RV for debris, insects, or other restrictions. Restrictions in the air intake can cause incomplete combustion. The by-products of incomplete combustion are Carbon Monoxide (CO) and soot. CO is an odorless, colorless, toxic gas. Incomplete combustion can be indicated by the presence of soot on the furnace exhaust on the outside of the RV. However, this is not a given and is another reason to have your system annually inspected.
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Annual bird migrations mean that national parks and wildlife refuges in the southern half of the continent are full of gorgeous species waiting to impress you. In winter, the Everglades National Park in Florida offers a spectacular array of birds that will impress you. Even better? You can see these feathered friends without having to endure summer’s heat and humidity. Many of the birds are there for the same reason you are — to escape the cold and enjoy the weather. You can find great 
If four-legged critters are more to your taste, try Southern Colorado’s, Gunnison National Park. The leafless trees and snow-covered ground along the Warner Point Nature Trail make it easier to spot elk or bighorn sheep. Want a nature experience of a lifetime? Visit off-season Yellowstone. This breath-taking winter wonderland features snow-covered bison and ice-cloaked ghost trees created by the frozen steam of the park’s many geysers. Mammoth Park is the only facility within the park open for RVs in the winter, but there are several others outside the park boundaries.
The deep cycle batteries in your rig will naturally lose a charge during storage even if everything is shut off. It’s important to keep them charged or maintained so they do not sulfate or even freeze. If you do not have access to electricity, remove the house batteries and bring them into a garage or other storage facility and connect them to a battery conditioner. Another option would be to install a solar panel just large enough for conditioning such as the Zamp 20 amp maintainer.
Something unusual happened this past winter that rarely happens here in Vancouver. We found ourselves in a snowy deep-freeze. Although most of the rest of Canada and many areas of the United States would find our 15-degree Fahrenheit temperature and 3 feet of snow laughable, it is something that rarely happens here on the West Coast. We normally enjoy fairly mild winters with very little snow, in fact, it is uncommon to get much below freezing.
Make sure you have propane in your LP tank instead of butane. While propane will continue to vaporize down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, butane condenses at around 32 degrees Fahrenheit so it will start to become ineffective below freezing. If your RV is equipped with electric heat such as heat strips or a heat pump, use it as much as possible and minimize furnace use. Although electric heat is less efficient and doesn’t work well at very low temperatures, it is effective as a supplement to gas heat and will save propane. NEVER use your stove or oven to heat an RV.
Most RV owners either head South when the temperatures hit below freezing or tuck their units in for a long winter’s nap. However, with better insulation, dual pane windows, and basement heat, more brave souls are hitting the powder and experiencing other winter activities. During my seminars, I ask the audience how many people are going to camp in the winter and it’s surprising how many raise their hands. Then I like to joke with them and ask how many are going to camp in the winter where it’s warm??? You may not want to camp all winter long in freezing temperatures, but what about taking a late Fall trip into the mountains or early spring? You can still run into some freezing weather and should be prepared and know a few tricks.
For water, I drained all the tanks and blew out the lines with compressed air. Make sure you turn the air compressor down to 30 psi or you will be replacing a few fittings…I learned the hard way! Also, put a small amount of RV antifreeze down the sink drains as there is a “P” trap underneath that is designed to hold water and prevent odors from coming up from the tank into the rig. If there is water in the trap, it will freeze as well. Then I carry a few gallon jugs of water placed in the shower pan to use the toilet and dump a gallon of RV antifreeze in the shower pan and toilet. We use the sanitized wipes or gel to wash our hands so there is no need for water from the sink faucet as well. Keep in mind, if you use the sanitized wipes or gel with paper towels DO NOT THROW THEM INTO THE TOILET! They do not dissolve and will cause problems. Keep a small plastic shopping bag handy to throw them away.
While snowbirds seek the warmer climates during the winter, there are other RV owners who choose to face the winter head-on. RV’ing in the winter can be a wonderful experience, as long as you take simple steps to ensure you stay warm and your RV stays safe from damage.
Make sure you are carrying propane onboard and not butane. Butane has a boiling point of 32 degrees F., whereas propane is -40 degrees. Therefore, in cold weather, butane may not properly vaporize, causing combustion problems with the appliances. If you have problems getting your appliances to function, you should re-fill your container with propane.
In terms of your own comfort inside the RV, be sure to pack plenty of winter clothes and footwear. You may choose to pack electric blankets and even electric heaters to supplement the coach heating systems.