Thor Forums

[EA37TS]

Chance my point as "food for thought":

If temps drop below freezing, in my case anyway, and the furnace is out, the occupants be d@#N#D, they can put on another coat or snuggle up to the dog. I am going to be concerned about the cost of damage due to frozen, not cold, plumbing.

I carry an electric heater and I also have the Dimplex electric fireplace which heats the coach in a hurry, but when temps drop below freezing and my furnace is not working I better be looking for an air compressor to blow out the lines or getting my tail end to a warmer location. At those times the electric heater and fireplace are totally useless.

An individual must know their equipment and the environment in which they are camping. In some cases, not all, an electric heater may be nothing more than a false sense of security that can cost you a bundle of money in the long run.

The same holds true when using an electric heater to save propane. If the temps are below freezing (I use the rule of 28 degrees) that electric heater needs to be turned off. The electric heater will keep the furnace from firing and thereby reduce the heating of the wet bay which could result in freezing pipes, pumps or filters. IMO, in this case, there are risks far greater than the costs of a gallon or 2 of propane that need to be considered.

As a note, my prior class C (SunSeeker) had a similar setup to the Challenger with an exterior wet bay in a heated storage compartment. The primary difference was that coach had the Arctic Pak (heat blankets on the tanks) whereas the Challenger does not.

Again, it is all dependent on the coach, the setup and the environment. Not all situations are the same.