Hey Russ How you doing?

[southpennrailroad]

I have been following this thread and wondering what the advantage would be to leave the new furnace running constantly verus off when sleeping/gone.

Since the cargo trailer will cool quicklly along with all interior items, then start furnance, have trailer and interior items to warm, is there an advatage to keeping home warm all the time?

Basically comes down to what is the cost to rewarm all versus keeping warm constantly?

Jean

My blue flame heats up the trailer up to 70 from 29 degrees within 15 min and I therefore think that shutting it down for 8 hrs is a fuel saver. I have not had any food freeze yet under the 29 degrees inside temps yet while I slept. I use heated mattress pads to maintain warmth while the temps are dropping. Maybe the items keep the heat and maybe I wake just in time B4 damage can occur. I shake the liquid can goods in the morning and they are not frozen. As for why I shut the blue flame off or for that matter the anticipation of shutting off the new Atwood furnace is of course to save fuel and knowing that my food is not freezing during this spell it stands to reason that is the best time to save on fuel. I lay in bed all the time anyway. And the blankets stay warm after the mattress blanket turns off so the battery is not used all the time as well. As for the furnace I suspect it will warm as well and shutting it down like the blue flame will save as well being off for say 6-8 hrs. At least I hope as the blue flame will for a fact get it from 45-70 in 1/4 hr. I hope the furnace will do the same. I think it will in at least one hr as I usually wake up and will stay in the blanket until the trailer will warm up.

I suppose it will be best to stay tuned to my living in this cargo trailer under these conditions will help you get your answer once I get the furnace up and running and trying both sides of the furnace use to see the outcome. I am already thinking about the FW tank I have not connected or have water in it yet and think that the way things are going the mass 16 gallon tank will also not freeze over night as the water may be kept warm enough through out the evening while I am awake to allow for some heat loss will not let it freeze to disaster point. The tank is to be inside and I plan on raising it above the floor slightly. Maybe in the future I will get a timer thermostat to heat half way through the night so warm things up. A lot of things are running through my mind as to what could be done. I even thought about a battery operated heating blanket beneath the water tank to keep it warm. Or those gutter heater wires inside the pipe noodles. But more then likely I will just keep the water tank empty during winter.

One winter will be all that it takes to see how the conditions happen. Right now its great minus the water and getting up out of bed all the time.

I have a steady camping/boon docking spot just east of Breezewood and another in Donegal at the 23,00ft elevation point along the turnpike so I need to see just how this living condition is handled by me. My job every year slows down during Christmas season and into March that I may only make at times $4-500.00 a month during that period. So I have a lot of time on my hands to work things out and really be with the trailer to keep an eye on the conditions.

[pete42]

Russ
I think you are doing a great job of staying in a CT during the winter.
I only mentioned going south if it were me but I'm old and retired.
your situation is different you know where you can find some work and that is better than no work.
I really don't know how to say what I want to.
so stay warm and safe.
ol' pete

[southpennrailroad]

Russ
I think you are doing a great job of staying in a CT during the winter.
I only mentioned going south if it were me but I'm old and retired.
your situation is different you know where you can find some work and that is better than no work.
I really don't know how to say what I want to.
so stay warm and safe.
ol' pete

Yeah I kind have a way of saying things that make it sound like I am criticizing others opinions but really like what others say in response to what I am doing. I really like others ideas. Like when I wrote about Mikes one reply I read and re read my response and it sounded to me like I was negative when in fact I was totally agreeing and complementing his view.

Like right now I am feeling like I am in a house very comfortable but feel anxiety as I know I have to get up soon to shut the flame off. I was just thinking when I get this heater I plan on starting out with a fresh filled 20 lb bottle to see how well it does. Right now I get 7-9 days out of one bottle. I plan on using it two ways, 1st just leave it set for a certain temp all day say 60 degrees all day and second control the off and on periods as I deem fit as I do now.

[southpennrailroad]

I found out something that is a bit strange. You will have condensation where screws are present that are screwed into the wall studs. I have enough heat to keep the ceiling warm that I have not had ANY moisture on the ceiling joists. A couple of days ago I did have wood saturation in a few wet spots in the wood luan above the joists but that soon disappeared. (heat rises cold air drops) I do have ice at the screws on the wall studs hidden behind the mattress at the foot of the bed (photo provided on earlier posts) beneath covers where air can't get to the screws. Real bad ice. however this might be a weird thing but no problem at the head of the bed as the heater is on that side of the trailer and I suspect the fan aimed in the head direction pushing the stronger heat in that direction seems to keep the head board area warmer even behind the mattress and sheets so I don't have that problem there. I suspect circulation of decent heat backed air flow is what is saving that area. The air returning from the back to the foot has lost a lot of heat volume so the base of the bed gets less heat and ice forms at the foot of the bed. Maybe a circulating back and forth fan would help.

I also suspect that the heat from the O2Cool fan forcing itself onto the wood at the head is warming the wood to a point that the cold/ice doesn't get a chance to appear on that wall.

[pete42]

One of my trailers was a Scamp all fiberglass outside and the cabinets were fiberglass as well they used pop-rivits with plastic caps to hold the cabinets to the wall of the trailer the heads inside the trailer would drip due to the fact the cold would pass through the metal rivits.
they used a bubble insulation covered with a short nape carpet which we called rat fur the trailer was very well insulated and I only needed a small ceramic heater to heat it.
One trick I saw was to use a flower pot upside down over a stove burner.
I tried it once with plenty of ventalation it worked fairley well but I would not sleep with it on

[southpennrailroad]

Hey Pete

I thought about that but I'm partial to having plenty of back up from one source of heat and others have convinced me to get a furnace and I feel very comfortable with that idea. Maybe I will use that to keep the trailer warm when I am out using the camping heater so as to reflect some of the heat loss and keep it longer inside. But that doesn't sound right to me also. I do need something to keep the trailer warm when I am out but then again that is what the furnace is for. Basically you don't supply a second source of heat when you leave the house just cut the temp back.

I do use the generator when I am using my lap top so I could just as well use the electric heat when I am on the laptop as well. Then just to save propane I could have the furnace off. But for now I am using the electric heat as I am using shore line right now but that it is cold enough to keep the blue flame on. Fuel at $3.00 right now is going to cost me @ least $90.00 using the generator. I don't think propane cost that much.

The fact is that the generator is going to have to be used if I get off shore power so I will be using the gen for at least three reasons. Laptop, Charging the battery and while the generator is running it might just as well keep the mattress warmers working and the electric heater running. I have two battery's. One for the DC mattress warmer, The outside light and inside light.The other one will be a dedicated battery source for the furnace. Oh I need to get another battery minder for that one.

[southpennrailroad]

Update:

My sons mother in law called this evening to give me the news that the (empty) house she has been trying to sell since October 2007 is going into signing. They predict that the house will be closed on by the end of January. I am glad for them. They were so nice for letting me occupy the driveway and hooking up to the electric and getting water and showers and even interceding in the dispute between me and their daughter. Well at least i have until January.

This gives me until then to get the new furnace and get it installed. They have been paying $1,200 a month on this loan as well as the one on the house they had built. I feel really glad for them though I will not be in a safe harbor so to speak. But I never intended that this spot should have been my place in the first place through the winter.

You know the saying right? When one door closes, God opens another. Well the secretary at work just mentioned today that the boss plans on installing high speed internet and a new computer ( they are still running on windows 98 ) and I will talk him into running a router so I could stay in his parking lot the rest of the winter and have internet. He already OK'ed the parking lot issue a few months ago but the signal sucked. I have a router already so things should be alright.


First things first though.

Come on heater get here!

[mikeschn]

So you're saying you'll be able to walk to work? Good one!!!

You have about a month to get the heater installed. You can do it. Actually a good weekend is all it takes.

And I just know you are going to like that heater.

Mike...

[southpennrailroad]

So you're saying you'll be able to walk to work? Good one!!!

You have about a month to get the heater installed. You can do it. Actually a good weekend is all it takes.

And I just know you are going to like that heater.

Mike...

Yes But the problem is that all I do is drive as I service/fix customers broken windows. Still will be using MY truck. I put over 25,000 miles a year.

[Off Grid Rving]

well I installed my fantastic fan 6000rtba today. it works. nice having a skylight in here.

now to just find a water heater and a furnace out of an old popup or truck camper!

[southpennrailroad]

Got a call from a guy wanting my blue flame once I get the furnace installed. $50.00. I am thinking of building a tall thin cabinet for the furnace but also to use space above for other odds and ends for towels and stuff maybe cans. On the wall where the blue flame is hing(YES HUNG) I will purchase more wire shelves to store some other stuff hidden that I know I could use if I had it near hands reach.

[Off Grid Rving]

sounds great russ, I am building a new cabinet too where the water heater and furnace will go.

[southpennrailroad]

Pittsburgh

Tuesday
Dec 28
Partly Cloudy
High 27°F
Low 20°F
Precip 10 %

Wednesday
Dec 29
Partly Cloudy
High 30°F
Low 25°F
Precip 10 %


Thursday
Dec 30
Snow Shower
High 36°F
Low 28°F
Precip 60 %

Friday
Dec 31
Showers
High 37°F
Low 32°F
Precip 60 %


Saturday
Jan 01
Rain / Snow Showers
High 40°F
Low 31°F
Precip 60 %


Oh Wow a heat wave is due in. Just in time to melt the snow from the driveway. I am getting ready to have to pull out of my sons in laws driveway which has snow in it now. It is on a slight incline and the snow will melt for me to leave. Hopefully I will have the new furnace in once it gets here. The house inspectors were here yesterday and not much is needed so the sale should go through. It may be mid January B4 the closing takes place. No work so a lot of time to get things done. Save on propane as well.

As they walked by my trailer I know he eyed my Honda gen sitting outside. As soon as they left I brought that baby inside. Think I will keep it in from now on.

[mskobier]

Russ,
I have been following your situation with much interest. Espically the issue of safe, efficient heating.
I had planned on using a RV furnace that I already have. Unfortunately, it is a 34,000 BTU unit. In reading your posts and the posts of other members, it became very clear that it was way too much heater for my 7x16 conversion. So with much thought, I purchased one of the 12,000 BTU Atwoods. I ordered it on 12-19-10 and it arrived today. It appears to be a well made unit. I now have to do some modifications to my plan on how I had intended to install the other unit. The thing that made me switch to the smaller unit was primarily the current draw of the one I already have. I will only have one deep cycle battery, so I needed to limit the amount of current that the system used. The one I purchased (Atwood 8012-II) is rated at 1.8 amps. The one I was going to use required 7.5 amps! Assuming a little longer run time to keep the CT warm, I have extended the run time by at least 200%. So instead of depleting the battery in one day, I am now looking at two to three days before I reach the 50% discharge point on the battery. This is assuming a total run time of about 30 minutes each hour. It will probably be closer to 15 to 20 minutes each hour, but that would be best case.
I was concerned that the 12,000 BTU unit would not be adequate, then I remembered that with the temps in the mid 20's, the Big Buddy heater I have was too much heat when running on high and medium, but not quite enough on the low setting to keep it comfortablely warm. The low setting is only 4000 btu and the medium and high is 9000 and 18000 respectably. Now my trailer is currently uninsulated. I haven't finished the wiring yet, so the insulation isn't completed. One wall is partially insulated, but the remaining walls and ceiling are not. My trailer also has aluminum skin, so it is one large heatsink. I figure, once the insulation and interior vapor barrier is installed, it will not take much to keep it comfortably warm.
I plan on installing the unit perpendicular to the left side onf the trailer in the very front. I will have to fabricate a 90 degree duct to discharge the heated air towards the rear of the CT. Shouldn't be too hard to fab that up. Actually the discharge opening is only about 4" x 4", so that makes it even easier.
I look forward to reading your experiences with the new heater.

Stay warm,
Mitch

[southpennrailroad]

mskobier

I was wondering how long a time it would take to get to the 50 % stage on a battery B4 needing charged. I suspect I will then need to charge say every other day. I still don't have mine yet and you answered my other unknown question as to how big an exhaust hole would be needed on the side of the trailer. Does the unit come with an exhaust hole template? As to the way your going to install it, I was thinking the same as an option but I am more leaning towards placing it just near the door with the exhaust exiting just in front of the passenger side front fender. If I go the way your installing yours I have a roll away porta potty and plan on putting the furnace just to the left of the potty so that the potty rolled out as in the in use mode the furnace will be like a stopping wall. It will be in a wooden box like mike's but larger to make room for added staples that are for the kitchen and cooking use. Like a cubby hole with shelves above the furnace.