Would this work?

[hallhollo]

Our pop up doesn't have heat in it and we are wanting to start using it as soon as possible. Would it be possible for us to use a small oil heater (the ones that look like radiators) in the middle of the pop up.  Has anyone ever used one of these? Does it keep the place relatively warm?
TIA,
Dean

[kimrb266]

Our pop up doesn't have heat in it and we are wanting to start using it as soon as possible. Would it be possible for us to use a small oil heater (the ones that look like radiators) in the middle of the pop up. Has anyone ever used one of these? Does it keep the place relatively warm?
TIA,
Dean

I wouldn't know about using the type of heater you are speaking of but we have used a portable electric heater to warm our PUP's.  Even though all our PUP's have had heat, we still used the portable heaters to save on propane.  They keep the area warm without the worry of anybody get burned.

[SherryandFamily]

I think you may be talking about an oil circulating electric heater?
If that is what you mean, yes we have used one many times.  They work very well.
If you have a/c run the fan to move the heat around and you should be pretty warm.  
We used ours once on spring break when we went to Charlottesville and had no idea it was going to get down to 9% the second night.  (OK so we were young and not too bright)  With the heater and sleeping bags we were nice and cozy.

FYI-DH says it is important to keep the heater level in travel.  Also, bring the heat up a little at the time or you will blow a fuse.  
Sherry

[hallhollo]

Yes, it is an oil circulating heater.  I'm glad that it is a tried and true method.  The whole heat strip thing makes me a bit nervous.
So we should raise the temp just a few degrees at a time?

[AustinBoston]

FYI-DH says it is important to keep the heater level in travel. Also, bring the heat up a little at the time or you will blow a fuse.

This would only be true in a borderline electrical situation.  Our pop-up has 30 amp service, and was originally equipped with one 15 amp circuit that runs a couple outlets, the converter, and the fridge, and one 20 amp circuit that runs one outlet.  An electrical heater is typically 1200-1500 watts, or about 10-13 amps.  If it were plugged in to the 15 amp circuit and turned to high, it could indeed trip the breaker, because that is where the converter and the fridge are plugged in.  But if it were plugged in to the 20 amp circuit (intended for an air conditioner) it would only blow the breaker if either the heater or the breaker was defective.

We have, on occasion, used two electrical heaters at the same time, one on high in the 20 amp circuit and one on medium in the 15 amp circuit.  Combined, they were probably close to 20 amps, and have never tripped a breaker.

So we should raise the temp just a few degrees at a time?

I don't think that makes any difference.  Except for manual low/medium/high settings, the electrical part of the heater is either on or off.  If it's going to trip a breaker, it's going to trip a breaker.

Never leave an electrical heater on or plugged in when not attended.  Never cover the heater's cord, never use an extension cord unless you are sure it is adequately rated.  Check the temperature of all plugs and cords after the first 15 minutes of operation.  Slightly warm is OK, significantly warm says "turn it down," hot says THIS IS A FIRE IN THE MAKING!

Austin

[Used 2B PopUPTimes]

I agree with AB, be very, very,very careful to not over load circuits.  A friend of mine plugged-in 2 of those small ceramic heaters, one at each end in his camper. He found out very quickly that both outlets were on the same wire / circuit. The breaker blew but not before burning all of the wire in the walls from the first heater to the second heater to the converter - which also fried.
It only takes a fraction of a second to ruin electronics and hours and $$$ to repair them. He is lucky the camper burn.

Here is a simple formula to help figure power usage:
Amps x Volts = Watts

[mike4947]

Close but no cigar. Standard voltage has been 120 volt +/- 10% for about 40 years. Before that it was 110 volt -0/+15%.
So 15 amps X 120 volts = 1800 watts; and 20 amps = 2400 watts.
If he had burned wiring it wasn't because he plugged in two heaters it was because he had a loose connection past the first outlet which caused the heat.
Like it was posted our conveters carry two circuit breakers. One 20 amp usually dedicated for an air conditioner, but can be used for other purposes and a 15 amp CB that runs everything else including all the outlet as well as the transformer/rectifier that supplies the 12 volt for the rest of the trailer operation.
A quick solution for using heaters if you trip breakers is to use a suitable extension cord and run in under the canvas to a outlet on the shore power. That in effect if you have a 30 amp shore power cord of adding an extra 15 amps. So you can have one heater on the 20 amp outlet in the trailer, the second on the extension direct to the shore power and still have the 15 amp CB/outlets for use by the converter and other 120 volt applications.

[AustinBoston]

I agree with AB, be very, very,very careful to not over load circuits.  A friend of mine plugged-in 2 of those small ceramic heaters, one at each end in his camper. He found out very quickly that both outlets were on the same wire / circuit. The breaker blew but not before burning all of the wire in the walls from the first heater to the second heater to the converter - which also fried.

I have to conclude that either the breaker was bad, or something was badly miswired (or both).  The sole purpose of a circuit breaker is to protect wiring.  If it didn't to so, then either the breaker, the wire, the wire connections, or the circuit design were defective.

If the breakers are working, it should take something like a lightening strike or a short to a high tension wire (thousands of volts) to damage the permanent wiring. Plugging in 2 or 20 heaters and turning them all on at once would not do it.

Austin

[hallhollo]

So, is this safer than installing heat tape? I realize it takes up a lot of room but these oil heaters can heat a very large area even on low.  I'm just worried about the safety.  
Why also does it need to be level during transport?
TIA,
Janie
(this time the wife)

[wynot]

Yes, it is an oil circulating heater. I'm glad that it is a tried and true method. The whole heat strip thing makes me a bit nervous.
So we should raise the temp just a few degrees at a time?

I don't know why a 1500 W heat strip in the A/C would make you nervous.  You would be using 1500 W in the oil heater, have to pack around and walk around the thing, and not get the advantage of it moving the air the way a heat strip would.
 
Add a strong wind outside, and you will lose most of the effectiveness of the oil radiator.  It would be more like your propane furnace in not heating the bunkends...

[SherryandFamily]

I don't know why the heat strips wouldn't be safe either.  We have had them in our last three popups with no problem.

I will tell you that the heat strips do not come close to the heat of the oil circulating heater in my opinion.  We only use the heat strips if if is a little chilly.  If we are camping in the cold we take the heater.

Sherry

[mike4947]

A 1500 watt heater no matter what it's form outputs apx 5500 BTU's. Heat strips in air conditioners "feel" like they aren't producing the amount of heat because of the volume of air the AC moves.
Space heaters without fans and the oil filled radiator type heaters tend to "concentrate" the heat directly around the heater. Not the best option for a PU with the spread out raised bunk ends. You need air circulation of some type to help move the heat out to the bunk ends.
Not to mention with the exposed undersides and all fabric sides and roof they loose heat faster than the body section of a PU.
As to advertising claims of  the amount of "space" their heater will heat you have to remember those claims are based on a room with minimal windows and insulated to a much greater degree than a PU...LOL
 

For an EXTREME example of air movement and temperature "feel". I worked contract engineering in development of a sensitive extremely high tolerance product. The temperature in the entire factory had to be maintained at 69 degrees +/- 1 degree. There were massive machines with motors outputting a lot of BTU's so there had to be extreme air flow to keep the temperature constant. We'd walk around in winter coats/sweaters/long johns especially if you had to spend a lot of time sitting at a desk. We hung thermometers in the air ducts as we swore maintenance was trying to freeze us out. Never saw a temp below 67 degrees or over 70 degrees. Folks used to look at us strange when we went to the company cafeteria for lunches when it was 100 degrees outside and we looked like an arctic expedition...LOL

[pamela]

I brought along my electric blanket and a ceramic heater, one for each end and it worked fine.  I have a 2003 Coleman Bayside and am dying in my wait for camping )

[ScoobyDoo]

We do most of our camping in the winter and our PUP doesn't have a furnace (lot of thought there right). We plug one heater into the AC plug, one into a 12ga. cord to the post and one into the outlet in the camper. The one pluged into the camper is pretty loud so we set the temp on is pretty cool and don't turn anything on when it is on.