we need a heater for PUP

[Keri]

We bought a 1997 Coleman Sante Fe that does not have a furnace.   It was chilly in April when we took it out on our first trip.  We camp alot with no hook ups.  ( we owned a MH for 5 years)  downsizing cuz of gas.......

My hubby was looking at a propane heater for the PUP tonight.  Are they safe ??

Under the sink on the left cabinet there is a plug for something..... we have no clue what is for.....  the RV place told us they could put in a heater for $400.  My hubby owns a HVAC business so he thinks he can do this alone without the added costs.

I was just not liking the fact of a propane heater in the camper.............
PLEASE give advice !!!  I did not want to unzip a window to make sure my family does not die in their sleep.  LOL

If any of you have a coleman...please tell us what that plug is for to the left cabinet by the fridge.....................

[wernstriumph]

Hello, I have a 99 Coleman Sun Valley. The layout is probably different than yours, but the plug by the fridge is just a plug. We plug our toaster in there. On mine, all the plugs are 15amps except the one by the dinette which is 20amps. That's where we plug the AC unit.
As for the propane furnace, I installed mine myself and have had no problems.There should be a spot for it usually near the center of the PUP, but I have seen them installed near the end. Mine is in the center next to the fridge. Does your camper have a propane leak detector? If not I would install one. Hope this helped.

[MomboTN]

We have a factory propane heater in our pup.  It uses a lot of propane.  We have started to bring an electric ceramic portable heater.  It works well and we still have propane for cooking and the water heated.  We do bring a heavy duty extension cord and plug into the on site electrical box instead of going through the breaker box in the pup.  If you have the skills to install your own heater, you may still want to have direct plug to the box outside.  Good luck.

[dthurk]

A furnace installed in your camper will use propane (obviously) but it will also use a considerable amount of electricity.  If you have hook ups, this won't be a problem.  If you dry camp, it will.  We have successfully used a Mr. Buddy Heater a number of times to heat our 28' TT.  We leave a vent and a window open because it would get too hot otherwise.  It also helps ventilate the camper.  Several times the unit has run out of propane during the night and shut down without incident.  One pound of propane lasts about 5 hours.  These units are less than $100 (IIRC, $70 for ours) and require no installation.  We do dry camp frequently and use this when not plugged in.  We'll use the on-board furnace if we're plugged in.

[Recumbentman]

I would give a second vote for a Mr Buddy  I have a furnace in my PU and only use use with full hook-ups. the furnace uses to much battery on its own. You can run an extension hose from you 20lb tank to your Mr buddy and not have to worry about the propane running out during the night,

[rccs]

By plug are you referring to a 120 volt plug like you have in your house or a plastic plug with separate wires in it, possibly black and orange? If it is the latter it could be the wiring harness for a furnace thermostat if the furnace is installed. I have a furnace in my 95 Coleman and would not want to be without it. I don't understand why others say that it uses a lot of LP because I don't think mine does. We use our furnace on every trip if it is cold enough out and use the inside and outside stove to do most of our cooking and we usually go through only one 20 lb. tank of LP a season. We usually camp at least 7 or 8 weekends a season or more and most of those are 3 day weekends. Also I have never ran out of battery power either on a 3 to 4 day weekend but then I also have 2 group 27 batteries hooked together but we also use the lights and water pump a good amount.
I have seen furnaces on Ebay quite a bit for popup campers.

[miss kathy]

I have used mine almost every time I have gone camping and would never leave home without it.  My old Starcraft 6 does not have a heater.  I never leave it running during the night get too hot. The propane on low says 6 hours and I believe this to be true.  But sure works good in the morning when you get up and its cold outside and at night when getting ready for bed.

[wernstriumph]

I don't understand why others say that it uses a lot of LP because I don't think mine does. We use our furnace on every trip if it is cold enough out and use the inside and outside stove to do most of our cooking and we usually go through only one 20 lb. tank of LP a season. We usually camp at least 7 or 8 weekends a season or more and most of those are 3 day weekends. Also I have never ran out of battery power either on a 3 to 4 day weekend but then I also have 2 group 27 batteries hooked together but we also use the lights and water pump a good amount.
I have seen furnaces on Ebay quite a bit for popup campers.

I'd have to agree, I use my furnace a lot in the spring and fall and find that a tank of propane lasts at least 3 trips (3 days each). And that's with running a hot water heater and propane fridge and cooking. I only have 1 group27 battery and have never run out of power on a 3 day trip. Of course I'm really only in the camper at night so the furnace gets turned on after dinner and gets shut off before breakfast.

[dthurk]

I don't understand why others say that it uses a lot of LP because I don't think mine does. We use our furnace on every trip if it is cold enough out and use the inside and outside stove to do most of our cooking and we usually go through only one 20 lb. tank of LP a season.

Propane use all depends on outside temps and the size of your camper to be heated.  We don't use much propane when lows are in the 40's and highs are in the 60's as in the spring and fall.  Change that to 20's and 30's or even lower and you'd better have a spare tank.  
 
 The bigger problem is the electrical power it requires when dry camping.  A furnace can draw enough power that a single battery may not last even 1 night.  I think most who dry camp find another way of heating the camper than the factory installed furnace.
 
  I'd still recommend the Mr. Buddy Heater in this situation as the OP has no furnace at this point, the Mr. Buddy Heater will cost way less and will not require any installation.

[Shepherd]

Propane use all depends on outside temps and the size of your camper to be heated.  We don't use much propane when lows are in the 40's and highs are in the 60's as in the spring and fall.  Change that to 20's and 30's or even lower and you'd better have a spare tank.  
 
 The bigger problem is the electrical power it requires when dry camping.  A furnace can draw enough power that a single battery may not last even 1 night.  I think most who dry camp find another way of heating the camper than the factory installed furnace.
 
  I'd still recommend the Mr. Buddy Heater in this situation as the OP has no furnace at this point, the Mr. Buddy Heater will cost way less and will not require any installation.

Glad you posted this, I was thinking something was wrong with our furnace.  We had two nights our first trip out that were 28 degrees.  We used one tank of propane over those two nights, including running the water heater, the outside grill, inside stove top, and oven.

[Keri]

Glad you posted this, I was thinking something was wrong with our furnace.  We had two nights our first trip out that were 28 degrees.  We used one tank of propane over those two nights, including running the water heater, the outside grill, inside stove top, and oven.

I guess I should have been more clear with explanations.  sorry about that...  It is not an actual "plug"  It is a connector  inside a cabinet under the kitchen spot.  The connector is clear with different colored wires.  We have a 20lb propane tank so I guess the hubby could hook a heater up if this is what the connection is for.  Stupid me...............I put the manual to camper in a " safe place".  If anyone knows where that safe place is please let me know.  LOL.
Thanks for all of your help !!!

[austinado16]

Our '87 Starcraft Nova didn't come with one, but I scored one on ebay, along with a thermostat for it.  In our camper the furnace would have been installed in a lower left cabinet storage area (w/ the door not used.  So that's where I installed mine.  These "built-in" furnaces have a combination intake air/exhaust air "duct" that goes out the side of the camper.  So as part of the installation, you wind up cutting a hole through the side of the camper with a hole saw.  Then ad 12v fused from the battery to run the blower fan, a ground wire to the camper frame, "T" into the low pressure propane line and run that to the gas valve on the furnace, and then hook up a 12v rated thermostat.  That's it.

They take in air from outside and exhaust their combustion air to the outside, so they're safe.

Another option to the Mr. Heaters is a Catalytic Heater.  The current "big" manufacture of these is "Olympian" and they're called "Wave 3," "Wave 6," and "Wave 8," Catalytic Safety Heaters.  Look 'em up used on ebay.

Super effecient and clean burning, but you still crack a window and the ceiling vent about an inch so they can get their own air to burn.  The Wave 3 or Wave 6 would be perfect for a popup.

I bought a used Wave 6 last fall, bought the feet for it, and had 10' of flexible rubber propane hose made.  I T'd into the propane hard line under the sink and leave the 10' of hose coiled up there.  I bought quick disconnect ends, so when it's time to use the heater, the propane line literally just snaps onto the heater.

The nice thing about the Mr. Heater and the Olympian Wave's is that they are silent.  The built-in furnaces are pretty loud and if you're a light sleeper, they'll wake you up about every thirty minutes.....*click*.....*clank*.....*tick-tick-tick*......*woosh*........*VVvvvvvRRRRRrrrrrvvvvvvvvRRRRRrrrrrrRRRRRRrrrrrrr*

[BirdMan]

We only dry camp and use our factory installed furnace every night.  I recently made a portable solar panel to recharge my one battery during the day.  Testing has proven it will recharge the battery every day without a problem.  See //www.arveeclub.com/showthread.php?t=66142 for info on the solar setup.

Keri, you said it would cost $400 to have an RV place put one in.  That sounds pretty cheap compared to not waking up in the morning with another makeshift propane solution.  Also, my suggestion is you have someone put a heater in who has done it many times.  If I need some type of surgery I tend to find a doctor who has done hundreds of them vs one who is cheaper and has never done one.  "Practice makes perfect!"

I have a 2000 Coleman/Fleetwood Fairview and the heater is installed next to the water tank across from the refrigerator.  The refrigerator is below the sink.  There are many configurations on the popups.

[daldricht]

We bought a 1997 Coleman Sante Fe that does not have a furnace.   It was chilly in April when we took it out on our first trip.  We camp alot with no hook ups.  ( we owned a MH for 5 years)  downsizing cuz of gas.......

My hubby was looking at a propane heater for the PUP tonight.  Are they safe ??

Under the sink on the left cabinet there is a plug for something..... we have no clue what is for.....  the RV place told us they could put in a heater for $400.  My hubby owns a HVAC business so he thinks he can do this alone without the added costs.

I was just not liking the fact of a propane heater in the camper.............
PLEASE give advice !!!  I did not want to unzip a window to make sure my family does not die in their sleep.  LOL

If any of you have a coleman...please tell us what that plug is for to the left cabinet by the fridge.....................

Keri,
We have a double plug right beside the frig and it is where I plug in the ceramic cube heater. You can get them at CamperWorld for about $30 - and ours is on a moving/180 degree twist base, so the heat is evenly distributed throughout camper. We no longer have little kids so I am not uncomfortable at leaving it running at night on the metal stove cover. Since you pay electric at most campgrounds, why not plug into their bill - rather than paying for propane. We have a propane heater in our Colman Niagara but have discovered it can use an entire canister of fuel in two nights - thats about $12 bucks . . . right. So go looking at small ceramic cube heaters - worth the investment. We also have new king sized electric blankets that I found on sale for $120 for 2 of them from Overstocked. They run sales in the spring for those. Again you will be heating your popup with their electric.

Also you may want to consider these solar "silver/orange" blankets that you lay on top of the canvas bed roof on the outside. You can feel the air in the bed/sleeping area change almost as fast as you get the sheets of fabric over the canvas. CampingWorld sells those (I think) for about $30 - another good investment - but make sure you get some strong clamps (similar to clothespins) to hold the blankets to the canvass - or they will be blowing al over the campground.

With the silver side facing out, you can feel the canvas bed area cool off in the summer. With the red/orange side facing out in the fall or winter, you can feel the coolness in the bed area change to a warmer temp.

Hope this helps
Dave

[Bowfin]

We keep a little electric ceramic box heater in our Coleman Taos for chilly nights. It was only about $20 at Lowes and packs away in the camper nicely. Works great down to the 30's. I should've sprung for the oscillating heater, but I wanted to save as much space as possible with our little camper.