Turning on the heat

[Kennn0]

I am a 5 month new owner of an RV. We are camping this weekend for the first time since weather turned cold. I will be running our heat for the first time since we purchased. Any tips? I have 30amp power at my house but have never turned it on since purchase. Can I just flip the swith on or do I need to have anything else adjusted? My water and water heater are off for the moment but will be hooked up when we arrive at the camp site. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Big Dawg]

Your heater will run on propane, and you will need to turn that on also. If you are in really cold weather, you will need to really watch out for the plumbing if you are using it, to keep it from freezing. Good luck, and have fun camping. I wish we could.

[EdJunior]

And be aware that the heater uses the most propane. Check your tanks to be sure they are full. If you have some space heaters, it could save you some of the propane usage. On our last trip out, we used two little space heaters (one in the living area and one in the bedroom) through the night, and only used the main heat in the morning to "take the chill off". But it only got into the mid-upper 30's or low 40's where we were. If you're camping where it's liable to get below freezing, and the heat also keeps your water system warm, you may need to run it more.

[Len & Cheri]

I would test the furnace in the driveway before the trip. It's easier to figure out problems in your driveway during the day then it is at the campground when it's 50 degrees right before bed time. I would also let the furnace run for awhile to burn off any oils, dust, etc. before the trip. It could set off your smoke detector.

[Kennn0]

Wow - all of these are good tips. I'm glad I posted the question for help. You can't teach experience.....which all of you have supplied with your tips. Thanks to all.

[punkaccountant]

Originally Posted by Len & Cheri

I would also let the furnace run for awhile to burn off any oils, dust, etc. before the trip. It could set off your smoke detector.

This is the advice I was going to give. If it hasn't been run before, crank it up high to burn off this stuff. My first camping trip out, I had to run the heater and it scares you when that alarm goes off. You think something is wrong when it's not. Plus the burning smell gave me a headache so when I got my new trailer this past spring the first thing I did was crank up the heat and opened the door and windows and went out to play with the kids.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

As others stated, run your furnace in the driveway to burn off oils, etc in the system (usually about 30min).

Have an electric space heater to keep temps cozy inside so you don't run furnace all day & night.
Electric blankets are awesome for night time so furnace can be set on lower setting to prevent using all your propane in 2-3 days.
Enjoy winter camping, one of the best times of the season...no bugs or sunburns

[sail2liv]

After years of usage of electric space heaters in boats and rv s and tents.
One of the most important things you can do is not run them on HI...two heaters with tip over safety on low heat will heat our 30 ft boat or our 26 ft 5 er in the 20s.....sometimes we will put one on HI for a short time but always return it to low for all night runs....also set thermostat at middle range or lower....and they will come on and off, but on low temps they seem to be able to run all night without over heating....check your plug at outlet to see if it is warm....if it feels warm to touch would be thinking something might be amiss with socket or heater.....when arriving to campsite in cold temps we do a combination of electric and propane....same in morning if chilly when we get up.....and we always use an electric blanket.....monitor you batteries when running the propane heater if not hooked to shore power......good luck and stay warm.......

[rattleNsmoke]

X4 on the furnace burn off before heading out.