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Old 10-18-2012, 10:28 PM   #1
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Tank Heater Switch on the Monitor Panel

I have been searching the Forums for hours now and have discovered a TON of interesting and very useful information about our 2010 Rockwood Signature 8313SS. BUT, I haven't found the answer I've been looking for. Our Monitor Panel has a switch just to the right of the Water Heater switch that says "Tank Heater". Does anyone know what this is for/what it does?

Thank you in advance!
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Old 10-18-2012, 10:31 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyCampers5
I have been searching the Forums for hours now and have discovered a TON of interesting and very useful information about our 2010 Rockwood Signature 8313SS. BUT, I haven't found the answer I've been looking for. Our Monitor Panel has a switch just to the right of the Water Heater switch that says "Tank Heater". Does anyone know what this is for/what it does?

Thank you in advance!
Hello and welcome!

Tank heaters are designed to keep the tanks warm-ish during cold weather camping.
My old flagstaff had those as well as pipe heaters for the tank outlets.
Never used them but once .

Turbs
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Old 10-18-2012, 10:42 PM   #3
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Ahhh! Thank you so much for your quick reply! Is there a protocol for using them? I.e., is in only for when we don't have fhu?
And thanks for the "welcome" to the forum! I am thoroughly enjoying it and the comradery!
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Old 10-19-2012, 12:31 AM   #4
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I believe that Forest River still uses Ultraheat tank heaters. Here's a link to their web site. UltraHeat, Inc. - Easy to Operate

Dave
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Old 10-19-2012, 01:33 PM   #5
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If you want to warm up the sewage to 60F, go ahead and turn the switch on! I think they're one of the dumbest things on my RV. The non-adjustable thermostat will turn the heating pads on when the temp drops to 42F and keeps them on until it senses that the tank has reached 60F.

They're 12VDC powered and draw 7 amps each, not good for boondocking! There are two pads on each tank on my 32-footer. Since we're rarely out in the cold weather and the tanks are empty when the rig is parked for the winter, I've never used them.

I don't know what the effect of 160 watts of heat over a fairly small area of the tank would be if it were empty. It wouldn't surprise me if they got hot enough to melt through. I've disconnected the wiring on mine.
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Old 10-19-2012, 03:39 PM   #6
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I used mine a couple of weeks ago in very northern Mn. The temps dropped to the upper 20's at night. I had electricity so was not worried about using up my batteries. It was comforting to know that I had a little heat to the tanks. If you never camp in freezing tempatures then they will be of no use to you. However, if you plan to camp in freezing temps or locations wher the temps may drop on you, then I think you will be happy to have them.
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Old 10-19-2012, 05:42 PM   #7
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Hard to dump a frozen tank!

I bet filling the gray water tank with hot water might help move things along. But I think hot water pipes will freeze faster than cold water pipes.

What say you folks in the north?
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Old 10-21-2012, 08:55 AM   #8
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I have been on a factory tour and these heaters are about the size of a sheet of paper,and are underneath the tanks (heat rises). The tanks totally fill the cavities so furnace heat will not work. I will use mine while I travel south this winter. This way we can use the RV along the way. No need to disconnect anything, simply leave the switch turned off when not required.
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