New twist on electrical wiring for electric heaters

hoffkm · 10-09-2011, 06:46 PM

I have seen many threads on here to address the issue of popping breakers while using electric heaters. Here is how I addressed the issue and I don't think anyone else has suggested this.

I was a little surprised when I went thru the electrical circuit of our Rockwood and found that ALL of the electrical outlets were on one circuit. I first address this issue by plugging the electric heater in the living area of the trailer into an outlet and then plugging our daughter's heater in her bunkhouse in the back into the hot water heater plug (cannot use the hot water heater on electric when doing this) since it is on it's own circuit. The water heater was located under the bunks and easy to get to on our model.

Today I completed the final fix to this problem by adding an outlet in the bunk room wired into the water heater circuit. I also add a switch to turn on/off the water heater from inside the trailer as many have done on here. Up in the living room I isolated one of the existing outlets and connected it to the air conditioner circuit on the breaker box. I do not ever see running the AC and heat at the same time so this should work perfectly.

We'll see this coming weekend if we can now run both heaters in addition to the coffee maker. Only issue will be if we pop the main breaker.

Sorry no picks but I do not think anyone really wants to see the job that is done of running wires thru these trailers. The quality of the electrical outlets concerns me, they are made more for quick assembly and less for traveling down the road. I will be keeping a close eye on the connections in these things!

hoffkm · 10-15-2011, 10:42 AM

Temps in the low 40's last night and we ran both electric heaters all night on high. This morning made our coffee without tripping the main while both heaters were on. Happy that this has worked out but cannot understand why the factory has to wire every outlet on one breaker when at least on my trailer there are two spaces open in the breaker box to add additional circuits.

Jimcam22 · 10-22-2011, 01:52 PM

We had the same problem with electric heaters. I put a marine 20A outlet thru the sidewall and wired an outlet inside the entertainment center. I hook a 20A extension cord from the site power distribution box (there is usually a 30A and a 20A plug in most) to the marine 20A outlet and we now have 50A to use..

buzzards27 · 10-22-2011, 01:58 PM

I added an outlet inside the sink base that is tapped into the 20 amp micro circuit. Have not found a time when I needed the micro and a heater at the same time. Fact is this circuit was barely used before the addition.

Boyd · 10-22-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimcam22

We had the same problem with electric heaters. I put a marine 20A outlet thru the sidewall and wired an outlet inside the entertainment center. I hook a 20A extension cord from the site power distribution box (there is usually a 30A and a 20A plug in most) to the marine 20A outlet and we now have 50A to use..

You get a big "atta-boy" from me. As my old man would have said, "Now that's using your noggin."

lindy · 10-23-2011, 11:10 AM

Even easier way to run an elect heater, if you have a slide. Run a 30A extension cord out the bottom of the slide at one corner or the other where is won't harm the seal. Plug the 30A cord in to the regular household outlet in the power box. This gives you a completly new and seperate circuit in the trl. I use the rear corner of our slide because the 30A cord is to run the heater only.

**KyDan** · 10-24-2011, 07:05 AM

My power center had extra circuit breaker slots.
I just bought a plug in breaker at Home Depot and an "old work" plastic outlet
box and a duplex outlet and cover.
It took less than 5 feet of 14-2 romex to add this outlet in the toe kick
area next to my power center.
It was a one beer job!

HomeGrown · 10-24-2011, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyDan

It was a one beer job!

I would have stretched it out a bit, Dan.

capucine · 10-24-2011, 07:31 PM

I use a ceramic heater set on 900 watts and this type of heater give you an output of the same as a regular heater set at full 1500 watts. Like that you have some spare juice for other items. My hot water heater is on a separate circuit breaker. We went camping last week and the temperature at night was very cool. In the trailer it was warm and toasty only with this ceramic heater set at 900 watts. Newer trailer like our minilite are much better insulated than the older trailers with an r value that can bring you quite late in the season camping with confortable cold nights.

debron911 · 10-29-2011, 02:12 PM

We have two circuits in our TT (kitchen and the rest of TT). We run this Sam's Club fireplace/heater without a problem except we cannot run another heater in bedroom simultaneously. This fireplace fits perfectly in our TT and keeps us toasty warm through these cold fall Michigan days even when it hit the low 40's.
We exchanged the ugly brown barrel chair for the IKEA Peong Chair and I wanted a floor light behind the chair so husband ran one foot of romex using the same circuit as the frig to install a new plug outlet to power this light and a laptop (see pics).
These mods have made full-timing a lot nicer!

ndunn · 10-30-2011, 08:43 PM

14-2 is borderline for a 1500 Watt heater, I would think 12-2 would have been better. 14-2 is only rated for 15 amps.

crocus · 10-30-2011, 09:46 PM

We were lucky that our Flagstaff came with a fireplace, and since it is already hooked into the microwave circuit, we could run it and a portable heater at the same time. But even with night temps in the 30's, the portable on low keeps the camper plenty warm.
The fireplace sure is nice in the morning though, sitting by the "fire" with a cup of java is a great way to start the morning.

cfsoistman · 10-31-2011, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyDan

My power center had extra circuit breaker slots.
I just bought a plug in breaker at Home Depot and an "old work" plastic outlet
box and a duplex outlet and cover.
It took less than 5 feet of 14-2 romex to add this outlet in the toe kick
area next to my power center.
It was a one beer job!

Dan you need to follow the RV Electrical Weekend Engineers procedures.

Beer #1 - Divising a plan for the electrical outlet.

Beer #2 - Doing the actual work.

Beer #3 - Admiring the work you accomplished.

Beer #4 - Optional if you really like looking at your work.

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