Electric fireplace

[khbama]

Is it worth the $200 to get one? Don't care about how they look, but do they do a decent job giving out heat?

[aceinspp]

Always thought a wast till I finally got one helps from using the propane if not to cold. Later RJD

[rracer5]

All depends on outside temp. & how well your unit is insulated. And that depends on make & model. One of the ways manufacturers keep weight & cost down is in how much insulation they install.

[khbama]

Yours come installed or did you install? Seems like a pretty easy install. Assuming it's not too much for my 30amp trailer? I'm awful with voltage etc

[khbama]

Originally Posted by rracer5

All depends on outside temp. & how well your unit is insulated. And that depends on make & model. One of the ways manufacturers keep weight & cost down is in how much insulation they install.

We have a fairly small trailer, Freedom Express 257BHS, 28ft long. That's why I like the idea... didnt think it would do as good as of a job in a 35ft+ trailer

[The Newsoms]

Ours does a good job warming up the camper. I like it.

[david_reaves]

I hate the thought of giving up that much wall space. We carry two very small ceramic heaters that we can pull out to knock the chill of in our Windjammer. If it's really cold then we use the furnace. The ceramic heaters were about $30 each.

[spock123]

We like our electric fireplace it does a good job if it's not to cold

[Griswalds]

Our trailer is 34' long with rear opposing slides. The electric fireplace does a great job of keeping the trailer warm in the fall and also helps reduce the amount of furnace run time in the winter. We too use a ceramic heater in addition to the fireplace and rarely have to use the furnace.

[Flybob]

What is the wattage of the heater? Most plug in electric heating devices have a max limit of 1500W. If you are just looking for heat a small ceramic heater or two will take up less space, can easily be moved around and can be left home when not needed.

[dcheatwood]

It will not warm down a cold rv but it will prevent the furnace from running so much. Mine is 1500 watt like a little space heater. Great on cool nights and mornings while coffee's making.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Griswalds

Our trailer is 34' long with rear opposing slides. The electric fireplace does a great job of keeping the trailer warm in the fall and also helps reduce the amount of furnace run time in the winter. We too use a ceramic heater in addition to the fireplace and rarely have to use the furnace.

X 2 Later RJD

[tuckerdog1]

When we were first shopping for a trailer & were seeing fireplaces & DW thought they were stupid. Her opinion was we were supposed to be camping. However, it was included in the trailer we picked. Then after we began to use it, she loved it. Puts out good heat and saves on propane use.

Tuckerdog1

[Iwannacamp]

X? I got one too...it does help....and it's kinda cool.

[Buddy Duncan]

Our 5th came with one and we heat the unit with it. You can save a lot of propane by using it and you don't have to listen to the furnace all night long.

[kc8lvy]

My Silverback had one and we used it in the winter first thing in the morning. Then a little while later the AC was turning on. Does a chilly morning count if it's 50 degrees and in the afternoon it's 75 degrees. I love Florida Winters.

[WFD]

Ours has a high and low heat setting...low is 750 watts and high is 1500 watts. Works pretty much the same as ceramic space heaters. It's ok to remove chill in the morning as long as its not too cold out...otherwise it takes too long and I would sooner give a blast of the furnace on colder mornings. If you set in on high heat and run your coffee maker at same time, and say your electric water heater is running and you try to run something else, you will likely pop the breaker with a 30 amp service...been there, done that! Many on here say they love their fireplace, some say they don't. We had no choice with this unit as it came with....if I had a choice, I would not have the fireplace, and sooner have that area as storage like our previous model had, and would simply carry a portable heater with us. As for the "fireplace" look....it's as fake as they come.

[donanddona]

Worth it..... Liking mine !!!!!

[myredracer]

Depends entirely on size of an RV and how well it is insulated. Watts are watts. While it might be toasty warm near the fireplace, a bedroom and bathroom can be really cold. Ceilings and front caps in a trailer a generally aren't very well insulated and there isn't anything you can do. Some campers are better insulated than others but not very easy to tell when buying one.

If you are going to do this, I highly recommend running a dedicated circuit to it instead of plugging it into a standard RV SCD (self-contained device) receptacle or connecting on a circuit with other SCD recepts. (You also must follow a manufacturers min. safety clearances of course.)

We have a 29' TT and I installed 3 permanent recessed heaters totally 2,000 watts. It's good down to near freezing and we never use the furnace anymore. Only issue at colder temps. is the floor feels on the feet and you need to wear warm socks. The tanks in the enclosed underbelly won't get heated but we don't camp in sub-freezing temps. The trailer is cozy warm and evenly heated from front to back.

For the kitchen/living area I installed a kick-space heater right below the stove. Doesn't get in the way of anything and provides the min. safety clearances. The heater in the bathroom and bedroom are King Pic-a-watt fan forced heaters. These heaters are very quiet compared to the furnace. Our TT is 30 amps and I built a demand controller that shuts all heaters off when other loads that get plugged in that exceed about 15 amps in total. Have never even once had a 30 amp or other breaker trip.

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by khbama

Is it worth the $200 to get one? Don't care about how they look, but do they do a decent job giving out heat?

We absolutely love ours. When we had our 30' 5th wheel, the Fireplace would do a decent job of keeping the whole camper warm.

When we upgraded to a Motorhome, our Berkshire came with a larger fireplace and between the fireplace (which puts out a IMPRESSIVE amount of heat!) and our heated floors, we have only run our furnace once (to test that it works), and we have camped extensively in temperatures below 20º F.

The only down side you may want to consider is if you have a FIreplace you will almost certainly have a 50AMP unit and that may limit you. For us it wasn't even a consideration but wanted that on the table so you have all the info you need to make your decision.

For us, we would never own another RV that did not have a fireplace.