Heating the Barth

10-28-2012, 07:45 AM

tom taylor

Heating the Barth

While I exercise the gas central heat on the Barth, like I do everything else, I have found it more economical and quieter, to use a LASKO quartz heater. They come with remote controls and thermostats and cost in the $50 range at Walmart. The less gas I use, the fewer times I have to chase down a place to fill the tank. And, if you are connected to shore power say at an RV park, you are using their resources as opposed to your own. .

Tom Taylor
94 breakaway

10-28-2012, 09:08 AM

Danny Z

I'm with you on this one Tom. I removed the furnace completely and gained a bunch of storage space. As Rusty has pointed out, if you're in really cold weather, you need the furnace, but I have no intention of being anywhere near snow with the Euro, so a small space heater works just fine when I have to take off the chill. Camping in Florida most of the time means a good working AC unit is the important thing.

10-28-2012, 09:37 AM

Tom and Julie

If you really are not going to use the furnace it is better to remove as Danny says. Rust, hose deterioration, wiring and ducting don't get better with age and non use. If it is a propane fed system it will certainly leak some day and it is one more place for the dirt daubbers to set up shop.

10-28-2012, 10:09 AM

Danny Z

The only thing to think about is if you have a fairly high-end coach and intend to sell it someday, you're eliminating a high percentage of possible customers without a furnace. This doesn't apply to me in either case so it made sense to gain the storage and eliminate the problems mentioned by Tom.

10-28-2012, 02:44 PM

tom taylor

I guess I got lucky with this Barth having lived in S Calif or Phoenix its entire life because even the outside covers for the fridge, heater and water heater have no discoloration and the outside surfaces on each inside look like new. The water heater was replaced in 2005. Like everything else on my Barth, I exercise the heater. Once a month i take it for a ride and when I go out to it, I operate all the switches to apply voltage and heat to each circuit. I am making limited use of it by using the shower each day. Friday I moved it out to the fishing dock so I could use the electric pressure washer to clean the duck poo off the dock rails and flooring. We have AFLAC ducks, Muscoves and a couple of beige male geese. the Muscoves came last and they are the messers. I might buy a fake owl. i already need to put fencing around the carportt type cover where the Barth lives as they get under it to roost and I just cleaned and cloroxed it to no avail. Any one cook a duck or goose lately lol?

Tom taylor
94 Breakaway

10-28-2012, 02:46 PM

tom taylor

(I installed water at the dock when I ran the line for the Barth but I needed the generator)

10-28-2012, 04:49 PM

Marvin+Doris

Get a australian shepherddog. They keep them ducks in a row

10-28-2012, 06:33 PM

Doorman

One thing you want to make sure of is that you have a good quality reciptical to plug your electric heater in.

A 1500 watt heater will pull over 12A. The connection need to be made well to prevent arcing or high resitance at plug.
Making a check for heat at plug. I changed mine out with new good quality recpt. after I found mine getting warm with heater plugged in. My plan is to run new dedicated 20a. circuit with hospital grade outlets.

10-30-2012, 09:10 AM

tom taylor

I rescued one of the herding dogs and that lasted for one day. That rascal was not trained correctly and he was more into biting the goats on the legs. He also hated cats. There was a feral big tom cat that had a big territory. He happened to come running across the yard and that dog got after him. That cat ran like you would imagine and leaped to the tree last second spanning about 12 feet. By luck I was at the corner convenience store talking to the lady who put me onto this dog and a man was standing there that wanted the dog. He had cows and the female of this breed. Huray.

Tom

10-30-2012, 02:51 PM

Jim and Tere

We routinely run two quartz heaters to keep the Barth warm in the winter. Each one is plugged into a 20 amp receptacle, one in the front of the coach and one in the rear. They are wired to a breaker in the breaker box. Think it's a 20 amp breaker. The Barth is inside of a metal building that is minimally insulated. Even when it's 15 degrees outside, the Barth is at worst about 40 degrees inside.

10-30-2012, 06:14 PM

tom taylor

Where I keep the Barth has a dedicated 200 amp panel on the pole and I had the electrician to add a 120v GFI outlet near the 50 amp plug. I am thinking now that I will place my heater in the Barth for winter storage run off of the pole outlet. This Barth has never seen cold ---lol but it came with an Artic package (heated pipes and tanks if i so choose to turn on the switches). Being a car guy, I have always heard about the extra value in buying a black tag CA car because of the lack of corrosion / rust. Well, the Barth had a piece of paint knocked off front bumper when I bought it and it was very shiney. While at the GTG, I had invited to ask the former plant manger in the wheel chair to help me ID the coach. He noted that my bumpers were painted and said they were stainless when new or something. Anyway, when I got home, the rust formed on the surface. So much for FL.

Tom Taylor
94 Breakaway Xl

11-09-2012, 09:09 PM

Rick & Marcia

Great comments for a newbie to hear. Thanks
Rick

quote:
Originally posted by tom taylor:
I guess I got lucky with this Barth having lived in S Calif or Phoenix its entire life because even the outside covers for the fridge, heater and water heater have no discoloration and the outside surfaces on each inside look like new. The water heater was replaced in 2005. Like everything else on my Barth, I exercise the heater. Once a month i take it for a ride and when I go out to it, I operate all the switches to apply voltage and heat to each circuit. I am making limited use of it by using the shower each day. Friday I moved it out to the fishing dock so I could use the electric pressure washer to clean the duck poo off the dock rails and flooring. We have AFLAC ducks, Muscoves and a couple of beige male geese. the Muscoves came last and they are the messers. I might buy a fake owl. i already need to put fencing around the carportt type cover where the Barth lives as they get under it to roost and I just cleaned and cloroxed it to no avail. Any one cook a duck or goose lately lol?

Tom taylor
94 Breakaway




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