If you’ve ever been caught in a winter snow storm with only propane to keep your RV warm, you understand what it’s like to constantly fret about running out of fuel. Here’s an interesting CheapHeat™ hybrid RV heater that takes that worry away, by giving you the option of switching between propane and electric heating for your RV.
You’ll never worry about running out of propane heat with this mod.
Flip the Switch from Gas to Electric with a Hybrid RV Heater
Just like most modern RV water heaters can switch between electric and propane power as conditions warrant, the CheapHeat System can go between propane and electricity to heat your RV.
CheapHeat is a hybrid RV heater unit that mounts directly downstream of your existing RV gas furnace. It has a controller unit that receives a signal from the furnace when heat is needed. The controller turns on to activate a set of tungsten heating coils that are powered by 120 or 240-volts AC. Once the coils get heated up, a 12-volt fan motor on your furnace pushes the hot air through the usual ducting inside your rig.
Say goodbye to portable electric heaters.
Depending on what kind of hookups you have at the time, the CheapHeat can be configured into three different wattage ratings, 1,800, 3,750 and 5,000 watts.
The manufacturer, RVComfortSystems, says “the only connection between the CheapHeat™ and the existing propane furnace is a simple wiretap on the fan motor conductor. According to CSA America (the RV Furnace certification group) it does not affect the ANSI certification of the gas furnace.” For additional peace of mind, CheapHeat’s special heating coils are built with a safety feature that prevents overheating if your furnace blower motor stops working.
This unit is safer than using a hot flame to stay warm.
The three biggest benefits to installing a CheapHeat system in your RV include:
- If you’re NOT using gas heat you don’t have to worry about the furnace causing monoxide poisoning.
- You don’t have to worry about a 1500ºF flame burning inside a metal cabinet in your RV.
- There is no need to use unsafe portable electric heaters to supplement your heating or freeze protection.
In addition, CheapHeat is more efficient than a standard propane RV heater. These de-facto heaters blow out such hot air from the unit that it causes the thermostat to turn off before the entire coach is heated up. The CheapHeat on the other hand, delivers consistently warm – not scorching hot heat – which results in longer thermostat run times and an evenly warm temperature throughout the RV.
CheapHeat works on most Suburban and Atwood RV heaters.
CheapHeat hybrid RV heaters aren’t complicated but as this Trailer Life article shows, it’s probably best to have this mod done by a certified RV professional.
These units start at $249 and go up to $695, which isn’t exactly cheap to purchase. If you factor in the cost of paying RV park electricity rates when you’re a long-term resident, you can realize the savings in just one long, cold winter.
