Paul B Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 We put in a new Atwood heater. If we leave it on overnight, the blower seems to kill the battery by morning. Any thoughts- should this be so? Really doesn't make sense to me- if the heater/blower drain the battery every night what is the point of the heater? Any thoughts/ suggestions/ help will be most appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Welcome to the world of RVs. You have 2 choices 1. Bigger battery and solar. 2. A catalytic heater with no fan. I went with #1 and can go 3 days at 15 degrees with out running the battery down. The solar panel (60w) cant keep up with the drain in the winter so eventually the battery gets low. WME P.S. 3rd choice lots of blankets and turn the thermostat down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Is the blower running continuously? They operate just like a home furnace, on and off according to the thermostat setting. If its operating normally then something is wrong with the blower motor or your coach battery is bad or the coach battery is not being fully charged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B Posted November 9, 2010 Author Share Posted November 9, 2010 HI, thanks to both- we will look into each - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdrhound Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Paul, I recall clearly that first night in the snow, waking up to the freezing cold, the heater giving an occasional clunk as it tried to start. Good thing that the engine kicks out good heat. I find that I can get about 8 to 10 hours of COLD-night heater use before the battery gets weak. (Oh for room for golf cart batteries.....) I run my little generator until bedtime. I let Bella out for her final romp, and shut down the generator. All the windows are covered with foil/foam/foil sheets. In that way, we do fine. I find that the Wave 3 will not heat the whole cabin. Doesn't help that I have to leave a vent cracked open. I have found that placing the heater on the table in the middle of the coach will keep the bed area comfortable. I wish that I had not installed the dual-speed Atwood heater after the original's motor bearings had died. When the fan goes on high speed, it really sucks down the battery. It seemed a good idea at the time. (how many times have I had to say that?) Works great when you are plugged in, but not many ski areas are offering that option. Next time.... We do make some trade-offs by going with semi-antique rigs. I am sure that for $60K - $70K we would have dual windows, real insulation, etc. But what fun would that be? Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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