Those with a Travel trailer, got any tips/tricks??

[Western]

The original mr heater Buddy heater will run for 4-5 days on low setting off a 20 lb tank. Get the hose but never leave propane in the hose or it will clog the orfice. When you are done just shut the tank off and let it run dry.
I hard piped one TT I had and it worked great with dual
30 lp onboard tanks
Camped with buddy heaters ever since they came out, down to zero in Ohio winters work great.

That is a good idea, the hard plumbing, most convenient.

Running your furnace at a low thermostat setting will use some gas but it will also allow you to wake up to a lot nicer environment than the not only cold but very damp interior due to condensation, by using buddie heaters you may not wake up at all . You have a great looking camper and you want to use like a tent.lol
My 26' toy hauler's furnace will run all night on my 2 batteries. You should be able to beg/borrow/rent a couple extra lp tanks .

But nice tent!!:laughing: Actually I wanted to conserve the LP, I have been told and have also read, that the furnace will suck the bottles dry in a couple days.?? ( I have 3 mounted on front )

I'm not "as paranoid" with the Buddy heaters as I am with older style LP heaters, they have the low oxygen shut-off, but I will have windows cracked open to satisfy my paranoia:laughing: If 3-4 bottles would last me the trip (save a 50-60 mile rnd trip to town), I'd use the furnace in heartbeat.


Boone, mine also has the "emergency" feature for the slide-out, but as you mentioned and come to think about it, I dont know where it is, nor the tool:shocked:

 

[Western]

OH!! on the Onan genset. Changed the carb, along with the oil and filter, fuel pump, fuel filter and Spark plugs, also added a fuel line shutoff below the carb. Started up and ran great so far!!! Whoot!!

 

[nc redneck]

If your camper came from factory with gen set it should have a CO detector. If so consider using stove as a quick bump to heat when you get in from hunting. No additional stuff (Buddy Heater and tank) to carry. Use furnace only after you go to bed. Water will be your biggest problem depending on how long you stay, Quick showers are a must. Have fun
Scott

 

[Western]

Scott, that is also an option. I only have 1 battery, so unsure how long it will keep a charge over night. I can take a backup and the one I have is new.
And I have the CO detector also.

I am overly cautious with flames in an enclosed area. Lost a cousin and his fiance to CO. They went camping in a 2 man tent in the mountains in California and both died of asphyxiation/CO poisoning using a very small propane heater.. Not something to take lightly IMO. So even with a Mr Buddie, I would have the windows cracked:laughing:

 

[farmgirl19]

Western; Your battery will charge off of your truck, enroute, and if it gets weak on the trip, you can back up the truck to the trailer, and connect the electrical. Leave you engine running, and place a red flag, or something you can't miss under the driver's side wiper to remind you to disconnect before you drive off. Something large enough you can't see around it, without getting out of the truck and removing it, and checking that you are disconnected. Of course, I don't have the generator, so this should not be needed by you.

I've never had any problems one 3 day weekends, needing to do that, except one weekend at a show, when the battery was really old. I prefer the furnace, set on low overnight. One good battery should serve you well, for more than a night.

 

[Western]

I dont know how long it would take my converter to re-charge the battery using the genset. I can take a battery charger and charge a spare at deep cycle 10 amp if I have too. That may be a good option since my battery box is not large enough to use 2 batteries.

 

[RobertN]

Find a place to put a second battery... One battery wont last long at all. Other thing, is look at LED replacement lights; they use hardly any power.

That is a pretty big/fancy rig to have only one battery?

 

[Western]

Find a place to put a second battery... One battery wont last long at all. Other thing, is look at LED replacement lights; they use hardly any power.

That is a pretty big/fancy rig to have only one battery?[/QUOTE

Thats what I was thinking too, I haven't found the converter yet, but narrowed it down to one likely spot! I have a couple of deep cycles in my boat, that actually need to be used, so I can take them in the toy hauler part.
Are you talking about LED's in the coach lights? Trailer lights are LED

 

[RobertN]

LED for inside lighting. They use much less power, and last a long time. I don't dry camp much with our 5th wheel, but a coworker does(he has motorhome). He replace his interior bulbs and claims he gets noticeably more time before he has to run the generator to charge batteries.

I'm going to start replacing mine; they are pricey, but the price has been coming down.

 

[Western]

I will look into those and go ahead and check the ones I have. I know you can get a wider assortment of LED's now. I saw a 20' (may have been 24') porch string of LED's at Walmart for less than $30.