Powering enclosed trailer propane furnace

[AkNomad]

Sometimes we like to camp in our enclosed trailer and this late in the year we have to run our heater and right now I've got a battery running but if I run it too long the battery dies. Has anyone hooked up a converter to power their furnace and charge the battery at the same time, if so, what brand are you using and how do you like it?

 

[Tchetek]

Not sure on the brand of mine. But it does the job. Any Rv converter or a 30 amp charger will do the job if your plugged in.

 

[Modman]

Sometimes we like to camp in our enclosed trailer and this late in the year we have to run our heater and right now I've got a battery running but if I run it too long the battery dies. Has anyone hooked up a converter to power their furnace and charge the battery at the same time, if so, what brand are you using and how do you like it?

Its basically a 12V power supply and Charge Controller built in, they are like $40 on Amazon for a 30 Amp one. You should look at the Chinese diesel heaters thread if you are having issues, might be worth installing a diesel heater and then your battery won't die if you aren't plugged into a power source.

 

[arff]

I installed a Chinese Diesel heater. works great

 

[arff]

Chinese diesel heaters for enclosed sled trailer

Chinese diesel heaters for enclosed sled trailer

So I bought one of these Chinese cheap diesel heaters from Amazon, 8kw for $280 for my enclosed sled trailer and hooked it up, it ran for 5 minutes than started pouring diesel smoke out the exhaust like crazy then quit working, now I have a E-09 error code on the display and heater will not heat...

www.snowandmud.com

 

[H-D]

If you want a diesel heater buy a Parking Heater Products. I use them in our fleet of trucks and they have THE best service after sale. I've tried Webastos, Eberspachers and the cheap ones. Buy a PHP, they aren't cheap but they will last. Fort Garry sells them.

 

[H-D]

And it's made in Canada

 

[blubbles]

Are you talking about running it from the truck? or from a generator? If its the truck you need a DC-DC converter, something like the Renogy units.

If a generator its just a converter charger something like

Amazon product ASIN B01ER3LH52
Basically just charges the battery... The diesel heaters do use less power than the propane units, but regardless you will likely still need a way to charge your battery.

 

[AkNomad]

What I'm talking about is a DC power source that is plugged into the AC outlet in my trailer that will run my propane furnace and charge my battery at the same time, a generator will be powering the trailer. A diesel heater is not an option, this furnace does the job and then some but I just need something else to power it when we are camping in it. In my previous enclosed trailer that I owned years ago it was setup this way, I could run my Honda i2000EU all night and the furnace would run to keep the trailer comfortable enough to sleep in when it was cold outside and that's what I'm trying to do with this new one.

 

[arff]

What I'm talking about is a DC power source that is plugged into the AC outlet in my trailer that will run my propane furnace and charge my battery at the same time, a generator will be powering the trailer. A diesel heater is not an option, this furnace does the job and then some but I just need something else to power it when we are camping in it. In my previous enclosed trailer that I owned years ago it was setup this way, I could run my Honda i2000EU all night and the furnace would run to keep the trailer comfortable enough to sleep in when it was cold outside and that's what I'm trying to do with this new one.

You plan on running the generator all the time?

 

[snoflake]

Adding a second battery would help a lot. I have (2) 6v in my 28' and they run the furnace all night. This is in Revy, and the temps don't usually drop below -8.

 

[Tchetek]

Are you talking about running it from the truck? or from a generator? If its the truck you need a DC-DC converter, something like the Renogy units.

If a generator its just a converter charger something like

Amazon product ASIN B01ER3LH52
Basically just charges the battery... The diesel heaters do use less power than the propane units, but regardless you will likely still need a way to charge your battery.

Your Amazon link is pretty much what mine is. Not sure it’s that exact brand but identical unit.

that would do the job for you Nomad. What are you charging the battery with now? Trickle charger or from the truck?
What condition is your battery in. I have no issue running my furnace all night -30 on a single 12 volt.
A second battery would also get you through the night so you could just charge off the geni in the morning. But either way you still need a charger.

 

[Modman]

What I'm talking about is a DC power source that is plugged into the AC outlet in my trailer that will run my propane furnace and charge my battery at the same time, a generator will be powering the trailer. A diesel heater is not an option, this furnace does the job and then some but I just need something else to power it when we are camping in it. In my previous enclosed trailer that I owned years ago it was setup this way, I could run my Honda i2000EU all night and the furnace would run to keep the trailer comfortable enough to sleep in when it was cold outside and that's what I'm trying to do with this new one.

Yeah, if you've got a furnace setup already and genny to power the 120 AC, you just need a converter then. They keep the batteries charged and power the 12V systems. They make them in all kinds of amperage, you just need to figure out what amperage you need or how much you wanna spend: https://www.batterystuff.com/power-...harger-converter-power-supply-dls-30-iq4.html - Edit: looks like you may need an external charge controller for the IOTA brand ones, not sure about many of the others, guessing lots of them have built in charge controllers.

I have a similar situation in my enclosed, but I mainly go stand alone because I also have solar on the roof. I only plug into 120AC when its really cold. My batteries are external and sealed in a box (so can't direct connect to the posts), but they are connected to my inverter, which is inside the trailer. I ran a 120 AC plug inside my trailer so that I have 120AC power inside from a genny or house, and I just plug in a battery / smart charger to the 120 AC inside and then connect that to the inputs on my inverter. This keeps the batteries charged through the inverter if there is not enough sun, if i'm not using it for a long time, or there is a big draw.

Otherwise, I'm doing exactly the same thing as you are hoping to, only I'm using a smart charger instead of a hardwired converter (same principle, different component string). Honestly, I should just bite the bullet and buy a converter as well probably.

 

[AkNomad]

You plan on running the generator all the time?

Only at night or when the battery needs charged.

 

[AkNomad]

Your Amazon link is pretty much what mine is. Not sure it’s that exact brand but identical unit.

that would do the job for you Nomad. What are you charging the battery with now? Trickle charger or from the truck?
What condition is your battery in. I have no issue running my furnace all night -30 on a single 12 volt.
A second battery would also get you through the night so you could just charge off the geni in the morning. But either way you still need a charger.

Right now it only gets charged through my truck and the battery is relatively new. The battery is inside my cabinet where my furnace is also mounted and there is a 110v receptacle right next to the battery, I think they built it that way so a converter could be hooked up, they tried to sell me one for $200 when I bought the trailer but at the time I didn't need it. Don't want to run a 2nd battery as I don't really have the room for it.

 

[blubbles]

What I posted is exactly what you need, multi stage smart charger. Put it in, charge the batteries before you go to bed and you should be good overnight. A secret is if you close the vent on a honda eu2000 they often will run for an hour ish before shutting off (not a perfect science it depends on how full it was but normally about that.

If you want to leave it running feel free, should work just fine.

Lots of people try to just use trickle chargers, which will work in a pinch, but its nice to have an actual converter. That way you can still use DC if you dont have batteries inside.

 

[arff]

Only at night or when the battery needs charged.

I installed a rv plug on the outside of my enclosed
Then a 25 amp twist lock outlet inside
I purchased a 25 amp cord with a triple 110 outlet.
1 outlet to the 6 amp battery minder
1 for coffee maker
1 for cell phone charging

 

[AkNomad]

Yeah, if you've got a furnace setup already and genny to power the 120 AC, you just need a converter then. They keep the batteries charged and power the 12V systems. They make them in all kinds of amperage, you just need to figure out what amperage you need or how much you wanna spend: https://www.batterystuff.com/power-...harger-converter-power-supply-dls-30-iq4.html - Edit: looks like you may need an external charge controller for the IOTA brand ones, not sure about many of the others, guessing lots of them have built in charge controllers.

I have a similar situation in my enclosed, but I mainly go stand alone because I also have solar on the roof. I only plug into 120AC when its really cold. My batteries are external and sealed in a box (so can't direct connect to the posts), but they are connected to my inverter, which is inside the trailer. I ran a 120 AC plug inside my trailer so that I have 120AC power inside from a genny or house, and I just plug in a battery / smart charger to the 120 AC inside and then connect that to the inputs on my inverter. This keeps the batteries charged through the inverter if there is not enough sun, if i'm not using it for a long time, or there is a big draw.

Otherwise, I'm doing exactly the same thing as you are hoping to, only I'm using a smart charger instead of a hardwired converter (same principle, different component string). Honestly, I should just bite the bullet and buy a converter as well probably.

Thanks for the link, that looks like it would work just fine, my furnace only draws about 12.5 amps so if I go with a 35-45 amp dc converter I should be golden.

 

[rhody605]

Thanks for the link, that looks like it would work just fine, my furnace only draws about 12.5 amps so if I go with a 35-45 amp dc converter I should be golden.

I have the PM4-60 amp and its overkill for my trailer. The 35A or 45A would be perfect I think. I got the 60A for the same price as the 45A so figured why not.

I will be adding the RV plug onto the outside. Currently running the cord thru the corner of the door but that is getting old fast!

 

[MP Kid]

I have the PM4-60 amp and its overkill for my trailer. The 35A or 45A would be perfect I think. I got the 60A for the same price as the 45A so figured why not.

I will be adding the RV plug onto the outside. Currently running the cord thru the corner of the door but that is getting old fast!

No electrican here… so I’d be interested to see a wiring diagram of how this is all set up.