Electric Blanket

[Night Sailor]

I bought a Biddeford Queen electric blanket--highly rated on Amazon. It has two zones and, according to the web site it pulls 130 watts per side on high. That would be 5 amps DC off the inverter, or perhaps 5.5 with inverter overhead, on medium setting for one side. I have a feeling the dogs are going to invade my side when I run off the inverter.

One complaint I always had about electric blankets was that they were too short. Solution: Make the bed shorter--like a short queen!

The only issue so far is I need another pair of switched outlets on either side of the bed so I can be sure these are not pulling any current when switched off.

The manual states not to run these off of inverters, but mine is a pure sine wave and this is an analog blanket.

[blodn1]

Maybe you could convince the dogs to make up the space left from the too short blanket.

[Raz]

Skip the blanket, dogs put out a lot of heat.

An electric blanket, like all electric heaters is a resistor. It converts electrical energy into heat. I suspect it has a thermostat which implies a duty cycle. Knowing the duty cycle for your application will let you estimate the amp-hr drain on your battery. At 100% duty cycle figure a 10:1 ratio DC to AC current.

Living in the frozen north, we don't heat our bedrooms. When camping, we don't heat the trailer over night. I recommend flannel sheets and wool or down blankets/ comforters over an electric blanket. Raz

[cpaharley2008]

I found a 12v blanket that shuts off after 4 hours, more efficient than the inverter/120v set up. Go to 12v accessories for truckers.

[Night Sailor]

My bed is in the cab-over and gets a bit colder than the rest of my camper. I have a down comforter that I would use when it gets really cold, still, I'd like to at least warm things up before climbing in.

And yes the dogs do add some warmth. On cold nights I wake up with the tight against my legs.

[Darwin Maring]

cpaharley2008 has the perfect solution, a 12VDC blanket. The inverter uses up your power just to make AC.

My suggestion is to purchase a sheet of foam insulation and place it under your bed to insulate from the cold coming up from the bottom. You may even be able to insulate it on the outside with some foam.

As far as the blanket being to short, If it is 6 inches to short at the bottom, cut 6 inches off the top and sew it to the bottom.

[Bob Miller]

Ohms Law and the Power Formula are still in effect. 130 watts is 130 watts, that's 10.83 amps at 12 VDC per side. "Electric blankets" and "boon docking" are mutually exclusive terms, they aren't used together.

Go to IKEA and get one of their higher Number down comforters. That and a duvet will keep you warm.

[Night Sailor]

The blanket is not too short. That was a joke. My bed is a short queen so a queen blanket fits well. It's like my dog doing a good job on the Conan stay while leashed.

As for insulation under the bed, I considered that and decided to add 1/2" under the bed in the fall, 1" on the floor of the pajama cabinets and a layer of carpet on both--but not now, in the fall. I want to be able to open the drawers at the foot of the bed. Raising the mattress too far would make those unusable. I hope to have enough power to indulge myself with an electric blanket and perhaps make that into a non issue.

I am not sure if the blanket works on a timed duty cycle or reduced power at lower settings. It will be interesting to find out.

[Bob Miller]

Again, where are you going to get the power you need?

[Night Sailor]

Sign wave inverter & two big batteries, charged by a big solar array.

[Night Sailor]

Sine wave.

[Night Sailor]

It will work for me. It is only about 40 Amp Hours. Perhaps a bit more.

400 Amp Hour battery bank with 630 watts solar charging capable of putting in 200 Amp Hours on a sunny day 100 on an overcast day.

[Bob Miller]

40 amp hours will run 1/2 of your blanket for 4 hours. I don't know where you got 5 amps per side..... 5 amps x 12 volts is 60 watts, not 130 watts

And those cold winter days are shorter and more apt to be overcast. Don't count your amp hours until you have them.

[Night Sailor]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

40 amp hours will run 1/2 of your blanket for 4 hours. I don't know where you got 5 amps per side..... 5 amps x 12 volts is 60 watts, not 130 wattsi

And those cold winter days are shorter and more apt to be overcast. Don't count your amp hours until you have them.

I see you have the math down. You discerned my usage will be 1/2 power or less on one side.

[carlkeigley]

One could use this to warm the bed....

Antique Bed Warmer | eBay

or make one from two pie pans and a handle.......

[Donna D.]

Looks like it should pop, popcorn!

[David Tilston]

Charcoal is an efficient producer of CO. Probably not a problem in those drafty old houses, but sure death in a small camper.

[padlin00]

If you've not tried one, a Kill-A-Watt meter will tell you what the blanket uses. FWIW, our Queen blanket, set on 7, used 3.3Ah for one side according to the meter when I timed just the first hour. The control on the blanket says 180W, the bedroom was 62 when I turned on the blanket. I would think your use will depend on the room temp when you turn it on as well as how high you set it, with power use dropping once it gets to temp.
Ours is also covered with a mid weight down comforter with a memory foam topper on the mattress, which seems to hold or reflect heat too well.

[Night Sailor]

Memory foam is to hot for me too. I suppose memory would be an improvement in extremely cold weather and a negative in hot weather.

I have a king sized polyester comforter and a heavy synthetic blanket I put on top to protect the comforter from the dogs. The pup just started ripping a hole in it.

I have nice down comforter that I would use in colder weather. These will keep me warm once I am warm.

The electric blanket will make getting into bed a pleasure. It probably seems like a silly thing but the more cozy my camper is, the more I will like it and use it.

[Donna D.]

Conrad, consider a hotwater bottle to pre-warm your bed. It's cozy down by the feet!