Ceramic heater recommendations? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-14-2006, 07:18 AM   #1
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I would appreciate any recommendations for a ceramic heater, preferably with a built-in thermostat.
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Old 04-14-2006, 07:40 AM   #2
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I have a Pelonis similar to this one. Mine looks a little different because it's older, but I'm sure they operate the same.

I absolutely LOVE it. It stays absolutely cool to the touch except the front where the heat comes out. It is amazing.

I rarely sleep with the heater on, but have it close by to turn on when I wake up. On a recent trip, it got down pretty cool (low forties, maybe?) and I woke up and turned it on. I fell asleep and it was so HOT when I woke up (even with a window open) that I immediately turned it off and opened up some more windows.
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Old 04-14-2006, 08:09 AM   #3
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Cam A,
Most blower models heat well enough, but the issue becomes noise. If at all possible, plug the heater in, in the store. And realize the noise in the store doesn't exist when the heater is in your TT, so it will appear much louder after you get home.. A thermostat is a requirement, IMHO.
The Pelonis brand has a large and loyal following.
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Old 04-14-2006, 09:51 AM   #4
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I just picked up TWO lightweght dual models at Target for 20 bucks (For both, they were packaged in a 2 pack.. buy one, get one free)

They weigh less than my two year old sigle one and are thinner. The technology keeps improving!

They are quiet enough for me, but I am not noise sensitive like some of the others are. I don't see (or hear ) them as noisier than any others I have heard.
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Old 04-14-2006, 10:24 AM   #5
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I agree with Gina.
I bought a cheap, on sale, no name ceramic brand from Menard's ( A Home depot type of place in the midwest) 3 years ago. It still heats just fine and doesn't make any more noise than the others I have seen.
Pelonis is nice but very pricey. If I saw on on sale for $20 I would probably grab it.

Gina, If it gets real cold, maybe you could sneak a connection to your camping neighbor and run BOTH of those heaters!
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Old 04-14-2006, 12:02 PM   #6
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A couple of years ago in the fall we stayed over night at a friends place that was about 2500 feet above sea level and the temperature dropped to 17F (-8C) and frooze the water hose to the trailer and was damn cool inside the Boler till I turned on our ceramic heater. It did a good job but it had a timer that kept shutting it off so I had to keep resetting it every hour. It came with the Boler from the provious owner and has a fan in it. You know where that one went! We keep a different one we had in the Boler now. I swear by them otherwise rather than using the propane furnace. I don't think our furnace has a thermostat.
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Old 04-14-2006, 02:00 PM   #7
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I have a Pelonis FlexiFurnace II. We never go camping without it. Have been comfortable with night-time temperatures in the high 20's. The fan idles down to very slow when not heating and you can't hear it. The tempurature setting is very accurate; if you set it on 70 degrees, that is exactly what it will maintain.
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Old 04-14-2006, 03:15 PM   #8
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Me too! Ceramic heaters are great. Frosty loves to put his face about a foot from it (he hates the Suburban heater). I've slept with mine on, but not at maximum setting, about half. Only trouble, you must have shore power. Mine is a Honeywell Quick Heat, $26 at Ace Hardware.
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Old 04-14-2006, 06:52 PM   #9
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Interested in Tom's comment about his Pelonis maintaining an accurate temp. I have a Holmes Ceramic heater. It does the job just fine, but seems to be a pretty inaccurate - sometimes runs too long, and then is off too long. Maybe the Pelonis is worth the money.
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Old 04-15-2006, 06:47 AM   #10
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There was a Pelonis in the Scamp when we bought it. It is heavy and shaped so it doesn't tip, has anti-slip rubber on the bottom, is quiet, has an air filter and a thermostat that not only modulates the heating element, but also the fan speed.

Is it worth the money?

You all have likely heard the story about the guy on his death bed saying: "If I had only spent another day in the office!" . . . . How about: "If I had only not spent quite so much on a Pelonis!"?

Yup! It's a bargain at twice the price. And to think, at twice the price, you could have two!
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Old 04-15-2006, 09:00 AM   #11
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I bought a 1500 Watt Flowpro Ceramic Heater at Sam's in Duluth, GA last fall. It has fan, low heat (1000 watts), and high heat (1500 watts). Also an automatic thermostat.

It kept my 17' Casita warm in the 38 degree temperature we experienced while camped in the KOA at Meridan, MS last October.
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Old 04-15-2006, 10:51 AM   #12
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Our little 1500 watt "cube " heater kept us quite comfortable without running continuously when the temp was 14 degrees F, and didn't get above freezing for over 30 hours! Our 17' Casita did have the insulating advantage of 8" of snow covering it. Kind of an egg shaped igloo with 12" icicles hanging from her "belt" and the window louvers from the one open window. It did add about $100 to our electric bill because "Nuestra Casita" has been functioning as our bedroom while the house is being nearly doubled in size.

Spring is coming...the tulips are beginning to show.
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Old 04-18-2006, 02:14 PM   #13
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I have a small Holmes cube heater. Works fine. 1,000watt on low and 1,500 on high. I found another one in a thrift shop in Idaho. It oscillates and has a digital thermostat that works fine as far as I can tell. It has 4 modes. High, Low, High with the thermostat and low with the thermostat. Also it shows the temp even if the unit is in off mode. Thats kinda nice, I think.

My other one was $17+ at Home Depot. This one was $6.50 at the Boys Home of Idaho thrift shop in some little town in Idaho.

I'd look for one of those deals. But the oscillation and the thermostat is what your looking for I think.
A.
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Old 04-18-2006, 08:10 PM   #14
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Without carefully perusing each comment, I might go out on a limb and say those who don't have much experience with a Pelonis don't know what they are missing. I have one that I use in a small play room in my shop as well as my RV. Well worth the extra money! You can buy your second heater now and save the money you would have spent on the first less expensive model that you probably wouldn't be happy with. I think I said that right.
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Old 04-19-2006, 12:54 PM   #15
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Without carefully perusing each comment, I might go out on a limb and say those who don't have much experience with a Pelonis don't know what they are missing. I have one that I use in a small play room in my shop as well as my RV. Well worth the extra money! You can buy your second heater now and save the money you would have spent on the first less expensive model that you probably wouldn't be happy with. I think I said that right.
Lanny your right, you get what you pay for. I've only heard nothing but good about Pelonis except they are a bit costly. I'm wondering if the other ceramic heaters use the exact same design because I thought Pelonis had a patent? I think a person can shop around and get one online or ebay for a price not that much more than a brand-X.
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Old 04-19-2006, 01:15 PM   #16
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I often check out Marine Supplies (better quality and durability than many RV items) at West Marine. I bought my heater there and use it in my bigfoot. The heater is 70.00 but is vesatile and draws little.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/store...hallpartial/0/0
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Old 04-19-2006, 03:38 PM   #17
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I heat my house with multiple ceramic heaters. The Pelonis furnace heater behaves like a furnace. It can heat 1-3 rooms wonderfully performing like a champ. Because of my high usage, the other brands have to be replaced annually. The Pelonis is 14 years old. In a small space like a trailer that's infrequently heated, the other brands are probably more than adequate. If you want a workhorse champ, go Pelonis.
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