We have a Dometic A/C unit with option to add heater on our 13' Scamp. Per the Dometic description the heater would serve to take the chill out of the air, would not be as effective as an actual furnace. However since the Dometic manual is not Scamp-specfic I am wondering if the heater would actually be sufficient for a 13' Scamp, if outside air temp is somewhere in the upper twenties to forties. If anyone is using the heater option I would be interested in your feedback. Thanks for any input.
Doug
We have a 2017 16 Scamp and added the heat strip option onto our a/c unit. The description from Dometic is correct and it will take the "chill out of the air". Aside from the heating capability the fan on the a/c unit is very loud and even at low speed moves a whole lot of air. We ran ours for a little bit in the morning as it suggested to take the chill off. (It was not expensive to add so no real regrets.) I do not know (or remember) the heat strip in the a/c unit to have thermostatic control to cycle the heat on/off.
We did add the furnace option as well. We have ran it a couple times and it provides more heat. On the down side it is a little noisy and the thermostat, even though electronic, seems to provide a rather wide range in temperature swings.
Since neither option is my favorite we have been using a small portable electric forced air heater. We added an extra optional 110 volt outlet near the doorway. The heater is out of the way in this location as much as possible, is quiet and has enough safety features I feel safe using it at night. For those that camp without a shoreline this wouldn't help much but for us is working nicely.
BTW.........the a/c unit is oversized in my opinion and the couple times we had it on in the trailer it was very COLD. I guess you could say that is what it was designed to provide, cold air, but in such a small space it is overkill. The fan runs all the time and the compressor kicks on and off when it reaches the set temperature. Like I said the noise from the fan isn't much fun but its better than trying to sleep when its really hot outside.
Would I have changed what we purchased? No not really. Each option has its points pro and con and when its really hot or cold outside given the small space inside the trailer much better than nothing at all.
We go camping for the outside things to do and enjoy Scamping for meals and sleeping or the occasional rainy day where you might get stuck inside.
No, it cannot be used as heat for the RV. There is no thermostat. Yes, I have it and like it, but it is no replacement for a furnace.
Have it and totally agree. It is a great way to augment the heat but it is not a replacement for a furnace or an electric space heater.
2015 13' Deluxe
We camped this spring in our 13' and night time temps went down to the low 40s. I have a $40 ceramic heater and had to set in on its lowest setting, otherwise it was overheating the trailer. As it was, I cracked the kitchen window! The 13' is so small I think your body heat helps keep it warm. The only thing I might note is the floor stays very cold, rugs help in cold weather. The rat fur is very efficient in insulating the walls and ceiling.
Rhonda Riebow
As stated above the heat strip only takes off the chill. The big issue is the noisy A/C fan has to run to get the heat. I use a two heat level 700/1500 watt ceramic heater and we usually run it on low and it works great for us.
Eddie
Thanks to all for your input on this question! That gives me the answers I needed.
Doug