With the arrival of winter (at least in my part of the country) and if you are planning to continue camping into the cold weather, we must be concerned about keeping the RV warm and toasty. Most of us have a propane fueled furnace to do this, but many RVers either supplement the propane furnace with an electric space heater, or totally rely on an electric heater. While this is a good way to conserve propane, it presents at least two concerns for the RVer. First is to insure the electrical system in the RV, and the campground power source is adequate to power the heater, and then of course, we have to make certain the electric heater itself does not present a fire hazard.
A typical small electric heater that might be chosen by an RVer will be rated around 1500 watts, similar to the photo below.
The heater shown above is dual rated at 750 watts on low, and 1500 watts on the high setting. Virtually all the small space heaters like this are rated at a maximum of 1500 watts. The reason for this is because a typical residential convenience outlet can safely deliver 1500 watts without overheating and without tripping a circuit breaker.
Additional features of this heater include a tip over switch. This switch will shut the heater off if it is accidentally knocked over during use. There is another safety feature which will shut the heater off if it is covered by a curtain or blanket. Another nice aspect of this type of heater is that it during operation the outside of the heater does not get too hot, thus minimizing the chance of getting burned by touching the heater.
I use a heater like this when camping in the fall and winter. It helps keep the RV warm while minimizing the use of propane. It is a save and convenient way to heat your RV if used properly and if the necessary steps are taken to insure safe operation.