The blower for the furnace drains the camper battery in about one night of use or less, so you have to have electric hookup to run it. Well, if you have electric hookup, why not use an electric heater? I think that campers should either come with electric heaters built in or the furnaces should be able to run without electric. Maybe something like those fans for wood stoves that run off the heat of the stove? I've heard that some older popups were equipped with propane heaters without fans. The heat convected through the popup by the principle of hot air rises.
If you are sucking the juice out of your battery that quick then you should review your system. I have a new Deep Cycle group 29 battery. My last trip out I ran my furnace for 2 nights with lights. I wish I had a meeter or gauge for it....my next mod. I really think I could have pushed it a third night.
I do not have AC but I believe some come with an electric heater. I also have a Mr. Buddy heater to provide heat on just propane, not using juice, and I also have an electric heater. If I am hooked up to electric, I will still use the furnace. I feel it warms the camper up faster than an electric heater would. My parents fireplace had a fan to blow the air, but that ran on electric.
A few things you should check:
-what temp do you keep it at? Keep it cooler than home and don't run it all day long. I keep it around 55 from a little before bed until I wake up. It was comfortable. Not warm, but comfortable.
-Your battery may be shot or you may have a car battery which is not designed to be used in this manor. Deep cycle batteries are meant for a long slow drain while car batteries are meant to give a large shot of power for a short time and then charge up with the cars alternator.
-Do you have something draining your battery? Did you leave a porch light on all night or is your fridge hooked up to it (although from what I understand, a fridge will suck a battery dry in 2 hours or less).
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
if you're dry camping or boondocking, a single group 24 RV battery can be drained if you have a whole night of furnace usage.
since we dry camp almost all the time, we have a 2 battery setup and a Honda 2000 for re-charging.
yes, if you're lucky enough to have electric hookups, then a ceramic heater is a great idea, as long as it has the shut-off feature.
and you should be using the electric for your fridge and water heater, instead of propane.
unfortunately for us, nearly all our state park campsites have no hookups of any kind, so we have to use our furnace.
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