RV Fireplace Insert

Last updated on February 26th, 2019 at 11:47 am

January 10, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 1 Comment

RV Fireplace – More charm than cheese

Our RV Fireplace is one of my favorite things in my RV. Yes, it chews up electric when it is running. Yes, it seems a little “rednecky”.

But honestly, the mood it creates in the room, the clean convenient heat, and the instant heat really makes a fireplace insert a wonderful addition to your RVing fun.

I’ve written previously about how much I enjoyed the RV Fireplace.

Convenient and Easy Heat

In defense of the RV fireplace, when you are hooked to shore power, a fireplace insert really doesn’t take that much power. A big reason for this is that the RV is a very small space compared to a house.

Our electric bills were never that big when we were able to directly observe the bill – not true at some RV parks where you get “free” power.

The other nice thing is that we never had to go for runs for propane. Propane never seemed to last very long with the furnace running.

How much money would an RV fireplace insert cost you per month (or per day)

Where we live we pay $0.10 a kilowatt hour. If an RV fireplace is a 1500 Watt appliance (1.5KW), then WORST CASE (which is impossible unless you simply run the fireplace outside) is that the total KW hours would be 36. At $0.10 a kilowatt hour then you would pay $3.60 a day.

Realistically though if temperatures are no more than a 30 degree difference from your desired temp, I have a hunch your heater would ONLY be on about 1/2 of the time.

So I think the heater would consume approximately $1.80 per day. This is just a rough idea.

Space Saving yet practical decorative accent

A really big advantage of the RV fireplace is that it doesn’t take much room. It is an insert that fits neatly underneath the cabinet space created for the TV and entertainment center. This means that you can get a really nice accent without using much space.

Our fireplace, the Dimplex BF8000 was not without faults having failed twice. It works OK after it has been off for awhile, then after a few minutes of operation the heating portion simply quits.

We’ve replaced this one time already with an RV repairman doing the work. Our RV repairman tells us he doesn’t think much of these fireplace inserts. I don’t know if he was against the Dimplex or the fireplace inserts in general.

An RV fireplace is very repairable

The 2nd time we repaired the RV fireplace, we decided to do it ourselves. We wrote about it in this article detailing the repair of our RV fireplace. The heater elements are not hard to find – they are abundant on Amazon. Here is a link to a search for heater elements like our Dimplex fireplace.

An RV fireplace would be easy to install as an after market add-on

When Sheri and I repaired our fireplace, one of the most interesting aspects to me was the fact that there was no special wiring. It only required a straight 110V plug-in.

RV Fireplace Insert Showing 110V AC Plug

This means that if you can build a nice looking shallow box in your RV, you could have a fireplace. They aren’t too hard to do and only require a simple 110V outlet.

How does the RV fireplace insert make such a realistic looking fire?

I had the opportunity to look inside of an RV fireplace so that I could see how such a realistic flame was created.

What the very clever inventors of these do is to create a turning shaft – much like a spit for roasting a chicken – that goes from the left side of the fireplace to the right side of the rv fireplace.

This shaft is wrapped with very reflective aluminum foil which has lots and lots of crinkles.

The shaft is illuminated with a light that has a flame color. When the shaft turns, the lights reflects on the back of the fireplace and that makes the dancing flames illusion.

Where can you get fireplace inserts?

My go-to source is Amazon. But Amazon is just a reflection of what is available at many other places.

electric fireplace insert(s):

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RV Light Switch

Last updated on June 16th, 2016 at 12:51 pm

January 7, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

RV Light Switch – the lowly little on off thingy

The RV light switch is a pretty simple thing. Its different from the light switches you find in homes because instead of switching AC power common in houses, it switches 12 Volt DC power which is common in RV’s.

The other thing I’ve noticed is that the RV light switch is pretty boring. Whereas you’ll find lots of decorative choices in household switches, and switch plates, the RV light switch is pretty boring.

When you DO use the switch, AND you aren’t on “shore power“, you will be taking power from the RV battery. That isn’t a bad thing, but you need to be aware of that fact. That is one reason that I’ve written several articles about RV lighting. If you put in an LED light, when you turn on the RV light switch, you’ll actually be able to reduce your lighting power by about 80% which is pretty incredible.

I’ve listed a few replacement switches for you here from Amazon (Amazon Disclosure):

RV Light Switch for RV DC Lighting — RV Light Switch

Amazon listings for RV light switches:

CLICK HERE IF YOU DO NOT SEE A NICE SET OF AMAZON SEARCH TERMS RELATED TO rv light switch BELOW

RV Bed with underbed storage

Last updated on June 5th, 2019 at 08:49 pm

December 31, 2012 by Marlan at Rv52 2 Comments

RV Bed with underbed storage

Most RV’s have a master RV Bed. Sometimes it is a KING and sometimes it is a QUEEN. If its a very small camper maybe not but for the vast majority of RV’s this is true.

RV beds do not have box springs or a frame that is conventional. What the beds have is a frame that is designed to be “under bed” storage. On top of that frame there is a plywood sheet that your mattress sits on top. That plywood sheet is mounted on hinges. This way you can lift up the bed and mattress to get to the things you have in storage underneath the bed.

Sheri and I replaced our mattress with a pillow top mattress as soon as we could. We then sold the mattress that came with the RV on craigslist. We did pretty well on selling it since we could list it as brand new never been used.

Then we found out that the new mattress weighed enough that it was too much for the special gas lifts that help lift and support the bed so you have access to the under-bed storage.

It turns out, or at least I THINK it turns out that the extra weight from the bed wore out the gas lifts.

What we learned is that you can get replacement gas lifts pretty easily from an auto parts store. You actually buy them based on the weight needed to “overcome” to depress the gas lift and how LONG the gas lift has to be.

Once you see those representative gas lifts, you’ll be able to start to figure out which replacement you need. For heaven’s sake don’t call an RV repair person for this task – way too easy.

Important Notes on RV Storage

Storage=stuff.
Stuff=weight.
Weight=Overweight+Illegal+Dangerous.
So when it comes to storage BE CAREFUL. BE THOUGHTFUL.
Try not to put HEAVY things into storage. If you own a heavy IBM selectric typewriter – please do not put it in your RV anywhere!
Do you own gold? Put it in a safe deposit box or somewhere better than a weight sensitive RV. Think about how many Spanish Galleons went to the bottom of the sea! That was probably because they had too much heavy gold in their cargo holds.
AVOID books and other heavy, easily digitizable media. This can get out of hand very fast.
DO use your storage to de-clutter your RV. Put things like stationery, envelopes, greeting cards, and some other small bric-a-brac of life in the storage.
DO use your storage to hold some of your needed (in my opinion) electronics equipment like your Internet modem, or your wireless router. You might have a small basket for holding AA, AAA, and 9V batteries and miscellaneous cables.
DO use your storage for some fun things that you might bring out on special occasions, like a candle or two, or perhaps a small table standing decoration. Don’t go overboard on this – but a little can go a long way.

RV Carbon Monoxide Detector and Propane Detector – DON’T GO WITHOUT!

Last updated on June 16th, 2016 at 12:54 pm

December 27, 2012 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

RV Carbon Monoxide Detector and Propane Detector

( Check out RV52.com’s other propane oriented articles here, here, and here )

An RV Carbon Monoxide Detector and Propane Detector is a critical piece of safety equipment to have in an RV.

For me (Marlan, the RV52.com guy) I could not live in an RV without such a thing – even for a day or two. The reason for this is because I have anosmia. In other words I can’t smell the propane. In most things in life that isn’t a bad thing. But in an RV it is patently dangerous because the RV makes great use of propane.

Propane is a WONDERFUL source of energy. Its pretty cheap, has lots of “power per pound” and can be converted to almost any function fairly readily. For example, your refrigerator works off of propane – amazing! Your range works off of propane. Your hot water heater works off of propane. And finally your furnace works off of propane. There are other uses, like powering generators, but that is less common and there are better fuels for your generator than propane. But it is an amazing substance.

This amazing substance is very explosive and so it is a GREAT idea to detect when this explosive, heavier than air, substance is accumulating in your RV. When it does, and you have a detector installed, you’ll get an alert, can open and ventilate the RV and safely determine the leak.

Now you can smell propane, so unless you are sleeping, you might be able to detect that without an electronic detector. But the BY-PRODUCT of burning propane is carbon monoxide which is an odorless gas that can kill you.

So having the carbon monoxide detector is even more important.

And having carbon monoxide problems are not that crazy with so many sources to create the gas. Add into the mix, mud daubers potentially plugging up ventilation, birds making nests, or even problems caused by bumps in the road and you have lots of potential for a carbon monoxide problem.

The solution for safety is very easy. Just make sure your RV has an RV carbon monoxide detector. OK?

Here are some rv carbon monoxide detectors from Amazon which I put here to save you time (Amazon Disclosure):

RV Carbon Monoxide and RV Propane Detector Alarm

Amazon listings that may help you find replacement RV Monoxide Detectors:

CLICK HERE IF YOU DO NOT SEE A NICE SET OF AMAZON SEARCH TERMS RELATED TO rv carbon monoxide BELOW

RV Electrical Power Distribution Panel

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 07:41 am

February 14, 2012 by Marlan at Rv52 1 Comment

More problems in an RV start and can end with the RV electrical distribution panel. Sometimes fixing a problem can be as easy as replacing a fuse or resetting a breaker. Before you get too worried and start spending money, check here for really easy fixes – if easy fixes are to be had.

RV Electrical Distribution Panel

Most RV’s that are travel trailers or larger have an RV electrical panel board for distributing power. This is how electrical energy gets routed within your RV as well as protected within your RV.

On motorhomes and fifth wheels, the distribution panel boards seem to be located by the stairs near the entry of the RV. On the travel trailers, they are usually located in a centrally located bathroom. I’m sure many exceptions to this apply, but this is what I’ve seen in many of the RV’s I’ve seen.

How the AC Power come into the rv power distribution panel

Shore power comes into the RV and is routed to the panelboard. The panel board then sends the electric power from the shore power to breakers.

For non-electric people, breakers are on-off switches that also protect your RV in case your RV starts taking too much electric for the wires to handle. You can see the breakers in the panelboard in the picture and in the diagram.

Where does the AC power go out from the breakers?

From the breakers, the electric power then goes to air conditioners, TV’s, and different AC power places inside the RV.

One of the breakers goes to a thing called a converter. The converter does 2 things:

Turns AC power into DC power for the DC powered systems
Charges the battery for those times when AC power is not present

The AC power goes to the converter from the breaker.

Where does the DC power go out to from the fuse box in the RV power distribution panel

Then the DC power out of the rv power converter comes back to this panelboard where it breaks the DC power into its own set of fuses and places the DC power needs to go. You can clearly see the fuses on the right hand side of the panel board below and on the diagram above.

Remember, on your RV, there are many things that you can utilize with only DC power. The only things you can’t run are the TV , the microwave, and the air conditioners.

So anyway, when you start having power issues for some reason or the other, you will eventually have to visit the distribution panel board and it will become an old friend.

RV Electrical distribution Panel Board showing fuses and breakers

Checklist for different things you can troubleshoot with ONLY working with your RV electrical power distribution panel

Folks, I’m not an RV repair person. But these are things that I’ve learned over the years. If you do need 24/7 online RV repair mechanic, try this service that RV52.com has linked to.

The following bullets are RV electrical system troubleshooting hints. I’ll add more as time goes on.

You turn on a single thing, like a hair dryer and the power goes off.
- You fix it by going to the distribution panel, locating the breaker that is not all the way to the “on”
- Chances are, something else was running on AC at the same time – like a toaster oven or a microwave.
- The fix – plug your hair dryer (an example item) into a different outlet or just wait until it is the only big thing running.
Your battery isn’t charging at all.
- Maybe you have a fuse out in the DC panel
- Maybe the AC breaker for the converter has been thrown.
- Your converter could be bad, but check the fuses first.
There is a red light by one of the fuses in my power distribution panel
- A fuse is blown .
- This is a nice feature of the WFCO power converters built into the power distribution center.
Where is my RV power distribution center?
- In many travel trailers it is located in and around the cabinets near the kitchen and is a brown or black plastic cover
- In many fifth wheels, the power distribution center might be under the stairs.
- Sometimes you just have to look for it.

Replacement fuses to have in your RV:

You will have fuses go out. Not too often, but not having replacements on hand is pretty silly.

All RV owners should have an ammeter or multi-meter. High rated ammeter is listed next

You can use this to check the pedestal voltages, the battery voltages, and anything electric. Since electricity is invisible, an ammeter/multi-meter sort-of makes electricity visible.

RV electric distribution panel replacements and related items:

CLICK HERE IF YOU DO NOT SEE A NICE SET OF AMAZON SEARCH TERMS RELATED TO rv power distribution panel BELOW

You can find the most common rv power distribution panels at Camping World.