Electric heat strip

[steve dunham]

Is it possible to add the electric heat strip to the Escape air coditioner ?
I understand some people rather use a portable heater or object to the noise but if one wished to add the heater will the A/C accept one and do you have to modify the factory controls ?

Thanks

[MikeS]

I don't know the answer to your question but I can tell you when I was shopping for a trailer most of what I read about the heat strip was it wasn't worth paying extra for it. As most people that had them opted to use a stand alone electric heater as it provided more heat and was quieter.

[cpaharley2008]

I'm not aware of a heat strip availability for our a/c model, I have in the past 3 Escapes and plan on repeating in my new one, installing a small, 700 watt, wall heater, under the bed, facing the bath. Easy to install and a warm bath is heaven in the winter.

[Not so Big Al]

We have a heat strip in our air conditioner and use it when it is very humid and the windows are fogged up. It clears the windows and drops the moisture levels in the trailer quickly. You have to be plugged in to use it and It is as loud as using the air conditioner.

[tdf-texas]

The electric heat strip for the Dometic A/C is not for controlling the temp in the trailer. Per Dometic, it is used to take the chill out on cold days but cannot be controlled by the thermostat. You turn it on and when the temp is warm, manually turn it off.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...ter-12312.html

Also, there seems to be an issue with the Dometic Heat strip melting the plastic.

https://www.heartlandowners.org/show...n-Dometic-unit

[cpaharley2008]

I stand corrected, there must be an option for it Steve, sorry I misspoke....

[tdf-texas]

It seems that the plastic melting issue is with the air distribution box. Dometic makes two models - one with a plastic air distribution box and one with a metal one. IF you have the plastic air distribution box (like ours), then Dometic says do NOT to install the heat strip as it would melt the plastic and could cause a fire.

ps. I remembered this because my old trailer had a Coleman and I liked the convenience of A/C and heat together. After wondering why there wasn't a heat strip kit for the Dometic in my trailer, I found out why.

[Mike G]

Heat rises. A heater on the floor will provide better heat distribution than a heater on the ceiling. Just one more factor in the mix.

[John in Santa Cruz]

if this heat strip is a radiant heater, mounting them high lets them heat surfaces within line of sight below them.

[Ross & Lynn]

We have a 2017 21' Escape with an electric heat strip on our Dometic A/C. It was installed by ETI as a $125 (CA) unlisted option. It is controlled by the digital thermostat, where it has its own icon. Loud, but works great for morning warm ups and other daytime use.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Ross & Lynn

We have a 2017 21' Escape with an electric heat strip on our Dometic A/C. It was installed by ETI as a $125 (CA) unlisted option. It is controlled by the digital thermostat, where it has its own icon. Loud, but works great for morning warm ups and other daytime use.

If you received any documentation on the heater strip Escape installed, I would like to know what they installed. I would love to have the heat strip!

When I asked for the Escape for the electric heat strip, I was told no. But Escape sometimes changes their options allowed - I would still like to have the heater strip if it can be done. Dometic said no as well for the A/C model I have - makes me wonder what Escape installed.

[padlin]

Found this, has a list of the model #'s it is used on if you want to check yours. Looks to be for a 11k btu non ducted low profile Penguin II, which sounds like what's on my roof.

https://hvacpartstore.myshopify.com/...it-switch-120v

[Ross & Lynn]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

If you received any documentation on the heater strip Escape installed, I would like to know what they installed. I would love to have the heat strip!

When I asked for the Escape for the electric heat strip, I was told no. But Escape sometimes changes their options allowed - I would still like to have the heater strip if it can be done. Dometic said no as well for the A/C model I have - makes me wonder what Escape installed.

They supplied me with a Dometic service instructions booklet: 3314998.000 kit, heater assembly 120VAC for use with 3314850.000 & 3314851.000 air distribution box. The info that ETI sent me on my Dometic a/c model#640312C851C0 indicates that I have the latter of these two dist. boxes. The box is plastic, but the heat strip has a sheet metal guard on its underside that shields the plastic where things get close, so it looks like they have it figured out.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Ross & Lynn

They supplied me with a Dometic service instructions booklet: 3314998.000 kit, heater assembly 120VAC for use with 3314850.000 & 3314851.000 air distribution box. The info that ETI sent me on my Dometic a/c model#640312C851C0 indicates that I have the latter of these two dist. boxes. The box is plastic, but the heat strip has a sheet metal guard on its underside that shields the plastic where things get close, so it looks like they have it figured out.

Thanks! That is a different model than what I have seen before. Amazon has the whole kit to install this.

https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-Brisk.../dp/B00EWX3Y2C

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Thanks! That is a different model than what I have seen before. Amazon has the whole kit to install this.

https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-Brisk.../dp/B00EWX3Y2C

Have you added this to yours?
I like the heat strip in our Scamp but we have one of the older, quieter Coleman Polar Cub air conditioners that aren't too loud. I've heard comments that the Dometic is pretty loud so I'm thinking to leave the heat strip off the build sheet until I see how loud it really is, and then decide on getting the heat strip later or just using a space heater.

[cpaharley2008]

In every Escape we have owned I have installed one of the wall heaters by Broan. Quiet and thermostatically controlled, they come in varying wattage. I simply tap into an existing 120v source and install under the bed in the E21 or dinette in the E19. They come in 1500, 1000 watts and can be modified to 1/2 of those amounts when installing to 750 and 500 watts. Very quiet....

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

In every Escape we have owned I have installed one of the wall heaters by Broan. Quiet and thermostatically controlled, they come in varying wattage. I simply tap into an existing 120v source and install under the bed in the E21 or dinette in the E19. They come in 1500, 1000 watts and can be modified to 1/2 of those amounts when installing to 750 and 500 watts. Very quiet....

On edit in the E21 it is by the bath and heats the bath area since the heat is down low on the floor and the door allows the heat to enter the bath area,

[C&G in FL]

My take on heat strips (if anyone cares).

I had one on my Scamp 19, and found out that unless I turned it on before the trailer started to get chilly, the trailer stayed chilly. The heat strip was, for us, insufficient.

After selling the Scamp 19 and upgrading to a 5.0TA (it definitely was an upgrade), I got a call from the couple who had Graciously shown me their Scamp 19 when I was “shopping.” He told me that their heat strip had caught on fire and would have destroyed the trailer had he not been sitting there to quickly put it out.

I now use a 900/1,500 watt quartz heater. It is small and has a tip-over switch. I live in Florida so I do not typically experience frigid temperatures, but on three successive October nights in the north Georgia mountains (33°, 28°, and 32°) the quartz heater kept the 5.0TA in the low 70s at the 900 watt setting. I use a remote with a thermostat that controls a plug in outlet to run the quartz heater. I set the heater to the highest temperature and the ($30 Amazon) thermostatically controlled outlet turns it on or off when the remote control senses temperature drop or increase. And at night, I can place the remote right next to the bed within easy reach.

Given that a malfunctioning heat strip will cost more to repair or replace, involves labor, and availability could very well be an issue, I will stick with the small quartz heater, which is readily and quickly replaced at a lower cost at any Walmart or hardware store.

[steve dunham]

The strip heater in our Casita heated our trailer adequately down to temps in the single digits
As far as noise it was no noisier than running the A/C and the only noise I hear when running the A/C is the compressor kicking in
When I checked with several local RV parts dealers , the A/C Escape installs is not designed to accept the strip heater
The lack of a strip heater in our Escape was a mistake on our part , I assumes that since the heat strip was standard on a $17,000 Casita , it would be standard on a $40,000 Escape
If we ever purchase a new trailer , it WILL HAVE the strip heater
Our experience with the Escape furnace makes it clear that you need a backup heat source !

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by Ross & Lynn

We have a 2017 21' Escape with an electric heat strip on our Dometic A/C. It was installed by ETI as a $125 (CA) unlisted option. It is controlled by the digital thermostat, where it has its own icon. Loud, but works great for morning warm ups and other daytime use.

We also have the heat strip in our 2017 21’ Escape, just like Ross & Lynn. I like that is is also controlled by the digital thermostat. Very happy with ours.

Fred M.