Nov 172010
Over the past couple of years of camping I have been out in all types of weather. When it turns cold I try to find ways not only to stay warm but to do it as inexpensively as possible. When at a campground with electric I will normally run an extension cord out to the 15 amp plug in the power pedestal. I'll then plug an electric space heater into this cord to help heat the trailer.
I could just plug the heater into an electrical outlet in the trailer but with it running, maybe the water heater is warming up and then decide to run the microwave you can trip the 30 amp breaker on the pedestal. By putting the space heater on a separate line you all but eliminate any problems.
The biggest problem with this has been how to run the electrical cable from the pedestal inside the trailer. I have been opening a basement door running the cord into the basement, up through a small access hole in the bathroom sink, then across the floor to the heater. It works but isn't the most convenient way to do it.
For this winter I bought a Mr. Heater Big Buddy LP catalytic heater. I got this because I plan on boondocking out west and with no hookups you want to save on battery power as much as you can. The furnace can be used but they are really inefficient and it puts a lot of strain on the batteries. The Big Buddy is efficient and uses no battery power. But the problem is getting the LP hose from the LP quick connect outside the trailer inside to the Big Buddy. I could have hooked into the stove LP but I didn't want to do that.
What I ended up doing was to get a couple of electric cable access hatches, drilled a hole in the side of the trailer then put a hatch on the outside and inside. I can now run the LP hose or electrical cord through the access hatch and not have cable or hoses running across the floor.
The first thing I did was to decide where I wanted to put the access. From past usage I know where I normally put the portable heater which is on the kitchen counter or on top of the stove. Whne I pin pointed where I want to put it, I got out my stud finder to make sure there wasn't a wall stud or wiring where I wanted to put the hole. I then got out a 3 1/2" hole saw and went at it. Once the hole was done I just put some caulking on the hatches and screwed them into place.
Here you can see the heater sitting on the stove with the LP line running out the hatch. I can now just thread the extension cable or LP hose through the hatches, close them up, hook up both ends and be nice and comfy as the trailer stays toasty... all the time saving on the heating bill.
Check out a couple more pictures below.
