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What Is an RV Heat Pump?

What Is an RV Heat Pump?

When there’s a chill in the air, it’s great to be able to crank up the heat inside your motorhome or travel trailer. Sometimes just a few degrees are all it takes to go from misery to comfort. An RV heat pump can make all the difference.

A heat pump is one of many options for heating an RV. It’s not a perfect solution in every situation, but it sure is a good thing to have on board.

What Is an RV Heat Pump?

Most modern RVs have a built-in furnace that runs on propane. They also have a rooftop air conditioning system, and some of those A/C units also include a heat pump. We actually have two heat pump air conditioners on our rig.

A heat pump uses electricity rather than propane to warm up the interior of the RV. As the name suggests, it uses a pump to move warmth from one place to another. In this case, it absorbs heat from outside the RV and pushes it inside through the ventilation system.

A heat pump is a great way to keep an RV warm, and is especially popular on larger rigs. Some RVers rely on electric space heaters, but it’s good to have options, especially since they can act as a team to increase warmth while cutting costs.

How an RV Heat Pump Works

The simple explanation is that it’s an air conditioner running in reverse.

When it’s hot outside, an A/C unit blows air across coils containing a refrigerant. It moves the cooled air through ducts and expels the heat collected by the refrigerant through a condenser coil. In the process, the AC unit also removes humidity from the inside, which adds to the sensation of cooler air.

An RV heat pump, by contrast, has a reversing valve that changes the direction of that flow of refrigerant. It takes heat from the outside air and transfers it to the RV’s interior.

Are RV Heat Pumps Efficient?

An RV heat pump sits on the roof of your RV.

RV heat pumps sit on the roof of your RV.

Modern RV AC heat pumps typically range from 11,000 to 15,000 BTUs. They are considered to be significantly more energy-efficient than conventional electric heaters.

The heat comes from the air outside, so most of the energy consumed is from running the compressor. That said, running a heat pump does require a lot of electricity (just like your A/C does), so you want to be sure you have a good shore connection.

Advantages of RV Heat Pumps

A big advantage to using an RV heat pump is that it doesn’t consume your propane. Because a heat pump uses electricity, if you’re staying at a campground and you’re plugged into shore power, you can relax knowing the electricity is included in the price of the campsite. Of course if you’re staying on a monthly rate, the cost of electricity is usually extra, so that cost savings might not apply.

Heat pumps do an excellent job of warming your rig, and you can have more than one heat pump to create different temperature zones. While a 30-amp electric connection is sufficient to run one heat pump, you may need 50-amps for two or more… OR you can install Micro-Air EasyStart 364 units into your heat pump air conditioners. The Easy Starts reduce the start-up power spike that occurs when the compressor cycles on, so they enable you to run your heat pumps (or air conditioner) on a small generator OR a smaller electrical connection… like 30-amps.

Watch our video about how we installed our Micro-Air EasyStarts… and the difference they made (works when running the unit in A/C or heat pump modes):

If you’re interested, you can save $25 on each Micro-Air EasyStart 364 using the following discount code:

SAVE $25
Photo of the Micro-Air EasyStart 364 with 2 year warranty, UL listing, and made in the USA
Micro-Air EasyStart 364 $25 Discount

Run your A/C from a small, portable generator OR run two A/C units on a 30-amp connection. By reducing the start-up current needed to get your A/C compressor running, the EasyStart 364 keeps you...Show More

Run your A/C from a small, portable generator OR run two A/C units on a 30-amp connection. By reducing the start-up current needed to get your A/C compressor running, the EasyStart 364 keeps you cool!

Watch our EasyStart installation video

Get $25 off each Micro-Air EasyStart 364 you buy factory direct using the code listed here.

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Of course, you can also use your generator to power a heat pump. Though, again, the power demands of the heat pump will mean that your generator will burn through a fair amount of fuel to keep you warm. You’ll have to decide if it’s worth it.

Another plus is that a heat pump creates dry heat. It can help to reduce moisture and condensation inside your RV. This is particularly important when it’s cold out. Since you tend to close everything up, you’re trapping all of the moisture from breathing, cooking, showering, etc. inside the RV. Running the heat pump helps to reduce the relative humidity of the air, reducing/eliminating the buildup of condensation (which, left unchecked, can lead to mold ????).

Disadvantages of Heat Pumps

RV heat pumps do not work in very cold weather.

RV heat pumps will not work when temperatures drop below about 40 degrees F!

There are limits to what a heat pump can do. They’re great when it’s moderately cold, but not when it’s freezing. This is because they draw warmth from the outside air. The critical point varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but in general, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit is the point at which an RV heat pump stops being useful as a heater. There’s just not enough heat in the outside air for it to extract.

For this reason, they can’t be used to keep your pipes from freezing, for instance. And when it’s below about 40 degrees F, you’ll need to be sure you have at least one other source of heat available.

As previously mentioned, a heat pump uses quite a lot of electricity. This isn’t as problematic if you’re plugged into shore power and are paying a flat rate. If you’re using a generator, however, it means you’re going to have to make some sacrifices or have plenty of fuel on hand.

An RV heat pump also adds a few hundred dollars to an air conditioning system’s upfront cost. For this reason, many RVers pass on them without investigating whether they’ll pay for themselves in the long run.

RV Heat Pump vs. RV Furnace

One of the main problems with a furnace is that it can burn through propane pretty quickly. A furnace uses more propane than your refrigerator, stove, oven, and grill combined. If you’re boondocking, a furnace can tax your electrical power supply as well, since the blower fans are generally quite large and can pull a fair amount of 12V power when running. But of course if you’re boondocking, you can’t run a heat pump without running your generator to power it.

Furnaces generally heat from the floor up, while vents from a heat pump are typically in the ceiling. Because heat rises, furnace heat may be more efficient from this perspective as well. And, if you have a basement, the furnace heat can be routed there to keep your plumbing and tanks from freezing.

With a furnace, however, once the propane is gone, so is the heat!

Conclusion

Outside temperatures can drop dramatically.

Outside temperatures can vary widely even during the course of a single 24-hour period!

Weather can change dramatically when we’re camping, and we all need a good plan for staying warm when the temperature drops. An RV heat pump may not be the ultimate solution, but it can certainly be a great part of the mix. Working in conjunction with other types of heating solutions, a heat pump can help keep the temperature in your RV comfortable when the thermometer dips.

If you’re not sure if a heat pump is right for you, or if you already own an RV that doesn’t have one, be sure to check out our full run-down of RV heat sources. We go over the pros and cons of each of the common options for heating your RV.

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Bruce Harling

Wednesday 12th of April 2023

I am confused as to why you are not expecting the RV heat pumps to produce heat below the freezing point. Today almost all residential mini-split heat pumps are capable to operate to -15 to -20 degrees Celsius with almost all manufacturers offering units that can operate down to -30.

I would like your organisation to put pressure on the RV heat pump people and tell them that we want the latest technology, not from the stone ages!

TheRVgeeks

Tuesday 18th of April 2023

Hi Bruce. Not so much a matter of "not expecting" as it is 18+ years of experience. Yes, modern mini-split heat pumps can operate down to lower temps, but whether it's the size/form-factor or the components used in RV units, they don't operate down that low.

As for changing the existing heat pumps, don't think we've got that clout! ???? But if we're lucky, maybe we'll see more manufacturers begin to utilize mini-splits in lieu of standard rooftop units (can't think of the brand/model, but we're pretty sure there's at least one RV manufacturer out there, fifth wheel we think, using them).

Paul

Wednesday 4th of January 2023

I have a 32 ft 5 wheel. Can I drive my unit and have my propane furnace running to keep under belly warm so the pipes don't freeze??

TheRVgeeks

Wednesday 4th of January 2023

Hi Paul. Good question. The official word is that you shouldn't have any propane-powered appliance running while your RV is being driven/towed down the road. For safety reasons, you're supposed to turn off your propane tanks.

That said... many people leave their propane on so that their propane-powered RV refrigerator stays cold. When we had one, we did that and didn't have a problem.

And we've also run our furnace when driving in sub-freezing temperatures to keep the plumbing (and US) from freezing a few times! BUT... since we're in a motorhome, we're here in the same space while the furnace runs, so if anything went wrong, we'd be more likely to know about it quickly so we could take action. And it's possible that where our furnace is located, there's not a problem with air flowing across it preventing it from staying ignited, etc. Obviously, we can't assume that's true with your 5th wheel.

So, for safety reasons, you may be best with planning to drain, blow-out, and/or winterize the plumbing if you need to travel at any length through/in such cold temperatures. Makes the rig less livable while in transit, but guarantees you won't have a problem (FIRE!) en route, either.

Roger

Sunday 7th of March 2021

I prefer electric heat strips. I camp of cold weather and heat pumps just don't cut it. A heat strip for my purposes works much better.

TJL

Sunday 7th of March 2021

We use our heat pump selectively. When we need heat all night long, we use a cube heater - much quieter when it cycles. When we need a quick warm up in the morning, we use the heat pump - much faster. Condensation that builds up on cold glass surfaces overnight is largely from human bodies in a closed space. Any heater that can warm these surfaces sufficiently to evaporate the water will reduce condensation. A heat pump provides much more heat and moves much more air than a cube heater, although noise can be an issue.

TJL

Sunday 7th of March 2021

"Running the heat pump helps remove that moisture from the air"

Not true. Unlike running in cooling mode where moisture is actually condensed and physically drained from the system, in heating mode no moisture is removed. The relative humidity is lowered because the temperature of the air is increased - warmer air can hold more moisture, but the absolute humidity remains unchanged.

TheRVgeeks

Sunday 7th of March 2021

Please allow us to rephrase. Running the heat pumps has the effect of lowering the relative humidity. We've routinely run our heat pumps in temperatures down to about 40 degrees for the past 16 years of full-timing, and we can confirm that using them dries the air out, and prevents condensation. It's a go-to heat source in cool weather for preventing moisture build-up. Regardless of the technical explanation, the effect is the same.

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