# Under Belly Heater. Is There One?



## STBNCBN (Feb 7, 2007)

The brochure talks about an underbelly heater to extend the camping season. How does this work and where is it? Is it electric or gas? When does it come on? The brochure doesnâ€™t tell you the good stuff.


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## Scott and Jamie (Aug 27, 2006)

The belly heater is the furnace in your trailer. When it comes on it helps to heat the totaly enclosed under belly. The heating ducts run through there and I belive it is just heated by the radiant heat coming from the ducting.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

STBNCBN said:


> The brochure talks about an underbelly heater to extend the camping season. How does this work and where is it? Is it electric or gas? When does it come on? The brochure doesnâ€™t tell you the good stuff.


Did your brochure say "underbelly heater" or "heated underbelly"? Think we've all come to the conclusion they get around that marketing ploy as the heating ducts runs under the floor (of course) and above the underbelly lining. The heat that comes off the duct is in fact the "heated underbelly".


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## STBNCBN (Feb 7, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> The brochure talks about an underbelly heater to extend the camping season. How does this work and where is it? Is it electric or gas? When does it come on? The brochure doesnâ€™t tell you the good stuff.


Did your brochure say "underbelly heater" or "heated underbelly"? Think we've all come to the conclusion they get around that marketing ploy as the heating ducts runs under the floor (of course) and above the underbelly lining. The heat that comes off the duct is in fact the "heated underbelly".
[/quote]

what a load of marketing


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

STBNCBN said:


> what a load of marketing


There may actually be small outlets in the heating ducts to do this and it would be accurate to call it a heated area but it is definitely a marketing ploy no matter how you look at it.


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

OUTBACK may not be good at some Quality Control Issues but they certainly are good at the MARKETING dept --

NO -- the only thing that is heated on the underbelly is the theory that the trailer itself is going to be warm becuase you are using it and thus the heater to stay warm, and thus that heat will radiate downward to the underbelly which is incapsulated between the floor with the heat ducts and the black underbelly protective shell....

Welcome to MARKETING 101--


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

And it will only help if you use the furnace! If I have paid for a night at a CG, you are getting all-you-can-use electricity! I am going to heat my camper with quieter electric heaters instead of burn my propane.

I do recall seeing something on TV where a guy cut a small access hole in his belly cover to insert a work light with a 75 or 100 watt bulb in it. The heat from the bulb supposedly kept the area from freezing.


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## jetjane (Feb 8, 2007)

If the Outback is anything like my Cougar, which it is supposed to be, the underbelly is heated by the furnace. It has it's own duct in there somewhere (I believe it was a 2" one). Whenever we would fire up the furnace in my Cougar, the kitchen floor would get nice and toasty warm. I never got a chance to try it out in freezing temps though.


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## dancinmon (Oct 5, 2004)

Has anyone ever mounted a small, safe electric heater, baseboard heater or oil heater inside the underbelly that could be plugged in at the CG?


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## Scrib (Jun 28, 2005)

It worked good for us, during one cold spell this winter. The city water hose was frozen solid every morning, but our tanks were fine. It was in the low to mid-20's.


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## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

I agree with the sentiment here that it appears that there is some controlled heating when required but in fact its just incidental air from the furnace. Having said that the enclosed underbelly works quite well to protect the electric and plumbing from the elements.

My experience with our trailer was down to 12 F one night with the furance on a high setting and we did not get any freezing so it did work. In general all I need in the trailer is a 1500 watt heater to keep it at 70F and keep the noise down. I use the furnace when first setting up to warm it up good and toasty.

If the temp is above freezing during the day I would not be concerned until it dropped below the lower 20s. I would then have the furnace on to top up the temp.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I beleive you can buy stick on tank heaters if you are really doing some serious winter camping. For me it won't be a problem since DW will limit any such activities


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Nathan said:


> I beleive you can buy stick on tank heaters if you are really doing some serious winter camping. For me it won't be a problem since DW will limit any such activities


With the tanks being plastic, I'd really think hard about putting any type of heating stick in there.


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## s'more (Jun 8, 2005)

With my recent experience as a belly drop, quickie flush installation expert, I can say that I would definitely _not_ reccommend installing anything in the underbelly compartment that produces heat. With the underbelly laying on the ground, and a trouble light on the underbelly, just the heat of the light bulb began to melt the plastic (underbelly).
For those who don't know, the underbelly material is the same thickness, and constructed just like regular cardboard, except that it's not a wood fiber material, it's some type of plastic.

I spent quite a bit of time under my TT installing the QF, rerouting wires, and even supported the inlet water line to the fresh water tank to eliminate a dip in the middle. I didn't notice any air ducts anywhere. I think that there must be another layer of floor space between the tank area and the finished inside floor. Or at least there is a layer of insulation above the tanks, and the furnace ducts run through there.

Even if you were to install a heater of some sort in the underbelly, the air would not flow throughout the underside of the whole floor. There are crossarm supports running cross wise from I-beam to I-beam that would inhibit airflow. Not to mention the 3 storage tanks (fresh, gray, black) that fill the space and would, again, inhibit airflow.

I agree with Jim too. A little too much heat too near the plastic tanks and you could have a real ugly, stinky mess.

I concur with all whom proclaim that the "heated underbelly" is passive.

Many on this forum offer .02, I think I just gave a nickles' worth of free advice.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

s said:


> Many on this forum offer .02, I think I just gave a nickles' worth of free advice.


Ah..come on, that was at least a dimes worth.


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