12 volt mattress heating pad

[wrcsixeight]

I got one of these last year, and my current climate is hardly cold, but it makes crawling into bed so much nicer when it is chilly, or cold.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Mattress-Elec...vrolet:volt&amp;keywords=12+volt+mattress+pad<br /><br />They must be pinned to the mattress to keep from getting folded and pinching the wires. &nbsp;I have a thin Mexican blanket under the sheet, on top of the heating pad, and only if trying, can I notice the heating wires.<br /><br />The 12 volt power cord is sturdy and the plug itself fits tight and does not warm up like many do when passing this much current.<br /><br />It draws 6.2 amps at 12.8 volts, but it cycles on and off depending on temperature and where the controller is placed, as the thermistor is in there. &nbsp;So keeping the controller &nbsp;well outside the covers will allow it to produce maximum heat if needed<br /><br />It does not click on and off like many electric blankets. &nbsp;It is silent.<br /><br />It takes a while to warm up. &nbsp;No instant heat. &nbsp;I have fallen asleep with it on and woke up a few hours later completely overheated. Then open the window and crank up my fans to cool back down as the mattress itself has absorbed so much heat at that point.<br /><br />Most times I crank it on high an hour or 2 before climbing in bed and then turn it off shortly after climbing naked into a 110 degree bed, which is almost an obscene amount of luxury for Van dwelling.<br /><br />How much battery power it will use is completely dependent on the ambient temperature and the setting on which you use it. &nbsp;For 8 hours the max it could possibly use is &nbsp;~ 50 amp hours, which is significant. &nbsp; But really on Lower settings with proper blankets actual consumption will likely be 12 to 25 amp hours overnight. &nbsp;I usually am well under 15 amp hours as I only use it before climbing into bed, then turn it off and crank it back upto high when My alarm clock goes off and I hit snooze for the next hour. &nbsp;If it is super cold out I will keep my clothes under the covers with me and dress in bed, and not have to deal with the extremes so much.<br /><br />They have narrower (and wider) models for those with narrow beds, and these consume less current as well.&nbsp;<br /><br />Note that this adds a considerable load to the house battery, and to the alternator which might be the only recharging source. &nbsp;Insuring the house battery gets a full charge one a week becomes more important if one relies on this heat source too much, and alternators are not really good at taking a battery back above 80%. &nbsp;A full 100% recharge via alternator is a rare occurrence indeed.

 

[cedric]

I've been eying a 12 volt throw blanket. It has a 30 and 45 min timer that auto shuts off so you don't wake up roasted like you mentioned. <br /><br /><div class="content"><ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 25px;"><li>100 percent quality polar fleece</li><li>Plugs directly into lighter/power socket</li><li>8-foot power cord with LED indicator on the plug</li><li>Fold easily for storage in zippered bag (included)</li><li>6.7-Amp low-Amp draw (80.4W)</li></ul></div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12-Volt-Fleece-Heated-Blanket/dp/B0009Y2CFS/ref=pd_sim_auto_1"><br />http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12-Volt-Fleece-Heated-Blanket/dp/B0009Y2CFS/ref=pd_sim_auto_1</a>

 

[RAILROADGREEN]

been use a (12 volt)electic blanket for year's work great here in the desert in the winter camping. nice and toast to about thrity degree so far. gary

 

[Willy]

Well, this is my high energy, low wattage solution.. just insert under blanket and VIOLA!! toasty toes and whatever else. ..Willy.

 

[wrcsixeight]

The price on that fleece blanket is right, but some of the reviews are scary.<br /><br />It apparently has no control so it draws 6.7 amps whenever it is plugged in.<br /><br />I was used to electric blankets when I was a kid.<br /><br />Having the heat come from below is neat, the blankets above get nice and warm, but the mattress below gets warm too. &nbsp;Rolling over onto a hot spot can be a thing of beauty.<br /><br />Coco looks pretty comfy there.

 

[sparky1]

<p>NAKED (TMI) glad you didn't post a picture.!!!<br /><br />but thanks for the link to the mattress pad.</p><p>sparky1.</p>

 

[cedric]

wrcsixeight, is there anyway to limit the amp draw? It pobably won't be a problem for me though. I only intend to use it for 1/3 hr to warm the bed on cold nights before I climb in. <br /><br />Willy, I love the pup method. I've had a dog most of my life. Last year I lost my lab to coyotes. It was terribly sad. She was a fantastic friend. I want another but I want to travel and visit places where a dog would not be able to go all the time. I wouldn't know what to do with her while going into a museum or food joint if it was hot outside.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Everything depends on your rig. With the solar fan setup it can be 100+ F outside, and nice 'n cool inside. I've never had problems with my dog overheating.

 

[wrcsixeight]

There is no real way to limit the amp draw of these and still have an effective product. &nbsp;The fleece blanket you are looking at is either on or off. Trying to limit the current to it wiring in a timer might put you into the price range of the mattress pad which has the controller that effectively does limit amp draw.<br /><br />It will take longer than a half hour to heat the bed though. &nbsp;These are not like household 120v electric blankets which are toasty in minutes.<br /><br />On mine turning the thermostat all the way up, at least last night, did not run the heater all the time. &nbsp;I was plugged in and can hear the charger's fan slow down and speed up with the cycling of the unit. &nbsp;When I did crawl into bed, about 2.5 hours after turning on the mattress pad to high, it was 52 in my van, and 112 under the covers( very overkill) , and I turned it down to the minimum, and couldn't use blankets. Then I turned it off.<br /><br /> 20 minutes should be enough to take the edge off so you are not climbing into an icy mattress which will suck the heat out of you, but I think an hour is more reasonable. &nbsp;Once you do add your bodyheat to the blanket's heat it does not take long until blanket shedding occurs.<br /><br />In such temperatures where you will need the heated blanket, your new ARB fridge will be running very little, perhaps 5 minutes out of every hour, so it offsets a significant portion of battery usage.<br /><br />I was leery of the mattress pad, as I was used to household electric blankets, but I got to say after use, a hot mattress is better than just a warmed blanket.<br /><br />I'd really like to have a dog too. &nbsp;One of these days when I run across the right puppy I'll re arrange my life for one.<br />&nbsp;

 

[Willy]

If your rig has any kind of heating (furnace, wood, etc), why not get a little 12v computer fan (like 1 W) and either blow warm/hot air onto the bed/blankets, or duct it? They do the same thing now with these 'boot-dryers you can buy, why not blankets?

 

[cedric]

Willy, can you elaborate on a solar fan? thanks

 

[Willy]

What I basically have is a large computer fan (12-24v) hooked up in parallel with my solar panels, before the charge controller. It's set up to suck air from the ceiling and out through the roof vent and, being hooked into my solar, turns on when it's light out and off when it gets dark. Since it's hooked up BEFORE the charge controller (directly to the panels), it doesn't draw any juice from the battery and won't drain the battery at night. Check on the posts I've authored and you'll see the GLORIOUS pics.&nbsp;