Most motor-homes that use the Intellitec control system have “basement heat”. These are storage compartments below the floor that water pipes run through and are heated by a duct from the furnace. The compartments are poorly insulated and the only way they get any heat to them is when the furnace’s blower is running. This usually isn’t a problem when the motor-home is occupied because the thermostat is set high enough so the inside is warm and the compartments get enough warm air to prevent them from freezing. However, if the motor home isn’t occupied and the furnace is set real low, it may not be warm enough or cycle often enough to ensure the compartments stay above freezing.
The Waiter ECC has a unique feature called “freeze protection”. If the furnace is set to HEAT and the set point is placed at 40, the system now goes into a “Freeze Protection” mode and does two things:
1) It continues to monitor the inside temperature like it normally does and will cycle the furnace as needed to maintain at least 40 degrees inside the living area.
2) It monitors the outside temperature and if it drops below 35 degrees, the freeze protection mode is enabled. This mode monitors the furnace run time to ensure the furnace runs at least two minutes during any 30 minute interval. Example: if the set point is at 40 and the inside temperature stays above 40, the furnace would normally never turn run. However, with freeze mode, if the furnace hasn’t run in the last 30 minutes, freeze mode will turn the furnace on and run it for two minutes. This two minute run blows warm air down into the storage compartment to ensure they stay above freezing.