Interior Heaters???

Roonie

New member
Does anyone have any experience with the Mr. Buddy for drying out wet clothes inside? I have heard propane heat is not dry enough, and heat is my biggest concern since I am building a ski vehicle that will need to stay warm down well below zero and also be able to hang wet ski gear and have it dry overnight.

I have used a Mr Buddy all last year for my van while we stayed at the ski mtn. Our stuff dried out overnight when we hung it from the roof. I am not a fan of the Mr Buddy however. It lets off an oder (burned propane) everytime I use it. Also it has shut off on me when it was low on oxygen since I have the van so insulated. Not a good feeling. It does warm up the van quickly on high. Too hot on low if I leave it on all night. I guess my van is too well insulated.

I will be using a Honda generator and run an extension cord in for a small electric space heater like a Vortex or something like that for this upcoming season.
 

dsw4x4

Adventurer
I am not a fan of mr buddy's or any other catalytic heater. They are great when used for what they are designed for but not so great for enclosed spaces. That would be a van. And yes you can crack a window and the low oxygen sensor should shut it off when it gets low but if it malfunctions when you are sleeping you and your family will be dead. Or at best really sick, like a really bad head trauma you will not know who you are where you are or what to do with the other bodies in the van. I am serious and talk about this from some friends experience with 8 people on a house boat, they are super lucky to be alive. If you use a cat heater like it is meant to be used in a enclosed space while your awake than you should be fine. In other words warm up the space before you go to bed then shut it off and turn it back on when you get up in the morning. Do not use it while you or anyone else is sleeping. The only right way to heat the inside of a van or rv is using a furnace or electric heater. A life and the hospital bills if you live are worth more than the 700 dollars it cost for a furnace in your van.
Derek
 

ujoint

Supporting Sponsor
Think I've decided on the best all around option for now. Mr Buddy to warm everything up before & after sleep (with a detector) and a 12V electric blanket. This should keep the complaining to a minimum. :)
 

Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
I think you are on the right track, but I would make one change.

Use Mr Buddy to warm everything up, and then use a good -40 sleeping bag. That way you are guaranteed to be warm, even with a dead battery. And the bag may seem expensive today, but if you amortize the cost (maybe $400-ish) over the 40 years it is going to last you, that works out to $10 per year, which is pretty darned cheap.

And if you can find a good used one on Craigslist, even better.

If you don't plan to winter-camp in extreme cold, you can get a good bag for a lot cheaper.

Our family often sleeps outside in a Springbar tent at 7000 ft in the BC mountains, in the Canadian winter. Trust me, a good sleeping bag is all you need, and it is an awesome investment. The rectangle ones are harder to find these days but they zip together into a double bed which is very nice.

Two tips - 1. put your water bottle and tomorrows clothes into the bag with you before you sleep. Then your water for breakfast isn't frozen when you wake up, and your clothes are nice and warm when you want to get dressed.
2. The cold weather rating on the bag doesn't mean you will be warm when it is that cold outside, it means you wont die when it is that cold outside. So sleeping in a 0 rated bag when is is 0 outside, will be pretty miserable. If you want to be toasty warm when it is 0 outside, you want a -20 or -40 bags

Cheers
 
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SWbySWesty

Fauxverland Extraodinaire
I have the Buddy heater and it's great for my small van. BUT...

If I had the budget (and since I have onboard propane), I'd spring for a Propex heater. Runs about 700-800, but supposedly work phenomenal according TheSamba VW guys. It's the heater of choice.
 

Roonie

New member
I have the Buddy heater and it's great for my small van. BUT...

If I had the budget (and since I have onboard propane), I'd spring for a Propex heater. Runs about 700-800, but supposedly work phenomenal according TheSamba VW guys. It's the heater of choice.

The main issue with the propex heater I have heard is the noise inside. Both the propex and the suburban heaters are louder than the espar.

You can always do the portable propex heater if you don't want it all plumbed in.
http://www.adventuretrailers.com/heaters.html
 

SWbySWesty

Fauxverland Extraodinaire
Not to disrespect, but they made it portable and added almost a thousand dollars to the price tag? No way I'm spending 1700 for a heater.
 

coguzzi

Adventurer
anyone with an old tool box laying around and very little time can replicate that very easily

propex or suburban is what i will be installing in my E350, but i come from the VW syncro world remember where the propex is the cats meow
 

SWbySWesty

Fauxverland Extraodinaire
Where will you mount yours? I JUST thought of it...a lot of VW vans have it mounted on the floor somewhere with the feed/return lines opening under the car. What about going through deeper water? Would the water come up through the tubes into the heater? There was one guy who installed the pipes to run through the OE fridge vent...THAT is what I'd do.

/thread jack
 

coguzzi

Adventurer
im not sure, i havent planned my interior yet, its this winters project. my preliminary thinking is in a cabinet behind the driver seat which will house the propex and a fridge, fridge being easily removable for passenger/cargo duty. BUT, im sure i will have 596 revisions to my plan before then
 

1sweetvan

Adventurer
You guys are really over thinking this. Haven't you ever watched Man vs Wild? Just piss in your water bottle and cuddle up to it in your sleepy bag.
 

Hayduke950

Observer
I use a little buddy heater to warm up the van when needed (first thing in the morning for instance), but a good sleeping bag does fine when I'm sleeping.
 

mezmochill

Is outside
Webasto airtop 2000 St gasoline model (needed to install separate fuel cell to get around the the complexity of high pressure fuel pump in tank). The extra hassle was worth it. Nice dry heat, warms the van quickly and safely, very efficient.( gas and battery.)

I'm taking with me for my next build.
 

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