12 volt heater thoughts?

[SameGuy]

I have been looking for a topper for my Tundra for over a year and just happened to stumble across one on Craigslist, 35 miles away, color matched for $450. Needles to say I snapped it up right away.


My desire for a topper was to be a little more streamlined while overlanding than we can be with our teardrop. The little guy teardrop we have is nice, and fits the bill most of the time but it can be a little much to drag around when we are exploring unfamiliar back country trails.


The one thing we missed more than anything on our maiden voyage with the topper was the Propex heater in the Teardrop. It got down into the mid 30's in the Cloud Peak Wilderness, not quite as cold on the other side of the state in the Popo Agie. We have plenty of warm bedding so actually sleeping wasn't an issue but getting in and out of bed was a quick and chilly experience.

Not wanting to drop $800+ on another Propex I am hoping for a cheaper solution. I tried to fire up our Mr. Heater in there one night but it gets WAY too hot. Nearly melted the carpet off the ceiling in the couple minutes I had it on. We are playing around with just cranking the heater in the cab and sucking it through the rear window with a 12 volt endless breeze fan. There is a remote start in the Tundra so that would take care of getting in and out to start the thing. I'm not convinced that this will do much of anything, but its worth a shot. I was also looking into some kind of 12 volt cab heater that can be run with the engine running (so not to drain my house battery) It seems like there are a bunch of options in the under $50 range but reviews are pretty bad on them. One thing I found was a DC thermal 12 volt heater. There are a few different models but this one at 360 watts seems like it would fit the bill.
http://www.my12voltstore.com/12_Volt_Turbo_DC_Heater_p/sa12-3000.htm
I think their BTU ratings may be a little inflated but for the size and cost I think it would warm up the area back there and make getting up on a cold morning a little less of a bummer. Wondering if anyone has any experience with this type of heater?

One last idea is just something I came across on youtube. There are these little 12 volt, 200 watt PTC thermostatic heating elements on Amazon. I figured I could attach a couple of these to a high velocity case fan to create a 400watt (plus whatever the fan used) heater. They are cheap and small. 2 could be nest to one another and be the same size as a 120mm fan for around $40. Might be worth a try. Anyone have any experience with these things?

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IF anyone has any other good ideas I'm all ears...

 

[toyotech]

If your gonna do the PTC heater. Better off getting one premade and run it of a small inverter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I...=ZP43WDGF0C7W9M3772HT&dpPl=1&dpID=71IEhfAC27L


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[john61ct]

I would retrofit the Propex install leaving as much as possible in place in the TT, duplicating everything but the expen$ive unit itself, and figure out how to be able to quickly and easily swap it from one location to the other.

 

[john61ct]

An idea I have had for an HS2211 is to build out a Pelican case or large ammo can to make it self-contained with a LFP battery, everything but the gas bottle.

Use in my little shack, on a boat, from outside a tent etc.

Not that relevant but. . .

 

[mep1811]

Anything 12vdc will suck down a battery in no time.

 

[SameGuy]

Retrofitting the Propex in the TT hadn't occurred to me. Some refitting with quick release type fittings on the gas inlet and its physical attachments to camper could be replaced with thumb screws, or better yet cam locks, intake and exhaust are hose clamps so that wouldn't be to tough. I would need a new thermostat as that is installed solidly in the camper but I don't think that would be a deal breaker. Putting it in an old pelican case or toolbox would make it pretty handy with the topper. I could fashion a plate to go over one of the windows with a hole for the hot air in, and if I was getting fancy, the new thermostat could be mounted to the inside and 12 volt plugs inside and outside would allow me to run the power through the plate to the heater.

As trick as that sounds I'm not sure I want to dive that deep into uninstalling it from the TT. The thought has gotten my gears spinning though. john61ct, that is thinking outside the box, lol.

I think I will keep looking into electrical options, I'm not worried about running down the battery as the heater would only be run while the engine is running. An inverter could be an option but seems like an around about way to do things, installing a $200+ inverter so I can run a $30 heater. If i only had some other need for an inverter.......

 

[toyotech]

Why a $200 inverter ??

https://www.amazon.com/power-invert...ps,k:power inverter,p_89:Bestek,ssx:relevance


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[SameGuy]

a 300 watt inverter won't run a 300 watt heater, if there even is a 300 watt heater in the 120 volt world. In fact my cheapo, (now removed) 400 watt inverter wouldn't even run my Makita battery charger. I would think one would need a 1500 watt inverter to run a 1000 watt 120 volt heater if not a 2000 watt model.

 

[dwh]

400w of electric heat isn't much heat. 1400 BTU. But it's almost 1/3 the output of a 100a alternator...

100a x 14v = 1400w


If you don't need much, and the Buddy is too big, I'd just get a smaller propane heater.

There is a 3800 BTU Little Buddy. I don't think Coleman makes the 1500 BTU SportCat anymore, but someone probably still has a few in stock.

 

[SameGuy]

The issue with a catalytic heater is they get way too hot right near the heater. There is a shelf at the bed rail height so that puts the hot end of the heater about 9 inches from the ceiling. At 1200+ degrees, you are talking fire in less than 5 minutes. We tried it but I shut the thing off in 30 seconds. The thought of one of those falling into the bed we are sleeping in is enough to give you nightmares, (not that anyone would sleep with a catalytic heater running above their bed but you get the idea). even if it shut off automatically like it’s supposed to. Ever seen a down blanket catch fire? You would think they are stuffed with gunpowder. Trust me on this one, lol. I ordered a couple of those thermostatic heating elements, $10 each from China. Not super confident in what they can do but I’ll gamble that much And do some tinkering.

 

[rayra]

Use it as a pre-heater, with your bedding open. Shut it off when you sleep. Get a proper air-gap mattress, get a couple good sleeping bags that will zip together. If you need to run a heater all night you are doing it wrong.

 

[Tbacus]

We have been using a pair of these 12v heating pads in our van for a while. I think they are meant for long haul truckers. They do a great job keeping us warm and only draw 4a on high. In our case when it is cold the 12v fridge isn't running much and we have that power available for heat.

https://www.amazon.com/Mattress-Electrowarmth-Non-Fitted-T36-Campers/dp/B001122SZQ

 

[brianjwilson]

I think you're going about it wrong. If you're intention is only to run heat while the truck is on.... just install a boot in between the truck cab window and canopy window. Crack a window on the canopy and run the truck's heat. Trust me it will push all the hot air through the back, I did this for years on a different truck with canopy. Arrive at camp and everything is pre-heated (or cooled) when you get there.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

Personally, I saved up and picked up a Wabasto AirTop 2000 air heater. Runs on gasoline (also a diesel version), but needs 12v for the pump and the fan. Rated at 0.03 – 0.06 gal/h (0.12 – 0.24 l/h) for fuel and 1.25 – 2.45 Amps (14 – 29 Watts) for power consumption. Ya, it's way more expensive then a pair of good sleeping bags, and I know good bags work, I've done it in -20/-30*C many times, and once down to -50 in a real igloo all thanks to being in the army, but you get tired of it. You get tired of shivering out of control while you try to get dressed, or waking up in the middle of the night cause you've shifted, creating a small hole and wake up shivering. They're popular with the RV and Vanlife crowd, but also in Europe where there's strict idling laws, and should consume much less then running the truck itself. I've installed it just this summer and only used it once so far, which was during Labour Day where it dropped to 6*C/42*F, which is sad for summer really, but it was a perfect timing to test it. It was awesome, and I can't wait to use and test it again and in even colder weather! Sure, sleeping in a good bag works, but it's everything else. A mummy bag is restrictive to keep in your heat and limits your positions for comfort, and we use real bed sheets in the RTT, and used to add the extra army wool blanket or two for extra warmth. But with the heat, now you can get dressed in the warm tent, and having the tent heated through the night, there was no condensation, and our clothes to get dressed in where warm and dry. No compromise keeping windows open to eliminate condensation, but open to the winds and potentially elements. An interesting side effect was the amount of body warmth and energy we saved. We both had to get up in early hours to do some business directly in the woods, and we weren't cold. If you wish to do a similar route, there's also the Propex propane heater that's a bit cheaper comparing to the Wabasto/Espar heaters, but the install and concept is pretty much identical, but that's also now an extra fuel source to carry. And with these systems, there's no danger of emissions from catalyst heaters, or the risk of fire either. Also propane catalyst heaters create humidity, while these do not.
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It seems to be poorly viewed to use a heater to keep warm while sleeping, it's to each their own and they view as important and a priority, and just what they prefer and how one travels and what they do. Cost does play into it as well, it's inevitable. Personally, I want to be as comfortable as possible when camping, and a good night sleep is important. I also prefer not to reproduce my army experiences when I'm not doing army stuff, and that's fine by me, regardless of how other people view it.

 

[SameGuy]

We love the Propex heater in our Teardrop. I was planning on adding one to the truck as I'm familiar with the operation and installation but thought I would pursue some alternatives before I took the plunge into spending that kind of cash. When I put one in the TT I was thinking it was a little over the top, but the luxury of sleeping under a sheet when its 30-40 degrees outside quickly made up for that. I didn't know that Webasto made a gasoline model. I have heard great things about them and it appears they take up even less space than a propex. Running it off gasoline would be wonderful, I was not looking forward to dragging a big propane tank around for the propex if I went that direction. I'll be looking into the Webasto if my make shift electrical options don't pan out.