good camper heater

[SunMan]

Funny, that WTW install is mine.
As an update to that post now that the heater has been used fairly extensively in winter conditions (upper teens through 20's) I cannot say enough about it or its minimal fuel consumption.

I currently have 7 nights running the Wave 3 for 12-15 hours/night on various settings and my 20lb. tank is not yet empty, though I suspect it is very close. This also includes using the stove for my morning coffee, breakfast and sometimes dinner. On the coldest nights I have been able to keep my Hawk at ~50-58 degrees utilizing reflectix insulation on the canvas. On nights in the mid to upper 30's I have no problem keeping it in the 60's on the low setting. Best $200 I ever spent!

A thermosat or remote would be great but don't see how it would be possible with one of these units.

 

[craig333]

Okay, you weren't including forced air furnaces it seems. Lucky for I have both. Just installed a wave 3 in addition to the forced air furnace but I haven't had a chance to test it at altitude yet.

 

[ExpoMike]

Something you didn't mention is what fuel type is the rig using? If diesel, there are diesel versions like the Heat Source one. About the same price range but if your rig is using diesel, you have an instant fuel source that would be easily refueled.

Just another idea.

 

[Terrainist]

It's a diesel truck, but I am doing this on a budget. The less things cost the better. The Wave 3 will be about perfect for what I need. Maybe in the future...

 

[Overland Hadley]

Wave 3 looks like the way to go. I recall from reading yesterday and just read it again that it uses as low as 1/8 lb per hour of propane. Not as good as I hoped, but could be worse.

Propane consumption is 1/8 lb per hour on high. And it heats at something like 99% efficiency, just remember you need to have a small air vent while it is running.

 

[Martyn]

For propane heaters its essential that the units be jetted correctly. Many marine furnaces and standard furnaces are set up to be operated at sea level, so they need to be re jetted for elevation.

The HeatSource furnaces we use have been adjusted for elevation and operate at elevations up to 8500 ft without issue. The only comments I have heard is that there is a very slight popping noise from the combustion chamber as the elevation increases.

I assemble the units at 6000 ft and test each one prior to shipping them out. The other day I was testing a unit at 11˚F, no issues, though the heat felt good

Regarding water vapor, yes it's an issue for standard propane heaters, as water is a by-product of combustion, and combusted propane is intermingled with the heated air. The HeatSource units do not mix combusted air with heated air, as a result no increase in water vapor is experienced in the heated air. All the additional water vapor from combustion is exhausted to the outside.

 

[IdaSHO]

A sealed unit furnace is the ONLY way to go in my opinion.

Much safer, super efficient, and eliminates much of the condensation problems.

I was lucky enough to score a sweet Carlson furnace with my ugly old Bell Camper a few years ago. It also works by convection, so there is no need for a fan. No 12v draw whatsoever. :victory:

Even being 40 years old, it works awesome.

 

[Terrainist]

Oh yes, if I could wave a magic wand. A legit furnace would be great... I've used one that could have been the same exact one you have. Was super happy with it. You should try a solid fuel heater though...

1. I have maybe 250 cubic feet of walled, insulated space to heat. A furnace is overkill in the space it would take.

2. It needs to be easy. Slap a Wave 3 to a facing, hook the line up and it's done. No cutting holes in the side of the camper, not that I'm adverse to that.

3. The camper is an evolving thing, it will go thru many changes before it reaches the stage where nothing will be added, moved or reconfigured. The Wave 3 fits in with the long term plans, it will be in the camper when it's all done as well as now.

4. It needs to be cost effective. I can do a lot with the $900 for the HeatSource vs. the $200 for the Wave 3 when they both do the exact same thing -- heat the camper.

But keep the suggestions and heating ideas coming, wether they are relevant to my situation or not. One of the reasons for starting this thread was to have the great info in one place. When it's all done, no more evolving, the camper will have a solid fuel heater as primary and a Wave 3 on propane for back up or stealth camping heating. Can't have smoke coming out of the chimney in a Walmart parking lot, it's not socially acceptable.

 

[Overland Hadley]

While the idea of a vented heater is good, bad things can still happen. I have had a major (and close to very serious) problem with a vented heater that was not working properly. I like the Wave 3 for its simplicity, less things to break or not work.

And from my experience you should have a fresh air vent when using any propane device, fancy vented or simple non-vented.

 

[thedjjack]

A sealed unit furnace is the ONLY way to go in my opinion.

Much safer, super efficient, and eliminates much of the condensation problems.

I was lucky enough to score a sweet Carlson furnace with my ugly old Bell Camper a few years ago. It also works by convection, so there is no need for a fan. No 12v draw whatsoever. :victory:

Even being 40 years old, it works awesome.

:iagree:


I just modified a convection (gravity) furnace for my Van.... 2nd one I have owned. Simple no power, highly efficient and vents outside (+ vent warms incoming air to increase efficiency!)

Got mine used for $70.00 + $50.00 for new hoses, copper line, fittings. And guts to cut a huge hole in the side of the van.

 

[IdaSHO]

And from my experience you should have a fresh air vent when using any propane device, fancy vented or simple non-vented.

The only types of heaters that need a vent are ones that uses cabin air for combustion.


No need for any kind of vent for a sealed unit as I have shown above.
Any vents you install are only going to decrease it's efficiency.

That said, I always keep a window cracked in the overhead sleeping area. But that is more to get the air in the camper moving, and circulate heat better.

 

[Terrainist]

Get a flippen CO detector people!! Yes, furnaces are vented. If that vent gets covered, and it stops drawing and venting the way it is supposed too... you are dead. They will find your frozen corpses and you will be a little article on page 8 section 2 way down in the corner, "Couple Dies in Camper". And your families will remember the day the Sheriff pulled up in front of the house, etc, etc, etc.

They cost nothing any more. You can get a dual smoke and CO for something like 25 bucks.

Anything could happen. The tarp you had on the roof shifts down and covers the vent. The evil killer dude decides to pull off the perfect murder and covers it up while you are sleeping. The tree branch shifts, snow covers it, whatever. Stuff happens, people die.

I am going to have to look into the used furnace market and see what is involved. As stated, I used one in a TT that could be the twin of the one posted. And that thing was pretty much great. The space it would take is a big consideration. But the efficiency, effectiveness, and ease... eeee ran out of e's. You get the idea.

Addendum: There seems to be some confusing of needing a window open for a heater and not for a furnace because the furnace has a fresh air pipe to a vent on the side of the camper. Bottom line, both of them and the humans as well all need fresh air. No matter how they get it or it happens.

 

[Overland Hadley]

And from my experience you should have a fresh air vent when using any propane device, fancy vented or simple non-vented.

My comment was that you should have some fresh air while using any propane device. Heater or stove.

 

[kb7our]

"You can get a dual smoke and CO for something like 25 bucks."

Safest bet is not to run these things when you are asleep, often situations dictate otherwise. Get 2 units for redundancy and make sure they work!!!!

I don't know how this happened, but my family is alive to talk about it. A few years ago while visiting inlaws, one of my daughters awoke feeling ill and came out of the guest room to tell us she had just about passed out in the bathroom. She looked pale and so we went outside for fresh air. She felt better after a while (and vomiting) and as I thought about what happened, I wondered if CO somehow leaked from the home natural gas fired furnace as she was sleeping very close to a room air vent. I ran down to purchase a detector with a gauge, brought it to their home, and sure enough...high concentration of CO where my daughter slept!!!! Turns out the last few years my inlaws were probably getting small concentrations in their bedroom as they were having some breathing difficulties. Had we not visited who knows what would have happened. And had there been longer exposure where my daughter slept, well I need not think to hard about that. Furnace was fixed and I never did hear how exhaust gases were being piped into the home, but that fixed the problem. So, even a basic home furnace is potentially an issue. Get a CO detector and install anywhere combustion gases are a potential. Know the signs of poisoning. Scary.

 

[Terrainist]

That is totally completely scary. The thing about this stuff is, it's invisible. If something is wrong you don't know it usually, you just die.

Should start a thread in Fireside requesting close call stories, they would just get buried in this thread. And I think it would go a long way to drive the point home that this stuff can't be messed with. There was just a family that made the news here, had their barbecue too close to an open door. No one died, but they got sick and half of them ended up in a hyperbaric chamber for some therapy. We hear of people dying or getting sick quite a bit.

If there is anything burning in the house, camper, or TT, be it natural gas, propane, whatever, in any from, heater, furnace, stove top, oven, then there really needs to be a CO detector and enough ventilation via cracked windows and vents. And as stated, not using them while asleep if possible is smart.