Heating a small trailer

[mike21070]

Hello All,

Just joined the group and happy to be here!

I have an Intech Pursue Flyer, which is an amazing little guy. My question is not specific to my trailer, but what is the best way to heat it during the night? We mostly boondock, so even though there's a heater I'm not using it. I also don't want to spend $3k on a Honda generator to run during the night. We have the heat packs, but I'm looking for something that will keep the trailer warm throughout the night so it's not freezing when we wake up. The interior is 7 x 6 x 4, so not a lot of heat needed.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[TheRenaissanceTinker]

Mr buddy heater.

 

[TheRenaissanceTinker]

i just looked up your trailer and I’m really surprised that the battery that runs the fridge doesn’t also power the heater. In my experience those little propane rv heaters are usually 12v. Might be worth reaching out to the company or reading the owners manual (assuming you are like me and just tosses it in a drawer still wrapped in plastic). If it really does need 110 then I fall back on my previous answer of Mr buddy. And not the big one either. The small or medium should be plenty. Just be sure to add a battery powered CO/smoke detector to the inside of the trailer if there isn’t one already.

 

[Buddha.]

Hello All,

Just joined the group and happy to be here!

I have an Intech Pursue Flyer, which is an amazing little guy. My question is not specific to my trailer, but what is the best way to heat it during the night? We mostly boondock, so even though there's a heater I'm not using it. I also don't want to spend $3k on a Honda generator to run during the night. We have the heat packs, but I'm looking for something that will keep the trailer warm throughout the night so it's not freezing when we wake up. The interior is 7 x 6 x 4, so not a lot of heat needed.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Michael

Do you have the optional propane furnace? If so keep your battery charged from your tow vehicle, maybe add a second battery and you might be fine.

 

[caryt]

They have a propane heater option could you retrofit it?
A Mr buddy will put moisture into the space so IMO never a option.
12v heating pad..

 

[JaSAn]

I winter camp out of a FWC Grandby in temperatures well below freezing. This is my 2¢:

Non-vented heaters (Mr. Buddy, Olympian, et.al.) work IF:
- the outside temps are not below ~ 20ºF,
- and the outside relative humidity is low,
- and you don't run the heater for more than 8 hours.
The problem is condensation; you get a lot of it.
And you will need an inside fan to distribute the heat. Otherwise you will get hot air at the ceiling and cold air at your feet.

Electric heaters are out since you want to boondock unless you are willing to run a generator all the time (~1/8 gallon of gas per hour).

You have to cut a hole somewhere in the camper for an RV furnace, propane or diesel:
- a hole for exhaust gasses and possibly incoming fresh air for an internal furnace.
- or - a hole for piping in heated air for an outside furnace.
I went with a cheap diesel heater in a box, piping the hot air into the camper. Required a 3.5" hole from the outside.

If the factory heater is 12V your problem is solved.

If it is 120V I would get a Kill-A-Watt meter and run it at home to determine how much electricity it takes. Then you can make the decision if an inverter will work.

 

[Ozarker]

Another vote for Mr. Heater, the condensation is a bonus! LOL

 

[alia176]

Mr Buddy propane heaters are great and affordable. The trouble with them are:

if the O2 level in your small space isn't adequate, the heater will not light off. So, you''ll have to take it outside for a few min, light off then bring it back inside. If the O2 level isn't high enough, the heater will self extinguish. Rinse, repeat!!

Propane powered heaters produce condensation as a byproduct of combustion. You may not like excessive condensation on the interior of your camper, but this is subjective.

Now, this is not meant to start a flame war but I'm going to put on my flame suit. I have an Espar diesel heater and my GF has a Vevor diesel heater. For the money, you can't go wrong with either. Mine is many years old and works flawlessly. I don't have a problem with bending over once and sucking it up. My previous camper had an Espar that I bought from Ebay from an 18wheeler dude then ran it for 14 years. It total, that heater is probably close to 20 years old before I sold the camper.

Her heater required me to join a FB group to decipher the stupidly written manual, buy a second pump when the heater didn't work on a cold morning, now I have to upgrade the fuel filter and the fuel lines. All this for a $150 cheap chinese heater. When it works, it's freaking awesome but it reminds me of a Land Rover . She now wishes she saved up for an used Espar heater like mine, LOL!!!

Both types of diesel heaters heat up your space faster if you recirculate the air back through them vs introducing fresh/cold air from the outside.

IMHO, RV furnaces are noisy and power hungry. They're extremely inefficient for the amount of BTU they put out. That's why they suck down the house batteries so quickly and/or require shore power. I try to convert my RV friends over to Espar/Wabasto/Planar/Propex type of heaters for a much more pleasant heating experience.


Good luck with your choice.

 

[Willsfree]

Here's what I use in my van; 3000 BTU clone of Coleman Blackcat
Although flameless, it will catch you on fire with contact, so placing a small cage to keep bedding and such away from heat element is advised.

 

[86scotty]

I'm a diesel heat guy.
My small trailer, I use one of the infamous China Diesel heaters.
Since space considerations, I built it into a portable box what sits outside, blowing hot air thru a flexible hose. I leave it home when the weather is warm.
Its thrifty on battery and fuel. Its remote fob turns it on before getting out of bed.

Chinese diesel heaters are the cheapest, smallest, safest and most economical to run of any permanently (or semi-permanently as Verkstad noted) heaters available these days. I'm not really sure why anyone would go with anything else. They are well under $100 and will heat a small to medium camper for less than a dollar a night.

 

[Willsfree]

Chinese diesel heaters are the cheapest, smallest, safest and most economical to run of any permanently (or semi-permanently as Verkstad noted) heaters available these days. I'm not really sure why anyone would go with anything else. They are well under $100 and will heat a small to medium camper for less than a dollar a night.

I'd be all for a diesel parking heater, but I heard one in operation at the snow resort parking lot and it made a heck of a racket. I've been watching YT vids and they confirm that there is significant fan and fuel pump noise. The catalytic heaters, such as the Olympic are silent. Do you have some experience with the parking heaters and if so, are they audible?

 

[plh]

I'd be all for a diesel parking heater, but I heard one in operation at the snow resort parking lot and it made a heck of a racket. I've been watching YT vids and they confirm that there is significant fan and fuel pump noise. The catalytic heaters, such as the Olympic are silent. Do you have some experience with the parking heaters and if so, are they audible?

Very easy to wrap the pump in open cell foam which reduces the "noise" considerably. Mine is placed outside and ducted into my trailer. Can't really hear the pump or fan anymore.

 

[86scotty]

I'd be all for a diesel parking heater, but I heard one in operation at the snow resort parking lot and it made a heck of a racket. I've been watching YT vids and they confirm that there is significant fan and fuel pump noise. The catalytic heaters, such as the Olympic are silent. Do you have some experience with the parking heaters and if so, are they audible?

Yes, I work in and around commercial trucks and play with campery things incessantly. I've had a CDH, a Planar, An Espar, a Webasto and now a Lavaner in my newest van build. The fuel pumps (mounted outside the vehicle) do click audibly but you can muffle them if they bother you. They don't bother me. But you said that you heard one outside of the vehicle? Try inside where you actually are. Not trying to be an a**. They aren't silent but noise is in the ear of the beholder, as it were. Inside, unless it's running full tilt, it makes no more noise than a fridge fan humming along.

The quietest and most reliable I have had is actually a Webasto, which I've heard the most bad things about before getting one. This is neither here nor there though and I'll shut up about these to attempt to steer us back on topic.

No shortage of info on diesel furnaces. It's everywhere these days.

 

[PirateMcGee]

Propex heater is where it's at for these intech.

 

[Willsfree]

Here is a video featuring the Webasco heater...the author is skilled in voicing the heater's sound...haha.
My gal and I turn the cooler off when we sleep; guessing we could just shut off the heater too. But when the heaters are starting up or running when it's super cold out the fan is pretty loud. Often I'm stealth camping when passing through towns or chilling in a ski resort area. Not sure I want to sound like a jet taking off.