Looking for ideas for a Heater/water heater/AC unit I can hang off the back of my trailer...

[burleyman]

The original post stated both heating and cooling. For me, heating air or water has many options.

Cooling is another matter. So far, I've only found options that require more electricity than I am willing to charge and store in batteries for overnight sleeping comfort when needed.

A small air conditioner or 110v mini-split does the job, but requires at minimum a 1000+ watt generator (fuel, not those misnamed things).

Catch 22: I can stay cool by running the generator during the day, which I don't need; but generally cannot use at night when I do need. Running the generator and chilling down before the evening deadline helps, but makes me a little self-conscious in certain situations. If I continue to run the AC from battery power for a little while, it makes noise also.

No generator noise issues, no problems.

 

[jwiereng]

I've got a friend with one in his truck-bed camper and he likes it a lot. There's just no way to put one in a teardrop.

Tony

Please elaborate, for the good of the congregation, why would you not put one in a teardrop. Seems to me, teardrop and truck camper almost the same in terms of heating.

 

[jwiereng]

I looked into those a while back for my own needs and read several concerning reviews. Folks complained that they are far from silent in real life (supposedly some sort of loud ticking noise), and also mentioned various operating problems. I've no experience with them myself, so can't confirm anything, but anyone interested may find it worth doing extra research into these things.

thanks for bringing that up. Good to hear about peoples experiences. Hmm - I wonder what is the source of the loud ticking sounds.

 

[Jupiter58]

Interesting thread, not much to add but I do have a question as I have looked into propane water heaters also. Most of the ones I checked out had an altitude limit (10000 feet??? IIRC).
How do you folks deal with that? Is it not a thing in reality or do you rejet or change an orifice?

 

[smike95]

Interesting thread, not much to add but I do have a question as I have looked into propane water heaters also. Most of the ones I checked out had an altitude limit (10000 feet??? IIRC).
How do you folks deal with that? Is it not a thing in reality or do you rejet or change an orifice?

I have a cheap propane water heater that I’ve used a couple different times in the mountains, 9k or so. The efficiency is definitely decreased, but it works. I keep my water in white jugs, and I found leaving it out in the sun is enough to make the difference between a cold shower and a nice hot shower. Another option is to simply run the water through twice, but that would require more than one tank of course. I’d be interested to hear if others have successfully put a different orifice in the cheap Chinese water heaters. I haven’t disassembled mine to see what the options are.


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[Louisd75]

Please elaborate, for the good of the congregation, why would you not put one in a teardrop. Seems to me, teardrop and truck camper almost the same in terms of heating.

I looked into a Dickinson for my TD before going to the Propex HS2211. Dickinson has some fairly large requirements for clearances per their manuals depending on which model you go with. It would suck to wake up to a fire after having a blanket get too close. Propex does have safety clearances as well but due to the ducts you can install the Propex inside of a space that ensures the safety clearances and duct the hot air to the people space. Dickinson needs to be in the people space.

 

[Teardropper]

Please elaborate, for the good of the congregation, why would you not put one in a teardrop. Seems to me, teardrop and truck camper almost the same in terms of heating.

They are just too large (plus their clearance requirements) for a 5' wide teardrop cabin. I find the Propex is a perfect heater for a teardrop.

Tony

 

[jwiereng]

They are just too large (plus their clearance requirements) for a 5' wide teardrop cabin. I find the Propex is a perfect heater for a teardrop.

Tony

Thanks for pointing this out. With 2 inch clearance on the sides and 6 inches below, I initially thought they would work well in a small teardrop camper. Your post has me re-considering

Check out this youtube were they put on in an Alu-Cab Wedge camper. They used some mods and special parts to make it work in a small space

 

[Teardropper]

They used some mods and special parts to make it work in a small space

A Propex isn't much bigger than a shoe box.

Tony

 

[Teardropper]

The need to light the heater and the fact it doesn't have a thermostat is a no-deal for me for a teardrop. I think it would be a great addition to something like a truck camper.

Tony