Olympian RV Camper Trailer Wave 3

[TexasTJ]

Dose anyone have a Olympian Wave heater and use it while in the back country? I have been looking into ways of heating my Coleman Colorado and it is between this and a Mr Buddy Heater. I have seen at last one review that said it would foul in dusty conditions. Just looking for first hand knowledge.

Nate

 

[mhiscox]

Dose anyone have a Olympian Wave heater and use it while in the back country? I have been looking into ways of heating my Coleman Colorado and it is between this and a Mr Buddy Heater. I have seen at last one review that said it would foul in dusty conditions. Just looking for first hand knowledge.

Yeah, they don't like dust, and it will shorten the life of the catalyst pad. That said, though, the Wave 3, in common with the whole series, has a vinyl cover that you can/should buy to cover the heater when not in use in order to prolong its life. They suggest you always use this cover, even if it's heating your living room.

So on all three of the Wave units I've used, I kept them covered unless in use. Since one hopes that much of the dust will settle by the time you're set up in your trailer, you could do the same thing and just take the cover of when it's actually being used. The contamination effects would then, seems to me, be quite small.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I researched between the Olympian and the Buddy, and the Wave won by miles. Now I have two, one in the camper and one in my studio space, and really like them.

 

[Captm]

We have a wave 6 in our Coleman Utah and really like it. We keep it covered when not in use. You might consider a 6 over the 3.
Cheers

 

[TexasTJ]

Captm do you have any extra Carbon alarms in your Utah?

Out of curiosity has anyone fitted a vented heater unit to a camper with out a heater in it????

 

[Captm]

Yes we do-Home Depot. The trailer is drafty but we still vent as a precaution. We do run it all night on low when it's ****in cold out. We mostly camp in the winter.

 

[Stitebunny]

Does the manufacturer say these are safe for indoor use without the use of an alarm? I know they are rated for indoor use and I would definitely use an alarm myself. Just curious if anyone knows for sure if they release toxic fumes.
Is there much condensation overnight? Either with a vent in the room or not?

 

[mhiscox]

Does the manufacturer say these are safe for indoor use without the use of an alarm? I know they are rated for indoor use and I would definitely use an alarm myself. Just curious if anyone knows for sure if they release toxic fumes.
Is there much condensation overnight? Either with a vent in the room or not?

They theoretically do not release toxic fumes, due to the inclusion of an Oxygen Depletion Sensor that would shut the unit off before it could start to produce CO or reduce O2 to inadequate levels. So what you do is make sure you have enough ventilation (a couple of square inches per 1000 BTUs) to provide the make-up oxygen. For the Wave 3, that would mean leaving a window uncovered a little bit, though a tent trailer probably leaks enough air anyway.

I personally believe the bigger problem with catalytic heaters is the really hot surface that could cause burns and scorch (and maybe set on fire) fabrics and so on, more than poison gas problems. It would take ignoring the ventilation requirements and a having defective ODS to kill yourself, though somehow, somewhere, someone will manage it. They are, however, a fine heating system, being quiet, effective and with very low current use.

They will put water into the tent. That's an advantage to a vented heater. But the amount is not usually excessive, and coping with the condensation from the family's breathing may be a bigger issue.

 

[Stitebunny]

Awesome! Great info! Thank you.

 

[Overland Hadley]

They theoretically do not release toxic fumes, due to the inclusion of an Oxygen Depletion Sensor that would shut the unit off before it could start to produce CO or reduce O2 to inadequate levels.

I thought that the Olympian Wave did not have an ODS? I think maybe older models did, but not the current ones.

 

[Captm]

Our Wave 6 is mounted vertically about 1 1/2" above the floor. With 2 dogs my concern was that the may get burned. Occasionally when the dummies stand in front of it I'll smell hair burning. They are practically leaning on it waiting to get hooked up for a trip outside, did I say dummies? Seriously we have not had a problem with combustion of unwanted objects, clothing, or pets. I feel safe and warm when it's on better yet Mommy is warm. UMMV
Cheers

 

[mhiscox]

I thought that the Olympian Wave did not have an ODS? I think maybe older models did, but not the current ones.

Well, this is interesting. Camco now appears to sell different versions of the Wave 3, 6 and 8 heaters. You can buy an "Olympian Wave Catalytic Safety Heater" (Part 57341 for a Wave 6, for example) or an "Olympian Wave ODS Catalytic Safety Heater" (Part 57845 for a Wave 6). So the buyer now gets to decide whether having an ODS is worth having the heater not work above an altitude of 7,000--and some report as low as 5,000--feet. If you have the no-ODS model, Camco says it'll work to 12,000 feet ASL.

Most all of the older Waves will have an ODS, and that was the cause of their well-publicized uselessness at high altitude. FWIW, The Mr. Heater Buddy heaters all seem to have an ODS and are limited to under 7,000 feet.

Thanks for pointing that out, Nathanael.

 

[18seeds]

This is how my set up worked when i lived in CO and primarly did winter camping at 10k.





I've had this set up in smaller pop up's also where we consistently winter camped with 3 dogs and 2 people. Never had anybody or anything burn



There is a camper behind mine that you can barely see in this picture. His camper was a pop up with the same set up.

The wave 3 really helped in keeping temps at a more consistent level and saved the furnace from constantly running.

We always had dual batteries, honda2000 generators and dual CO2 detectors at all times. In this same parking lot 2 seasons ago somebody died from CO2 poisoning.