portable heater for boondocking?

[arlon]

Just wondering what people are using to heat their vans? I'm just trying to figure out what the safest heater is that will work in the Astro van. I don't go out in really cold temps but I have been out in the 30's. Anyone use the little coleman catalytic heaters? Enough ventilation to be safe? I see they have a warning to not use them while sleeping. That's the main time I'd want one..

 

[java]

Mr. Buddy heaters. Work good in small space, low o2 shut off.

 

[mtnbike28]

Coleman Cat heater to take the chill out and sleep with a Nalgen bottle filled with hot water - works great!

 

[ExploringNH]

I use a Mr. Heater Little Buddy. It's enough to take the edge off in my Excursion with two people in it. I've used it down to 10*F. It certainly didn't make it nice and toasty at that temp but I am positive it was warmer than without it. I've slept with it on with all the windows up. Works well. I think it's pretty much the same thing as the Coleman catalytic heaters which also get good reviews. I also use it at my feet when cooking outdoors in winter to provide some heat for the hands and face.

 

[Herbie]

I've spent a lot of time thinking about heating my Astro.

1st thought: Personally I won't run any combustion or cat heater inside the van while anybody is in there. Safe to run before bed-time and to take the chill off in the morning, but no amount of anecdotal evidence will convince me to run one while my family is sleeping. For me, only a furnace that separates combustion air from hot/cold environment air will be acceptable.

My first thought to solve this was to duplicate an install I saw on thesamba, where a guy used one of the Espar/Airtronic Diesel-fired furnaces with a very small dedicated fuel-tank. He mounted a tiny 1-gallon tank inside the kitchen cabinetry, and running straight kerosene he got an insane burn time (dozens of hours).

Those are expensive though, and I didn't like the idea of storing fuel inside the van. My next plan was to mount a Propex HS2000 inside the van. These are similar, about shoebox-sized, but run on Propane.

Then my next thought was to mount the new Propex HS2211 UNDER the van. It's a similar unit, but can be mounted externally. Only difference is running combustion/exhaust air out or running hot/cold environment air IN. Both are here: http://westyventures.com/propex.html

I still might do that, but the hang-up is that unless I lose the underbody spare, there isn't a great spot to easily mount a permanent propane tank. (Although I still think you might be able to tuck a small-diameter horizontal tank up under the body near the slider door, but finding one for sale that doesn't have the VW-specific bracketry welded to it is a chore.)

My current plan is to do my own version of a "Portable" setup for the HS2000, like what the Adventure Trailer guys sell: http://store.adventuretrailers.com/copy-of-portable-furnace-heatsource-hs2000/ With this, I would only bring it when needed, and I could run it more easily off of the portable propane tank I carry on the rear door. I've seen both the AT one and a DIY version mounted in a metal toolbox used for roof-top tents. The only tricky bit would be to build a way to run the hot/cold air ducting to the van from outside. I'm thinking possibly an insert that goes into the tip-out driver's side middle window. Something that would keep the bugs, etc. out but let you run the ducting up to it.

I want to talk to the Westy Ventures guys about propane plumbing issue too, because a possible "hybrid" solution is to mount the HS2211 under the van with permanent hot/cold air ducting into the van, and permanent fused power connection, but plumb the propane so it can be run off a portable tank.

EDIT: OK, this thread has motivated me to get some answers to my open questions. Emails sent, will report back when/if I get details...

 

[proper4wd]

Zodi Hot Vent is what you're looking for. Set it up outside, just need to plumb in the in/out ducting. http://zodi.com/tent-heaters

 

[proper4wd]

But yeah, otherwise you can get a gasoline fired version of an Espar or Webasto heater and let it draw from your OEM fuel tank. That would be the cleanest $$$ solution.

 

[Bbasso]

Mr buddy heater running of a 20lbs propane tank. Works great. Roof vent cracked open and one front window for cross ventilation.

 

[Joe917]

http://www.carbonmonoxidedeaths.com/
More than 80 carbon monoxide deaths since the early 90's related to propane radiant heaters.(USA only)
Go ahead and crack your window, it opens at the highest part of the vehicle, CO is heavier than air. Not such a good idea!

 

[ExploringNH]

http://www.carbonmonoxidedeaths.com/
More than 80 carbon monoxide deaths since the early 90's related to propane radiant heaters.(USA only)
Go ahead and crack your window, it opens at the highest part of the vehicle, CO is heavier than air. Not such a good idea!

Catalytic heaters do not produce CO.

I would not use a CO producing heater inside a vehicle unless the exhaust is properly ducted out.

 

[Joe917]

Catalytic heaters produce less CO than open flame heaters but they do produce CO.

 

[tgreening]

I'd just get myself a good reliable, loyal dog in the 75-85 lb range. Eliminates all those co2 issues. Or if you're more adventurous you could opt for something in the 5'4"/130 lb range. Downside to that though is sometimes that option can be even more hazardous than the co2 you're worried about. I'd go with option A myself and here's why. Dogs know what true love is. If you doubt this you can try this experiment.

Lock your dog and your girlfriend/wife in the trunk of your car for about 4 hours. When you open the trunk, which one is happy to see you?

 

[bdog1]

12v electric blanket?

 

[mdmead]

Put my vote down for a Mr. Heater Buddy. With a good sleeping bag, you likely won't need to run it all night anyway. (I've run mine overnight in my pickup camper a few times and don't worry about it. I keep a window cracked and have a CO2 detector as well.)

 

[benjamin_smith]

I installed a Propex HS2000 in my Westy. My only complaint was it seemed to drain my battery faster than anything else.

The external exhaust was the only thing that seemed safe for heating the inside of a vehicle. It's obviously much less efficient when it comes to generating heat, but I think it's worth the cost. The only thing I worried about was potential propane leaks since I had to route a propane line inside the cabin. So put a valve in the line outside cabin to turn off the propane (easily accessible from the sliding door), and I added a 12v explosive gas detector on a switch that I'd turn on anytime I ran the heater.

The other thing to keep in mind is insulation is just as important as heating. A heater will bring the temp up in a small space quickly, but it'll drop just as quick when you turn it off unless you have REALLY good insulation.