Radiator-type heater from propane hot water heater?

[TRDOnRoad]

This is my first post here. Usually hang out in the Land Cruiser forum on Mud, but I am trying to branch out with more general purpose overlanding/camping...

I like to do cold-weather camping and usually end up sleeping in the back of my LX since it provides more comfort and warmth but I would still like a way to heat the inside without running the engine. I've looked at diesel heaters and they might be the best option, but I was also wondering about re-purposing one of those propane water heaters for cabin heat? They have the integrated heater, pump, etc. and it you just ran it through a small radiator with it's own little 12v fan, I would think you could get a decent amount of heat.

I've never actually used one of these, and maybe they would be wildly inefficient for something like this, but it was an interesting concept. Diesel heaters seem like overkill for the back of a car and I've not heard great things about the more budget friendly models.

 

[plh]

sounds like it would work. I've not heard to many issues with the chinese diesel (warm air) heaters though. They would be considerably more cost effective than engineering up the hot water solution. Amazon reviews on the KemiMoto are not great.

 

[TRDOnRoad]

Yeah I just grabbed that water heater as an example. I’m sure there are better ones out there. My rational behind this is that it could server as a dual purpose device. It could run a warm shower as well as heat the cabin. Hmmmm.

 

[NOPEC]

Yeah I just grabbed that water heater as an example. I’m sure there are better ones out there. My rational behind this is that it could server as a dual purpose device. It could run a warm shower as well as heat the cabin. Hmmmm.

Here is a slant on the problem from a different perspective.

As much as I like propane, maybe you could cut down the amount of moving parts, number of single purpose componets of perhaps dubious pedigree, water lines/containers (potentially with anti-freeze), propane tanks, etc. by going a slightly different route. If I was young and still sleeping in the back of my LC, I would buy a 1000 watt Honda Genny(30 lbs), a 20 ft extension cord and a hardware store AC 750/1500 watt ceramic heater.

The small Hondas(or Yamahas - avoid the knockoffs like the plague) are super quiet and assuming you are not in campgrounds, are not overy annoying and used 15 feet or so away from the vehicle, CO is not a concern. These little gennys really retain their value (check FBMP), have a ton of unrelated uses, give a great cold weather starting backup with a small AC battery charger and if you are a hipster overlander, they work great for your morning grind... The heaters on 750 watts will do great to heat the cab and most have a "tipover" safety shut off.

Plus, if it doesn't work for you or you get old one day, you can always sell the genny for near what you for paid for it.........

 

[alia176]

There are some interesting thoughts to ponder here, and here are some of my thoughts.

When I used to sleep in my 80 during the colder months, I'd just turn on the engine, warm up the cabin then crawl out from the bag. I didn't actually "hang" out in the 80. Fast forward many moons, and I now sleep in a RTT on top of the 80. I still don't need a warm air space to crawl out from under the down blanket, put on my clothes and exit the RTT. I do stick my clothes under the blanket before going to sleep so that they're a little warm against my skin first thing in the morning.

I like the KISS approach on just idling the engine before climbing out of the sleeping bag. The fuel wastage is a lot less than the BS you have to deal with an overly complex engineered solution, or even a diesel heater. The $ for the extra gasoline from idling will easily be less than the $$$$$$ and hours spent on something else, even a crappy chinese diesel heater. Last but not least, your engine heat is reliable and simple.