Just a thought, I used to commercial fish with my Dad in his 48' Salmon Troller off the Washington coast. The boat was powered by a 6-71 Jimmy Diesel out of a surplus WWII vessel. For heat and cooking in the cabin he had a diesel stove. This stove was gravity fed from a small tank mounted above the cabin on the roof, no electricity required. To fill the fuel tank you opened a valve below the deck and it diverted fuel to the storage tank. I don't recall how much fuel it used to operate, but it would keep the cabin nice and toasty, while giving my Mom a stove top and oven. I seem to remember the stove being about 18" x 18" x 18". Of coarse a removable stove pipe would be necessary in a camper/trailer, and you might have to endure the occasional wonderful smell of diesel fuel. She could cook up a fresh salmon dinner in nothing flat.
Reality check for diesel-systemed truck camper
- Thread starter astn
- Start date
Mundo4x4Casa
West slope, N. Ser. Nev.
I guess this thread won't die. You won't either if you use propane. I did want to comment on using propane at high elevation. On a trip over all the high passes in the San Juan's in Colorado in our truck campers, I had the gas alarm go off while using the burners on the stovetop to cook supper. This was at 13,910 feet elevation. The propane ran so rich it triggered the alarm, which was a noxious noise and I had to leave the box to get away from it. I opened the windows, vents and door and the alarm finally stopped. I'm glad it was not a very cold day. That would have caused havoc. You can see my door open and airing out the box. This is at 'Oh!' point:
Might I ask how one "likes" or "loves" cooking on a diesel cook top? Would they rather cook on it over any other cook top? Do they enjoy cooking on it in hot weather? Does the 15 min time to get water boiling bother them? How about changing the temp setting vs how fast the actual temp in the pot changes? Does having one adjustable temp dial that changes both burners at the same time, ie, there's no independent control for the back burner, ie, it is slaved off the front burner and is about the same temp work for you? I've heard persons say they "learn" to cook on it, but never heard "really like it".
How does one really cook on it?
How does one really cook on it?
W
Wandering Sagebrush
Guest
We have a Wallas two burner heater/stove in our boaterhome (22' CDory Cruiser). It's easy to use and pretty effective. With the lid down, there is a small fan that moves a good amount of air. We use a small Ecofan (generates its own electricity) on the cooler burner to use even less battery power.
NorthwestNorthernOntario
Observer
I like that this thread has a number of differing opinions. Reading it has one swaying back and forth with the perspective of the poster's experiences. It is also an older thread, so I am not sure it if the Wallas diesel stove/heater option was available for overland campers when the OP was pondering this, and other options are now available.
The Wallas $2,800 price tag is more than double of what you would spend for a nice SMEV two burner propane cooktop (are they about $400?), and then adding a propane furnace, such as a Propex at about $800 or a D4 at bit higher price. Despite the cost, the Wallas seems quite popular now, most likely because it makes a good heater?
For my .02 I would still stick to propane for water heating and cooking, and go with the D4 for heating, substantially reducing propane use/requirements and hence tankage and/or refilling. From my experience, the biggest PIA with propane has been both the typical RV furnaces (which suck a ton of battery and are noisy) and the refrigerators, which run a pilot (which I would imagine creates the largest propensity for accidents for those who see propane as unsafe) and the venting requirements, which add yet another hole in the roof, that most of us try to avoid. I have also had some fairly expensive adventures with RV Fridge boards, etc. that I would sooner forget. That leaves an efficient 12V fridge as the best option, particularly with the advances in battery technology, controllers, etc. with solar.
Suburban DSI Water heaters are easy to drain, and it is nice to simply hit the switch inside the rig to turn them on. I like the fact that you can also heat water with 120VAC if you get that option. I have never frozen one, but have dry camped it below zero, so IDK how low you can go with one of those. I had a 1978 GMC MH that heated water from the engine, so it is not a new concept. Nice to always have hot water on the road, without burning propane. I agree with the opinions that it would be difficult to have a removable unit that shared engine heat, but on the GMC, it was a simple set up that was very effective.
The Wallas $2,800 price tag is more than double of what you would spend for a nice SMEV two burner propane cooktop (are they about $400?), and then adding a propane furnace, such as a Propex at about $800 or a D4 at bit higher price. Despite the cost, the Wallas seems quite popular now, most likely because it makes a good heater?
For my .02 I would still stick to propane for water heating and cooking, and go with the D4 for heating, substantially reducing propane use/requirements and hence tankage and/or refilling. From my experience, the biggest PIA with propane has been both the typical RV furnaces (which suck a ton of battery and are noisy) and the refrigerators, which run a pilot (which I would imagine creates the largest propensity for accidents for those who see propane as unsafe) and the venting requirements, which add yet another hole in the roof, that most of us try to avoid. I have also had some fairly expensive adventures with RV Fridge boards, etc. that I would sooner forget. That leaves an efficient 12V fridge as the best option, particularly with the advances in battery technology, controllers, etc. with solar.
Suburban DSI Water heaters are easy to drain, and it is nice to simply hit the switch inside the rig to turn them on. I like the fact that you can also heat water with 120VAC if you get that option. I have never frozen one, but have dry camped it below zero, so IDK how low you can go with one of those. I had a 1978 GMC MH that heated water from the engine, so it is not a new concept. Nice to always have hot water on the road, without burning propane. I agree with the opinions that it would be difficult to have a removable unit that shared engine heat, but on the GMC, it was a simple set up that was very effective.
bahncamperworks
Supporting Sponsor: Bahn Camper Works
We are building a camper now that has diesel fired hot water and heat (radiant floor) but we are not installing a diesels cooktop. Instead we are going with an induction unit and beefing up the battery bank. We find that the diesel cooktops are far from ideal and come with a healthy price tag. We are installing a diesel tank in the camper so the camper can be used independently of the truck. I also went back and forth on this decision but being able to use the camper as a "cabin" in the woods ultimately won. If you know you're always going to use the camper on the truck then plumbing into the main tank makes sense and reduces the complexity of the camper (just a little). You can install everything on the truck side and use quick disconnects for the coolant to the camper- just insulate everything or you'll lose too much heat along the way. Bottom line is it really depends on how you plan to use the camper and what situations you might find yourself in...
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jackattack
Observer
What is your estimated battery/Ah increase to accommodate the draw of the induction unit you've selected?
bahncamperworks
Supporting Sponsor: Bahn Camper Works
400 usable Ahr's' equivalent to an 800 Ahr agm battery bank.
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