Total composite style campers and heater choices?

[Skinhyfish]

With way better R value.. Which heater style you like best? Going to leave on for most of time living in Mountains and single temps.

Propane Truma style?

Or diesel heater?

Thanks

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

1. Diesel.
2. Diesel.
3. Diesel.
How many votes do I get?
Just be careful NOT to choose one that has more heating capacity than you need otherwise it will cycle on-off.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[andy_b]

Diesel for sure.

 

[Victorian]

Hands down diesel/kerosene heaters! Considering the small interior space and thermal efficiency I would highly recommend to only use the smallest version of diesel heaters.
It is also important to make sure the heat is reaching the important areas! I always have my outlets near the floor with a swivel outlet to direct the air flow precisely.
Another tip: Instead of regulating the interior temperature through a thermostat (they never work as advertised in campers) we crack a window/skylight to mix cold/warm air through the night with the heater running on low/medium. Not only will this safe you going through the start up process (noise and amp draw) but also allows the heater to run at operating temperature and therefore avoiding clogging through soot. I run my personal heaters only on kerosene to avoid algae and diesel additive issues. The cost is much higher than diesel but a 1 gallon jug will last you a long time.

 

[Skinhyfish]

Hands down diesel/kerosene heaters! Considering the small interior space and thermal efficiency I would highly recommend to only use the smallest version of diesel heaters.
It is also important to make sure the heat is reaching the important areas! I always have my outlets near the floor with a swivel outlet to direct the air flow precisely.
Another tip: Instead of regulating the interior temperature through a thermostat (they never work as advertised in campers) we crack a window/skylight to mix cold/warm air through the night with the heater running on low/medium. Not only will this safe you going through the start up process (noise and amp draw) but also allows the heater to run at operating temperature and therefore avoiding clogging through soot. I run my personal heaters only on kerosene to avoid algae and diesel additive issues. The cost is much higher than diesel but a 1 gallon jug will last you a long time.

So a diesel heater can take kerosene.. interesting.

How they do at altitude? I’m 10,000 ft a lot

 

[Victorian]

So a diesel heater can take kerosene.. interesting.

How they do at altitude? I’m 10,000 ft a lot

The type of Kerosene you can buy at Home Depot etc. I see it as Gas Station diesel fuel but purified without all the oils and other additives usually found in regular diesel. It burns cleaner, I also found I'm getting more BTU out of it. NOT TO BE MISTAKEN WITH JET FUEL!!!!!! (for our international audience) .
Operating at Altitude: I can only speak for the heaters I'm familiar with (Autoterm). All variations of the diesel heaters they sell are automatically self adjusting to changes in altitude. 10,000ft are no problem as long as you are using quality fuel! For example: I would expect issues while using "summer diesel" you filled up with in the fall and them on the first ski trip in December at altitude your diesel will freeze up and clogging the lines. As part of the winter prep I always recommend draining all "old" diesel and switching to new fresh diesel. Or, even better, I only use Kerosene to avoid all of that .
IMPORTANT NOTE: refer to your owners manual for your specific heater if you are using a different brand/make of diesel heater!!!!!

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

The next step forward is to use a hydronic type diesel heater which can then also provide hot water.
Ours is connected to the engine so provides hot water from waste engine heat and the ability to pre heat the engine in cold conditions.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[simple]

Lots of votes for diesel heaters. Doesn't mean propane is a bad choice.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Lots of votes for diesel heaters. Doesn't mean propane is a bad choice.

Well that depends....
I am currently building a new expedition vehicle for use in Australia.
It will have 2 fuels: Diesel and solar.
By comparison, propane is expensive, heavy (if you include the container) and much harder to get along the way. The slightest leak and it is gone and you may not even notice before it is too late.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[tacollie]

If you're going to run it all the time I would say diesel simply because it's easier to fill up.

We have a friend that has a gas heater we plumed into the fuel tank on their F250 to heat their Bison. They have the 7.3 gas. It's a pretty slick setup as long as you're willing to drop the tank and drill a hole on top of the fuel pump and the camper is permanently installed

 

[montechie]

Well that depends....
I am currently building a new expedition vehicle for use in Australia.
It will have 2 fuels: Diesel and solar.
By comparison, propane is expensive, heavy (if you include the container) and much harder to get along the way. The slightest leak and it is gone and you may not even notice before it is too late.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

That's what I was thinking, it depends on what reduces the number of fuels I'm carrying. I'd go for a Webasto gas heater with my gas truck to not carry a 3rd fuel. Otherwise I'd do propane because I already cook with propane and am in the States and have no problem finding propane.