Propane heater BTU & Line questions for Uhaul

[D Davis]

I do not trust the thirty year old heater that is not installed in my UHaul CT13. Thinking of getting a Olympian Wave Catalytic heater, now on sale.
Will a 3,000 BTU be big enough for my little camper or should I go with the next size up a 6,000 BTU? And do you have to purchase a low pressure regulator & hose to fit it? If so how do people run the hose line to a tank?
Has anyone done this in their little campers? Any responses will be appreciated. Thanks.

[mary and bob]

I'm not familiar with those heaters. I removed the original Uhaul furnace as it was unreliable, the wall got hot, and it was noisy. That space is now used for storage, with a slide out basket there. We use an electric heater when power is available, otherwise we use a Mr Heater, but NOT while we're sleeping, and always with a window slightly open. Be sure to check all propane connections with soapy water with the tank valve on. The 3000 BTU unit may be enough, however our smaller Mr Heater is rated 3800 BTU so maybe the 6000 would be better. If it doesn't vent outside, you have to have some ventilation with windows open. Be safe!!! Consider a 12 volt blanket too, we have one that we used in our teardrop a couple times. Bob

[mmeyer]

The furnace in my VT is rated at7000BTU . Volume wise yours is likely 70-75% if you take out my shower room which would likely not get much heat it would be about the same heated area. Since I have never used it I don't know how well it does but do know that a1800 watt heater works down to 11 F. This is equivalent to about 6000 BTU/hr. For what it is worth.
Michael J.

[D Davis]

Thanks Bob and Mary and Mike. This Olympian Wave Catalytic heater is the safest one on the market as far as I can determine. It is radiant heat, no flame, ventless and produces no Carbon Monoxide or at least extremely low if any. I will still vent but it takes a hose with low gas pressure. So I am still at a loss with questions... I am patient, maybe someone who uses one of these will respond. I am going into the Mountains in October in West VA. It can get very cold. I have a Mr. Heater Buddy Bob but yes it definetly needs venting and goes through a lot of gas cylinders.
Will be Boonedocking.

[LK Gray]

This topic tend to be a bit controversial on the boards. I use a Wave 3 in a 17' Casita & it is plenty in the winter. My winter use is for duck hunting in E. Wa.

[Thomas G.]

Diane, do you know how low the pressure needs to be? The UHaul has a regulator installed already that lowers the pressure for the stove and furnace to 11" of water.

I would probably plumb it with 3/8" soft copper tubing with flared fittings. Actually the gas plumbing should still be there.

[mary and bob]

I'm always concerned about what was done with the piping when a furnace or stove has been removed from one of these trailers. Has it been removed and plugged off correctly and checked for leaks. When I removed my furnace I replaced the T fitting that split the line from the tank to feed the stove and furnace with an elbow fitting and pulled out the old line that went to the furnace. If a heater burns fuel to create heat, then there must be products of combustion as a result, whether there is a visible flame or not.

[D Davis]

Originally Posted by LK Gray

This topic tend to be a bit controversial on the boards. I use a Wave 3 in a 17' Casita & it is plenty in the winter. My winter use is for duck hunting in E. Wa.

Thanks, I agree the wave 3 should be enough BTU for my little camper.
How did you connect yours? Thanks for responding.

[D Davis]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Diane, do you know how low the pressure needs to be? The UHaul has a regulator installed already that lowers the pressure for the stove and furnace to 11" of water.

I would probably plumb it with 3/8" soft copper tubing with flared fittings. Actually the gas plumbing should still be there.

Tom, I think you are right about the 11" of water, and I beleive good advice about the gas plumbing, which is still there.
Thanks for your response.

[D Davis]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

I'm always concerned about what was done with the piping when a furnace or stove has been removed from one of these trailers. Has it been removed and plugged off correctly and checked for leaks. When I removed my furnace I replaced the T fitting that split the line from the tank to feed the stove and furnace with an elbow fitting and pulled out the old line that went to the furnace. If a heater burns fuel to create heat, then there must be products of combustion as a result, whether there is a visible flame or not.

Bob, thank you for your safety advice. I appreciate it. I had a heat and air man (friend of mine) install my old heater. The wires (thermostat I think) are not connected to battery. Have not tried to finish the install yet. Second thoughts make me afraid of it, as it is so rusted and old. I am thinking of removing it alltogether. But for now am going camping anyway.
Love the fall! Will work on trailer this winter. HA!

[LK Gray]

D Davis,
Go over to Casita club and check out a recent thread. "Anyone using Olympian Wave heaters". I posted several photos and comments on that thread.
LKG907

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

If a heater burns fuel to create heat, then there must be products of combustion as a result, whether there is a visible flame or not.

This is where the controversy comes in. The fuel consumed is not burned, it is combined, with oxygen, in the presence of a catalyst. The temperature that this happens at is lower then a flame. There are products of this reaction, but carbon monoxide is not one of them. Water and carbon dioxide are. The real safety issue is that they consume Oxygen. Which if not replaced could kill you. What ever heater you chose should have a low oxygen shut down.
I have worked around catalytic heaters for quite some time. They are preferred in the oil and gas industry because they can not normally start a fire, they don't get hot enough. We used to have a small one, when I was a kid. It hung in our tent trailer.

[D Davis]

Thanks you guys! LK Gray and David T. I looked at a video by the manufacturer and they said to open a window while using. Will go to the Casita site and read their thread also.

[Kevin A]

Sorry... I've been gone a couple days. We have a Cat Wave 3 in our 16' UHaul. The heater works fine with the regular propane piping already in the trailer with no new regulator added. It heats up quickly, but it does direct its heat straight out. These work by heating up objects in line of sight rather than warming the air. I also added two fresh air tubes from the old furnace outlet on the side of the trailer to vent holes under the cat near the floor. I open the privacy room ceiling vent just a bit ,too, to provide circulation.

The problem we have is that the original furnace hole (where we put the cat heater) is close to the back bed and the bed covers hang down close to it. When we use it, we pull everything back , let it run a while, then turn it off and use our small ceramic electric heater on the front dinette and the heating strip in our roof AC unit. We've been good down into the teens in March. The cat heater would be fine if I just relocated it away from combustibles, but I haven't done this yet. I know that David said they don't typically get hot enough to start a fire, but we are just being careful. I agree that the objects heated may not get hot enough, but I don't want the quilt touching the heater screen area, either. That looks like a flame to me!

[D Davis]

Thank you Kevin! Just what I needed to know. May not have time to install it before going to WVA though.