Need recommendations for heater

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Vtec

..If not handy, buy the parts and find a guy to do it, or, go to an RV place and have it done.

About having a R/V place put a furnace in where there was not one before.. I went to one of the best and largest R/V places in my state (NOT Camping World) and asked about having the Suburban installed in my Scamp. They were not familiar with the way Scamps are built and said it would be harder for them because of that. They expected it would cost me 2-3 times in labor what I would have paid for the furnace, and even then they were not sure they would do it. So it looks like a project I will be doing. (YMMV)

[Larry,C]

I refuse to answer on the grounds that it might incinerate me.

[threepine]

I recently replaced the Hydro-Flame furnace in our Bigfoot with a Olympia Wave 6. I did this because I could not find a direct replacement furnace... all discontinued. The Wave fit in so easily it almost felt it was made for the trailer.

Anyway the new furnace works well except for the following:

1. At 0º C (32º F, even at the low setting it is too hot so we had to turn it off in the middle of the night. The problem is that the trailer cools down fast due to having the windows open a bit for the fresh air the heater requires. We open them more than the manufacturer suggests.

2. Because it doesn't have a fan, the heat is not evenly distributed throughout the trailer. Ours is mounted in the same place the old furnace was that that is below the sink. It can get very hot on the legs when doing dishes.

3. There is always the concern about interior air quality with a catalytic heater but we have at least two windows cracked plus the roof vent open. I also have two CO alarms in the trailer. Our old furnace was actually more dangerous because the fresh air hose had disintegrated and I didn't realize the danger for quite a while.

Having said this, I am still happy we got this heater. I don't miss the fan noise nor the battery drain.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I really don't know where that notion came from. But a quick examination will indicate how fast it will draw down the battery. In my case most of the time the furnace runs once or twice a night with night time temperatures in 20s. Run time about 2 minutes maximum each time. Morning it'll run another we'll say 3 minutes when we get out of bed. That's a grand total of about 7 minutes a day. I measured the current when the furnace is running at 3.0 amps (an accurate, calibrated meter). Let's exaggerate a minute and say it runs for 10 minutes per day. That would be 30 amp minutes. A standard group 24 Marine deep cycle battery will supply 37 amp hours at which point it is considered depleted.
At 37 amp hours that equals 2,200 amp minutes. Well when you run the numbers it doesn't seem likely your furnace will run the battery down very quickly. If you have LED lighting it"a less likely to have a battery go down because the furnace runs for a few minutes.

Attwood makes a low wattage unit that you can check out; that way the battery will last longer and also a slightly larger batter would also help

[Jann Todd]

[QUOTE=margeleept;662793]Hi, We are in the final stages of committing to buying a used Casita 17 (woo hoo!). Our only concern is that it doesn't have a furnace. Does anyone have recommendations for a good, portable and safe heater that preferably runs on propane? We live in Oregon and some of our camping will be in cold weather, though not likely in the dead of winter. I know we can get a space heater and use it when we're hooked up, but we like to stay in campgrounds without hookups. Thanks for your thoughts![/QUOTE
No matter the furnace you get make sure it is the safest one possible. We had a person we knew that died using a portable one in a camper. If you have to leave the window open 2-3 inches then you are heating the outdoors. Our Casita came with one from the factory. Only thing I don't like is it is mounted next to the bed so we run it only when awake. Heat next to covers since we sleep with our heads at the stove end. I think now they can be mounted under the sink instead of the stove. That would be my preferred place. Also would be ok if you tucked covers under and slept with you head at the other end of the bed. Our A/C has a heat strip but that is good only if you have electric. We use it a lot and also a small round electric heater with a thermostat that is tip proof and has a fan when we are plugged in. I think it was about $70 at Walmart. We have a kitty that travels with us so we have to be real careful with heat so she won't get her tail in it. For safety have one installed that is ducted outside and proper for your unit. A few bucks is not important when it comes to your life.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by gordon2

About having a R/V place put a furnace in where there was not one before.. I went to one of the best and largest R/V places in my state (NOT Camping World) and asked about having the Suburban installed in my Scamp. They were not familiar with the way Scamps are built and said it would be harder for them because of that. They expected it would cost me 2-3 times in labor what I would have paid for the furnace, and even then they were not sure they would do it. So it looks like a project I will be doing. (YMMV)

Yup, RV places are in it for the money, and odd ball fiberglass trailers are not straight forward for the technicians who are in many cases not all that skilled to think beyond what they see every day. Yes, the costs would pile up as they would have to think literally "outside of the box", that being stick built trailers.

I am way beyond handy and the skill level is a 4-5. I would say a good plumber or HVAC guy bumps into this type of install routinely. All three trailers that I purchased were great deals because they didn't have a furnace and I looked into what I needed to do knowing I would tackle it myself. Either do it yourself or line up someone you know has the skills to do it. Or buy another trailer and let somebody else figure it out.

[Cliff Hotchkiss]

Originally Posted by lisantica

I bought this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven't used it yet, paid $69 for it, seems to have increased in price since buying it.
Folks have said to sleep with a window open for ventilation. I can't speak to the safety of them.

Any non vented propane heater will not only use up oxygen it will put a lot of moisture in the air. NOT a good idea for any trailer, especially a fiberglass one. Get a vented one, so you can live to enjoy it.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by margeleept

Hi, We are in the final stages of committing to buying a used Casita 17 (woo hoo!). Our only concern is that it doesn't have a furnace. Does anyone have recommendations for a good, portable and safe heater that preferably runs on propane? We live in Oregon and some of our camping will be in cold weather, though not likely in the dead of winter. I know we can get a space heater and use it when we're hooked up, but we like to stay in campgrounds without hookups. Thanks for your thoughts!

Go to a mom and pop RV dealer and check on their cost. Sometimes they give great deals. Just make sure they are qualified to do the job.

[clairemr1]

i had casita install their new, quieter suburban furnace last year. it wasn't cheap, but the first night i used it, it was worth every penny to me. i would never consider something like the mr buddy, etc (see posting 25). anytime i have to open windows to heat inside and assure my safety, that is a heat source that is dangerous to me. not worth the risk. the suburban works great, is safe, i would highly recommend it.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by clairemr1

i had casita install their new, quieter suburban furnace last year. it wasn't cheap, but the first night i used it, it was worth every penny to me. i would never consider something like the mr buddy, etc (see posting 25). anytime i have to open windows to heat inside and assure my safety, that is a heat source that is dangerous to me. not worth the risk. the suburban works great, is safe, i would highly recommend it.

I agree. Any time you have to put cold air in your trailer to be safe then it is not a safe heater. Why bring in cold air by leaving windows and vents open to try to stay warm. You were very wise to have a proper heater installed. A few bucks for safety is very smart.

[Tom 72]

With Winter approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, it is important to remember that CO detectors have a limited life. I thought it was in the range of 10 years, but my web search said 5 to 7 years. This is especially important if you are using unvented appliances. I am thinking of Mr. Buddy Heaters, but it could include a stove.

Note, If you are near Colorado and you own a 5 to 7 year old 17 foot trailer that would be sold upon your untimely demise, you may, ahem, disregard this warning.

[squish]

Out 2000 Bigfoot has the stock forced air furnace.
It's both a power and fuel hog,

So when we head out for cold weather camping we bring a portable enclosed space heater.

We don't run it when we sleep and we raise the windows or open a hatch when the whole thing.

We try and keep the temps inside in the mid 50s

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by squish

Out 2000 Bigfoot has the stock forced air furnace.
It's both a power and fuel hog,

So when we head out for cold weather camping we bring a portable enclosed space heater.

We don't run it when we sleep and we raise the windows or open a hatch when the whole thing.

We try and keep the temps inside in the mid 50s

Mid 50's is very cold for comfort. Using a dangerous space heater and opening windows and vents seems very useless. Heating the outdoors and playing with your life seems dangerous. You could fall asleep while sitting up and end up dead.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

Mid 50's is very cold for comfort. Using a dangerous space heater and opening windows and vents seems very useless. Heating the outdoors and playing with your life seems dangerous. You could fall asleep while sitting up and end up dead.

This is reminiscent of the over-reactionary attitude expressed by people who don't know the facts. I'm not sure what kind of space heater squish was talking about but assuming it was a catalytic heater such as the Wave:

Fact is that a catalytic heater such as the Wave is safe if used properly and maintained correctly, but using it properly and keeping it in good working order does take more effort.

Fact is that opening a window for oxygen air does not lose as much heat as one might think, especially with a Wave heater that produces radiant heat.

Fact is that a catalytic heater such as the Wave is very very efficient and does not emit poisonous byproducts (again, IF maintained properly), whereas the vented furnaces waste a large percentage of their fuel.

Fact is that the Wave has an oxygen depletion sensor so as long as that is working there is no risk of suffocating.

Fact is that if the O2 sensor does fail, there is a risk of death so it's not a good idea to use it while sleeping or if you are so overly tired you might fall asleep sitting up.

But perhaps the most significant fact is that you are thousands of times (or more) likely to die in a traffic accident going to a campground then from a catalytic heater while you are there. Risk assessment is not everyone's forte.

(Oh yea, one more fact (or maybe opinion)... the Wave is great when you need to use as little propane as possible and don't have any electric power, but it's not the best choice for frequent use).

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by gordon2

(Oh yea, one more fact (or maybe opinion)... the Wave is great when you need to use as little propane as possible and don't have any electric power, but it's not the best choice for frequent use).

Gordon,

I'm interested; why do you say that?

[squish]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

Mid 50's is very cold for comfort. Using a dangerous space heater and opening windows and vents seems very useless. Heating the outdoors and playing with your life seems dangerous. You could fall asleep while sitting up and end up dead.

Comfort is a subjective thing, for us having spent the last 25-35 years as tent campers, 50 degrees at night is pretty comfortable. Our big thing, we want the whole rig above freezing. A zero degree bag in 50degree still air, feels like a sauna compared to 12 degrees in a tent. Even with the zero degree bag.

As for running a propane heater, we are well aware of the dangers of C0, having lost a friend to it. We vent, we have redundant C0 monitors. Yes some heat escapes out the venting, that's a fact of life. We vent with the furnace and cooktop as well.

We have a mr buddy, they are a fairly efficient heater and are OK'd for use in enclosed spaces if there enough fresh air.

Our Bigfoot is well insulated so it only takes about a ten minutes of running the heater and it gets the inside temp up to 70 degrees

If I am nodding off I will simply shut the heater off. It's not rocket surgery.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Gordon,

I'm interested; why do you say that?

RE:
(Oh yea, one more fact (or maybe opinion)... the Wave is great when you need to use as little propane as possible and don't have any electric power, but it's not the best choice for frequent use).

Well it is my opinion of course but a few of the reasons are:

• Many or most people (myself included) do not find the radiant heat as comfortable as forced hot air.
• The Wave heater takes longer to reach operating temperature (and maximum efficiency), and it takes longer to heat the environment since it radiates heat that in turn warms the things and people around it.
• The radiant heat is concentrated in a small area. A small fan will help even out the temperature in the room or camper, but that defeats one of the main benefits of using the Wave (it requires no electric power).
• Being unvented, there is always a chance it will drop the oxygen level too much in the living space so I think it's not a good idea to use it when sleeping at night (which is usually when I really want some heat).
• There will be more condensation than with a vented furnace, although I never found that to be much of a problem. The fresh air circulation you need to provide also helps with condensation.
• The catalytic pad is subject to contamination and must be replaced if it does (but it is hard to know when that happens). To extend the life of the pad, the Wave should be kept covered when not in use, which is hard to do if it is permanently mounted.
• In a Scamp at least, there really is no good place for it. Minimum clearances leave few options and it can cause burns or a fire if its not in a safe location.

So I think its great for occasional use, or emergencies where you might have more limted propane and / or no electric power (such as after a hurricane). I am glad I have one, but for me it's not for everyday use.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by gordon2

..
.. the Wave has an oxygen depletion sensor so as long as that is working there is no risk of suffocating. ....

Going to correct myself.. Looks like the Mr Buddy has an oxygen depletion sensor but not the Wave. In any event, I would not sleep with any unvented heater on. As long as I am awake and can recognize the symptoms of hypoxemia or hypoxia I would be OK with using them.

[clairemr1]

just as a reminder to those of us who use propane, it's recommended we get the entire system checked by a professional and replace the co detector every 5 yrs. safe travels, y'all

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by gordon2

So I think its great for occasional use, or emergencies where you might have more limted propane and / or no electric power (such as after a hurricane). I am glad I have one, but for me it's not for everyday use.

Thanks Gordon. Over time, I found that I have "allergic reactions" to oxygen depletion and carbon monoxide.

Naw, it's just a rather deeply ingrained fear.

After 60-some years of treating my body like a temple, (yeah, right!), I'm correspondingly anxious to keep what remains going for as long as I can.

I appreciate the post. It's good information.