Found a good radiant space heater

[reeves99]

Hi,
This topic has probably been hashed to death, but we found a nice little radiant space heater at Canadian Tire.
Likewise Mini Oil Heater | Canadian Tire
OK, we mostly go to service sites when on the road but still have problems with a very cold trailer at night. Our trailer furnace works great but it's too noisy for night use. We have a little electric space heater that works great, but again too noisy for night use. So, I just bought this little guy. It's just the right size for a 13 footer. Only 14 X 14 X 4. Completely silent. I was out camping 2 nights ago and it worked great!
Phil

[Donna D.]

Silence is always a good thing at night, then I know when my own snoring wakes me up at night... that it's ME and not something wrong in the trailer

Thanks for posting the link and your impressions

[cpaharley2008]

I have one of these that I'd like to sell for $35, still in the box. Can bring to rally in Tenn or Pa. P/M me and let me know, thanx

[Noreen Bradshaw]

I bought one of those last fall and used it for one outing at the PP nearby......just to try it. It did not adequately warm my 15' Trillium in cold but not freezing temps. I returned it to the store.

I have found the little ceramic heater to be the best without sacrificing space. Set at the other end of the room the sound of the fan running does not keep me awake.

My camper still has the original Propane furnace in it and while the pilot light will come on it does not ignite the burner. I haven't taken it to the RV shop where I have my work done, bc I don't know that I would use it much anyway, if it is noisy, being so close to the bed.

[Thomas G.]

Not to nitpick, but this is actually a convection heater, not a radiant heater. They provide a slow, steady heat.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Not to nitpick, but this is actually a convection heater, not a radiant heater. They provide a slow, steady heat.

Actually, not to nitpick, it is a radiant heater, as there is no fan. See here
What's the Difference Between Convection & Radiant Heaters

a radiant heater will use convection to warm the air, much like radiators in older homes.

[Mike Magee]

Um... that website lists oil-filled heaters as an example of convection heaters, even though they don't have a fan to move air across them (the definition they gave). Very strange. I'm inclined to think that a heater which looks like an old fashioned radiator is a radiant heat source, but that website sure muddies the waters.

And yes, I am nitpicking... but just the website.

I have both a "wall register" style fanless heater and a cube heater in the trailer. The fanless one gets much more use; I value my peace and quiet. However, on a really cold stretch the cube will do a better job.

[cpaharley2008]

Actually I think all of them are convection heaters, they heat the air and eventually you will feel the heat, via natural convection or fan assisted. True radiant heat is what is radiated from a campfire and from the sun, the heat waves warms you, not air. When you sit in front of a roaring fire you feel the heat. I have radiant heat in my floors,you feel warm because your feet are warm, but the air inside the house is about 65 degrees.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Actually, not to nitpick, it is a radiant heater, as there is no fan. See here
What's the Difference Between Convection & Radiant Heaters

a radiant heater will use convection to warm the air, much like radiators in older homes.

I think you are confusing natural convection (which this heater is) and forced convection, with a fan. An electric (or gas) heater which glows red hot and has no fan is a more typical radiant heater.

[avfn]

DOGS are my heaters but I have a propane one... don't know if it works. generally have to open windows regardless of temps.

[melissab]

Wow, we're the opposite. Cant sleep in dead silence. We have a window unit in our bedroom for white noise and when we stay with family we need a box fan on high for the noise or we dont sleep. Last time we tent camped we didnt sleep all weekend due to no white noise. We were so happy to get our popup with the "loud" rooftop A/C and slept like a baby from then on. We would run it on fan even when it was freezing out (literally) at the same time running our propane heater b/c it kicks on and off so every time it kicked off we woke up in dead silence and couldnt sleep till it came back on. The A/C running (in fan mode) kept the noise constant. In the T@b when we dont need A/C and want to sleep with the windows open we run the fantastic fan on high for noise. It also helps drowned out noisy neighbors.

[SherryNPaul]

A friend of mine uses oil radiator heaters in his "small" motorhome. He swears by them. Quiet. Steady. Low cost.
Glad you found the right size for your space.
Happy camping.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by melissab

Wow, we're the opposite. Cant sleep in dead silence. We have a window unit in our bedroom for white noise and when we stay with family we need a box fan on high for the noise or we dont sleep. Last time we tent camped we didnt sleep all weekend due to no white noise. We were so happy to get our popup with the "loud" rooftop A/C and slept like a baby from then on. We would run it on fan even when it was freezing out (literally) at the same time running our propane heater b/c it kicks on and off so every time it kicked off we woke up in dead silence and couldnt sleep till it came back on. The A/C running (in fan mode) kept the noise constant. In the T@b when we dont need A/C and want to sleep with the windows open we run the fantastic fan on high for noise. It also helps drowned out noisy neighbors.

Wow! Well, at least you won't be disturbed by the neighboring campers' generator, loud music, etc, nor by the bear snuffling around the trailer... sweet fan-filled dreams!

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by reeves99

Hi,
This topic has probably been hashed to death, but we found a nice little radiant space heater at Canadian Tire.
Likewise Mini Oil Heater | Canadian Tire
OK, we mostly go to service sites when on the road but still have problems with a very cold trailer at night. Our trailer furnace works great but it's too noisy for night use. We have a little electric space heater that works great, but again too noisy for night use. So, I just bought this little guy. It's just the right size for a 13 footer. Only 14 X 14 X 4. Completely silent. I was out camping 2 nights ago and it worked great!
Phil

Phil,
How much does the little heater weigh ? I too have one of those oil filled heaters that I use here in the house, and as much as I would like to take it camping, the one I have is quite heavy, because it's about twice the size of the one you bought.
I'm one of those too that likes the white noise of a fan....if...and that's the key word...IF....there are other campground noises to try to cover up. Sometimes in the wintertime campsites around here, I have found myself to be the only one in the CG, so on those nights, it is nice to have silence inside the trailer. A small, fairly lightweight oil filled silent heater would be just the trick. It doesn't even have to keep it really warm to make me happy.....I have an electric blanket too, so it's all good !

george

[Bryan L.]

I'm with you. We keep a fan on all night, every night. Not some whimpy 6 inch fan but a full-on box fan even in the dead of winter. Camping we have to compromise and bring a smaller one but we found one that's nice and noisy for us! I started that habit in college when all of the thumping and bumping and voices in the dorms would keep me awake Bring on the white noise!

Originally Posted by melissab

Wow, we're the opposite. Cant sleep in dead silence. We have a window unit in our bedroom for white noise and when we stay with family we need a box fan. The A/C running (in fan mode) kept the noise constant. In the T@b when we dont need A/C and want to sleep with the windows open we run the fantastic fan on high for noise. It also helps drowned out noisy neighbors.

[Panoz77]

I prefer the heat put out from a small cube ceramic, and the small amount of white noise from the fan doesn't bother me at all. In fact, they say that white noise promotes better sleep.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Noreen Bradshaw

My camper still has the original Propane furnace in it and while the pilot light will come on it does not ignite the burner. I haven't taken it to the RV shop where I have my work done, bc I don't know that I would use it much anyway, if it is noisy, being so close to the bed.

Noreen, If you have the orignal heater that the trailer was manufactured with, it is a Duo Therm 65000 gravity furnace. Except for the slight ping of tin as it warms up, it is practically silent. At 8400 BTU, it should be hot enough for -15 deg C.

A gravity furnace depends on convection, which is a physical process, not dependent on the use of a fan, but a fan helps. They do sometimes have issues though:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ter-49659.html

another good thread:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ngs-40345.html

If it requires a new gas valve, they seem to be in the $250 range online. Installing requires a bit of tube bending, not much. If you know someone who does furnaces, they could do it. The gas valve is the brains of the unit, as long as there is no danger of rust holes, and the burner is in good shape, there is nothing else that is likely to go wrong with them.

Is it worth it to repair them? Depends on you. I am not sure why, but there do not seem to any gravity furnaces sold for trailers anymore. If anyone knows of a replacement gravity furnace for a Trillium 4500, I want to hear about it. So if a practically silent furnace, which does not require any electrical power supply at all, just propane, sounds good, then a new gas valve makes sense.

On the other hand, forced air furnaces tend to be more efficient, and typically have more heat output. But they do rattle some.

[Roger C H]

The Canadian Tire Heater is only 550 watts?

Our Honeywell has three power settings, 500, 900 & 1500 watts.

We carry it in the back seat foot well of the TV on the theory that the car rides smoother and the heater is less likely to be damaged there.

The 1500 watt setting can get the interior of our Trill to 80º F. I use it to warm up fast, set it to 65º F and then lower the power level when it reaches 60º F, and then during the night, usually run the low or middle setting. The low is not enough during cold (30ºF) nights.

One caveat. These things need your attention when first starting. They can overshoot the set temperature. I think because of the heat retaining of the oil. The heater defaults to 1500 watts and 70º F (can be set to display Celsius) when it reaches the set temp, the oil has already had lots of energy imparted to it and will overshoot.

There are several brands offering this type heater. I don't think any of them offer an anticipatory thermostat.

[Noreen Bradshaw]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Noreen, If you have the orignal heater that the trailer was manufactured with, it is a Duo Therm 65000 gravity furnace. Except for the slight ping of tin as it warms up, it is practically silent. At 8400 BTU, it should be hot enough for -15 deg C.

A gravity furnace depends on convection, which is a physical process, not dependent on the use of a fan, but a fan helps. They do sometimes have issues though:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ter-49659.html

another good thread:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ngs-40345.html

If it requires a new gas valve, they seem to be in the $250 range online. Installing requires a bit of tube bending, not much. If you know someone who does furnaces, they could do it. The gas valve is the brains of the unit, as long as there is no danger of rust holes, and the burner is in good shape, there is nothing else that is likely to go wrong with them.

Is it worth it to repair them? Depends on you. I am not sure why, but there do not seem to any gravity furnaces sold for trailers anymore. If anyone knows of a replacement gravity furnace for a Trillium 4500, I want to hear about it. So if a practically silent furnace, which does not require any electrical power supply at all, just propane, sounds good, then a new gas valve makes sense.

On the other hand, forced air furnaces tend to be more efficient, and typically have more heat output. But they do rattle some.

David, the furnace is a Duo Therm but I didn't find the 65000 on it. How can I find out if that is what it is? If it is a gravity furnace I definately would think it's worth fixing.

[reeves99]

Originally Posted by gmw photos

Phil,
How much does the little heater weigh ?

george

I'm guessing the heater weighs about 5 pounds. It's pretty small.

Although it's rated as 550 Watts on the Cdn Tire site it is actually 700 W.

It really wouldn't work to keep a 13 foot trailer warm on a cold day. What it's perfect for (at least for us) is to quietly keep the chill out of the trailer at night. Our little cube heater (1,500 W) with the fan does a much better job of warming the trailer on a cold day.
The propane furnace does a great job of warming the trailer up real fast, but it sounds like a 747
Cheers,
Phil