Olympic wave heater as primary heat source

[borrisrex777]

Hi my name is Dennis,
I ordered a new Casita 17' Spirit, I am wondering if anyone has heated their camper with a Olympic Wave heater as their sole heat source and if so what size heater did you use?

[Larry,C]

We purchased our 2010 Casita used and it didn't have a furnace. It did have the strip heater in the air conditioner and also a ceramic heater is an option if shore power is available but we like to dry camp without hookups so we installed a wave 3 propane catalytic heater. It is more than adequate to heat our Casita down to 20 degrees on high or 35 on low. You have to provide adequate air supply to support the combustion and have enough air to breathe. We usually leave the roof vent open a couple of inches and that has worked for us.

[patrick crawford]

X2 what Larry said....

[steve dunham]

Probably too late to change anything but " Why if you knew you wanted / needed heat did you not order the factory furnace ?"
The cost difference between the factory furnace and adding an after market heater is insignificant , and with solar the battery issue is resolved. Plus running an unvented heater in an enclosed space never seemed like a good idea to me.


We live in NW Wisconsin and know people who bought new trailers without the factory A/C and then a short time later (After the first hot day) decide that A/C is actually required and the remodel begins.

Just Curious ?

[threepine]

Originally Posted by borrisrex777

Hi my name is Dennis,
I ordered a new Casita 17' Spirit, I am wondering if anyone has heated their camper with a Olympic Wave heater as their sole heat source and if so what size heater did you use?

I have a older 17' Bigfoot and the furnace is shot so based on the advice of another Bigfoot owner, I just ordered a Wave 6 and recessed mount. I plan to put a sign beside it with instructions to leave a window slightly open as well as the vent. I'm really looking forward to not having any fan noise, not to mention the battery draw.

[wwig]

Hey Dennis,
Nothing against the Wave heater but I would suggest if it's not too late, have the factory furnace installed. I use my furnace far more than my air conditioner but I'm glad to have the air when needed. As Steve mentioned the battery draw could be addressed with a solar panel if you're planning on boondocking more than a couple of days. I don't find the fan noise particulary offensive. After all it's called a TRAVEL trailer and you're likely to experience a wide variety of temps. Happy camping. Peace

[steve dunham]

Casita now uses the QS model furnace . If noise is an issue my Casita furnace is not that noisy and certainly no worse than the A/C. If I have a choice between freezing / roasting to death vs a little fan noise , I'll take a little noise any day !

[Franswa]

to start with having to open a window to run a heater sounds a little counter intuitive but is a necessity in this case...

leaving the roof vent open during operation seems counter productive...the top half of the trailer is where all the heat is...heat rises after all...radiant heat might not heat the air... but it heats objects that eventually transfer that heat to the air around them

if the installation is permanent (mounted in a specific spot) I'm thinking it would be pretty simple to install a small diameter pipe to the outside that would come out close to the heater to feed it with fresh air

either way a good CO detector is a must...happy heating all ! (it's the middle of MAY and the temp. outside is 11C today)

(pics are of a furnace in a 97 B17 center bath, located in bottom of closet)

[Radar1]

We don't have the Wave 3, but have used a Buddy propane heater at times. The problem with the factory furnace for boondocking is that the fan draws about 3 amps each hour of use, so you would need to recharge the battery to replace all those amps.
Solar is a good way to recharge batteries, but in the winter, when you need the heat the most, the sun doesn't always cooperate with your solar panels; it is lower on the horizon, comes up later and goes down sooner, and is frequently blocked by trees since it is so low.
That is where an unpowered heater can really make a difference. We have solar but have had to use our Buddy heater when the battery got too low a couple of times. We now have twice as much solar and upped our battery from 100 amps to 155 amps (12 volt golf cart battery) so hopefully won't have a power problem, but will still carry the Buddy heater just in case.
We actually leave our vent open no matter which heater we use, helps reduce the condensation buildup.

[Jon in AZ]

You shouldn't get as much condensation from a vented furnace as from an unvented heater. A Wave or Buddy heater emits water vapor into the cabin as a byproduct of combustion. That's in addition to water vapor produced by breathing bodies.

A furnace sends combustion byproducts, including water vapor, outside.

[Franswa]

"you can't have everything"
"there is no free lunch"
"it all depends"
"to each his own"
"if the shoe fits"

[David D]

Originally Posted by borrisrex777

Hi my name is Dennis,
I ordered a new Casita 17' Spirit, I am wondering if anyone has heated their camper with a Olympic Wave heater as their sole heat source and if so what size heater did you use?

Hi Dennis, I removed the old furnace from my Surfside, and i plan to replace it with the smallest Olympic heater available. Eventhough they are considered safe for indoor use, with fresh air venting, I plan to turn it off overnight during sleep.
Dave

[ABK]

Get the furnace by all means. Seriously think you will not regret it at all. It is compact, out of the way and the fan you will get accustomed to quickly.
Seems, I recall South Dakota will get chilly from time to time and that furnace will be much appreciated.
ps:not to mention the increased resale value if you decide to trade up someday.