# Advice wanted on heater for small camper (Romahome)



## Penn (Sep 24, 2020)

Hi, looking for advice on a heater for a small Romahome


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## UFO (Sep 24, 2020)

Will you be using the van off-grid?  In which case it would have to be powered by gas or diesel.

If using on an EHU then a small electric fan or oil filled heater.  Preferably the latter as a fan heater tends to dry the air which can be uncomfortable.


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## Penn (Sep 24, 2020)

Thanks for that. Keeping my options open at the moment. Is a propex gas heater better than a diesel? And how much electric power do they take to run?


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## trevskoda (Sep 24, 2020)

Have you room for the old type through the floor gas heater which is safe and requires no lecy.


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## GreggBear (Sep 24, 2020)

Modern diesel heater gets my vote, 2kw plenty big enough for a small van. Cheap to buy & low power usage. Dry heat too unlike some gas heaters...


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## n brown (Sep 24, 2020)

trevskoda said:


> Have you room for the old type through the floor gas heater which is safe and requires no lecy.


if you hae room,these are great  . an example https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carver-S...170106?hash=item56e65ef47a:g:ZsYAAOSwsMZfX76e


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## mfw (Sep 24, 2020)

Cheap £80 chinese diesel heater off ebay may be worth looking at


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## mistericeman (Sep 24, 2020)

GreggBear said:


> Modern diesel heater gets my vote, 2kw plenty big enough for a small van. Cheap to buy & low power usage. Dry heat too unlike some gas heaters...



Wouldn't be without our eberspacher D2..... Toasty AND so cheap to run its not noticeable.


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## in h (Sep 24, 2020)

The decision between gas and diesel really depends on your gas supply.
If you have a 6kg refillable gas bottle and an LPG supplier around, LPG is a better option.
They're quiet, reliable, very cheap to run and use very little 12v power.
If you use exchangeable bottles, or are nowhere near an LPG outlet, diesel is readily available, and although far more expensive than refillable LPG, it's cheaper than swapping bottles.
The drawbacks of diesel blown air heaters are that they are quite noisy and they use a lot of power, especially when starting up. This is to run the glowplug when starting and to run the fuel pump all the time. LPG ones need neither.
The advantage of them is that they are generally a fair bit cheaper than LPG ones.


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## n brown (Sep 24, 2020)

well ,LPG heaters need power for their fans, unless it's a carver type


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## in h (Sep 24, 2020)

n brown said:


> well ,LPG heaters need power for their fans, unless it's a carver type


Yes, they have the same fans as diesel heaters. They use around half as much 12v power overall as the LPG equivalent. This is simple fact.


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## n brown (Sep 24, 2020)

jolly good . anyway ,as i said ,my recommendation would be a floor vented carver , morco or similar as they use no power at all and have no moving parts to go wrong . the output of 1800w is comparable to a larger eberspacher or webasto . in one van i had a webasto 3500  and a morco 1800 , and they both took about the same time to heat the van interior , the only difference being the noise of the webby .
i actually prefer a woodburner


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## mistericeman (Sep 24, 2020)

n brown said:


> jolly good . anyway ,as i said ,my recommendation would be a floor vented carver , morco or similar as they use no power at all and have no moving parts to go wrong . the output of 1800w is comparable to a larger eberspacher or webasto . in one van i had a webasto 3500  and a morco 1800 , and they both took about the same time to heat the van interior , the only difference being the noise of the webby .
> i actually prefer a woodburner



After living with a woodburner for 10 plus years.... On a narrowboat. 

I'd go diesel everytime now.... Either eber blown OR drip feed stove and back boiler. 
Woodburner was cosy BUT dusty, smelly, temperamental, and prone to going out when most needed.... 

Decent fuel is also difficult to find for free now.


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## SquirrellCook (Sep 24, 2020)

If you you use the old fashioned carver type gas heaters, but sure your floor is air tight. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not a good way to die.


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## mistericeman (Sep 24, 2020)

SquirrellCook said:


> If you you use the old fashioned carver type gas heaters, but sure your floor is air tight. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not a good way to die.



Personally I'm not sure there are any GOOD ways to die (well none I can post up on here.... 
Though single malt, something nice to smoke, a filthy chicken tikka kebab (in garlic chilli nan) 
My fave wild camping spot, and britt Ekland recreating the scene from the wicker man.... 

MIGHT feature.... 

BUT deff care needed with Co.....


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## n brown (Sep 24, 2020)

mistericeman said:


> After living with a woodburner for 10 plus years.... On a narrowboat.
> 
> I'd go diesel everytime now.... Either eber blown OR drip feed stove and back boiler.
> Woodburner was cosy BUT dusty, smelly, temperamental, and prone to going out when most needed....
> ...


same here ,we had woodburners in most of our living vans - great when you're skint ! but now , being able to flick a switch ,well , i expect you appreciate it as much as we do .
my daughter had a drip feed heater in her single- decker . one day she came home and the burner had malfunctioned .leaving a black oily residue over every surface . never really got it all off !


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## molly 2 (Sep 24, 2020)

The cheap  diesel  heaters are amazing  value  and most owners are very happy  with them  ,they use a bit more electric  but are a fraction of running cost even the smallest  heater  would  overpower a romahome .they can run from the deisel  tank ore a separate  tank .a romahome  can only  carry a small amount of gas  making  it very  expensive  to run ,plus you can run on red diesel  making  it even cheaper  .and much less chance of running out.


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## Penn (Sep 25, 2020)

n brown said:


> if you hae room,these are great  . an example https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carver-S...170106?hash=item56e65ef47a:g:ZsYAAOSwsMZfX76e


Thank you!


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## Penn (Sep 25, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> The cheap  diesel  heaters are amazing  value  and most owners are very happy  with them  ,they use a bit more electric  but are a fraction of running cost even the smallest  heater  would  overpower a romahome .they can run from the deisel  tank ore a separate  tank .a romahome  can only  carry a small amount of gas  making  it very  expensive  to run ,plus you can run on red diesel  making  it even cheaper  .and much less chance of running out.


Is that the Chinese ones?


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## in h (Sep 25, 2020)

The carver type heaters with no fans are the best, but very few motorhomes have a suitable place to fit one. It has to be a suitable place for the heater on the inside and a suitable place for the flue on the outside.
I have a feeling that the ones that vent through the floor are no longer considered safe in case of snow buildup, but I'd choose one of them if it was available.


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## mickymost (Sep 25, 2020)

mistericeman said:


> Personally I'm not sure there are any GOOD ways to die




So what ones have you tried and when Dead please let us know what it was like?


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## Steve and Julie (Sep 26, 2020)

Jeff showed me his Chinese diesel heater working at Hereford was well impressive definitely getting one and you can get them for under£100


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## in h (Sep 26, 2020)

No doubt that they work well and are cheap. But that's not enough to make them a good idea.


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## mistericeman (Sep 26, 2020)

If you go for a Chinese diesel heater... My advice would be buy from a UK seller and ideally one that's recommended to you so it's easier to return IF you have issues 

Lots of folks have had great success with them and found them to be reliable... 

I went genuine eberspacher as I didn't want to be stuck in the middle of winter with no heating in the middle of nowhere.


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## Tookey (Sep 26, 2020)

Old webasto diesel heater in my camper and its fantastic is all I can add. Cold hab box to warm in 5mins and hot in 10mins and dries out toddler wellies after 'puddle jumping' brilliantly!


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## suneye (Sep 26, 2020)

Had gas now got diesel.  Advantages and disadvantages to both.  I liked the gas, OH prefers the diesel.  Diesel cheaper and very controllable.  Gas had a less fierce heat also controllable, quieter and no smell.


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## Steve and Julie (Sep 26, 2020)

in h said:


> No doubt that they work well and are cheap. But that's not enough to make them a good idea.


Don't understand why you would say that?


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## trevskoda (Sep 26, 2020)

Steve and Julie said:


> Don't understand why you would say that?


Cause only me has good ideas, well i think so.


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## in h (Sep 26, 2020)

suneye said:


> .  Diesel cheaper and very controllable.


Diesel cheaper? Only with exchangeable bottles. Not if you have refillable LPG.


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## in h (Sep 26, 2020)

Steve and Julie said:


> Don't understand why you would say that?


12v power consumption, noise and reliability. Some people mention smell, but I've not noticed it a problem.


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## davef (Sep 27, 2020)

The blown air diesel heaters do use a good deal more electric as they use a glowplug to vaporise the fuel before lighting whereas the Propex heater is just a spark to fire up the gas. The Chinese ones are very tempting at the price and would be cheaper to run on heating oil or red diesel. I fitted a Propex in my campervan because of the lower current draw and because I was told by someone who had experience of both types that the Propex are more reliable, In actual fact we have only used it on a few occasions for maybe 10 or 20 minutes at a time to warm the van first thing in the morning as the van heats very quickly so the running cost has not been an issue even though we use small Calor bottles. Should you have a problem its nice to know Propex are made in Hampshire and easy to get in touch with.


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## Polar Bear (Sep 27, 2020)

Has anyone tried one of these? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-5000...5&algv=default&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850


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## mistericeman (Sep 27, 2020)

Polar Bear said:


> Has anyone tried one of these? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-5000W-Diesel-Air-Heater-Thermostat-For-Caravan-Motorhome-RV-Trailer-Trucks/202955049379?_trkparms=aid=1110009&algo=SPLICE.COMPLISTINGS&ao=1&asc=20200423103423&meid=d7ff783211c24c45beaff0beb2dcb48a&pid=100011&rk=11&rkt=12&sd=373232170106&itm=202955049379&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=default&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850



They are basically just a self contained version of the normal eberspacher copies.... 

Still need inlet/exhaust running to outside.... And 12v power. 
To my mind they would be ideal for a garage/shed/greenhouse BUT bulky to fit in your average camoervan/motorhome. 

And I would personally always draw fuel from the vehicles tank rather than have the pfaff of refilling the small tank on the self contained heater... 
The amount of fuel they consume is so insignificant there's no point running on red/heating oil IMHO.


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## molly 2 (Sep 27, 2020)

A member with a large  van fitted a 5 kW   cheapy  as a back to his truma  gas heater . He now never uses his truma.  As lpg is getting harder to find i may do the same


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## suneye (Sep 27, 2020)

in h said:


> Diesel cheaper? Only with exchangeable bottles. Not if you have refillable LPG.


Not sure anyone would get LPG now as it is unavailable in many areas and as you can use red diesel in heaters not sure that is the case.


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## in h (Sep 27, 2020)

suneye said:


> Not sure anyone would get LPG now as it is unavailable in many areas and as you can use red diesel in heaters not sure that is the case.


LPG is availabile everywhere. Some places it's really expensive, but always cheaper then diesel, almost always cheaper than red diesel.


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## trevskoda (Sep 27, 2020)

suneye said:


> Not sure anyone would get LPG now as it is unavailable in many areas and as you can use red diesel in heaters not sure that is the case.


Hard to cook on red derv unless you have a boat one which are very expensive,  yes getting refillable lpg is hard here to.


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## in h (Sep 27, 2020)

trevskoda said:


> Hard to cook on red derv unless you have a boat one which are very expensive,  yes getting refillable lpg is hard here to.


Hard, yes. Unavailable, no.


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## suneye (Sep 27, 2020)

trevskoda said:


> Hard to cook on red derv unless you have a boat one which are very expensive


Son has a boat and cooks on meths.  That you can get everywhere


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## in h (Sep 28, 2020)

suneye said:


> Son has a boat and cooks on meths.  That you can get everywhere


On a boat, LPG is more than an order of magnitude more difficult. Drop-out vents are impossible. I'd not want LPG on a boat.
A motorhome is very different.


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## Caz (Sep 28, 2020)

There isn't enough room in a Romahome for one of the Carver type wall mounted caravan gas heaters so it would have to be either a Propex type blown air gas heater or an Eberspacher/Webasto/cheap Chinese diesel heater.
The gas locker in my Romahome was only big enough to fit a Campingaz  bottle in, although I have heard of people squeezing in a Calor 3.9 Kg size bottle - you can't get refillable bottles that small.
So I would say the best bet would be a diesel heater - but it would have to be very carefully sited as Romahome's bodies, fixtures and fittings are plastic so could be easily damaged by heat.


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## mistericeman (Sep 28, 2020)

Caz said:


> There isn't enough room in a Romahome for one of the Carver type wall mounted caravan gas heaters so it would have to be either a Propex type blown air gas heater or an Eberspacher/Webasto/cheap Chinese diesel heater.
> The gas locker in my Romahome was only big enough to fit a Campingaz  bottle in, although I have heard of people squeezing in a Calor 3.9 Kg size bottle - you can't get refillable bottles that small.
> So I would say the best bet would be a diesel heater - but it would have to be very carefully sited as Romahome's bodies, fixtures and fittings are plastic so could be easily damaged by heat.



Less of a problem IF the correct turret mount is used (basically replaces a 5" ish piece of wood/fibreglass etc with a metal fitting to protect the surrounding material.... 

And I can vouch for how hot the exhaust is (It actually burnt some of the hairs on my palms off ;-))


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## Markd (Sep 28, 2020)

Caz said:


> There isn't enough room in a Romahome for one of the Carver type wall mounted caravan gas heaters so it would have to be either a Propex type blown air gas heater or an Eberspacher/Webasto/cheap Chinese diesel heater.
> The gas locker in my Romahome was only big enough to fit a Campingaz  bottle in, although I have heard of people squeezing in a Calor 3.9 Kg size bottle - you can't get refillable bottles that small.
> So I would say the best bet would be a diesel heater - but it would have to be very carefully sited as Romahome's bodies, fixtures and fittings are plastic so could be easily damaged by heat.


You can get 2.7kg gaslow it's 330 high x 203 diameter which is slightly smaller than calor 3.9kg


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## Caz (Sep 28, 2020)

Markd said:


> You can get 2.7kg gaslow it's 330 high x 203 diameter which is slightly smaller than calor 3.9kg



It may fit - but I think trying to run heating from it would mean you'd be forever filling it up.


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## Alf (Sep 28, 2020)

Penn said:


> Hi, looking for advice on a heater for a small Romahome


Which van have you got, It would be better to get a diesel heater with small vans your gas capacity is limited  by only being able carry 1 3.9kg propane bottle and no spare   so heating by diesel is a better alternative. In the Berlingo Hylo's etc the  Eberspacher  heater is fitted at the back of the offside  locker this give the heater output vent direct into the van no ducting needed. We had a hylo for 4 years and never had a battery voltage problem and we used the van all year round.


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## Markd (Sep 28, 2020)

Caz said:


> It may fit - but I think trying to run heating from it would mean you'd be forever filling it up.


I agree but I was just correcting a statement in case someone was thinking of going refillable.


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## in h (Sep 29, 2020)

How big is the leisure battery in this? What is the 12v consumption of the diesel heater?


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## Alf (Sep 30, 2020)

Markd said:


> You can get 2.7kg gaslow it's 330 high x 203 diameter which is slightly smaller than calor 3.9kg


And you loose 1.2kg of gas which is a lot when there is no room to carry a spare bottle.


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## in h (Sep 30, 2020)

The difference is that you don't need a spare bottle with refillables. You top up before it runs out. Though I agree that size is seriously small.


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## in h (Sep 30, 2020)

Alf said:


> And you loose 1.2kg of gas which is a lot when there is no room to carry a spare bottle.


Can you explain how you'd manage with a single 3.9kg bottle of gas?
OK, when it's full, no problem, but for the next trip, you can weigh it and deduct the tare to find out how much gas there is, but say there's 1.7kg left. What do you do? Swap it for a full one and effectively almost double the cost, or hope you can find a replacement when it runs out on your trip away?
Seems to me that if you can't carry a spare, you must use refillables.


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## kangooroo (Oct 6, 2020)

A completely different approach but has anyone tried  bioethanol for heating small vans?  I've been experimenting recently with mixed results.


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## Markd (Oct 6, 2020)

How does that work?


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## trevskoda (Oct 6, 2020)

Markd said:


> How does that work?


You drink it to keep warm.


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## Robmac (Oct 6, 2020)

kangooroo said:


> A completely different approach but has anyone tried  bioethanol for heating small vans?  I've been experimenting recently with mixed results.



It can cause condensation Karen and there must be adequate ventilation.

I tried it once but didn't find the heat output strong enough to be effective.


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## Markd (Oct 6, 2020)

So this would basically be a freestanding paraffin heater?
Is there room in a Romahome?


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## Robmac (Oct 7, 2020)

Markd said:


> So this would basically be a freestanding paraffin heater?
> Is there room in a Romahome?



The one I had was basically just a small ceramic bowl into which you poured a little Bioethanol gel and lit it.

They supposedly do not produce any or very little carbon monoxide.


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## Caz (Oct 8, 2020)

in h said:


> Can you explain how you'd manage with a single 3.9kg bottle of gas?
> OK, when it's full, no problem, but for the next trip, you can weigh it and deduct the tare to find out how much gas there is, but say there's 1.7kg left. What do you do? Swap it for a full one and effectively almost double the cost, or hope you can find a replacement when it runs out on your trip away?
> Seems to me that if you can't carry a spare, you must use refillables.



I couldn't fit Calor 3.9 Kg in my Romahome gas locker, they were actually designed to use Campingaz 907 bottles which hold app. 2.7 butane. There was a second locker the same size on the opposite side of the vehicle which could be used to carry a spare.



kangooroo said:


> A completely different approach but has anyone tried  bioethanol for heating small vans?  I've been experimenting recently with mixed results.



I have a firebowl that runs on bioethanol gel. It does give off a good amount of heat, supposed to be 2Kw. As Rob says they aren't supposed to give off CO, so should be safe in a van. However, I've only used it outside, the open flame and my clumsy dog might not be a good combination inside the van, but it is in the boot and one day if I get desperate I may try it. The big problem I found was sourcing fuel - my daughter bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago but said "it cost a lot so I couldn't afford the fuel as well"  . I tried all over our town without success and ended up having to buy 6 bottles off Amazon.


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## Markd (Oct 8, 2020)

That's got to be one ofthe most expensive ways of heating- even more so than Camping Gaz!
Also horrifically risky in terms of fire if you have a flame big enough to do any heating.
Throw in the condensation, oxygen depletion and probably Carbon Monoxide to have a solution far worse than putting on a jumper and down jacket


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## Markd (Oct 8, 2020)

A Gaslow 2.7kg bottle is 100mm taller (to top of fittings) than a bare 907 bottle - so probably c50mm more overall.
You might get a refillable in a 907 sized locker?


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## BABs (Oct 9, 2020)

Penn said:


> Hi, looking for advice on a heater for a small Romahome


Following


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## molly 2 (Oct 9, 2020)

I had gas on my boat but after a leak scare I went  down the meths route ,they don't  half  go bang ,if I did a self build  I would consider meths cooking ,meths in shops is very expensive  , I found an outlet that sold it 5 ltr  containers  that made cheaper than calor ,


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## kangooroo (Oct 9, 2020)

I've been experimenting with bioethanol in a confined space with varying approaches:  the 'heater' I bought produced very little heat (about 150W) and flames overshot the glass surround but after some modification we managed to generate about 1.5kW but then it overheated and melted the paintwork of its base.  I'm now looking for something mid-way between the two.

It does seem capable of producing a good level of heat (1kW is fine in a small and insulated van such as a Romahome) and although expensive to run, the initial outlay is very low and there is no fixed installation.  Once warm, an small insulated van tends to stay warm so 80p to heat it for an evening is suddenly not too expensive.  On my tests, apart from when the paint melted(!) there was neither CO nor condensation and no fumes apart from a momentary smell of alcohol when initially ignited.

I also met a BBC producer filming Springwatch earlier this year.  She had a self-build Trafic with a bioethanol heater which was so good it had replaced her Eberspacher.

It's early days but with the right surround I feel there could be some potential.  I'm not writing off the idea yet.


@molly 2   My husband won't have gas on his boat for the same reason and uses a meths cooker and heater too with meths bought in bulk online.  I've tried this in my van but couldn't stand the fumes.


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## molly 2 (Oct 10, 2020)

kangooroo said:


> I've been experimenting with bioethanol in a confined space with varying approaches:  the 'heater' I bought produced very little heat (about 150W) and flames overshot the glass surround but after some modification we managed to generate about 1.5kW but then it overheated and melted the paintwork of its base.  I'm now looking for something mid-way between the
> 
> 
> @molly 2   My husband won't have gas on his boat for the same reason and uses a meths cooker and heater too with meths bought in bulk online.  I've tried this in my van but couldn't stand the fumes.


  cooker was an origo never had a problem with fumes , never had the origo heater .looks like it is  is no longer avaliable


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## molly 2 (Oct 10, 2020)

Have a look on you tube their is a American  portable catalytic heater  called , heat budy  . Not a recommendation, just a heads up  .flack expected .


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## mistericeman (Oct 10, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> cooker was an origo never had a problem with fumes , never had the origo heater .looks like it is  is no longer avaliable



You can still buy the single style burners.... 









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Though personally ill be sticking to my eberspacher ;-)


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## molly 2 (Oct 10, 2020)

mistericeman said:


> You can still buy the single style burners....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Similar  to  origo , but dometic origo  over £ 200  ,just the origo heat pal  heater is not available   ,I will stick to my truma 6 .Having had a Romahome i understand  the poster dilemma.


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## mistericeman (Oct 10, 2020)

Worth considering a externally mounted eberspacher if space is tight...






Just need a couple of holes to supply/return the heated air into the cabin.


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## kangooroo (Oct 10, 2020)

I had an Eberspacher in my Romahome fitting in the off-side locker and it was brilliant.  I would definitely recommend one for a Romahome.  We've also made a mobile unit for a gas-fueled Webasto which is currently mounted outdoors for heating a garage but in its box can be transported for use elsewhere although definitely not for stealth wildcamping with its box, hoses and gas bottle!

I am now car-camping with a DIY Amdro-Jump inspired kit so can't fit an ebby because the car has to remain unmodified for insurance purposes.  It also has to revert to being a car for transporting elderly parents hence looking at alternative heating for off-grid use during these interim years before hopefully having a campervan again in the future.


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## Silver sprinter (Oct 10, 2020)

Some people fit eber/ Chinese heater under driver's seat   in sprinters . Don't know if you have enough room under your seat


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## Glynno (Oct 10, 2020)

Penn said:


> Thanks for that. Keeping my options open at the moment. Is a propex gas heater better than a diesel? And how much electric power do they take to run?


The eberspacher doesn’t use much diesel. You always have diesel on board but you may run out of gas doing all that cooking. Hardly uses any electric but batteries need to be charged as they shut down early to purge the system.


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## molly 2 (Oct 10, 2020)

kangooroo said:


> I
> 
> I am now car-camping with a DIY Amdro-Jump inspired kit so can't fit an ebby because the car has to remain unmodified for insurance purposes.  It also has to r


I think the same caviat  applies  to  Motor home insurance  .


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## mistericeman (Oct 10, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> I think the same caviat  applies  to  Motor home insurance  .



Most companies are fine with declared mods (solar panels/rear bike carriers/storage boxes/extra batteries/alterations to electrical systems etc etc ALL need to be declared as are ALL 'Material changes' and thus become the insured persons duty to declare) 

None disclosure could leave you in a sticky spot should you need to claim....


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## molly 2 (Oct 10, 2020)

Penn said:


> Hi, looking for advice on a heater for a small Romahome


Hi Penn  you have had many replies  hope it was helpful  , have you come to a decision   .?


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## molly 2 (Oct 10, 2020)

mistericeman said:


> Most companies are fine with declared mods (solar panels/rear bike carriers/storage boxes/extra batteries/alterations to electrical systems etc etc ALL need to be declared as are ALL 'Material changes' and thus become the insured persons duty to declare)
> 
> None disclosure could leave you in a sticky spot should you need to claim....


I asked my insurance company about fitting solar panels , the reply was fine if professionally  fitted .


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## kangooroo (Oct 10, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> I think the same caviat  applies  to  Motor home insurance



Yes, it does but is much more flexible than car insurance where the base vehicle has to remain as a car - hence no chance of fitting a heater (already asked!).  The Amdro and similar camping kits are not fitted in any way and the series of boxes etc lift out in minutes so the car is untouched and reverts to being a conventional car.

RE a motorhome, adding a heater, roof vent, solar panels etc is easy and doesn't generally affect the premium or cover.


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## Mevi (Oct 11, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> Have a look on you tube their is a American  portable catalytic heater  called , heat budy  . Not a recommendation, just a heads up  .flack expected .


VERY expensive to import, there isn't a UK distributer the last time I checked. There are domestic catalytic heaters available in the UK, but are often a bit big.


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## Mevi (Oct 11, 2020)

mistericeman said:


> Worth considering a externally mounted eberspacher if space is tight...
> 
> View attachment 87803
> 
> Just need a couple of holes to supply/return the heated air into the cabin.


I went through the whole thread to see if someone would suggest this. Romahome is a small vehicle, right? I've seen an extreme roof tent camping dude build one into a pelican case.


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## molly 2 (Oct 11, 2020)

Mevi said:


> VERY expensive to import, there isn't a UK distributer the last time I checked. There are domestic catalytic heaters available in the UK, but are often a bit big.


 Their are some marine catalytic  heaters available portable or fixed  they are about 15 inches x10 x2


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## molly 2 (Oct 11, 2020)

Marine heater ,  not a recommendation


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## Mevi (Oct 11, 2020)

molly 2 said:


> Marine heater ,  not a recommendation


These things really look great, but like all burned hydrocarbons, moisture and CO are byproducts. In the olden days I've used a domestic Calor style heater in the van for short bursts and with the vent open. Personally, I think a properly installed room-sealed combustion heater is definitely the way to go.


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## Caz (Oct 11, 2020)

Markd said:


> That's got to be one ofthe most expensive ways of heating- even more so than Camping Gaz!
> Also horrifically risky in terms of fire if you have a flame big enough to do any heating.
> Throw in the condensation, oxygen depletion and probably Carbon Monoxide to have a solution far worse than putting on a jumper and down jacket



Probably not much more, Campingaz bottles refills are about 40 quid now I believe.
Certainly if I were to place it on the floor of the campervan it would be a big fire risk with my old spaniel lumbering about. However, if it wasn't for him I don't see it being a big problem. Obviously you wouldn't leave it burning whilst leaving the van unattended or falling asleep. If one was designing a selfbuild van then a bespoke area could be created, in a similar fashion to vans that have log burners in.
The burning of bioethanol fuel produces very little water vapour and no carbon monoxide and I don't think oxygen depletion would be a concern as my van isn't exactly airtight.



kangooroo said:


> I've been experimenting with bioethanol in a confined space with varying approaches:  the 'heater' I bought produced very little heat (about 150W) and flames overshot the glass surround but after some modification we managed to generate about 1.5kW but then it overheated and melted the paintwork of its base.  I'm now looking for something mid-way between the two.
> 
> It does seem capable of producing a good level of heat (1kW is fine in a small and insulated van such as a Romahome) and although expensive to run, the initial outlay is very low and there is no fixed installation.  Once warm, an small insulated van tends to stay warm so 80p to heat it for an evening is suddenly not too expensive.  On my tests, apart from when the paint melted(!) there was neither CO nor condensation and no fumes apart from a momentary smell of alcohol when initially ignited.
> 
> ...



Your BBC producer sounds interesting, Karen. I wonder what sort of bioethanol heater she has? They do come in all sorts of sizes and styles.


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## n brown (Oct 11, 2020)

i put gaslights in a few of our early vans , kept them quite warm . don't know why people don't use them , lovely soft light and a gentle hissing sound to relax to . very little gas used so not a lot of CO. used to make replacement glass shades from octagonal jam jars ,bottoms cut off with string and meths


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## molly 2 (Oct 11, 2020)

I can remember when ,catalytic  heaters  were first used in  caravans


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## Pedalman (Oct 11, 2020)

SquirrellCook said:


> If you you use the old fashioned carver type gas heaters, but sure your floor is air tight. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not a good way to die.


Carbon monoxide is not a bad way to die, it is painless and you are totally unaware it happened.


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## molly 2 (Oct 11, 2020)

Mevi said:


> These things really look great, but like all burned hydrocarbons, moisture and CO are byproducts. In the olden days I've used a domestic Calor style heater in the van for short bursts and with the vent open. Personally, I think a properly installed room-sealed combustion heater is definitely the way to go.


Like I said  not a recommendation,   just another option.


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## SquirrellCook (Oct 11, 2020)

Eberspacher, easy.


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## MiaC3000 (Oct 18, 2020)

*t*I'm sure your looking for something that works all the time, but if you are ever on hook up this little Quest Leisure heater is spot on for my Roma. Perfect size and heats the van in no time.


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