Advice wanted on heater for small camper (Romahome)

[Caz]

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.

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.

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.

 

[n brown]

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

 

[molly 2]

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

 

[Pedalman]

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.

 

[molly 2]

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.

 

[SquirrellCook]

Eberspacher, easy.

 

[MiaC3000]

tI'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.