Gas heater - which gas? Red or blue?

[whitevanwoman]

I'm about to buy one of these Propane Gas Space Calor Heater Patio Bottle Mounted Sealey LP13 GO NEXTDAY £3.99 | eBay

for use both in my van and occasionally in the house (I only have a woodburner in the kitchen for heating, so when home late at night, this would be great for instant heat when it's too late to light the stove, and it is probably cheaper to run than an elec heater, and more "instant").

I have a 4.5 kg blue Calor gas bottle complete with hose and regulator and 2 x 15kg blue gas bottles. I plan on keeping the 2 x 15kg bottles at home, and probably changing one of them to a red one for winter use. At some point I would like to swop my elec hob cooker at home for a gas hob so I would use these gas bottles for that.

I'm also planning to change the 4.5kg blue gas bottle to a red one for use in the van during the winter with the heater attachment from ebay which comes with a hose and red gas bottle regulator.

The question is : Could I use the above heater with the blue gas bottle and regulator as there is still some gas in it which I might as well use up before swopping the bottle for a red one. I know that there is some difference between pressure but so long as I use the right regulator for the gas, will this be ok?

Also - is there any difference in price between a red gas refill and a blue gas refill? If not, is there any point in having blue gas or should I swop all 3 blue bottles for red gas bottles?

(I can never remember which gas is which, I know that the red gas will work even in sub-zero temps from my caravanning days, but the blue gas doesn't work so well under about 5C, and that one is propane (red?) and one is butane (blue?), so I refer to them as red gas and blue gas, and then I understand what I'm talking about!)

 

[oldish hippy]

well it you keeping them outside then swap for red as it dont freeze that is what am after will swap it with my mini blue bottle and put new reg on dont forget thatthe calor heater produce water vapour really need ventalation as well

 

[Aladdinsane]

I wouldn't use anything like that inside a van, poisonous gasses, water vapour etc.

 

[whitevanwoman]

Thanks but I know that the red is better in the cold than the blue and which is why I'm planning to change the bottles to red ones, but I might as well use up the remaining gas in the blue ones first. The question was whether or not the heater will work with either gas so long as I use the appropriate regulator. It's advertised as a Propane (red) gas heater and I just want to check that it will work using blue gas.

These kind of appliances are safe to use inside or in a van SO LONG AS THERE IS ADEQUATE VENTILATION which there is. Calor gas heaters have been used for years in houses. I use a camping gas stove inside the van but I have a vent directly above it and also a carbon monoxide alarm, which is checked regularly to make sure it works.

Also if the red gas bottles cost more than the blue, then can I swop the red bottles for blue ones during the summer when temperature shouldn't be an issue?

 

[Wooie1958]

I really do not think they are meant for indoor use

They are meant for use in outdoor areas like Patios etc.

 

[whitevanwoman]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...mZhQejiYGIAw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1280&bih=685

I take on board all the advice about ventilation and as you will see I am very much alive and kicking after using the gas camping stove with care and for short periods only in the van for over a year.

I had a calor gas heater in my house for many years, and there are many unventilated stand alone calor gas heaters on the market for indoor use as you will see from the link above.

This particular device possibly was designed as a patio heater but that does not mean that it is not safe to use inside with care and adequate ventilation. I HAVE ADEQUATE VENTILATION !!!!

I promise not to hold anyone on this thread liable if I am gassed in my van.

My decision is made, I will be buying this heater for use both in the van and in my home.

The question is simply do I waste half a bottle of blue gas and swop it straight away for a red one to use with the heater I want to buy from ebay or can I use the blue gas with the correct regulator with this heater?

 

[churchie]

I have just bought a floor standing version to heat / dry out my garage. The instructions state the following

IMPORTANT: The LP14 is a mobile, propane-fired, unvented spave heater for commerial applications only. DO NOT use domestically.

WARNING ! Use only in well ventilated spaces of more than 15 cubic metres to prevent an accumulation of dangerous combustion gases

Warning Heater will become very hot

Further down the list

DO NOT use any fuel other than propane

I was thinking it would be OK for heat when sat outside but i do not think they are fit for your purpose.
I will try and upload the instructions / warnings if possible

Stay safe

Churchie

 

[n brown]

listen to churchie.houses have high ceilings and large volumes of space.vans are tiny compared.these heaters are industrial and use large amounts of gas,and of course,give out large amounts of monoxide.but should run off either gas.propane as i understand ,burn hotter,so cooking should be quicker etc and save you money,even though the red bottles i use are 13kg,whereas the blue butane are 15kg. i appreciate you feel you have enough ventilation, but if you're wrong can i have your van ?

 

[whitevanwoman]

Thanks Churchie, that would be useful.

I can't see how the mechanism would be any different to the indoor calor gas heaters. From what I can see, they work in exactly the same way.

I know that there are pressure differences between the blue gas and red gas which was the reason for the question - I don't know if having the correct regulator would solve the pressure differences or not. It may be that the indoor calor gas heaters run only on blue gas whereas the one in the ebay link runs only on red gas.

Any idea of what kind of size is 15 sq m?

 

[churchie]

Hope this helps

 

[whitevanwoman]

listen to churchie.houses have high ceilings and large volumes of space.vans are tiny compared.these heaters are industrial and use large amounts of gas,and of course,give out large amounts of monoxide.but should run off either gas.propane as i understand ,burn hotter,so cooking should be quicker etc and save you money,even though the red bottles i use are 13kg,whereas the blue butane are 15kg. i appreciate you feel you have enough ventilation, but if you're wrong can i have your van ?

lol, you can have what's left of it after I've blown it up using the wrong gas

The heater would only be used in the van for extreme winter conditions, I've found that as I've added more insulation the van is getting better at retaining the heat and usually the heat from my camping stove put on for 20 mins / half an hour or so at a time every couple of hours is sufficient to keep the temp up. Having the dog in the van means that the van is always opened last thing before bed for a late night wee and I NEVER put the gas stove on once I've got into bed in case I fall asleep with it on.

This heater would not need to be on for more than half an hour at a time and only in the coldest conditions so it would only really be a back up. The whirly bird vent in the roof is never shut, even in the worst weather, both for CO and condensation prevention.

My finances and the design of my van is such that I don't really have any other options for heating during winter. I've been mulling over wood burners in another thread and the same ventilation issues apply there. I want something that is portable so that I don't need to carry it in the van for the 9 months of the year when I wouldn't need it. I've considered the portable gas heaters which run off small butane canisters like the ones I use on the camping stove but this works out a very expensive way of heating and I can't rely on the camping gas stove working well in cold weather unless I keep the gas canister inside my sleeping bag overnight.

And as these 3 blue gas bottles were freebies I might as well use them and I might as well use up the half bottle of free blue gas that came with them.

The beauty of this is that it would solve my heating problems both in the house aswell as in the van at a low cost. I realise it's not ideal and I will have to watch out for the dogs tail brushing into it etc but it could make the difference between using the van in winter and not using it at all.

 

[churchie]

15 cubic metres is in van type dimensions

2 metres wide x 4 metres long which gives you 8 square metres now divide into 15 to get you minimum head height = 1,875 metres tall.

 

[whitevanwoman]

Thanks for the pic Churchie, very useful.

 

[Aladdinsane]

It's 15 cubic metres, not square metres. Length*Height*Width, then you need to calculate what area the fittings, cupboards, kitchen units, seating, bed etc. take up. I very much doubt you will have 15 cubic metres.

 

[whitevanwoman]

15 cubic metres is in van type dimensions

2 metres wide x 4 metres long which gives you 8 square metres now divide into 15 to get you minimum head height = 1,875 metres tall.

I failed maths o level 4 times :rolleyes2: I have a hi roof lwb ford transit... could you explain the above calculation in simpleton's language please

Thanks for the info.

 

[whitevanwoman]

It's 15 cubic metres, not square metres. Length*Height*Width, then you need to calculate what area the fittings, cupboards, kitchen units, seating, bed etc. take up. I very much doubt you will have 15 cubic metres.

Ha ha, fittings, cupboard, kitchen units, seating, bed???? What are those then?? My transit has shelving along one side which contains bedding when not in use and plastic boxes for storage of cooking stuff, clothes etc. At the front behind the cab seats is the dogs cage, about 1m high x 1m wide x 1.6 m long. This has a plywood board on top and doubles up as my workspace/table. The camping stove is on this directly underneath the whirlybird roof vent. There is a single shelf on the other side, running the full length of the van, above sliding door height. There is a small low seat on top of the wheel arch under that shelf. My bed is a sunlounger with foldaway boards on top and memory foam mattress, doubles up as a seat or can be stowed away completely.

Thanks for the advice, sorry if I was a bit "abrupt"earlier. I just want to make best use of these gas bottles and solve the heating probs both at home and in the van as quickly and cheaply as possible.

 

[churchie]

Thats not a motorhome thats a surfers van

 

[n brown]

Thanks Churchie, that would be useful.

I can't see how the mechanism would be any different to the indoor calor gas heaters. From what I can see, they work in exactly the same way.

I know that there are pressure differences between the blue gas and red gas which was the reason for the question - I don't know if having the correct regulator would solve the pressure differences or not. It may be that the indoor calor gas heaters run only on blue gas whereas the one in the ebay link runs only on red gas.

Any idea of what kind of size is 15 sq m?

cubic metres . if your van is 2 metres high and 2 metres long,and 4 metres long---4x2x2 is 16 cubic metres. i just wouldn't

 

[n brown]

anyway i've got a carver trumatic floor vented heater around, needs a hole in the foor about11x5 inches.you pay the courier its yours

 

[churchie]

It also states in the instructions must be at least 2 metres away from anything flammable or combustible that would also make things difficult in a van.