Gas heater - which gas? Red or blue?

[whitevanwoman]

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.

That's the problem I've got with if I go for a wood burner too and I've been giving lay out and location of any heater in the van some thought. Using the small 4.5kg bottle would mean it could sit on the top of the dogs cage next to the camping gas stove but much of the heat would go straight up and there would be no heat getting lower down in the van. So I would only be able to use the gas bottle on the floor when the bed is not down, which solves the problem of falling asleep in bed with it on! The dog's tail setting on fire is probably the biggest risk, which I have at home too, so I would have to make a fireguard but he is usually always in his cage when in the van as he's usually pretty wet and muddy and his cage is like a little bedroom for him and helps keep the rest of the van relatively clean.

This has been something I've been giving alot of thought to recently!!

 

[whitevanwoman]

Ha ha, doh :lol-053:

Have just sussed.... Blue gas = B for Butane

Now will I remember that in future?

 

[Robmac]

What is the price on that Jess, the title suggests £3.99 but in the listing it says £39.99.

EDIT: Sorry, I've misread it, I see now!

 

[whitevanwoman]

This is an alternative NEW OUTDOOR CAMPING BUTANE OR PROPANE LPG CALOR GAS PARABOLIC DOME HEATER FIRE | eBay

The same safety considerations will apply but with a longer hose, the gas bottle could be on the floor out of the way behind the cab seats with the burner safely out of the dogs way on top of the work surface on top of the dogs cage, next to the camping stove. It could probably be angled downwards so that the heat doesn't go straight up and out through the roof vent.

 

[Robmac]

or here's another;

Sunnflair Parabolic Camping Heater | GO Outdoors

 

[Aladdinsane]

This is an alternative NEW OUTDOOR CAMPING BUTANE OR PROPANE LPG CALOR GAS PARABOLIC DOME HEATER FIRE | eBay

The same safety considerations will apply but with a longer hose, the gas bottle could be on the floor out of the way behind the cab seats with the burner safely out of the dogs way on top of the work surface on top of the dogs cage, next to the camping stove. It could probably be angled downwards so that the heat doesn't go straight up and out through the roof vent.

The clue is in the name, OUTDOOR. I personally would not have ANY gas heater of this type in my van especially with animals around. It does not matter how careful you are there will ALWAYS be accidents. It may not be you but someone will suffer somewhere. Safety first.

 

[Tbear]

or here's another;

Sunnflair Parabolic Camping Heater | GO Outdoors

Hi Robmac

I have one of these for the awning and is does work fairly well. Because it fits on a proper cylinder as opposed to a cartridge, we find it safe and stable but would not use it in the van for long.

Richard

 

[whitevanwoman]

Aladdinsane - OK, thanks for your input. You've stated it clearly and I've considered your opinion. There is no need to keep restating it. I am trying to have a discussion with people to get a range of opinions and to find a solution to a problem and am well aware of all the negative issues regarding using gas appliances but I'm really looking for some helpful positive suggestions as to how to solve this problem.

 

[whitevanwoman]

Robmac & Tbear - I've just been looking at the Sunncamp ones but am not sure if that is a smaller blue campinggaz bottle than the 4.5kg blue calor gas bottle that I have, and so whether the calor gas bottle would work or whether it would need a different regulator for a different sized bottle. Also is there any difference between Campinggaz and Calor Butane?

 

[Aladdinsane]

Aladdinsane - OK, thanks for your input. You've stated it clearly and I've considered your opinion. There is no need to keep restating it. I am trying to have a discussion with people to get a range of opinions and to find a solution to a problem and am well aware of all the negative issues regarding using gas appliances but I'm really looking for some helpful positive suggestions as to how to solve this problem.

It's not an opinion, as stated by the manufacturer they are not suitable for use indoors.

 

[sean rua]

I'm going against the flow here, WVW, but
I meant to say last time, in the thread about woodstoves, that we used the "Sealey" look-alike ( oblong, red-glowing fire) with red propane cylinders for years
for heating and cooking.
Straightaway I'd better say that it's probably illegal nowadays, but i still do it.

Admittedly, we tend to cook in shelters that are open, but in the old days, when we cooked up at work ( steak for breakfast in those days ) we used this thing flat on the floor of the old wooden hut or cabin with a paving slab under it.
It would be used for cooking the breakfast and would be on most of the time with a big kettle boiling away.

Yes, you get a lot of condensation, but that's what we did for thirty years or more. English blokes just used to have a cuppa and make some toast with the pieces flat on top of the flames.

I bet a lot of folk are gasping with horror, but that's what went on.

I still get the kit out nowadays if weather conditions are so wet I don't feel like lighting a fire.

Your're a bit more sensible than me, but what I'd do is get down the recycling centre and ask for a regulator for the blue butane bottles. Then use up that bit of gas and, after that, never bother with anything but the red bottles ( bigger the better) again.

Please be aware that this probably contravenes every regulation in the book, and please remember that we had the old hut burn down on us one time in Leith Docks, Edinburgh.
Btw, if you get a blaze, cut the rubber tube with a sharp knife and drag/spin/roll the cylinder away. Then you can turn off the valve at you leisure, when you're out of harm's way.
That's why those cylinders are better free standing outside. It's safer.
That said, one cold winter in Northamptonshire, we had two of those big red cylinders inside the trailer - one in each wardrobe! We used to leave the heater on all night. Not a safe idea, I suppose.

Finally, as an aside, we were in Santa Monica on that third street, or whatever they call it, one evening. As we were dining out by the street, they had those big patio heaters. The cylinders were towering above our heads as we sat at the tables. The smell of gas was terrible but nobody seemed to care a damn.
Though we were roasting hot, one guy called for them to light up yet another one as he reckoned it was a cool evening!

sean rua.

 

[whitevanwoman]

It's not an opinion, as stated by the manufacturer they are not suitable for use indoors.

Ok, what's your helpful suggestion to solve my problem then? If you've nothing helpful to add, please don't spoil the thread by repeating the same negative comments.

 

[Manda]

Gas Heater-Red or Blue

No way would I even think of using one of those in my van!!!!!
Red or Blue won't matter in the END!

 

[n brown]

right lets get this bit clear-butane and propane have different pressure regulators because of different calorific values,as i understand it,but both will run the same appliances,although i've heard propex heaters prefer propane[which i don't believe as i've had one on butane for days!]camping gaz is butane.lpg is a mix of both.
i used to get those room heaters that have a bottle in,preferably the smaller ones,and cut the back off.this left you with a nice little heater about 4 inches deep to hang on the wall.one bar would be plenty for the average van

 

[Aladdinsane]

Ok, what's your helpful suggestion to solve my problem then? If you've nothing helpful to add, please don't spoil the thread by repeating the same negative comments.

Change tack and think of something less dangerous? We all have budgets to live on but sometimes you have to spend to be safe. I know they are expensive but a diesel ebber or gas propex are much safer and very efficient. Please don't take my comments personally. I Don't like the thought of reading the news to hear of another sad end to someone. Who would have thought a barbecue in a tent would end in tragedy?

 

[whitevanwoman]

I'm going against the flow here, WVW, but
I meant to say last time, in the thread about woodstoves, that we used the "Sealey" look-alike ( oblong, red-glowing fire) with red propane cylinders for years
for heating and cooking.
Straightaway I'd better say that it's probably illegal nowadays, but i still do it.

Admittedly, we tend to cook in shelters that are open, but in the old days, when we cooked up at work ( steak for breakfast in those days ) we used this thing flat on the floor of the old wooden hut or cabin with a paving slab under it.
It would be used for cooking the breakfast and would be on most of the time with a big kettle boiling away.

Yes, you get a lot of condensation, but that's what we did for thirty years or more. English blokes just used to have a cuppa and make some toast with the pieces flat on top of the flames.

I bet a lot of folk are gasping with horror, but that's what went on.

I still get the kit out nowadays if weather conditions are so wet I don't feel like lighting a fire.

Your're a bit more sensible than me, but what I'd do is get down the recycling centre and ask for a regulator for the blue butane bottles. Then use up that bit of gas and, after that, never bother with anything but the red bottles ( bigger the better) again.

Please be aware that this probably contravenes every regulation in the book, and please remember that we had the old hut burn down on us one time in Leith Docks, Edinburgh.
Btw, if you get a blaze, cut the rubber tube with a sharp knife and drag/spin/roll the cylinder away. Then you can turn off the valve at you leisure, when you're out of harm's way.
That's why those cylinders are better free standing outside. It's safer.
That said, one cold winter in Northamptonshire, we had two of those big red cylinders inside the trailer - one in each wardrobe! We used to leave the heater on all night. Not a safe idea, I suppose.

Finally, as an aside, we were in Santa Monica on that third street, or whatever they call it, one evening. As we were dining out by the street, they had those big patio heaters. The cylinders were towering above our heads as we sat at the tables. The smell of gas was terrible but nobody seemed to care a damn.
Though we were roasting hot, one guy called for them to light up yet another one as he reckoned it was a cool evening!

sean rua.

Cheers Sean, as so often in life, common sense wins the day. And if I wasn't prepared to take a risk or 2 in life, I wouldn't go off wild camping in the middle of nowhere on my own, with a 10 yr old Transit van and on occasion meet up with a bunch of strangers about whom I know very little other than they post on the same forums as me!

I really do understand all the issues about gas - the risk of fumes, the risk of explosion etc but having grown up caravanning when all we had was gas lights in our Sprite, and then having had a caravan of my own, where the gas bottles were in the locker at the front of the van (so probably just as much of a risk as having them in a wardrobe), and having spent years cooking on both gas stoves, hexy stoves and meths stoves inside tents, vehicles etc, , I know how to minimise the risks and have appropriate safety kit (and more importantly, I know how to use it) such as fire blanket, extinguisher, sand bucket, first aid etc. Your point about cutting the rubber pipe for quick disposal is a good one, so worth having a knife to hand too.

When I'm away in the van, I rarely have the side door closed during the day and whenever possible I use the storm kettle outside for water, cooking and sitting around for warmth at night time before bedtime. But this time of year, I do need to have something to take the chill off when I do close the door at night time and to put on for half an hour or so first thing in the morning when I wake up, if only to defrost the milk! But as said, it's just to get the van temp warmed up a few degrees and would only need to be on for short periods of time. I'm not used to having central heating at home and I think that's toughened me up so it's only when the van's internal temp drops into single figures that I start to feel a bit chilly if sitting around inside the van. Normally when that happens I take the dog out for a run which warms me up too, but it would be nice to have the odd half hour sat in the van warming my toes and fingers in front of a gas heater

And what's the point of having rules if not to break them every now and again ;-) The main thing is to make sure you know what the possible consequences might be before you break the rules, and to weigh up the pros and cons, and make your own decision based on your own circumstances, your own knowledge, your own experience, your own skills and abilities. Asking for other people's ideas or points of view can help inform you to make the best decision for you in your individual circumstances, what works for me wouldn't work for other people and vice versa.

 

[whitevanwoman]

No way would I even think of using one of those in my van!!!!!
Red or Blue won't matter in the END!

Hmmm, not a helpful way to introduce yourself to the forum.

 

[Bigpeetee]

One of my former employees bought one of these for use on his converted lifeboat, it was a draughty old hulk ie plenty of ventilation. He used it for an hour and in his words "It nearly killed me" It was abandoned post haste.

He donated it to the Gym next to my unit, they used it for a while, but it was a cavernous place.

Try a caravan breaker for a proper heater, pref one that is sealed to the vehicle.

 

[Tbear]

Robmac & Tbear - I've just been looking at the Sunncamp ones but am not sure if that is a smaller blue campinggaz bottle than the 4.5kg blue calor gas bottle that I have, and so whether the calor gas bottle would work or whether it would need a different regulator for a different sized bottle. Also is there any difference between Campinggaz and Calor Butane?

Hi Whitevanwomen

It screws direct onto a Campingaz 907 so you would need to buy one and the refills are not cheap. You can pick them up at car boots but not often for less than silly money. We had a couple from our tent camping days. We do not often use it so a cylinder lasts us forever but in constant use would be expensive. If I was buying one for regular use then I would look at catalytic heaters which will run off your 4.5 kg cylinder.

Richard

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Catalytic-Caravan-Boat-Heater-/290824362485#vi-content

 

[Rubbertramp]

Can't help much with the technical details Jess but it looks like the connection in your original post link won't fit a bog standard butane regulator (usually for a flexible hose onto a ribbed tube)
Anyway, a good tip for using butane in cold(ish) weather is to well wrap the cylinder in rockwool insulation....about 20 quid a roll from builders merchants, B&Q etc or free off cuts from any building sites near you. Worked well for me last winter....until I encountered -12 temperatures at Stonehenge!