Small Heater for Camper any ideas

[fifipug]

Looking for a small gas heater for a camper van don't want to have to have a flue and would prefer a flameless one. Obviously coming from Yorkshire I don't want to spend a fortune. Any suggestions greatly recieved.
Regards Fiona

 

[Samson]

Fiona,
Hi,
If you have a gas heater without a flue you will in the case of butane gas become subject to severe vomiting which is the early symptom of butane gas poisoning.
Best to invest in a second hand eberspacher for about £300 from e-bay and then have it professionally installed. They use diesel direct from the fuel tank and can be flued under the van floor and installed in a cuboard or under a bed or seat. The heat they can create quickly is amazing.

 

[AndyC]

Actually butane gas isn't poisonous unless you are breathing it in high concentrations, when the biggest danger would be from it exploding! But I agree that flued heaters are safest.

Unflued heaters give off carbon dioxide and water vapour so should not be used in enclosed spaces without sufficient ventilation.

The only unflued gas heater you are likely to be able to use is a catalytic like this: Marinestore Chandlers: Mini Catalytic Heater, however most manufacturers now state that they are not suitable for boats, caravans, motorhomes, etc.

If you must have gas, what about the Propex gas fired blown air heater: Propex Air Heaters

AndyC

 

[fifipug]

Heater

Looks like blown air is the way forward how long a job is it? 2nd hand seems a good bet otherwise will be doubling the value of the van.
Regards Fiona

 

[dollyannie]

Is this because the van isn't centrally heated or is this a back-up?

 

[AndyC]

Looks like blown air is the way forward how long a job is it? 2nd hand seems a good bet otherwise will be doubling the value of the van.
Regards Fiona

Some info and pix of Propex installations here:
TheSamba.com :: View topic - Mounting a Propex heater in the back cabinet - Photos
Installing A Heater Into Your Campervan | CampervanConversion.co.uk
AndyC

 

[manxie]

Looking for a small gas heater for a camper van don't want to have to have a flue and would prefer a flameless one. Obviously coming from Yorkshire I don't want to spend a fortune. Any suggestions greatly recieved.
Regards Fiona

We have replaced the old catalytic heater in ours with a new Midi Catalytic heater. It gives out good heat and if working properly should not give off fumes. We are now working on installing a second Eperspacher D2 blown air heater which will run off diesel, as an alternative heat source and a means of heating the other end of the van and one that we would be happy to leave on whilst we are sleeping.

 

[n8rbos]

i use as a back up heater a butane cannister heater which i bought from b&m's @£12 the cannisters are £1 a piece at mo and last 4hrs on full blast.

the skylights have vents anyway so fresh air is constantly circulating, and i have a carbon monoxide det. too, no problems as yet.

ps if you buy one and going to away stock up on gas ! i paid as much as £6.50 for one cannister from small villages.

 

[fifipug]

Thanks all the van currently has no heating bought as a stop gap till we find our perfect van following our beloved Fiat Pandora being written off in June I suffered confidence wise afterwards being in a vehicle and needed something I felt comfortable in (no rational to this) We have bought a Freedom camper on a Bedford Brava base looks like a demounable but isn't if that makes sense. Has an upper double meaning other half can have a lie in whilst I can get up and have a brew and read a book or whatever. Van is 1990 in date any one with any information on the conversions I would love to know more.

 

[Tbear]

Like Fiona I have a small van which on site only needs a 400w electric heater to keep it warm so it seem a lot of fuss and money to plum in a propex or truma heater which will give us 2000w's of heat that we don't need and depending on the model flatten your batteries. Surly there is a product out there that will not cost the earth, does not need you to take the van apart to fit, runs off a cylinder so will last all night, will not set fire to the van or poison you with Carbon Monoxide???

 

[caspar]

Like Fiona I have a small van which on site only needs a 400w electric heater to keep it warm so it seem a lot of fuss and money to plum in a propex or truma heater which will give us 2000w's of heat that we don't need and depending on the model flatten your batteries. Surly there is a product out there that will not cost the earth, does not need you to take the van apart to fit, runs off a cylinder so will last all night, will not set fire to the van or poison you with Carbon Monoxide???

The problem we found was not so much finding something that would run all night, but that would do it safely after pulling out beds etc.... as the material was too close to the heater.

We compromised by getting a heater that we can turn off last thing at night and put on first thing in the morning while still lying in bed thus enabling us to warm the van before getting up and keep an eye so that nothing gets too hot. As it is not flued, we do have to leave windows open for adequate ventilation and I personally consider a Carbon Monoxide detector essential if you go down this route.. Having said that, we've been out frequently in snow and have never been cold.

 

[defitzi]

small heater

I'se bin using (small) catalyctic heaters in all sorts of places for decades -boats,

campers, even in flast in power shortag completely efect, proved utterly safe and ot

circa 90-150 depending on sixe and where but!
never headache, once and only nce speping bac landed on one -did NOT catch fire as never touched pilot light which is well bruied and protected although I DO NOT reccommend trying this at home!

 

[defitzi]

small heater

I did used to be able edit my threads love the new site but foxed by some changes.....
so looks like to add this eneed new post thread or something.....canister catalytics are horrendously expensive I use catalyctics which attack hose to camping gaz ( relatively xpensive in uk o anywhere for thatmatter but now inottles9 europe here they are widely available especially in france, use LE Cube for most gasworks! cheap and 7.5 kilos :there are other variants but thing is cube and neww type plastic 11 kilo bottles (with sight guage built-in) ll share th same quick asnap on connection- and the other imiular albeit not as convenient shape everywhere I've looked. no more screw threads, no more variant sized although the old style metal 14 k bottles still abound.

shoudl have emphasised in my reply the post

 

[winchman]

i use as a back up heater a butane cannister heater which i bought from b&m's @£12 the cannisters are £1 a piece at mo and last 4hrs on full blast.

the skylights have vents anyway so fresh air is constantly circulating, and i have a carbon monoxide det. too, no problems as yet.

ps if you buy one and going to away stock up on gas ! i paid as much as £6.50 for one cannister from small villages.

I have one of these, for emergencys or outside on cool evenings, ok but you must ensure good ventilation.
They will give off some carbon monoxide, this will suffocate you as it stops the red blood cells absorbing oxygen.
I have a Propex with blown air heating but its not working, not had a chance to look at it yet, so I use a 240 v fan heater works fine when on hook up.
I would just buy a used propex and sell it again when you have finished