Sprinter heaters for cold nights(and days too)

[Fastpaddler]

Just returned from a week of rain every day camping up Island here. Got cold so used furnace. I have always used the propane furnace but I don't see why I cannot use my ceramic, oscillating, tip over and stops ELECTRIC heater instead, including at night because it is plugged into a proper plug and has a thermostat.
I am usually paying for hydro so why use my propane. Advice anybody.

AL

[mlts22]

I like using multiple methods of heating. One thing I was looking at when I was looking at a Sportsmobile build was having multiple heat sources, from having heating ducts from the engine, to the Truma combination furnace/water heater, to an A/C with a 6000 BTU heat strip, finally to two Vornado space heaters (one inside, one on a GFCI plug positioned underneath the van to blow warm air on the tanks if on shore power.) This way, I can use propane, shore power, generator power, the vehicle's engine, or any combo to keep the van warm.

[mkguitar]

Fastpaddler wrote:
....I guess I am remembering the old opinion that if an electric heater turned over it might catch fire.

Actually my ceramic GARRISON top rated oscillates and produces 1500 watts....

Heaters should have tip over switches- mandated in the US, maybe Canadia too.


Your Garrison does not "produce watts"- watts is an expression of power consumption.

heat output would be therms or BTU

device A may consume 1500 watts to produce X therms ( or BTU's)

and device B may consume 100 watts to produce same X therms.

this number is of value as it allows us to calculate the current draw on the electrical system- your 1500 watt heater draws close to 13 Amps - something to keep in mind if plugging in to 15 amp house service or running the genny

The key is to be safe and warm- either way.

Mike

[goreds2]

Naio wrote:
I found a tiny 300watt heater online at home depot!

Perfect for my little van. Heats the whole space in about 10 seconds. I even run it off my poor, beleaguered house battery sometimes.

It's slightly bigger than a deck of cards.

Is this the one?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Optimus-300-Watt-Ceramic-Mini-Portable-Heater-Black-H7800/205495280

[Fastpaddler]

Thanks everyone for your insightful input. I guess I am remembering the old opinion that if an electric heater turned over it might catch fire. Actually my ceramic GARRISON top rated oscillates and produces 1500 watts at 25 degrees Celcius and 500 degrees at 0 degrees Celcius. Fahrenheit in USA of course.
It really heats up an area fast. And as it stops if tipped over say by my pooch Holly then I feel good to go now. I am warm in my cold weather Roots sleeping bag but my spouse is always cold. I suggested a solution but no go so she has to sleep with the heater I guess.....

[drsolo]

My main heater is electric heating strip overhead good to 35oF. Lower than that it gets too cold so I got a IR quartz heater which is great on shore power but blows circuits at private residences because both heaters run off one 15 amp. In another case the friends microwave was on the same circuit as the outdoor plug.. duh. So I got a wave 3 catalytic propane heater works great but I dont like lugging the propane tank in my little RVan. Now I have a Micro-Fleece Low-Voltage Electric blanket and will see how that works. I am very sensitive to cold!!

[NCWriter]

We bought a small, inexpensive square one that stows easily. Thermostat works great, but usually we just turn it off before bed and back on in the morning. Quieter than the van's furnace, too.

[Naio]

I found a tiny 300watt heater online at home depot!

Perfect for my little van. Heats the whole space in about 10 seconds. I even run it off my poor, beleaguered house battery sometimes.

It's slightly bigger than a deck of cards.

[Old-Biscuit]

WE used electric space heaters to keep us toasty.

We also used RV propane furnace to keep plumbing, tanks, drain valves etc. toasty because RV furnace blew hot air into enclosed underbelly area

S0mething space heaters just didn't do when temps dropped below freezing (32*F/0*C) for more than 3 hours.

[mkguitar]

if you are on "shore power" the inverter won;t be online. ( well for me and many other models)

it would be odd if your 120VAC from shore power is converted/ rectified to DC and then Inverted to AC at your outlet.
my limited knowledge shows a "pass through" for 120 shore power to the outlets- an automatic switch box selects shore power when available- when not available, mine will look for the generator


Mike

[mikebreeze]

I use a ceramic heater when it's cold to save propane. But I always run a separate heavy duty extension cord out to the 20A outlet on the power box. The reason I do this is because I was told by more than one person that using an electric heater, plugged into an RV outlet, could damage your inverter.

[ernie1]

The only reason I was reluctant to use our electric heater was because of the notoriously inaccurate thermostats that come with them. One would be comfy for awhile then super heated, then cold again until then thermostat tells the heater to start again. Solved that with an inline thermostat that is accurate to 1degree Fahrenheit.

[Sailordive]

The small ceramic heaters are perfect for Sprinter. We use one when it gets below 40. Above that it is more than warm enough when we put reflectex in all the windows.

[studio_driver]

Whenever the extra cost of a site with power makes it worthwhile we use a Honeywell tower heater. It blows heat in all directions and is much more quiet than the propane heater, although not quite as powerful. The only problem is that the thermostat became goofy (on/off every half second), enough to drive you crazy at night. I modified the heater to be always ON at Max power (but still shutting down if tipped over) and now plug it into an extension cord where I inserted a regular home thermostat (for 110 V line voltage heaters). I can now set it at the desired temperature and it regulates perfectly.

Note that with the extra fee some campgrounds charge for power you can buy a lot of propane!

Keep warm!

Alain

[gbopp]

mkguitar wrote:


ps "Hydro" is Canuck for Electric Service.

I was going to ask, thanks.

The oil filled heaters do a nice job and, they're quiet.
But, the heaters with a fan may circulate the heat better.