Heater in my camper.

[zombieman]

I'm curious about what heaters you guys may use in your campers. I have a furnace that works great with thermostat but I'm just a little concerned running it all night with it being a older camper. It runs great the first 5 minutes but then it starts making a rattling noise. There is no way i'd be able to sleep with the noise it makes. It seems like it may be the panel that pushes on over the furnace on the inside of the camper. Other than the rattling sound I'm concerned about it starting a fire. Are these units pretty much fully contained to prevent fires? I have two round vents on the outside of the camper and it seems that you only feel really hot air coming from one of them. The other one seems a little warm but nothing like the one on the right. Are both of these exhausts? Thats the majority of my fire concern, wondering if its obstructed with something. Last hunting season I used a Mr. Heater buddy and it did great in 15 degree weather. I was thinking about running a hose from my old fridge propane hook-up and running a plug through the cabinets to supply my heater buddy using my external tanks. Does get old changing out those 2 lb. tanks very four hours during the night. Thanks for any assistance.

[hilandfrog]

robsouth wrote:
just to be clear, handfrog meant CO detectors not CO2 detectors. Never seen a carbon di-oxide detector in a camper.

LOL....Oooops


Thanks for the correction.


Repo

[Doug33]

In my previous TT the furnace made an awful racket (sounded like a jet taking off). If it turned on in the middle of the night it would wake you up. I could never figure out why it make so much noise or make it quiter. The heater in the new TT is a lot quiter.

[SkiingSixPack]

We use both an oil-filled type of electric heater in the spring / fall when we have electricity AND a Mr. Heater Big Buddy plumbed into our propane line during our winter ski days. We use more than the recommended amount of fresh air opening in the winter BUT we do not sleep in the motor home, as we use it just during the days while skiing. I would not take the chance, but many do sleep with the Mr. Heaters on. It is just what you are comfortable with. The Mr. Heater keeps our 31.5 foot motor home very warm, even on cold days and evenings. We usually run it at med. or low.

[mlts22]

My two cents:

A RV furnace is pretty safe. One vent is an intake for air for the combustion process. The other is the exhaust. The air is heated, then blown through a heat exchanger. Inside air is sucked in through the exchanger and heater. The two pipes of air never cross, unless one has a cracked exchanger, or one has a window open right by the exhaust vent.

The next on the list are electric heaters. It might be safe enough to run the full 1500 watts that a heater on high uses. I don't trust RV wiring in all but the higher-tier rigs, so I will run it at 750 watts. I then use a heavy-duty extension cord (10/3) and thread that through the mousehole for a second heater. Some Vornado heaters are US made, others from China. In the past, I've found them extremely safe/reliable.

As for propane heaters like Buddy heaters, I had great luck with one in a tent where I had a good amount of air exchange up and out the rainfly. In a closed RV, it might be safe, but there is the danger of CO/CO2 which was pointed out. Last year, someone where I was camping had their RV burn down because bedding or something caught. This isn't the fault of the heater, but I prefer not to use one unless I have no other options (RV furnace not working, generator inoperable, etc.) Of course, there is the fact that the propane heaters put a lot of water in the air which can be a problem.

If I had to use a propane heater as a last resort, I'd probably put it on a baking tray on the stove (so it is on an even surface), open a living room vent, open the bathroom vent a tad, and use 1-2 O2Cool fans to keep the circulating. That way, all the hot air doesn't just float to the top and out the vent.

[Chrisatthebeach]

The rattle could either be something loose inside the furnace or the fan motor bearings are about ready to seize up.
On my last trailer mine started that way then the fan quit turning.
I was able to purchase a used identical Hydro-Flame furnace from Colaw's RV salvage for about the price of another fan motor for my old one. When it arrived it had never been used, the heat exchanger was still silver, indicating never been hot. Do ask when ordering that they send the connector with it, as the newer one's are pinned different and they can be a pain to reconfigure, also ask for a roll of the butyl tape sealant as well.
It took about an hour to change out, then another hour to figure out that I should have asked for the connectors for the thermostat, I managed to push the pins out with a kabob skewer and reconfigure to get it to work.

[robsouth]

just to be clear, handfrog meant CO detectors not CO2 detectors. Never seen a carbon di-oxide detector in a camper.

[skipnchar]

A properly maintained FURNACE that uses a heat exchanger is by far the SAFEST means of heating an RV. These furnaces bur air from outside the RV and separate combustion from the inside air. Electric space heaters are safe to the extend that they are properly used but MOST can start a fire if combustible material comes into contact with them (towel falling from a bar, or carelessly placed clothing or blankets). Other electric heaters that do not get hot enough to start a fire are STILL subject to electrical problems such as shorts etc. so can still be a fire hazard under some circumstances. Fueled space heaters are the LEAST safe of the options for heating as they present both the direct fire hazard of setting combustibles ablaze AND they are also a possible CO hazard. In addition to these normal hazards, they burn air from inside the RV and that is what the occupants are breathing, making them a hazard for asphyxiation due to oxygen deprivation. I'd get the furnace inspected and use that as the heat source. It's economical, usually spreads heat from one end of the RV to the other and is the safest way of heating.
Good luck / Skip

[popeyemth]

On further thought one of they reasons we a are completely comfortable running our camper furnace is we always have a roof vent partially open to vent the humidity that condensates on the inside .

[RoyB]

I use the Mr Buddy heater as a back-up heater only in my OFF-ROAD POPUP. This is almost all tent walls and windows so lots of ways to vent the fumes and replace the oxygen..

The Mr Buddy says they are safe to use if used correctly but I do not feel safe using them. I used them all the when I was tent camp camping.

With an enclosed trailer like you have I most definitely would not feel safe using them.

I feel your pain on the propane furnace. My furnace is WAY to hot to use in my POPUP trailer. Runs us out with too much heat. Can't seem to adjust it. It is also WAY TO LOUD to sleep with. We just warm up the trailer good before getting under the covers and leave the furnace set for 40 degrees or so.

Installing one of the CAT vented heaters would be the way to go.
Check these to photos out... No worries using these heater.


Of course there is another way that some are playing with being using your hot water as a source of heat.


Been some good results doing something like this as well..

Roy Ken

[popeyemth]

Not sure what the above posts are referring to but factory camper furnace/heaters are exhausted to the outside as evidenced by the vents that get hot outside.
We use an electric heater (when we have hookups, obviously ) that has a thermostat .
We set the 1500 watt electric heater thermo on 65 degrees and the factory camper heater on 60.
When pretty cold outside the electric cant keep up and the temp drops to 60 and the furnace comes on .
Both running together at 59 degrees they are quick to raise the temps and the furnace shuts off.
This has worked in our hybrid with tent ends open in mid 20 degree temps
Good Luck, Mike

[hilandfrog]

There are a number of safety features on furnaces that "GENERALLY" make them more of a pain in the ass th make work that not working correctly and causing a fire. That being said, if there are problems with CO2 most of the heaters haze zero safety in bad gas. older campers also didn't come with a co2 monitoring system.... install one.
I too use a Mr heater, but I do not sleep with it on. I'd be really happy with a wave6.. still not sure I'd ever feel comfortable sleeping with it on, without proper venting.. whats the point of opening a window and letting the snow blow in to run the heater.

To each their own and CHANCES are you'll never have a problem, how does the lottery phrase it... you don't play you can't win;

"Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to CO poisoning. Fatality is highest among Americans 65 and older.Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to CO poisoning. Fatality is highest among Americans 65 and older."

http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm


Have fun, go shopping for a warmer sleeping bag or even better both a new bag AND a 12Volt heated mattress pad, ABSOLUTELY the best thing ever on ski trips/ cold WX camping.
Paiger loves it anytime of the year, and we now have one at home 120V version for our bed, it comes with 2 sides 10 position of heat and when used with a timer....
I only wish it had a cooling setting for summer use:)

Repo

[SWD]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I would never use an unvented combustion heater in an enclosed space. Take the risk if you wish--but I will not be joining you in the coffin. Others will weigh in and tell you it is safe.

I second this.....Pianotuna is speaking from personal experience.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I would never use an unvented combustion heater in an enclosed space. Take the risk if you wish--but I will not be joining you in the coffin. Others will weigh in and tell you it is safe.