A high quality 12v heater

[o3dave]

Hi, I'm trying to find a high quality 12 volt stand alone heater to use to heat my cargo trailer. I imagine a ceramic 300 to 500 watt unit will work. After searching the web there does not seem to be a large selection and what is out there all have horrible reviews.
I currently have a propane big buddy setup and a 1500 watt 110v that I use plugged into my invertor which wont run all night long. If you have experience with any, please pass it along. Perhaps I should be looking at a wall mounted RV unit also.
Dave

 

[GotSmart]

Electric 12V heaters are power hogs.  That is why you do not find any with good reviews.

 

[SternWake]

I have a 200 watt lasko heater. Running it on my inverter with a full battery is a 19 amps draw and barely make a dent on my Vans internal temperatures.

My 90Ah battery could power it for about 2.5 hours before being depleted into the damaging area, and then recharging to 100%, even with an initial 40 amp current seeking and holding the correct absorption voltage applied, takes 5 to 6 hours. It cannot be accomplished any quicker, on any lead acid battery, no mattery how powerful the charging source might be.

Electric heat on battery power requires LOTS of battery capacity, and A ridiculous amount of recharging capacity. Without these two things, the batteries are doomed to early failure and inverter low voltage alarms will haunt your dreams for the rest of your life.

It can be done. But fossil fuel heating is many times more effective, once the CO / low O2 issue is neutralized.

 

[highdesertranger]

heating anything with electricity is very inefficient. weather 12v or 120v or 240v. highdesertranger

 

[o3dave]

Thanks for the reply SternWake. Perhaps my funds would be better spent on another propane tank. I have been awoken by that horrible noise you speak of. haha. I have 300ah and can charge with a generator or solar. I recently picked up a long hose to remote the large propane tank to the Coleman big buddy heater so I will continue down that avenue.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I do not know the dimensions of the interior of your trailer, but may I suggest the Little Buddy heater. With it's 3800 BTU heating it will easily heat a 100 sq foot space in a few minutes and not break the bank. Easy to find a place to store it too. $60, found at just about any Walmart.

The next step up (what I have) is the Mr Buddy Heater. It has two settings; 4,000 and 9,000 BTU of which it is the low setting that I used primarily in my van (92sq feet of interior space). The hi setting was just overkill, and I could not use it for long before it was too hot inside the van. It costs more, uses more propane, and is not as easy to find a place to store it in a small rig. I like it, but really I would recommend this for someone with a Class-C, not a van or small trailer.

Both are great options for a small price tag. 12v heaters are not going to do the job for you.

 

[bullfrog]

Propane freezes up above 7000' in cold weather. You don't want to be in Flagstaff Arizona the last of December without electricity and a ceramic heater!

 

[TMG51]

Propane freezes up above 7000' in cold weather.  You don't want to be in Flagstaff Arizona the last of December without electricity and a ceramic heater!

I'd take a coal stove over electric.

OP, find a heater without electric draw, there are many examples... Little Buddy, Olympian Wave....