Camco Olympian Wave 3 Heater

[jacqueg]

I had a Wave 6 in my motorhome and that heater was almost never covered and lasted about 17 years. The heater was rarely exposed to direct wind blasts that would carry dust into the pad. For the last 2 or 3 seasons the heat output was a bit low, probably due to contamination from cooking vapors, dust and impurities in the propane, presumably, or maybe that is about the expected life of the pad.

Each of my 30+ yo Airstreams came with a Wave heater (approximately the size of the current Wave 6) installed as original equipment. Neither came with a cover. Both still worked fine, although I could see from the initial lighting pattern that the catalytic pad on one of them was no longer completely functional.

I do plan on making a cover for the Wave 3 I just ordered, and I also plan to not knock it about, but these things are not delicate flowers.

As for the install directions, all I will say is that my previous partner and I used a brand-new Wave 8 in his inadequately-furnaced house, hooked up to a 20 lb tank with hose and regulator, positioned on a brick fireplace hearth, and are both still alive to tell the tale. No doubt he chanted some kind of esoteric mantra as he hooked up the tank, and without that mantra we would surely have died.

 

[John61CT]

No mantra needed, just some air exchange with outside the space.

Very few older homes would need to crack a window.

Most vehicles, you should.

Sarcasm based on anecdotes don't help. Had a good friend die from CO, and it was in a tent.

 

[jacqueg]

No mantra needed, just some air exchange with outside the space.

Very few older homes would need to crack a window.

Most vehicles, you should.

Sarcasm based on anecdotes don't help. Had a good friend die from CO, and it was in a tent.

Not sure what you're talking about here. I was riffing on what Bob said in his recent video about cooking in a van - https://hooktube.com/watch?v=iPex8wJmO_A  at about 4:50.

I am sorry your friend died. The death of someone close always hits hard, and those of us who have lived through a few find that it never gets easier. But you can't reasonably expect a public discussion among a bunch of (mostly anonymous) strangers to be cognizant of all your sore spots.

 

[John61CT]

No. Fvck feelings of course.

My point was that the safety considerations should never be treated lightly in a public forum with potentially lazy noobs reading.

Even if one personally knows 9,999 people doing something risky without incident, full-timing for three decades.

does not mean the precautions should not be seriously repeated frequently to save the life of #10,000 in their fourth decade.

 

[jacqueg]

No. Fvck feelings of course.

My point was that the safety considerations should never be treated lightly in a public forum with potentially lazy noobs reading.

Even if one personally knows 9,999 people doing something risky without incident, full-timing for three decades.

does not mean the precautions should not be seriously repeated frequently to save the life of #10,000 in their fourth decade.

Have a good Thanksgiving.

 

[popcorn2007]

Any comments on using a wave 6 in a cargo van? Or rather, do you run your wave 3 on high full time? At what point would the 3 fall short?
Any problems running a wave3 or 6 on low for long term? I would assume the mat wouldn't burn off the dust from the non running mat section.

 

[RogerD]

Any comments on using a wave 6 in a cargo van? Or rather, do you run your wave 3 on high full time? At what point would the 3 fall short?
Any problems running a wave3 or 6 on low for long term? I would assume the mat wouldn't burn off the dust from the non running mat section.

I just got a wave 3 for my extended van. So I can't say.

What I do know is that it doesn't do jack if you don't insulate well.

I'm in FL and have been waiting for cooler weather to start building it out. So I just started insulating it today. Last week there were 2 nights in the low 40's and I had it on high all night and it barely raised the temp.

The second night I tried running the wave 3 and a Colman single burner stove and it was still cold as crap.

At the end of next week, it's supposed to be like that again and will see how it does with the insulation up.

I have to say, I'm wondering if a propane hot air furnace wouldn't be the better choice.  It would have a thermostat and turn on/off as needed and you could run it without any worries / venting.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSO2QL2

But which is more economical long-term???

 

[John61CT]

Traditional US RV furnaces are **very** inefficient, of both electricity and propane.

Propex HS2211 much better, can mount outside.

Espar / Webasto style parking heaters as well, burn your engine's fuel, very efficient,

 

[John61CT]

Example of likely very good value, if diesel

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70701

 

[regis101]

Something doesn't seem right RogerD.  Fuel delivery maybe.  One time the backyard BBQ grill wasn't functioning properly. Found out I didn't have the tank connection installed properly.
Low 40's with 3k btu's should be comfy.  Not gonna be a sauna but should be comfy.  
Perhaps you expected too much from that style of heater.  
Like most heating systems, it takes time to heat everything , i.e. furniture, walls, linen,

 

[RogerD]

Something doesn't seem right RogerD.  Fuel delivery maybe.  One time the backyard BBQ grill wasn't functioning properly.  Found out I didn't have the tank connection installed properly.
Low 40's with 3k btu's should be comfy.  Not gonna be a sauna but should be comfy.  
Perhaps you expected too much from that style of heater.  
Like most heating systems, it takes time to heat everything , i.e. furniture, walls, linen,

Everything is brand new ... wave 3, hose / regulator and tank.

I ran it on high for like 6 hours and it was cold the entire time!!!

I had zero insulation and is the only thing I can think was the problem.

The second night I also tried running a single burner Coleman stove and it puts out some heat and same results.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I had zero insulation and is the only thing I can think was the problem.

Yeah that could be the problem. (duh)

3000 BTU is about half the amount of heat put out by the typical electric space heater that is often used in homes.

If your van is poorly insulated and possibly drafty, to the extent that even a plug-in space heater at about 5100 BTU would not be able to keep it comfy, then yes, you need insulation.

 

[regis101]

Hopefully youre not a victim as this guy was.  



Here's another review with the Wave 6. About the 5 min mark he states that these things have radiant heat. Helpful info

 

[John61CT]

Yes with good enough insulation

not just thick R-value, but a tight vapor-barrier seal against air infiltration, no thermal bridging etc

a very small amount of energy input can keep you toasty.

With none you might go through a bbq bottle every few days.

 

[tx2sturgis]

With none you might go through a bbq bottle every few days.

But not with a Wave 3, assuming you mean a standard 20# 'bbq' size tank.

The Wave 3 on high setting is rated at about 1/8th pound of propane per hour. 

So, for each night, about one pound consumed for 8 hours use.

A full 20# propane tank should yield about 20 nights of use at high setting (or about 35-40 nights of use on low setting). At normal exchange rates, that's about a dollar per night for heating on high setting.

Of course, running it on high for 24 hours a day will increase the use to 3 pounds per day, meaning the tank will run out in about 6 or 7 days, if it actually has 20 pounds, but most exchange tanks contain less than 20 pounds.

 

[John61CT]

no I meant with a heater capable of keeping such a space warm, like Buddy

 

[Weight]

The heater will not use more gas per hour just because it can't keep the space at 70F.

 

[John61CT]

My point is that the Wave is not working in that space due to lack of insulation, so the fuel it's burning is pretty much 100% wasted.

So a higher-powered heater like the Buddy is required for now.

Then, insulating the space well will perhaps allow the Wave to become effective, maybe Buddy to raise the temp, then the Wave alone to maintain it. Or in milder ambient and some patience, perhaps the Wave can work alone.

In either case the insulation will greatly reduce the fuel required per day / week for a given level of comfort.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Then, insulating the space well will perhaps allow the Wave to become effective, maybe Buddy to raise the temp, then the Wave alone to maintain it. Or in milder ambient and some patience, perhaps the Wave can work alone.

Or, simply use the van's engine and dash heating to raise the interior temps, either idling for 15 minutes, or driving to the campsite or overnight location. Once everything is shut down, fire up the Wave 3.

Thats what I used to do.

 

[Scout]

One night it was 19F and I used my wave 3 without warming the van up first. My feet were cold but I was also sleeping in shorts and a hoodie and I only used a thin fleece blanket. Later in the night I added a slightly thicker blanket.
My windows had a single layer of reflectix and I have 1 3/4" foam board on the walls and 1 1/4" on the ceiling. I also have 1/2" on the floor but I don't see that helping too much.
It wasn't unbearable and if I added wool socks and my sleeping bag it would have been better. I have since added thicker window covers like Luis from Rolling Earth Ship. 
Most times I the van would be warmed through the dash heater before parking but I definitely felt a difference just running the wave 3.
I have a wool blanket for the bulkhead and when I entered the cab in the morning it was easy to tell the difference in temperature.