Camco Olympian Wave 3 Heater

[66788]

HDR, it is located on page 3 at the bottom left.  Here is a link: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/955013/Camco-Olympian-Wave3.html?page=3#manual

Edit to add:  I think this is more for a fixed residential setup where the supply line is never disconnected.  I could be wrong though (and sometimes I am).

I've been using the Wave 3 for 3 winters now, all nigh long down to 10 degrees, with just a simple connection to the input from a 20 pound tank.  No problems so far.

 

[B and C]

Hopefully you are using a CO and Propane detector.

 

[zardac]

I thought I'd let people know the Camco Olympian Wave 3 Heater is currently priced at $180.00 (with free delivery) at Walmart.

I've been comfortable sleeping in single degree temperature, but I dread the long morning voyage from warm bed to the ignition to start the engine for heat.
I just ordered one of these heaters... so yup, I'm a wuss (albeit a massively strong and virile wuss).

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks for the tip zardac. highdesertranger

 

[VanFan]

Can the Wave 3 be used with the small one pound propane bottles?  What kind of adapter would be needed?  Thanks!

 

[VanFan]

Never mind (and sorry).  I found the answer:  The Camco Olympian Wave 3 Catalytic Safety Heater for Small RVs # CAM57331 can be used with 1 lb disposable tanks when you use the Camco Low-Pressure LP Gas Regulator w/ 6' Long Hose # CAM57703 and adapter # 204132-MBS or # CAM59213.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yep, you need a regulator and keep in mind that a 1 pound bottle will be emptied in a few hours...maybe 5-6 hours on high, or about twice that long on low.

 

[highdesertranger]

boy that's going to get expensive. highdesertranger

 

[Tom_M]

I have no experience with a Wave heater, but I have a Buddy heater in my motorhome. I removed the regulator from the Buddy and plumbed it into my propane line. Here are some specs I found online comparing the Wave and Buddy:

Wave - 0.087 gph @8000 BTU - Walmart price: $280.00
Buddy - 0.079 gph @9000 BTU - Walmart price: $77.00

The Buddy is a ceramic heater and the Wave is a catalytic heater. Both require some ventilation mainly to vent moisture. Both have a tip-over safety valve. The Buddy has an oxygen sensor and will shut down if oxygen level gets too low. As far as I can tell, the Wave does not have an oxygen sensor.

I have had my Buddy for 8 years and the only maintenance required was this year to clean out the pilot orifice.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

No. **** feelings of course.

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.

I totally agree.
That is why a lot of RV people now employ a bunk heater instead of propane.
Obtain fuel in MANY more places. Right at the pump...and even easier to use.
No "flash fire" fuel inside the van. (Diesel does not burn when touched to flame like gasoline/propane/kerosene.)
No risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. (It pulls outside air into a metal chamber for combustion.)
No hoses/tanks with pressurized gas running through them.
Cheaper and less room required inside the vehicle.
Far less "inside raining/dew drips" or the need to open windows to combat it.
They even come with good thermostats now.

5 pages of thread and not even so much as a "hey, some people talk about the inexpensive bunk heaters, now available with tank and all for under 200 dollars...you may want to look into those also???" (Did I miss a mention of it?)

 

[MotorVation]

I have no experience with a Wave heater, but I have a Buddy heater in my motorhome. I removed the regulator from the Buddy and plumbed it into my propane line. Here are some specs I found online comparing the Wave and Buddy:

Wave - 0.087 gph @8000 BTU - Walmart price: $280.00
Buddy - 0.079 gph @9000 BTU - Walmart price: $77.00

This thread is about the Wave 3 not the Wave 8.

The Wave 3 will run for almost 300 hours on low on 20lbs of propane. The OP was letting people know they were on sale. It uses 1/8 lb of propane per hour on high, 1/15th lb per hour on low.

 

[jacqueg]

5 pages of thread and not even so much as a "hey, some people talk about the inexpensive bunk heaters, now available with tank and all for under 200 dollars...you may want to look into those also???" (Did I miss a mention of it?)

Didn't know there was such a thing.

Can you start a thread about them?

 

[Tom_M]

This thread is about the Wave 3 not the Wave 8.

The Wave 3 will run for almost 300 hours on low on 20lbs of propane. The OP was letting people know they were on sale. It uses 1/8 lb of propane per hour on high, 1/15th lb per hour on low.

My intent was to show that there is a much cheaper alternative to the Wave. Here's a comparison for the Wave 3 vs the Little Buddy.

Wave 3 - 0.032 gph @3000 BTU - Walmart price: $170.55
Little Buddy - 0.042 gph @3800 BTU - Walmart price: $63.00

 

[tx2sturgis]

The infra-red heaters like the buddies are cheaper because they don't use platinum to 'catalize' the propane and create heat as a 'by-product'.

Buddy heaters burn propane directly, at a higher temp, and create more CO (carbon monoxide) and also, they tend to be too powerful in most vans, with no LOW setting, so you will be turning them on and off a lot.

The Wave 3 costs more because it is a better, safer, heater. I had one for 17 years in my old Class A, and I often see youtube videos with the owners of buddy heaters complaining of too high heat levels, and having to replace them every few years.

They are probably fine for the occasional hunting trip in a large tent...but a less-than-ideal choice for vehicle dwellers.

 

[highdesertranger]

the Wave is a catalytic heater the Buddy is a ceramic heater. while they are both heaters the similarities end there. highdesertranger

 

[Tom_M]

The infra-red heaters like the buddies are cheaper because they don't use platinum to 'catalize' the propane and create heat as a 'by-product'.

Buddy heaters burn propane directly, at a higher temp, and create more CO (carbon monoxide) and also, they tend to be too powerful in most vans, with no LOW setting, so you will be turning them on and off a lot.

The Wave 3 costs more because it is a better, safer, heater. I had one for 17 years in my old Class A, and I often see youtube videos with the owners of buddy heaters complaining of too high heat levels, and having to replace them every few years.

They are probably fine for the occasional hunting trip in a large tent...but a less-than-ideal choice for vehicle dwellers.

I have no experience with a Little Buddy but I have a standard Buddy that I've used for 9 years. It has served me well. I have a CO detector with a display and it has never gone above zero when using my Buddy.

Quote from the Buddy manual:

"This heater is safe for indoor use in small recreational enclosures having means of providing combustion air and ventilation, such as enclosed porches, cabins, fishing huts, trailers, tent trailers, tents, truck caps and vans."

The Little Buddy has no adjustable output. The Buddy has a high/low setting. If it's important to have a lower setting, by all means spend the extra 100 bucks for the Wave 3. Both the Wave and Buddy need ventilation to prevent oxygen starvation and to vent moisture. One thing that the Buddy has is an oxygen sensor that will shut down the heater if O2 gets too low. I have seen no mention of an O2 sensor for the Wave.

 

[tx2sturgis]

The Little Buddy has no adjustable output. The Buddy has a high/low setting. If it's important to have a lower setting, by all means spend the extra 100 bucks for the Wave 3. Both the Wave and Buddy need ventilation to prevent oxygen starvation and to vent moisture. One thing that the Buddy has is an oxygen sensor that will shut down the heater if O2 gets too low. I have seen no mention of an O2 sensor for the Wave.

This thread is about the Wave 3 (3000 BTU) with a heat maximum output comparable to the Little Buddy (3800 BTU) which is not adjustable down to 1600 BTU like the Wave 3. 

Comparing it to a 9000 BTU heater (with 9000 high, 4000 low) seems off-the-mark. I'm sure those work fine in larger living spaces when it's cold, and the Wave 3 might not do the job...but a Wave 6 or Wave 8 might work fine there.

And, the Wave 3 will work reliably up to at least 10,000 feet. There are many reports of the ODS on the Buddy heaters not allowing use at that elevation, with some reports of them not working well above 7000 feet, the rating the company provides.

With any of these heaters, yes, you need fresh air and ventilation. 

If the Buddy works for you, great. For others, who want, or need, a really LOW output, and might be camping at higher elevations, the Wave 3 is a good choice.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Can you start a thread about them?

There are already several.
Search "Diesel Heater" right here.


https://www.amazon.com/Caravan-Moto...diesel+heater&qid=1557937046&s=gateway&sr=8-4
There are newer models, but ^^this^^ is basically one of three versions commonly available.

There are several vids out there about how they work on YT.
They have been keeping truckers warm for decades and the design is beyond proven.
Think of that heater like a miniature jet engine but designed to blow heat instead of thrust.
That's pretty much what it is.

 

[highdesertranger]

"I have a CO detector with a display and it has never gone above zero when using my Buddy."

you better check that detector. basically what you posted defies the laws of physics. now if you are using it outside I could understand this but in an enclosed space even with adequate ventilation it should still register something. not zero.

highdesertranger

 

[Tom_M]

"I have a CO detector with a display and it has never gone above zero when using my Buddy."

you better check that detector.  basically what you posted defies the laws of physics.  now if you are using it outside I could understand this but in an enclosed space even with adequate ventilation it should still register something.  not zero.

highdesertranger

I don't know what the resolution of it is or what the alarm level is, but it occasionally will display a number when I use my cooktop. The fact is that when a portable unvented heater is used "properly" there is no or very little danger of CO poisoning. This is  true for ceramic or catalytic. If people were dying, sales of these units would cease immediately.