Electric heater suggestions

[WQTraveller]

First off, I'm not a nomad and am using my van at least initially to do what I used to do in my tent trailer.  As I get a little more comfortable with boondocking and my working life winds down, I'll get a little more nomadic.  Anyhow, we'll start with public campgrounds.

Up here in Ontario and Quebec nights can get chilly in May and October. I'd like to pack some heat for the edges of the season.  Since we're in a humid part of the world and my mini van is going to remain stock more or less, ventilation and humidity will be issues. As great as catalytic heaters are, I don't want to introduce more humidity. An electric heater fits my needs and can be used in the house when not needed in the van.

How much power would I need to heat up a Grand Caravan from 0°C/32°F to about 18°C/65°F?  What's an ideal type? Ceramic, oil-based rad etc?

 

[MrAlvinDude]

Hmmm...  heat (and energy) is a very interesting thing. Because it takes a LOT of energy, to produce any kind of heat.

Further, the amount of heat/energy that you would need, to raise the temperature, inside any box (or vehicle) is very much dependent on how much that actually escapes the 'box' (through the walls).

For an example of the difference between insulated and uninsulated:
I once bought a brick house.
Uninsulated it would cost me about $2000 a month to keep it warm during one winter month (Average winter month temperature is about 3*C where I live).
Insulated, I heated the house, ALL year, for about $1100 a year.



But to give you an idea, then look at how people are using those 2000W diesel hot-air heaters. And look at situations (outside temperaturs/lack of insulation), where they can barely reach the temperatures that they want, inside their 'box' (vehicle).


Or in other words, you will very likely need between 1000W to 3000W continues, in order to keep an uninsulated box the size of a van (or Grand Caravan) heated.



Some comparisons of numbers.

1000W is an equivalent of about 3500 BTU

1000W at 12V needs 83Ah (an hour)  - so imagine the size of battery you need, if you are going to use that kind of energy for 5-20 hours a day.


Here is a list of BTU units in different types of burnable things
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/energy-content-d_868.html



So, if you want to keep an uninsulated  Grand Caravan at some level of warmer that outside temperatures, you may be able to get away with a 1000W electric heater. 
I do however not have any specific numbers of inside temperatures to give you. There are simply too many unknows, of how much heat will escape through windows and walls. 

But you may be lucky enough, that 1000W is able to raise the inside temperature, the 18*C that you are aiming for. Maybe.
I do however expect that you will need to do some level of minimum (removable) isolation to windows, and possibly use a thick curtain to limit the size of the space that you heat.

 

[WQTraveller]

Thanks. I'll have a look for 110 Volt heaters in the 1000 Watt range. I heat my house with electric. I should have looked at the capacity of the baseboard heater in one of the tiny rooms.  

I wouldn't dare use electric heat with battery. My interest in the heater is just for the times that I'm at a campground on an electric site.  Even at that, it would just be for the first and last month of the camping season. Generally when I camp, I use battery for most appliances except stove and cooler and I stay out of excessively hot areas. As I move on with using my van as a camper, I will get tempted to make changes.

You did give me more to think about.  My home is insulated. The van isn't. I'll also be losing heat through the windows. It's amazing what you have to consider for basic, er comfortable living. My threshold for overnight lows when tent camping was 5°C/40°F. I didn't love it, but those temps wouldn't prevent me from being outdoors.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I can heat a 8' X 7' [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif](poorly insulated) [/font]camper with a 1500W ceramic heater down to about 20ºF.  I need a fan to circulate the air, otherwise I get 78º at the ceiling and 40º at the floor.
I can't run a fan over 200W and a 1500W heater on the same 15A (115V) circuit.

 

[bullfrog]

We live in an old 28’ motor home in a full hook up site sometimes in the winter that gets well below freezing. We use 3 1500 watt ceramic heaters and stay comfortable (72 degrees Fahrenheit) easily at half the temperature setting on the heaters. I have an 80”x80”x72” well insulated camper with no windows that gets hot (85 degrees Fahrenheit) with one 750 watt ceramic heater after a few hours. I use a Ryobi 18 volt battery operated fan to circulate the air as well. How well you can insulate the windows and door seals will most likely be the determining factor. My guess would be around 1500 watts but you might be better running two at 750 watts to help distribute the heat. If not on the grid you are probably looking a running at least a 2000 watt generator.

 

[tx2sturgis]

If you have shorepower electricity, then a 750-1500 watt heater will bring you about as much heat as you will need. But there is more to this than just heat...there is cost, noise, safety, convenience, and durability. You will probably find that the really cheapo space heaters are noisy and sometimes, not very safe. 

You may have to spend a bit more for a nice one that is safe. Definitely avoid the cheap space heaters that have the glowing wires or ribbons and a cheap noisy rattling fan. 

One of the basic problems is that many of the cheap space heaters cycle on and off to maintain a somewhat steady temperature, but the noise of the fan going on and off in a small area such as van can impact your sleep. 

What I use in my small camper when hooked up to shore power is a couple of the Amazon Basics 500 watt Ceramic heaters. They have NO thermostat...and they use a computer type muffin fan.

They are fairly quiet and they don't cycle on and off, and they easily pack away when not needed. I turn one on if I need a small amount of heat, or I turn both on if I need more heat. I fabbed up a mounting bracket and mounted mine on the walls....they look like speakers!

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...ca-403a-923c-8152c45485fe&tag=mlbonsitepub-20



But they work really well. 

And as HDR likes to remind folks, you also need to have a really good sleeping bag to withstand some cold temps if your heat source fails.

 

[JamesAdam]

Amaze-Heater Plug-In Thermostat, $24.99 Plug your Electric Heater or AC into this and it shuts off the power supply to it when it reaches your desired temperature.

https://www.amazon.com/Amaze-Heater...t=&hvlocphy=9026542&hvtargid=pla-846626933461

 

[JamesAdam]

Comfort Glow BDISC6 Original Brown Box Ceramic Disc Heater 5,200 BTUs 400 - 1,500 watts with auto thermostat and fan.

https://www.wayfair.com/Comfort-Glo...ISC6-L997-K~CMG10006.html?refid=FR49-CMG10006 $110.44

https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Glow...r-5-200-BTUs/dp/B00JP4YCUG/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

Amaze-Heater Plug-In Thermostat, $24.99 Plug your Electric Heater or AC into this and it shuts off the power supply to it when it reaches your desired temperature.

https://www.amazon.com/Amaze-Heater...t=&hvlocphy=9026542&hvtargid=pla-846626933461

 

[JDelete]

If power isn't an issue, a 1500 watt oil filled heater is very quiet (If you get a good one). Most don't have a fan, however. But, if you set one of those heat activated fans on top of it, this should suffice. I am talking about those fans that many set on top of a wood stove like this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090K68PC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

a heater to represent what I refer to:
https://www.amazon.com/Thermostat-A...XSX9Z,B000FT1XZW,B08G4QN3F2&srpt=SPACE_HEATER

 

[JamesAdam]

This product is not compatible with the ceramic heater. It turns off the Heater, but it restarts on high. After several cycles it overheats and won't restart until it cools off.

The instructions say that it only works on heaters without moving parts. The ceramic heater uses a fan. I'm sending back to Amazon.

Not For Heaters with moving parts -
Amaze-Heater Plug-In Thermostat, $24.99 Plug your Electric Heater or AC into this and it shuts off the power supply to it when it reaches your desired temperature.

 

[JamesAdam]

Comfort Glow BDISC6 Original Brown Box Ceramic Disc Heater 5,200 BTUs 400 - 1,500 watts with auto thermostat and fan.

https://www.wayfair.com/Comfort-Glo...ISC6-L997-K~CMG10006.html?refid=FR49-CMG10006 $110.44

https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Glow...r-5-200-BTUs/dp/B00JP4YCUG/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

Amaze-Heater Plug-In Thermostat, $24.99 Plug your Electric Heater or AC into this and it shuts off the power supply to it when it reaches your desired temperature.

https://www.amazon.com/Amaze-Heater...t=&hvlocphy=9026542&hvtargid=pla-846626933461

If power isn't an issue, a 1500 watt oil filled heater is very quiet (If you get a good one).  Most don't have a fan, however.  But, if you set one of those heat activated fans on top of it, this should suffice.  I am talking about those fans that many set on top of a wood stove like this: 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090K68PC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

a heater to represent what I refer to:
https://www.amazon.com/Thermostat-A...XSX9Z,B000FT1XZW,B08G4QN3F2&srpt=SPACE_HEATER

I have used the Oil Filled Heaters at home before and they work very well.  Over time, they do leak.  I kept a Cookie Sheet under it.  When the leak, throw them away.
Before seasonal use, turn them upside down to let the oil flow to the top, then right side up.

 

[jacqueg]

A review - https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-space-heaters/

On Amazon, search "portable electric heater camping 500 watt" - lots of choices and user reviews

 

[Annieclover]

My Portable Electric Space Heater really works! I am so surprised at how hot this heater works I read some reviews that said not to purchase this for heating a full room but this thing packs a punch. I read the different suggestions on different sites and finally purchased this space heater unit from hvaclifehack. I use it to heat my toddler's room right before bed so we don't have to run the heat throughout the whole house and after about 25 minutes in their originally freezing cold 10x11 room it's toasty warm! After the room is heated up I unplug it and bring it into my living room so the kids don't play with it and the handle is great for transport. I plan to buy two more in the future, one for my living room/kitchen combo (14x16 + open concept 14x18 kitchen, takes about 45 minutes to heat it up) and another for the playroom (same size as bedroom, same time to heat it up).