Electric heating options?

[zuren]

I would be interested in hearing about everyone's experiences with different electric heat solutions in their RVs.

Currently I have 2 heating solutions for my van:

- If 120v is available - a small Honeywell space heater
- If I'm boondocking - a HeatMate 5200 alcohol marine stove/heater

Each has their place and neither is perfect:

- Space heater - LOUD!  The fan and heating element are all or nothing so the fan cycles on/off/on/off/etc. all night.  It keeps me awake so i can't use it in the van again.
- Alcohol heater - Silent but just barely takes the edge off during colder nights, pumps moisture into the coach, and won't last all night.

I do not love the idea of a catalytic style heater in my van.  We have a 2 year old (burn hazard) and I have a Mr. Heater "sunflower" heater that always makes my throat and sinuses raw when I'm around it (even when I use it in a garage with plenty of venting).  Right now, I'm just looking for a better heating solution when I have access to 120v.

Some solutions I'm considering:

Oil-filled radiant heat (this model seems cheap, small, and quiet) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...1_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FBGWEMW5GCS58YSNWERC
Mica panel heater (quiet but fairly large) - https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-HMP1500-Mica-Panel-Heater/dp/B005MMN75G
Better space heater (continuous fan setting would eliminate my on/off cycling issue) - https://www.amazon.com/Vornado-Vortex-Automatic-Climate-Control/dp/B000GLHVZA

I would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone using an oil-filled heater.

Thanks!

 

[anewbiewannabe]

It's not in an RV or van but I have 2 of the oil-filled radiant heaters.  One has a dial so will start back up if the power goes off---it's harder to get the right temperature with it.  The other has a digital control and does well for keeping the temperature in my 13x9 bathroom within a couple degrees of where it's set.  I like these heaters because they don't dry out my nasal linings like the fan style heaters do.  Because there isn't a fan the further you are from the heater the cooler it is so placement has to be figured out for best advantage.  For someone sensitive to the cycling of other electric heaters these could definitely be a way to go for 120v heaters.

ETA: I forgot. The dial controlled heater makes loud clicks when adjusting itself whereas the digital one is quiet.

 

[Vanholio]

I heat myself rather than the van. When it's really cold, I have a RoadPro 12v electric blanket that I run off my solar-charged battery bank. Usually I have it on top of the mattress and under me.

 

[ArtW]

I tried one of the oil filled heaters in my RV last winter and was not impressed, took forever to warm up, and all it heated was the space immediately around it
swapped it for a Red Stone Ceramic heater, much better
full disclosure though, fan noise does not bother me at all
IIRC fan ran continuous, but don't quote me on that, I haven't used it since maybe March (or maybe it was February)

 

[jimindenver]

The only time our trailer had electric we used a small bath heater sitting on the stove and left on low all night. It kept us comfy and the constant gentle hum was better than it cycling on and off.

I am a fan of oil filled heaters here at the house. Art is right in that they take a long time to affect a space just like the old radiators did. Let them get going for long term heat and one could run us out of the trailer. Three keeps out two story going when the furnace goes out. They are also bulky and the pint sized ones are lower wattage. I do like the silence except for the occasional click. That and the fact that they stay hot even when they cycle off.

I would consider this for me due to the size and the fact it will run while solar is at peak.

http://www.newair.com/products/AH-400/

For personal heat I run a small 200w to take the chill off the bathroom. I also have a 135w mat that goes under my chair. It gets hotter than the little heater and I get the direct benefit. ( does wonders for the feet) They don't really heat the trailer, the furnace still comes on but maybe not as often.

I have a cube ceramic heater that puts out good heat instantly but the fan doesn't throw it very far. Pretty noisy too.

 

[Matlock]

Just my 2¢ on heaters.
I've got a 20 yr old Oil-filled radiant heater. One Switch for 600 watt and a second one for 900 watt, 1500 w if you use both. Plus a dial 0-9 for heat range.
Last winter connected to shore power at 18-25* through the month of February. My box van, well insulated, stayed between 75 and 78* overnight using the 600 watt setting and the dial on 2.  I cracked open a floor vent for some fresh air through the night. No fans for these heaters. I'd shut it off around 5 AM because it was to warm inside to sleep.

The Buddy heater was used in January for 20 days in 20* temps. Heated ok but would probably work best in warmer ambient Temps and water vapor meant I needed to keep a fan going and a window open a 1/2".
An Olympic cat heater would probable work better as they are more efficient at burning all the propane. Again, I'm wintering in the NE so keeping all the heat in is a priority.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I am a fan of oil filled heaters here at the house. Art is right in that they take a long time to affect a space just like the old radiators did. Let them get going for long term heat and one could run us out of the trailer.

Add one or two of the small, quiet fans like the ones that SternWake uses would give enough air circulation to distribute the heat around a small space like a van.

 -- Spiff

 

[akrvbob]

I lived in an old Travel Trailer for a year in Anchorage, AK, it was routinely -30 that year, very cold year!

We could NOT keep that effr warm for anything at those temperatures--IMPOSSIBLE!

Then I remembered I had two, 500 watt heat lamps I had used to unthaw the holding tanks (I finally got everything thawed, turned off the water, and never used it again--strictly the Park bathhouse)

So I brought in the heat lamps, aimed them where my son and I sat, and we were as toasty and happy as could be!! They went off when we weren't home and at night, but so what, we didn't care. When you live in Alaska all your life, you know how to sleep warm at night no matter the weather.

They worked extremely well for me.

 

[SternWake]

I have(had) 3 electric heating options and all of them suck (amperage)

A 200 watt lasko heater on my 400 Watt inverter draws 19 amps when battery is still 12.6v+.

it is basically useless Unless I plug into the grid, and only then, when run cvontinuous, when I block off roof vents and block drivers passenger seats, can it maintain low 50's in high 30's ambient temperatures.

I have a 12v heating pad meant to be a seat warmer. it can draw 45 watts. It is nice, but only gets to 100F and cycles on and off in that range. Obbomed

https://www.amazon.com/ObboMed-SH-4...=UTF8&qid=1476518387&sr=8-49&keywords=obbomed

i used to have a electrowarmth twin mattress heating pad( 39" wide). This was nice but it could easily consume 40 Amp hours in 8 hours.

Anytime battery power is used to heat it uses a lot of battery and accomplishes very little. Make it count.

The mattress heating pad was luxury, Climbing into a 120F bed and then turning it off. It broke a few winters ago, i never replaced it.