Heating solutions

[Shoney]

Hello all,

I am converting a 1998 Ford Econoline E-150 cargo van and am feeling somewhat stumped on a solution for heat. I am starting with a 12v 100 ah battery. Are there any good 12v low wattage heaters anyone would recommend  that will be good enough to keep a 73*105 inch area warm if needed? The van will be insulated, and there are no windows besides the front.

Thanks again

 

[bullfrog]

Heating with 12 volt direct current is not very feasible with today’s technology. You would possibly be able to heat you mattress top but even that would require fairly large commitment to solar and cloudy days a generator as well as some very expensive batteries. A vented propane or diesel heater would be best in my opinion but most use a blower. The ones that don’t especially if you could find a miniature wood stove that could be converted to propane with no electrical powered fan is my dream solution.

 

[gslanm]

I've seen people use some mr buddy heater inside a van in videos, would that not work? Ventilation an issue with propane? I never thought of using propane mainly because I envision my van having poor ventilation in general and I'm kind of afraid of propane sources even if it's really viable over electric.

But I agree, even an electric heater on low setting would drain battery too fast. At least in the winter you can dress warm or use very high quality sleeping bags. In the summer not having an air conditioner is tougher and less easy to conceal or figure out.

 

[bullfrog]

Any unvented propane heater is going to need lots of ventilation not just to help you stay alive and well but also to dry out all the condensation it causes. A buddy heater is almost to hot for most people but does have some built in safety features. If all you are doing is getting rid of the morning chill Bob Wells just uses his cooking stove. He has several videos on keeping your van warm. Once you know how to stay alive using an unvented propane Buddy heater a smaller Camco Olympic heater which doesn’t have the safety features comes in a smaller size should the Buddy prove to hot or have problems. Both of these heaters being unvented can kill you and cause condensation which is why a vented heater would be my choice. There is one made in America used for ice fishing which is basically an air tight box with a gas grill burner inside with an inlet/exhaust pipe that if you could get it small enough would work well in my opinion. Air conditioning is strictly generator or grid power in my budget. A generator large enough to run an AC will easily power a ceramic heater for your van as well. Remember you need a good sleeping bag as it works as long as you keep it dry and never runs out of propane or gets plugged up.

 

[travelaround]

I have a buddy heater but don't use it. I'm used to the chill at night getting ready for bed or in the morning getting up. At night I'm warm under a pile of blankets. Daytimes I dress warmly and use the van heater or blankets, go inside buildings, etc. The buddy heater is a pain to use and not worth the bother in my opinion. Condensation,  ventilation on a very cold night, propane, co2 poisoning... are things I just don't want to deal with. It helps that I use a Cpap machine that delivers fresh air through a tube so I can get completely under my blankets to stay warm.. like being in a warm tent.

 

[maki2]

What works for keeping warm in winter for heating has been covered many, many times in various threads in this forum as well as on the cheapRVling youtube channel. I would suggest you go to that youtube channel and look through the list of subjects and watch the ones related to keeping warm in cold weather.

But basically you do not have enough electrical power to run any type of electrical heater a sufficient amount of time to keep your space warm.

 

[eDJ_]

These Chinese Diesel fuel heaters are making great gains with Van Nomads today.  They come in various heating capacities and are controlled by a small digital tablet which can serve as a thermostat
to maintain the temperature you want.  They run off 12 volt dc.  Some of the members here have them and love them.  They use very little fuel. The draw in outside air and heat it for a forced air delivery. The exhaust is vented to the outside and thru a muffler to reduce noise.

Here is a Youtube video link showing one as a demo.

Chinese Diesel fuel Heater

 

[bullfrog]

He only has 50 ah useable and no mention of any ancillary charging. Anything with a fan or pump is gonna kill the battery over night I believe.

 

[MrNoodly]

Bob has done several videos on the pros and cons of various heating methods. Here's a link.

https://www.youtube.com/c/CheapRVliving/search?query=heater

Like Bob, I avoid cold weather and use my single-burner stove when I need a little heat.

 

[highdesertranger]

heating anything with electricity is a poor choice. or should I say it's going to cost you a fortune. you don't notice in a house because electricity is so cheap but when are the power power company it's a whole different story. highdesertranger

 

[Gypsyjoe#1]

If your interested in the Chinese diesel heaters here is a link to 19 videos about all aspects of them the you might find a big help. I know I am considering one for my motorhome.

 

[Shoney]

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice so far. The only problem with propane heaters at the moment is that apart from a small vent fan towards the front, and the driver and passenger windows, there is no ventilation in the van at them moment. I plan to be south in a few weeks so I'm just researching heat solutions in the off chance I need them at night. Would a 12v mattress heating pad be a reasonable solution? The battery I'm using is LiFePO4 and should have 1200 watt hours, which I can charge directly with shore power or 100 watt 12v solar.

Thanks again

 

[maki2]

If your interested in the Chinese diesel heaters here is a link to 19 videos about all aspects of them the you might find a big help. I know I am considering one for my motorhome.

You forgot to add the link ?

 

[Camper]

https://www.youtube.com/user/johnmck1147/videos

Mod edit, the link takes you to a you tube page about those chinese diesel heaters. please include a description with your links.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

My current/last pickup thing I live in has a 200watt electric heater in the small rear insulated bed area. Running that on a thermostat set to 60 degrees f I could make it through a 40 degree f night. I have 300ah wet cell battery setup and 180watt solar on roof. So that's really only 150ah of battery usage and it barely made it through the night, sometimes not and inverter would cutoff from low voltage. Electric heat is a terrible option, don't do what I did. An electric blanket might be good though.

 

[MrNoodly]

...apart from a small vent fan towards the front, and the driver and passenger windows, there is no ventilation in the van at them moment. 

As Bob points out in one of his videos, the windows cracked open about a half inch gives you more square inches of ventilation than the heater's manufacturer requires.

 

[MrNoodly]

My current/last pickup thing I live in has a 200watt electric heater in the small rear insulated bed area. Running that on a thermostat set to 60 degrees f I could make it through a 40 degree f night.

Not to brag, but I can do a 40°F/4.4°C night without heat. I'm fine (not cheerful, but fine) with good bedding and a wool cap. My body is cranking out 98.6°F/37°C and I just need to capture some of it. Getting acclimated is part of the story, too. After a couple of years in the van I was at a campground where the vacationers were wearing parkas in 50°F/10C weather. I was in shirtsleeves.

 

[bullfrog]

Maybe someone that has used a 12 volt mattress heater will give some input but there is a thread if you search.

 

[gslanm]

Not to brag, but I can do a 40°F/4.4°C night without heat. I'm fine (not cheerful, but fine) with good bedding and a wool cap. My body is cranking out 98.6°F/37°C and I just need to capture some of it. Getting acclimated is part of the story, too. After a couple of years in the van I was at a campground where the vacationers were wearing parkas in 50°F/10C weather. I was in shirtsleeves.

I can't stand hot and humid weather personally. I imagine I would rather have a heater but with warm bedding and maybe an electric mattress/blanket I'd be content. There are also extremely warm sleeping bags that work.

 

[travelaround]

I bought a 12 volt "blanket" last year.. it was not large enough to do much more than help heat my other blankets before I got in them. It seemed that as time went on it became less effective. It survived the fire but I haven't taken it out to use yet this winter.