Heating Your RV for CHEAP

[gcal]

Go to Living Free's YouTube channel and watch his above titled video. Of course, you will need a safe, secure place you can have an open flame. You may want to play around with various tweaks that make it work for you. You are not going to bring the inside up to 75 degrees if it is below freezing outside, but you can make yourself a lot more comfortable. We have an area in our RV that always stays cold. I might try this, there.

If someone has a chance, can you post a link? I am on my tablet because my computer is under the bed, and we know how that goes.

 

[VJG1977]

Go to Living Free's YouTube channel and watch his above titled video. Of course, you will need a safe, secure place you can have an open flame. You may want to play around with various tweaks that make it work for you. You are not going to bring the inside up to 75 degrees if it is below freezing outside, but you can make yourself a lot more comfortable. We have an area in our RV that always stays cold. I might try this, there.

If someone has a chance, can you post a link? I am on my tablet because my computer is under the bed, and we know how that goes.

13:47 minutes  clay pots and tea light candles.

Been a few threads on this topic before.

Flower pot heater test
Candle heating a van... Check my math?
Thread Modes Warning: Clay pot Candle heaters potentially dangerous.

 

[GotSmart]

HMMM  

An open flame in an RV.  What could go wrong.   :huh:

On my last run it got down to 15*.  Two blankets and a cat kept me warm enough.  

I have only used the Mr Buddy twice in 2 years.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

A clay pot on a propane stove will put off some good heat.

 

[gcal]

HMMM  

An open flame in an RV.  What could go wrong.   :huh:

On my last run it got down to 15*.  Two blankets and a cat kept me warm enough.  

I have only used the Mr Buddy twice in 2 years.

With your cat, all kinds of things can go wrong. Cats are curious and can jump up everywhere. No place would be safe for an open flame.

 

[gcal]

13:47 minutes  clay pots and tea light candles.

Been a few threads on this topic before.

Flower pot heater test
Candle heating a van... Check my math?
Thread Modes Warning: Clay pot Candle heaters potentially dangerous.

Thanks. I am going to check out the previous threads. We have an area in the RV where DH likes to sit to watch th that always stays cold. May not do this while asleep, but might do it while we are awake.

 

[Sameer]

I see this thread the beginning of every Winter...alternate ways to keep the van warm. Luckily we all have ways to stay away of the really cold weather...wheels! However, safety is most important. A Buddy Heater with the proper hose, filter and bulk tank can solve all the problems necessary when you wake up in the morning and the low temperature is 31 degrees. Even here in the Southern desert the lows range from 50 degrees to 30 degrees depending which kind of weather front is traveling thru your area. Sometimes you need 'REAL HEAT' to be comfortable...and why not be comfortable and kick-back during a cold front moving thru and be toasty warm. Listen to music, read, or even TV. Candles put out questionable fumes that might not be healthy and may cause other issues. Sometimes a good investment in a product that can do the job in any weather is a good idea. "Everyone must do what works for them!"
Cost: I fill my tank about every month and half for 12 bucks during the Winter....every couple of months or longer for Summer. I think it costs me 3 bucks a month to stay toasty warm when necessary.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I totally agree with Sameer when it comes to my own comfort. 
I'm very much underweight and get cold easily, yet I refuse to huddle under blankets when I can kick back in shirt sleeves while its chilly outside.  

If the candle trick worked almost every vandweller I know would be doing it.

 

[dhawktx]

I read a blog post that evaluated the max possible BTUs from the candle and the result was 'it might save you from freezing to death in the Apocalypse, but you're not going to get comfy warm from it.'

 

[GotSmart]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]An open flame in an RV.  What could go wrong.   [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]On my last run it got down to 15*.  Two blankets and a cat kept me warm enough.  [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I have only used the Mr Buddy twice in 2 years.

[/font]

gcal
With your cat, all kinds of things can go wrong. Cats are curious and can jump up everywhere. No place would be safe for an open flame.

You seem to have missed the sarcasm.  

When it is cold, cat does not jump around.  It crawls under the blankets.  

No open flames because a van burns quickly.  :idea:

 

[buckwilk]

Sameer nailed it because he lives it. Get up in the morning and shiver or fire up some btus and be comfortable.

 

[Gigi]

I have done something very similar in a small area of my home. It works so well. The only thing I did differently was I used a metal mini loaf pan and put 4 tea lights in that and then covered that with pots. The tea-lights stay lit about 4 hours and it does take the chill out of the air. Hadn't thought of using it on the road! So glad you posted this.

Gigi

 

[gcal]

One of the most important things you can do is to find out how porous your unit is. We found this out while trying to deal with a vermin invasion. The area under our dashboard, how the firewall was installed and the wiring installed and all the extra unused holes punched in and not sealed, made the whole front like Swiss cheese. Anything could get in easily, including outside air. One result of sealing all those leaks and holes is that it is much easier to heat our RV than it was, before.

 

[rvpopeye]

I tried this last winter.
At 40* I used 3 bread pans and 3 clay pots with the bottom hole plugged up with tin foil ,on a cookie sheet on the stove top.
3 tea light candles in each bread pan.

It took the edge off but not super comfortable.

As it got colder , like 25-30 out I added candles till I was burning 6 in each bread pan.
Still just minimal heating though it did heat my hands if I put on gloves and held one of the clay pots.
It got to the point that I was burning them constantly..........

I have to say this about that...those little candles sure got expensive burning 18 at a time !!!
Plus they would frequently burn out as soon as the wax turned to liquid , the wick would fall over , guess quality control isn't so great in the 3rd world!

I gave up and just got a 20# propane tank and a $40 top mount heater (another story in itself) The propane didn't cost much more than the stupid candles !

This year I bought a Big Buddy and an extra tank ,,,never looked back , and sure don't want to ! Super happy with it and major comfy even at 10 below.
YUP YUP

 

[Konaexpress]

Having a background in this field I'm going to say don't, just don't......... You need much more thermal energy to do what you want to do.

John

 

[Spirituallifetime]

When heating a small space like a small RV or van propane heat is cheap compared to heating a s&b home. Get a buddy heater and be happy you are not paying $200 or more a month to heat a s&b home.

 

[gcal]

When heating a small space like a small RV or van propane heat is cheap compared to heating a s&b home. Get a buddy heater and be happy you are not paying $200 or more a month to heat a s&b home.

Wow. I would have been delighted to only pay $200 a month to heat or cool my old house. It wasn't a big house, either. But it was made of cinderblock and had virtually no insulation in the walls.

 

[MrNoodly]

Come to southern Arizona right now and have your vehicle heated totally free by Nature.

 

[gcal]

Come to southern Arizona right now and have your vehicle heated totally free by Nature.

We spent last winter in AZ. We had some nippy days and nights there, too. Even had snow and chilly rain. You get what you get and you need to prepare for it.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Wow. I would have been delighted to only pay $200 a month to heat or cool my old house. It wasn't a big house, either. But it was made of cinderblock and had virtually no insulation in the walls.

You'er right, my other half had someone drop off an old moble home on our property it cost $175 for electric and $200 for propane to heat it this winter. Wish I was back in the fith wheel it was about half that to heat.