Hot Plate Heat

[GrayWhale]

When you're plugged in. Temperature was 34* outside, 39* in the van.  Hot plate on (medium) and on the floor, it raised the temps to 51*.  And it boiled a kettle of water in only a few minutes, and you can keep cooking whatever since it's always on for heat. Very small and compact. All settings registered at 742 watts.

Mine was from HorrorFreight ($12 on sale), but looks just like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Gracelove-Po...TF8&qid=1489679943&sr=1-10&keywords=HOT+PLATE

 

[lenny flank]

Alas, electricity is very inefficient when used for heating up an enclosed space. Even just cooking with it uses up a lot of power.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Kind of lacking in safety features, isn't it?  Pretty easy to start a fire if something flammable falls on it, I would think.

 

[GrayWhale]

Kind of lacking in safety features, isn't it?  Pretty easy to start a fire if something flammable falls on it, I would think.

True. I have a little metal mesh shelf that sits over it, but I need to look for something that's more encompassing.

 

[GrayWhale]

Alas, electricity is very inefficient when used for heating up an enclosed space. Even just cooking with it uses up a lot of power.

Yea, I wouldn't use it on battery power, only when plugged in. Even at its inefficiency, isn't it still cheaper than propane?

 

[John61CT]

Crikey, use the tool fit for purpose.

Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater

or old school 80's / 90's Pelonis Disc Furnace

Thermostat control, safety fuse, tipover switch, and VERY efficient.

 

[SternWake]

I have used my router speed controller on a 200 watt heater to lower output and reduce amp draw.


200 watts does not do much in my lightly insulated van, Seem to be able to maintain low 50's with mid 30s outside when plugged into grid.

Now a 1500 watt hair dryer, that can get it up in the 80's with mid 30 ambients. I have no hope of running that on battery power.

That 200 watt lasko heater on my inverter is 16 to 19 amps of load on my battery, so I rarely use it on battery power. When i do it is briefly under the covers with Knees tented.

 

[TMG51]

Crikey, use the tool fit for purpose.

Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater

or old school 80's / 90's Pelonis Disc Furnace

Thermostat control, safety fuse, tipover switch, and VERY efficient.

x2. Or those oil filled space heaters are good, but take up more space.

 

[John61CT]

Yah shore use only. Oil radiators are silent, and buffer, retain heat, which would be good if you found a small unit. I think make a regular one in a small insulated space would be too massive and too hard to regulate the space's temp.

These blower types have no mass, take up very little room and effectively stop producing when thermostat/air temp shuts off the element.

 

[lenny flank]

Yea, I wouldn't use it on battery power, only when plugged in. Even at its inefficiency, isn't it still cheaper than propane?

I don't use propane either. My preferred method of dealing with cold weather is to move south for the winter.  

My sleeping bags can handle any weather that I am likely to encounter.

 

[GrayWhale]

Crikey, use the tool fit for purpose.

Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater

or old school 80's / 90's Pelonis Disc Furnace

Thermostat control, safety fuse, tipover switch, and VERY efficient.

I like the idea of being able to cook and have constant boiling water while using the same electricity.

I have a Lasko ceramic at (1311w) that broke (also tall and somewhat big), but it didn't heat as well as this hot plate at (742w). My Presto Heat Dish (820w), seems to heat the best, but it is huge. Wasting a lot of space, especially if I also have a Mr Buddy.

The Hot Plate does have a thermostat type control, I think. It has warm, low, med, high and seems to cycles on and off based on the temperature.

 

[GrayWhale]

200 watts does not do much in my lightly insulated van, Seem to be able to maintain low 50's with mid 30s outside when plugged into grid.
 

That is amazing. I have this Lasko 200w also, and it's really good and really only uses like 197w. But it's only enough to keep my feet warm at work in a heated building. I can't imagine it doing anything in my stock insulated, conversion van with just Reflectic, spray painted black, on all the windows. That must have taken some serious insulation work on your van.

 

[jimindenver]

I have the Elite dual burner hot plate that I use the small side for cooking. It's 470w draw falls within my solar output for no loss to the battery. It has a thermal overload so something has to be on it or it will shut it self off.

I have the same 200w heater Sternwake has. It really doesn't do too much. I also have the nuair 400 watt oil filled heater and I think it would be a better choice in a van. It isn't big enough for my trailer but on a cold sunny day it keeps the furnace from running so much.

The thing that saves me the most propane is the 450w Hott rod I added to the hot water heater.

 

[John61CT]

have constant boiling water

Long as that water running down inside your sheet metal isn't rusting out your bodywork.

I shoot for dry heat in a van myself, saving my pennies for a Propex or Webasto/Espar one day. . .

 

[GrayWhale]

Long as that water running down inside your sheet metal isn't rusting out your bodywork.

I shoot for dry heat in a van myself, saving my pennies for a Propex or Webasto/Espar one day. . .

No, once it boils, I pour the boiling water into a thermos.

 

[jimindenver]

This is the 400 watt heater I speak of.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...r+AH-400+Low+Watt+Oil+Filled+Underdesk+Heater