Mr Buddy heat exchanger

[AquaticsLive]

I wonder if anyone has tried building some type of heat exchanger to go above the Mr Buddy heater. 

Well, an idea I had today was if I put an old oil filled radiant heater with the electric pieces removed about a foot above the Mr buddy heater it could absorb some of the heat holding releasing it slowly lower in the van.  It always feels like the roof is super hot but the bottom half of the van is cold so trying to figure out a good way to get the heat down lower.

 

[tx2sturgis]

A small fan would do what you need. A lot simpler and cheaper too!

 

[John61CT]

A heat exchanger as such starts with hot liquid, then transfers to air like a radiator, or another liquid like a HWS.

Any thermal mass like a big hunk of cast iron, or a large dense stone or ceramic block, works just like a liquid would, buffering between the heat source going off, continuing to radiate heat at a slower rate but long after.

Same principle behins passive solar.

Problem in a mobile setting is I don't think there is any lightweight material with that property.

So using something you plan to carry anyway is a great idea - hence the big cast iron cookware idea.

 

[AquaticsLive]

A heat exchanger as such starts with hot liquid, then transfers to air like a radiator, or another liquid like a HWS.

Any thermal mass like a big hunk of cast iron, or a large dense stone or ceramic block, works just like a liquid would, buffering between the heat source going off, continuing to radiate heat at a slower rate but long after.

Same principle behins passive solar.

Problem in a mobile setting is I don't think there is any lightweight material with that property.

So using something you plan to carry anyway is a great idea - hence the big cast iron cookware idea.

Thanks that makes sense. Sounds safer too.  I had just thought of the oil filled radiator because saw one for free on craigslist.  

Using a little metal rack for cookware right above heater may work nice and then put a small fan near them to circulate the air.  Mostly passive when I don't want to run the fan.

 

[John61CT]

Water bottle for the bottom of the sleeping bag works great too.

Also very nice to be able to crank the heater up without getting out in the morning.

On a timer even better

 

[Kia girl]

Water bottle for the bottom of the sleeping bag works great too.

Also very nice to be able to crank the heater up without getting out in the morning.

On a timer even better

How does the water bottle work? Do you heat it up and then just put it in the sleeping bag with you? I hear that a lot about the water bottle but haven’t seen anything really on it about how it works.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[highdesertranger]

put hot water in a sealed container and put it in the foot of your bed. make sure the container doesn't leak and can handle the hot water. be careful if the water is to hot. highdesertranger

 

[John61CT]

Just fill up with hot water, pop it down to your feet and Bob's yer uncle!

The real ones are made of a floppy rubber, lies flat, has ribs to dissapate the heat a bit so you don't scorch yourself. Or wrap it in a flannel.

Buy at Wally's or your neighborhood pharmacy