right heater for a 6x12 cargo trailer

[SoulRaven]

Hey fellow CRVLer's , 

I'm should finish getting my Fan-tastic Vent put in tomorrow.  So, I'll be looking at putting some heat in my trailer. 
I have a 6x12 trailer, am used to sleeping in there without heat, but have not had to go below 35 degrees or so. 

I hear all kinds of good things about Mr Buddy, I wonder if anyone has any recommendations on what the right size will be.  I don't PLAN on staying anywhere that regularly goes into single digits, but then, you know what they say about Man and his planning. 

If this is too vague a question, I'll try to fine-tune it.  I just don't want to go for overkill.   

Thanks in advance,

Pat

 

[Almost There]

Mr. Buddy would be about the right size for the cargo trailer.

It works just fine for my high top van. We're probably looking at about the same cubic feet of air space.

 

[SoulRaven]

Mr. Buddy would be about the right size for the cargo trailer.

It works just fine for my high top van. We're probably looking at about the same cubic feet of air space.

It's good to know there's a camo version, in case I want to go stealth camping!  

Yuk Yuk

BTW, thanks Almost There. 

Pat

 

[John61CT]

Be sure to have some ventilation going while any propane is burning in your living space.

A good CO / gas detector also a wise investment.

 

[dr_nelson]

I have read that the Olympian Wave 3 heaters add less moisture to the living area than a Buddy Heater.
[img=214x206]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/717p7gn08TL._SL1050_.jpg[/img]
It also seems they are a little less bulky, and not sure if strong enough for your trailer. They're definitely more expensive; $250 and up on amazon.

A CO-detector is a "must" investment, IMHO.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have read that the Olympian Wave 3 heaters add less moisture to the living area than a Buddy Heater.
 . . .
A CO-detector is a "must" investment, IMHO.

Burning 1 lb of propane produces 1.64 pounds of water vapor.  Since they both exhaust into the living space, it should be the same for both.

+1 on CO detector.

 -- Spiff

 

[bullfrog]

My trailer is 6'8" wide by 8' long by 6' high with 1" of foam insulation. It was air tight but I added two 14" vents in front and back and needed to run a Ryobi fan to circulate air as temp would 90 degrees on the ceiling and 50 degrees on the floor. With two people and a buddy heater condensation was also a problem until we started using the fan, after that not so much. The safety features of the Buddy heater I am sure saved our lives a few times as we learned how much ventilation was needed but kept it from working when in elevations above 7,000' so we will now probably get a Wave III as we feel we can safely vent it properly. I have now made the trailer 4' longer and have no doubt I can heat it, but a good way to test out how much heater you need is to plug in a 120 volt ceramic heater on high (1500 watts ) seem to be about the same as the Buddy on high with the Ryobi fan and ventilation in my trailer in my opinion. Venting brings in a lot of cold in temps below 40 degrees. Again I highly recommend the Buddy starting out.

 

[skyl4rk]

A vented heater is better if you will be heating for long periods of time, or in humid conditions.
http://dickinsonmarine.com/product/newport-p9000-propane-fireplace/

 

[SoulRaven]

Be sure to have some ventilation going while any propane is burning in your living space.

A good CO / gas detector also a wise investment.

I totally agree.  Hence my comment regarding waiting for my Fan-tastic vent to be installed. 

I also have a CO alarm waiting to be installed.  

Thanks, 

Pat

 

[SoulRaven]

A vented heater is better if you will be heating for long periods of time, or in humid conditions.
http://dickinsonmarine.com/product/newport-p9000-propane-fireplace/

Nice.  I hope I won't NEED to heat for long periods of time!  

But who knows?  In any case, I don't PLAN to .... staying in "warm enough" climates are my choice, in general. 

We'll see.  I have a campground host job in Inyo National Forest, at 10k feet.  I may have to take out a loan to get one of those Newport heaters.  I like the idea of a vented heater. 

Thanks,

Pat

 

[John61CT]

If you're going to spend $$$, check out Webasto, Espar and Propex. MUCH more efficient.

 

[bullfrog]

Lack of oxygen is a serious problem as well as condensation, but as most trailers are not any where near air tight and externally vented heaters are not only expensive, loud, and with blowers power pigs. They require lots of solar and propane. Wave III will work above 7,000' but Buddy won't just be sure to have plenty of ventilation and circulation. 120 volt heat is great but with out the grid, generators are noisy and in general a pain. A Wave III and solar to run a fan seems to be the best choice for extended boondocking in my opinion.

 

[skyl4rk]

The Dickinson propane heater uses no electricity. If you are boondocking in a dry area where it warms up during the day, a catalytic type is best. If it is humid and you need to heat 24 hours a day, a vented heater is best.

 

[highdesertranger]

remember at 10,000ft in the Sierras it can drop into the 20's any time of year. snow in July or August is not unheard of. a buddy heater will not work at 10k. highdesertranger

 

[skyl4rk]

Look on eBay for used sailboat heaters. I got a diesel heater for my sailboat for $400, including a lot of stovepipe and through-deck fitting. I think the propane type will be easier to use, but the diesel heaters are also good.

 

[SoulRaven]

remember at 10,000ft in the Sierras it can drop into the 20's any time of year.  snow in July or August is not unheard of.  a buddy heater will not work at 10k.  highdesertranger

Good point , HDR.  Thanks. 

Good thing I have a zero degree sleeping bag, several regular sleeping bags, and 2 dogs!  

20 degrees is cold.  

Pat

 

[John61CT]

Marine heaters won't have any altitude compensation obviously.

If you don't want to use any electricity, the catalytics like Olympic are nice and quiet, but make sure they don't get exposed to dust, keep things clen use the cover when not in use. If they get "poisoned", e.g. by boondocking in the desert, the pad replacement's almost as expen$ive as a new unit. Don't buy one secondhand over 20% new cost for that reason.

The much-higher output parking heaters I mentioned are very efficient in their electric usage, much more so than standard camper / RV brands. Many of them run outside, just vent the air into the living space.

And they can run off your engine fuel.

 

[skyl4rk]

The forced air Webasto type will have better comfort because the fan mixes the cold and hot air up. The vented space heater type (Dickinson) usually have a layer of hot air above the heater and cold air layer at your feet.

 

[Rainier70]

If you are thinking about the Dickinson, shop around.... the retailers are usually much cheaper, and some have good sales.  I don't know if this is the best current price. It is just an example.  http://www.go2marine.com/product/98...-propane-lpg-boat-heater-fireplace-p9000.html

Another option is a regular 12,000 btu rv furnace.  The downside to them is keeping enough battery power for the fan.  It just depends on if you leave it on thermostat control or turn it off at night etc. 

There are also fully vented propane heaters.

 

[jimindenver]

Pat

I haven't seen Willy in a while but he use to find and fix up old gravity feed furnaces from old RV's. It's what I would have wanted for the trailer before I set it up to not care if the furnace ran all night. I posted a link to a modern gravity feed furnace a while back, I'll have to find it. Vented, dry heat with no fan or noise controlled by a thermostat.