Slept in 2006 Dodge Caravan Minivan WITH Diesel Heater - Nearly Froze

[B and C]

That is basically pressurizing the van and pushing out as much air as is coming in.

 

[PeterPiper]

That is basically pressurizing the van and pushing out as much air as is coming in.

Good point.
I did think about that.   I was thinking maybe the hot air was having trouble getting in due to back pressure?

 

[PeterPiper]

You're are not listening,

Get rid of the air mattress.
Get a better sleeping bag.

You need to be able to stay warm and comfortable WITHOUT an artificial heat source.  PERIOD

You need to do those two things before anything else

Highdesertranger

I was under the impression that sleeping bags get very damp inside due to perspiration?

I have to keep and use the Diesel heater for personal reasons....(other than the fact that I simply absolutely love it :thumbsup: )

However, I don't have a sleeping bag and it is good advice to have one that can keep me comfortable down to the lowest temps I might encounter
just in case the heater fails.

Thanks

 

[highdesertranger]

I never told you not to use the heater. I said I never would. I told you to be prepared in case the heater failed. I don't know where you got the info that sleeping bags get damp inside but that is simply not true. Highdesertranger

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I also think you should get a good sleeping bag I would spend a good amount on one if you plan on being in very cold areas. I have a vented propane heater and I shut it off at night, when I sleep even in below freezing temps, turn it on in the morning it warms up in minutes. I am a big believer in insulation, so insulating the floor and having a thick thermal curtain between the front and back as well as either thermal curtains or some kind of insulation on your windows will also help, however I don’t understand why that thing is not heating up. I have a dodge caravan and in minutes from turning on heater it is toasty warm, without any curtains or extra floor insulation.

 

[jacqueg]

I was under the impression that sleeping bags get very damp inside due to perspiration?

I have to keep and use the Diesel heater for personal reasons....(other than the fact that I simply absolutely love it :thumbsup: )

However, I don't have a sleeping bag and it is good advice to have one that can keep me comfortable down to the lowest temps I might encounter
just in case the heater fails.

Thanks

No one said to get rid of the heater.

Your heater is working uphill - against the laws of physics - if you insist on using an inherently cold bed that will chill you in mid-summer and refuse to invest in a good sleeping bag. 

You are asking for advice from a bunch of experienced vandwellers. Why not take it?

 

[B and C]

Breathing inside the sleeping bag will swamp a sleeping bag which will make you colder.

 

[XERTYX]

Yeah bro. It sounds like an all in one heater that you're only sending the output heat nozzle into the living area isnt meeting your needs. Every single installation I've seen online they actually pipe the output to the living area, and the fan input also in the living area. Both the burner input and exhaust are outside.

So your clean air input is freezing air temps. Your clean air output is in the living area. The fresh air input for the burn chamber AND the burn chamber exhaust are outside. That's not very efficient. Your burn chamber in and out should be drilled thru the van to the outside. The topside air in and out should be inside the van.

 

[highdesertranger]

A lot of good points have been brought up about the heater. Can you post a link so we can see this heater? Highdesertranger

 

[XERTYX]

The best resource I have found thus far regarding power consumption of a diesel heater. There are a lot of variables, but it definitely gives best case scenarios. But also only if the diesel heater is a hard installation.

If you're installing one where the interior fresh air temp is vastly different than the interior hot air exhaust then it's not very reliable.

 

[Happy Camper]

Having used air mattresses near death valley, I can assure you that you'd be warmer sleeping on the floor than that air mattress. I sleep hot, but on an air mattress my body ached because of the cold air mattress

Do yourself a favor. Go to a Walmart or other easy return policy store and buy a half decent sleeping bag. Use that without the air mattress, not on top of it. Report back and let us know the difference. If it doesn't work then return it. No harm, no foul.

If it works, then you have the next steps to take laid out to being warm at night, regardless of you figure out the heater. In reality you are dealing with two separate issues.

 

[PeterPiper]

Yeah bro. It sounds like an all in one heater that you're only sending the output heat nozzle into the living area isnt meeting your needs. Every single installation I've seen online they actually pipe the output to the living area, and the fan input also in the living area. Both the burner input and exhaust are outside.

So your clean air input is freezing air temps. Your clean air output is in the living area. The fresh air input for the burn chamber AND the burn chamber exhaust are outside. That's not very efficient. Your burn chamber in and out should be drilled thru the van to the outside. The topside air in and out should be inside the van.

I was getting my info from a YouTuber named Foresty Forest.   He's in Canada, living in a van and I suspect he knows what cold nights are.
Anyway, he says he tested pulling the intake air from inside the cabin and outside the cabin with very little difference.

It makes sense to me what you say, but he said otherwise so that's why I thought it didn't make any difference.

Truth be told, it puts out so much heat I myself was somewhat stymied that it didn't keep the van warm.
Well, I suppose it did....only not at the floor where I was trying to sleep.
I'd bet being off the floor even 12 inches would make a big difference.

 

[PeterPiper]

Having used air mattresses near death valley, I can assure you that you'd be warmer sleeping on the floor than that air mattress. I sleep hot, but on an air mattress my body ached because of the cold air mattress

Do yourself a favor. Go to a Walmart or other easy return policy store and buy a half decent sleeping bag. Use that without the air mattress, not on top of it. Report back and let us know the difference. If it doesn't work then return it. No harm, no foul.

If it works, then you have the next steps to take laid out to being warm at night, regardless of you figure out the heater. In reality you are dealing with two separate issues.

Will do.  From all the posts, I am gathering that this summer when it's steamy outside, I will definitely want to sleep on that air mattress...am I right ?
I must have watched 10,000 YouTube videos of people dealing with the summer heat and best I can recall not one mentioned using an air mattress to stay cool?

 

[PeterPiper]

A lot of good points have been brought up about the heater.  Can you post a link so we can see this heater?  Highdesertranger

 

[jasper]

Crazy. We're about 40 miles apart at the most and I have the same van. And plan to install a diesel heater.

I'd be very interested to know what model heater, where you installed it, where you installed the fuel tank, what type of battery bank and amount of solar, and if you had the rear or front windows open for fresh air.

It did get pretty dang cold up here the other day. Luckily I'm not in the van ATM.

The attached picture is my 2kw chinese diesel heater installed in an Econoline, beside the side door entrance. The fuel line enters the top through a drilled hole instead of the bottom to eliminate possible leaks.  Outlet air temperature averages 210 degrees.  The pulse type fuel pump clicks loudly, and mine is suspended in an inner tube saddle underneath that made it acceptable.  My main reason for installing is to fight condensation and dampness while heating.  Works great for that, windows defog quickly.  Flexible hose works as a hair dryer.

It's been powered by a 100ah AGM for four years, and recently, an additional 30ah Lifepo4 backup, charged via alternator and 160 watt fixed, 100 watt portable solar panels. It has never run all night. Mainly early morning and late evening warmups. 9 amps for about two minutes (glow plug) on startup, then about .4 amps to about 1.2 amps running, dependent upon fan speed.

Not trusting artificial heat sources cannot be overstated. For me, airtight vehicles are impossible, and wouldn't want one.

 

[jacqueg]

Will do.  From all the posts, I am gathering that this summer when it's steamy outside, I will definitely want to sleep on that air mattress...am I right ?
I must have watched 10,000 YouTube videos of people dealing with the summer heat and best I can recall not one mentioned using an air mattress to stay cool?

Probably because not only are air mattresses cold - sooner or later, they all leak. Whether you are too warm or too cold, sleeping on a hard floor with only a couple layers of limp plastic underneath you is no way to be be comfortable. 

Just curious - were you ever a camper?

 

[XERTYX]

I have thought about going with an air mattress until I get everything put together, but it's just not sustainable. If you have no choice then you take it till you make it, but a "narrow twin" mattress is about $50 more than some of the cheapest air mattresses. 

If you replace a torn air mattress twice or less depending on how much yours cost then you're at the price of a narrow twin real mattress. And make no mistake an air mattress will not outlive a real mattress. 

As far as the heater being outside and not working like the youtuber has experienced I have a couple of theories. Either his idea of "cold" and yours may be vastly different, or more likely often times in the far north the air is very dry. In Ga the air is very rarely dry. Especially near Cleveland and Helen. Hence the fog.

In that case I would imagine that a LOT of the heat was being wasted trying to heat the humidity in the air. That's my guess.

 

[PeterPiper]

Probably because not only are air mattresses cold - sooner or later, they all leak. Whether you are too warm or too cold, sleeping on a hard floor with only a couple layers of limp plastic underneath you is no way to be be comfortable. 

Just curious - were you ever a camper?

Now that you ask it like that....I'm not sure.  What is your definition of a 'Camper" ?

I thought I was a camper during my trip to Helen ?

 

[PeterPiper]

I have thought about going with an air mattress until I get everything put together, but it's just not sustainable. If you have no choice then you take it till you make it, but a "narrow twin" mattress is about $50 more than some of the cheapest air mattresses. 

If you replace a torn air mattress twice or less depending on how much yours cost then you're at the price of a narrow twin real mattress. And make no mistake an air mattress will not outlive a real mattress. 

As far as the heater being outside and not working like the youtuber has experienced I have a couple of theories. Either his idea of "cold" and yours may be vastly different, or more likely often times in the far north the air is very dry. In Ga the air is very rarely dry. Especially near Cleveland and Helen. Hence the fog.

In that case I would imagine that a LOT of the heat was being wasted trying to heat the humidity in the air. That's my guess.

Very good thoughts.

Could very well be part of the equation.

I also have a 2kw "Kit" (Not All in One) diesel heater that I plan to install in another Dodge Caravan permanently.

Since that one will be a dedicated "Camper", it will have much more thought put into insulating it and the heater will be installed inside the vehicle.  I have dozens of pictures of Foresty Forests previous Chevy minivan and I'm going to build out the other minivan to mimic his build as faithfully as possible since I absolutely love the way he did it.
I suspect that will vastly improve the comfort level.

And I think you are also correct about Foresty Forest's definition of "Cold" compared to mine.
He's from Canada and probably grew up with very cold conditions.  I am from the USA deep South where "Cold" is anything below 60 degrees F.

I'm doing a series of mini trips to get this experience before I leave for a month or two to travel the country a while in my "camper"
By then I hope to have finished my dedicated minivan camper and ironed out all the bugs and at least somewhat know what I'm doing.

It's all a learning experience.   This forum is a great place to learn from those more experienced.
It's been great to get all the feedback from those here.

 

[hugemoth]

I bought a 5kw diesel heater to try out in my little camper but realized immediately it was overkill. Even on the lowest setting I had to open windows when it was 24 degrees outside. Very nice heat though so I installed it in my house (old single wide) where it heats the whole place.

One of the cons of diesel heaters is they're not great for short cycles where you want to take the chill off then shut it down. A Buddy heater or even a stove is better for that.

I agree with everyone else. Ditch the air mattress and get some kind of foam pad.