Advice on heaters...

[nitrohorse]

If you go the mr buddy option, get a co detector also. And as steve said, they need some make up air. So you need to crack a window.

I'm curious. Is it just my PUP, or do all of them "leak air" at various points on the PUP. I've owned 3 PUPs so far, and everyone had zipper gaps in the canvas where it met the body, door opening gap and small gaps near the roof. I have a Buddy Heater, and the mfg recommends 9 sq inches of ventilation when using the heater. I wish I only had 9" of fresh air instead of what I have...lol.

 

[nitrohorse]

I saw that same video some time ago. I did use my Mr. Heater buddy in my camper once or twice. Before that, I used it once in my big tent. The main problem I had was condensation on the canvas. I don't use it any more.

I went camping in mid October. The days were in the upper 70s and humid. The nights were in the 50s. I didn't use any heat during those the trip. What I did notice was the bunk opposite of where I slept had a lot of condensation on the roof of the bunk. In fact, it you tapped the roof, it looked like a rain shower. My guess is that the humidity condensed on the inside of the camper as the night wore on. In the future, I will run the Suburban heater in the morning to reduce the humidity in the PUP.
Do you have any trips planned in the future? I miss your Youtube videos of the desert.

 

[Grandpa Don]

I went camping in mid October. The days were in the upper 70s and humid. The nights were in the 50s. I didn't use any heat during those the trip. What I did notice was the bunk opposite of where I slept had a lot of condensation on the roof of the bunk. In fact, it you tapped the roof, it looked like a rain shower. My guess is that the humidity condensed on the inside of the camper as the night wore on. In the future, I will run the Suburban heater in the morning to reduce the humidity in the PUP.
Do you have any trips planned in the future? I miss your Youtube videos of the desert.

I've been a little slow in putting up another video. I have two that I'm working on, but I had so many other projects that have been taking priority. Soon... I hope.

As for the condensation. You hit the nail n the head with you statement about the rain coming down. When it happened to me, it had been raining and snowing all night. And I wanted to check to see how much snow had built up on the canvas. So in the middle of the night I raised my hand up and banged on the canvas over my head. I was greeted by what I thought was a torrential rain storm coming down and hitting me in the face. At first I thought the canvas was leaking. But it was only a lot, and I mean a lot, of condensation. It's funny now, but wasn't at the time.

 

[RonDad]

Any recommendations for best electric heat option? I'd like to have something either as a backup or to lessen the usage of the furnace while camping with hookups.

 

[Sjm9911]

The small ceramic ones are good. Jusr make sure you get one with tip over protection, and use the 20 amp ac outlet.

 

[Sneezer]

Any recommendations for best electric heat option? I'd like to have something either as a backup or to lessen the usage of the furnace while camping with hookups.

I use two small electric ones. One is a Holmes - it does not rotate but does have a thermostat and a fan only option. The other is a Honeywell - it rotates, has a digital thermostat and a rear filter for the fan. I usually hook one up to the now unused A/C plug, and the 2nd to a different circuit. If I am going to be using other electric stuff in the pup I will run a dedicated extension cord to the 15a socket on the power pole.

I think Honeywell makes a short oil filled radiator. Roy has 2 of them in his pup and states they work quite well when he has electric. They have the added benefit of being silent, although you can put a small fan behind them to help circulate the warm air. I would like to pick up a pair myself, but my ceramic ones take up less room and do well enough for my needs.

I did recently reclaim a Duraflame electric heater fireplace log thing. Roadside rescue - needed a new power switch but appears to be working fine now. Has a neat flame effect when on - I think I will give it a try this winter for fun and see what sort of fireplace ambiance I can get with it.

 

[Plattapuss]

Chinese diesel heater is what works for me. I have one in my tv and my pup. I hate being cold. My pup has a propane heater. It works great if you have unlimited electric source. I have used the buddy but the condensation can be a real problem. My buddy heater filter caught on fire that could have been a real disaster if I had not been next to it. I will carry the buddy if all else fails. Diesel heaters are cheap and easy to install. They operate like your built in propane heater using outside air for combustion. Unlike propane the fuel will not explode if there is a leak. The one in the pup cost me 112.00 on eBay. They are very efficient with their fuel and electrical requirements.

 

[dbhost]

Chinese diesel heater is what works for me. I have one in my tv and my pup. I hate being cold. My pup has a propane heater. It works great if you have unlimited electric source. I have used the buddy but the condensation can be a real problem. My buddy heater filter caught on fire that could have been a real disaster if I had not been next to it. I will carry the buddy if all else fails. Diesel heaters are cheap and easy to install. They operate like your built in propane heater using outside air for combustion. Unlike propane the fuel will not explode if there is a leak. The one in the pup cost me 112.00 on eBay. They are very efficient with their fuel and electrical requirements.

I've seen lots of folks mentioning that if they had unlimited electrical I.E. Shore Power, they would use their onboard furnace. At that point, why use the propane furnace instead of an electric heater? Seems like if you have electric power, why not save the propane?

The only issue I would have with the Diesel heater is the fact that most, not all TVs used for pop ups are gasoline powered, so you would have to carry gasonline, propane AND diesel. Seems like a lot of different fuels to worry about...

 

[theseus]

I've seen lots of folks mentioning that if they had unlimited electrical I.E. Shore Power, they would use their onboard furnace. At that point, why use the propane furnace instead of an electric heater? Seems like if you have electric power, why not save the propane?

I think the answer to that is multi faceted. If you have unlimited electrical but it is super cold, a electric space heater cannot put out enough heat to keep you warm. Propane furnaces put out more heat so are better for beating the really cold weather. Additionally the circuit in a pup probably will only handle one electric space heater. So if you want to use two, you will have to snake an extension cord into the camper for the second heater, making sure you are not using the same circuit at the power post as the camper.

I always use a double approach. Run the electric heater and the propane furnace is set lower so it kicks in when the electric heater cannot keep up.

I agree though with your assessment about carrying multiple fuel types. I wouldn't want to. Heck, I converted my generator to propane so I wouldn't have to carry a gas can with me.

 

[kitphantom]

When we've had Shore Power to use our space heater we still use the furnace for a couple of reasons. For one, the combination of furnace and space heater has given us a more even heat. In the popups, we used fan-driven heaters (first popup had o furnace, so we only had heat with Shore Power and space heater). While nice to have supplemental heat, both were small enough that finding floor space for the heater if we were up and moving around was interesting. Even in the travel trailer, where we use an electric radiator, it is in the way much of the time, although the pay-off in better heating is worth it. One of the good things about the radiator is that it is on wheels, so we can roll it as out of the way as possible when needed. We also roll it to whichever end of the trailer we're in. The furnace doesn't do a great job at heating the ends of the trailer. for a couple of reasons. (location of furnace and thermostat, and floor plan, where the bathroom blocks heat or a/c from the front left section.)

 

[Sjm9911]

I will say in the TT , a songle electrical heater keeps it prety warm. Only camped below freezing a few nights, but the one small ceramic heater was all that was needed. In a pup, you may need more heat.