Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello all,
I'm considering one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BUV1RK/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=automotive#productDetails
Does anyone use one of these? The Command post is a standy, 6 feet wide by 13 feet long, so I'm guessing 3000 BTU's will be enough. If anyone has any thoughts or experiance on the topic, I'd like to hear it

Thanks

One of the reviews kind of says it all
"We bought this heater for our travel trailer. We enjoy "dry camping" (no power or water) in the the desert during the winter and needed a heat source that does not run down our batteries. The heater is ideal from that respect. It does not require a blower and it does not use power to control the flame.

It worked well for us at first. After a month or so of regular use we noticed that it started to smell and then our carbon monoxide detector alarm sounded in the middle of the night warning of carbon monoxide levels high enough to kill. (Wouldn't you know it, it was the coldest night we ever experienced in the desert, -18 degrees!!)

Camping often means dusty conditions. It is not stated in the on-line specifications or mentioned in the reviews or in the manufactures description that this heater is not suitable for dusty conditions. Only by careful reading of the operation manual can this be discovered. We went ahead and installed the heater hoping that we could keep the dust down. Although we thought we were being careful by keeping it covered when not in use and practiced good housekeeping, the heater failed because the catalyst got "poisoned". Once it failed we found that the warranty does not cover catalyst poisoning and it was too late to return it. We now have a heater that we cannot use because of high carbon monoxide levels.

Be aware that this heater can be deadly. In a dust-free environment the heater will probably give years of use, but if you plan to use this heater, or any catalytic heater for camping, be aware of the limitations, check the operation manual before you buy it and use a CO detector."

Hmmm, Sounds like the dust cover would be an absolute must. We prefer moist and woodsy places to camp, so hopefully it wouldn't be a problem. Thanks for pointing that out

Lots of posts on these over at RV.Net

Google Search of RV.net

Bruce

P.S, I'd look at the Plat Cat as it's vented to the outside:

Cat Plat

RVSUE uses that cat heater and she is camping in the desert right now go to her blog and ask her how she likes it I think she has been using it for 2 years now.
http://rvsueandcrew.com/

Catalytic heaters require good ventilation. The combustion air directly comes from the heated space and the combustion products are expelled directly into the heated space. They also have that issue of possibly poisoning the catalyst. I personally will never use one as I am allergic to partially burnt hydrocarbons. My sinuses and bronchial passages usually go ballistic in the presence of an operating catalytic heater. I no longer live in cities because of all the car exhaust.

I'd like to use a small 2k to 4k BTU forced air propane furnace, but they don't seam to exist. 6.5k BTU is about the minimum for propane ones. It'll heat a TD up in minutes. Propex has a couple units that look interesting: http://www.propexheatsource.co.uk/heatsourcespec.php and have US distributors http://www.propexheatsource.co.uk/vehicledistributor.php?dist=usa Install photos for Westfalias http://westyventures.com/propex.html Van converters seam to like them. They are UK made. Self igniting lower output heaters can be found using gasoline and diesel fuels, but they often cost much more. The major US makers had propane fired furnaces with around 9k BTU in the past, but 12k BTU seams more like the normal low end now. With a typical uninsulated or minimally insulated RV they are fine as so much heat escapes, but with a small TD they would cook the occupants. Also many of them are loud, and you can't remote mount the small ones.

I have a Olympian Wave 3 in the Road Foamie and it works great. It's actually gets too hot in the trailer, but then we just turn it off. The rule in our TTT is this: You NEVER leave it unattended after it's lit. You NEVER fall asleep with it on. You ALWAYS open at least one window or one vent while the unit is operating. We have had no problems with it. We went camping last October along the Oregon coast where it was wet and cold and we lit it at most for 1/2 hour in the evening and it kept us warm all night. (We also have a down comforter on the bed and we like it on the cooler side when we sleep). Hope that helps

Just seems to me that using an unvented heater in a confined space is the height of optimism on one's journey to a Darwin award.

There are far better and safer options.

Cheers,

Gus

I'm with Gus. Teardrops aren't RVs....they are airtight tents on wheels. Small tents. Something like this would easily turn it into a coffin.

Heated rocks from the campfire and good sleeping bags are probably a safer choice for cold weather camping.

If you have electricity available I believe this to be a great heat source. I have had one installed since 2007. My td is 5 X 10.
The panel is placed at the foot of the mattress on my wife's side. You can touch this panel without getting burned. It is a radiant heat.
Very soft and does not lower the ambient humidity. Does not get hot enough to combust. The first two times I would have to wake up and turn it off only to turn it back later on. I then got the plug in thermostat, (the one listed in the link below the panel), which is located on my side of the foot wall.
It will Keep the inside of the tear at whatever temp you want. My walls, ceiling, and floor is insulated. The lowest temp we have camped in is 23. I have the smaller version of the one in the link. My panel is 18" X 24". I believe it is only 240 watts. I also think the smaller size is not available anymore
If you have electricity, this is a great way to go.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... 6v0ew1xu_b
Larry

I'm late to the discussion but I have a Wave 3 in my 6x10 cargo conversion and I was interested in just what happens during the operation of this heater.
I tested the Wave 3 in this trailer with a BW Honeywell 4 gas detector and found that with all trailer vents shut and doors closed (just for a control test, never to be operated like this in service!) and within 20 minutes the interior O2 percentage reduced from the ambient 20.9% to 20.4% (the alarm threshold defaults a 19.5%), but it seemed to stabilize there and go no lower. Presumably the cumulative imperfections in air tightness of doors and other things like the A/C access hole provided air exchange sufficient to maintain this stasis. With ceiling vent cracked open and floor vent opened, the percentage quickly resumed the 20.9% of the outside air and never wavered from this figure, heater operating all the while.
The heater is claimed to discharge CO2 and water vapor (like our breath). With vents closed the windows did become fogged, and with venting restored the fogging was much reduced but still a bit apparent. The detector did not register any CO gas presence within the scope of that test.

The heaters' included directions strongly encourage the owner to protect the unit from dust and to employ a dust cover such as they sell, when dusty conditions are to be encountered. (personally I think they ought to supply a dust cover with the heater rather than as a separately sold option!)

From the results of my ad hoc test and the fact that one can find plenty of instances where people are heating camperised vans (that have an interior volume little larger than that of a crew cab pickup truck) with this device and we aren't hearing of people being slaughtered around the country as a result, it would seem that for a prudent person the Wave 3 is not a bad choice of small trailer heater. I have used mine for 2 years so far and I'm quite satisfied with it. I believe that air wise, a properly operating Wave 3 is the equivalent of having 2 or 3 extra people breathing in the enclosed space you would share.*

* years ago I made a 100 mile evening trip to another city in a car with three other people, and the heater in that Buick Riviera was not working, cold air only. It was late fall and cold out and for comfort I left the defrost fan on low so not to blast cold air on the occupants. With four people breathing in that closed space the amount of water vapour accreting on the windows was amazing, I had to blast the fan on high every few minutes in order to clear the inner windshield so I could see. Based on the rate of fogging I observed in the vents-closed cargo trailer, I'd have been better off water vapour wise with just me and a Wave 3 in that car!

You can't go wrong playing it safe, and I won't fault those who advise caution to an extreme, but in my experience a properly vented and reasonably protected Wave 3 is a good and practical way to get the chill off during cold times in a trailer or van. Works for me.