Heaters

[tbow]

Has anybody here ever put in a heater in there teardrop? Just wandering if so where did you put it and what kind did you use? How many btu and such. Also still waiting on my axel and frame still just setting.

[Chip]

well I dont know how many btu,s she is but at 5'6 and 140 give or take a lb the thermal mass and resulting heat factor is sufficient to about 20 f or so,,after that I will plug in the electric 115v heater and go back to sleep,,if it still gets too cold,,,well build a fire and its coffee time..

chip

[mikeschn]

I put a propane forced air furnace in mine!


It's the smallest one you can get from JC Whitney...


I put mine high enough above the bed so that there is no danger of igniting the blankets.


Q from teardroptimes put in an identical furnace, but he put in in the cabinette above the bed, and vented it out the side. I wish I had kept a picture of it.

Mike...

[mikeschn]

Okay I found the links to Q's pictures...

Here the heater exhaust is on the side... http://www.condorppc.com/images/teartrailer3.jpg

This is the heater from the inside. Door is just out of the frame on the left. http://www.condorppc.com/images/teartrailer2.jpg

This is the galley showing where the heater took up the counter space, the rounded aluminum part. http://www.condorppc.com/images/teartrailer1.jpg

[tdhombre]

I was born and raised in the mid-West (Iowa) so I guess that the heater issue might be an important one. However, here in Central California, heaters are NOT a design issue.

I have to wonder, given that the space inside the cabin of a teardrop is fairly small, just how much goodness is derived from the cost and weight of a forced air heater. I don't know from first hand teardrop camping experience, but in the tent we just piled on more covers and snuggled in.

Remember that the KIS principle (Keep It Simple) will also tend to reduce design and cost issues. I favor the 5'6", 140 lb type of heater solution

[beverlyt]

We live in Mid-West Michigan and it gets REALLY cold here in the winter. Hunting is huge in this area in early winter and heated trailers are almost a must for that time of year.
Bev

[twc3]

We live in the Northwest and it can get cold here. I just got the 12v mattress pad
heater from http://www.electrowarmth.com we have not used it yet on any real cold
nights, but it has keep us nice and cozy warm the 2 times we have used it -
Spring Driveway camping.

[mikeschn]

Do you leave the mattress warmer on all night, or do you turn it off when you go to bed?

I have one which I never used, but others have said they just use it to take the chill off the bed.

Mike..

[twc3]

So far I have lowered the temp or turned it off if it gets to warm(little of both) . I will be using the TD this weekend and it has been raining here so I am sure it will be cold at night were we are going. I have used electric blankets all night before in the winter in a motor home and the electric pad is kind of the same so I am sure it would be just fine as long as I follow "Instructions" on the "Disclaimer TAG".

[Chip]

I was killing time and found this interesting little gem,,,might be an alternative for those cold mornings or ya'll that love to camp in the snow and cold,,,looks to be safe to use in a tear without the smell or chance of fumes ,,

chip

http://www.zodi.com/hotvents.html

[mikeschn]

Ah finally, safe affordable heat for a teardrop, maybe!!!

Where would, or where should a person mount one of these things?

In my Baja Benroy I have the forced air furnace in the front cabinette, basically inside the teardrop, with the toxic fumes being exhausted out the front of the teardrop.

But this Zodi needs a place "outside" the teardrop to sit. Your thoughts?

Mike...

[Chip]

Mike I am not sure how to or where to mount this gizmo,,,looks like just sit it on the ground near the tear and duct it into the cabin,,how bout a mini tent to cover tha thing up It must not be to large or heavy since its made for a tent,,,It seems like a couple of simple push on rubber fittings placed in the cabin,,,maybe in the rear cabin cabnent blowing out onto the floor/bed,,It seems like a lot of engineering possibilities for the collection of great minds out there,,,,now if someone would come up with a 1500 to 2000 btu a/c,,,????ya'll keep em straight out thar,,,,

chip

[twc3]

I have the Zodi Shower system (Large 2 Propane bottle) http://www.zodi.com/hot_top.html and it works great – very hot water. The top exhaust box gets really hot so I have to make sure it is located a safe distance from :firestarter: flammable items, kids, dogs, and drunks. If the Hot Vent is as large as the shower system it will be the aprox. size of (4) propane bottles stacked together. The shower system is not not compact, when assembled the system stands 19.5" tall and has a aprox. 12" X 7" footprint. I feel much safer :sleeping: with the 12V bed pad heater and I don’t have to get out of the "T.D." to adjust the temp if it gets to hot/cold inside, I simply turn it down/up. I thought about the Zodi Hot Vents when I purchased Zodi’s shower system but decided to go with the heat pad they claim to have been making heat pads since 1939. Just my 2 cents.

[engled]

It looks like my AC vents would work perfect for the Zodi forced air.





I hope to have some pics of my AC unit up and running this weekend.

[Chip]

yup,,thats the ticket ,,central heat and air,,,,now if a manufacturer would come up with a mini gas pack/a/c in one unit,,,thermstatically or remote controlled,,,now we getting somewhere,, ya'll keep em straight

chip