Heater Install Done! UPDATED 10-27-13

[hankaye]

Gonefishin', Howdy;

They got some fresh snow up near Telluride yesterday .....


hank

[Rainier70]

It has gotten pretty cool at night the last couple of nights I was out. Not unusual to hit the 30s any time of year at the elevations we camp.

Thanks for the breakout on the stove. Very reasonable pricing and ship compared to what I have seen.

Just curious.....Where are you putting your propane tank on your V-nose trailer?

[Gonefishin]

It has gotten pretty cool at night the last couple of nights I was out. Not unusual to hit the 30s any time of year at the elevations we camp.

Thanks for the breakout on the stove. Very reasonable pricing and ship compared to what I have seen.

Just curious.....Where are you putting your propane tank on your V-nose trailer?

I'm putting the propane tank on the ground outside the trailer. Removing the hose and putting it in the truck when I travel. Drilled a hole in the front corner of the floor for the propane hose, which will be plugged when the hose isn't in. (Redneck?) But its clean and simple. Easy in, easy out, and no hose hanging out to get dirt/debris into. No space for it on the v-nose because my battery is there.

[Rainier70]

That's not "redneck". That's practical. Somewhere on here I saw where someone had built a metal box behind the wheel fenders and put their propane tank and battery there. Lots of creative ways to do it. Simple is best.

[Larry C]

Just a word of caution on your vent installation. For my employer, hose failure analysis is a part of my job, including Stainless Steel strip wound metal hose. You may want to consider installing a stainless steel 90 deg or 45 deg elbow at the wall exit to reduce the tight bend radius of your piping. Purely an educated safety suggestion, not looking for an argument.

[Hiflyer]

Just a word of caution on your vent installation. For my employer, hose failure analysis is a part of my job, including Stainless Steel strip wound metal hose. You may want to consider installing a stainless steel 90 deg or 45 deg elbow at the wall exit to reduce the tight bend radius of your piping. Purely an educated safety suggestion, not looking for an argument.

Amy links to 45 or 90 elbows that would handle the double walled-ed-ness?

[Trainman45]

Hi Gonefishin,
Wanted to check with you on the insulation in your wall. Does the piping have a sleeve that goes through the wall to protect the insulation and wood wall from getting too hot or catching on fire.? I have 1" insulation in wall and roof, but may add more for this winter. Do you think the pipe to the outside will get too hot.?

Great heater and install, may get this for my trailer also.
Thanks for the pics and info.

Tim

[Gonefishin]

Hi Gonefishin,
Wanted to check with you on the insulation in your wall. Does the piping have a sleeve that goes through the wall to protect the insulation and wood wall from getting too hot or catching on fire.? I have 1" insulation in wall and roof, but may add more for this winter. Do you think the pipe to the outside will get too hot.?

Great heater and install, may get this for my trailer also.
Thanks for the pics and info.

Tim

So far, it hasn't been too hot. In fact, after 2 hours of "test" operations when the outside air temperature was in the 70's, the pipe didn't even get too hot to touch, though I'm sure it can. It hasn't been cool enough to need to run it all night yet, but there is no sleeve. Just the double pipe going through the wall to the outside vent cap. My insulation is much thinner, factory-installed sheet stuff.

I sent these same photos to Dickinson after the install to register the warranty and see if it was up to their satisfaction, and they said it looked great and there would be no problems with the bend in the pipe or heat/fire issues. I'll certainly put the word out if there's any overheating issues, or other issues. It'll be late September and early October when I really start putting it to the test.

[Gonefishin]

Update! I've been running the heater at length for the past week or so in the colder weather in Idaho and Montana. All night the past few nights when temperatures have been 32-40. On the low gas setting, with the fan about 1/2 speed, it has kept my trailer at 65 all night. And, I don't have the quality insulation that many of you have either. Its quiet and pleasing. No excessive heat build up at all on the pipe. Its hot to the touch, but it doesn't burn when touched. I also have not noticed any drain on the battery from the tiny fan motor running all night, but it moves the warm air beautifully, and is a great place to warm up my frozen toes. My carbon monoxide detector has not gone off once. I have no doubt I could sleep comfortably in temperatures around 20 with the heater on the higher setting. However, I try to avoid camping in such temperatures.

I LOVE this thing!

[roadinspector]

I love it when a plan comes together!!!! Sounds like all you need is one of these when your warming your toes.

Earnest

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

I wish I could find some nice cold like that
Here it never get under 80 deg F

[Trainman45]

Hi Gonefishin,
Hey Thanks for the update on the cold weather performance of your new heater.!! Sounds like we have a winner.... lol. I grew up in Minnesota and -40 below winters, and lived in Denver for 23 years, and now boondock in the southwestern deserts, no more snow for me. It does get cold at night down here in the winter, and even a cool breeze can send me into the shivers.... lol. I ran the Mr Heater Buddy and the Wave 3 portable heaters last winter and still froze. You have to turn them off when going to sleep and keep a window cracked open.

So just to get this straight for me, and all i have read on this heater. You are able to keep it on all night while sleeping, and it kept you warm in your trailer even though you have the factory Haulmark bubble wrap insulation, and have not added 1,2, or 3 inch insulation to walls, floor, doors, or ceiling, right. ??

Thanks again for all the info on your heater install and pics, and with the follow up on use. This could save me from heading to South America this winter.... lol.

Tim

[Gonefishin]

That is all correct Trainman. I have been running it all night long, no windows cracked, and have only had it on the low setting for nights around 30 degrees. On a couple of the "warmer" very early mornings, I did crack a window or two because it was a little too warm. All I have for insulation is stock from Haulmark. I have small throw rugs on the exposed wood floor in the front half, and plastic storage boxes under the bed frame in the back half, so little of the wood floor is exposed. The fan blows the hot air at a downward angle on to the floor, where it then rises and circulates. I have been regulating the fan speed because it has a variable speed control, and am just starting to learn how high to turn up the fan based on the temperature. They make a larger one, but I think that would be overkill unless you were going back to Minnesota, or wanted it really hot on the coldest nights. I have not yet run it on high all night just to see how hot it gets.

[David_L6]

Gonefishin, That heater setup looks great. So far I haven't done any camping in cold weather - mainly because it doesn't often get cold down here. If I ever feel the need to install a heater I'll be trying to copy what you did. I like it.

[Gonefishin]

Ok, I just got home from a 10-day trip in Idaho and Montana, where overnight temperatures were from 22-28 degrees most nights. The heater worked great. On the colder nights, I ran it on high with the fan on full speed. My lightly insulated (factory thin stuff) trailer stayed in the mid to high 50's on the coldest nights. On the nights in the high 20's and low 30's, it stayed in the mid-60's all night into the morning. I found that if I started the heater when the inside temperature was still in the mid-60s from daytime heating (it was sunny the whole 10 days!), then it stayed warmer throughout the late evenings and into the night. If I were to be camping in much colder temperatures, I'd need a bigger heater, better insulation, or both to keep it "warm" inside. But it was a joy to have, I slept well, ran it all night every night, lived to tell about it, and now wouldn't go camping without it. It was great for warming up the toes and drying out my waders and wading shoes every night. It has successfully extended the season for me. I seemed to get about 60-70 hours on a tank of propane, and that was running both high and low. The fan, at full speed, didn't even put a draw on the battery that I could measure or notice.

Since I won't likely be camping in much colder weather than this, I won't add any more insulation. However, if you plan to, I'd highly recommend a top notch insulation job. I do plan to try covering the entire floor with some kind of carpet, which won't be too hard and won't require any "work." That might give me a few degrees more. I also think I'm going to try just inserting a piece of closed cell foam pad onto the windows at night. I could feel cold spots on both windows, and that would be a simple fix to that. Cut to shape, insert into frame. Its dark outside anyway.

My working Carbon Monoxide detector never once went off.