Heating Trailer from Tow Vehicle?

[Hamilton Felix]

LOL! Well, it is also waste heat. I grew up around VW Beetles. I know the most popular aftermarket heater for the Model A Ford was a heat stove around the exhaust manifold.

[Hamilton Felix]

That's one heck of an ammo can stove Slim Potatohead has.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3XOLLg8wn0

I'm sure an ammo can stove would heat a teardrop quickly. Not so sure I want to give up the space it would take to make the stove and pipe safe inside the teardrop trailer. And it's definitely not something I'd let run while on the road.

But just making an ammo can stove would be a fun project. I have various sized ammo cans, a welder, and a torch and tanks. All I need is to retire, so I have TIME.

[Ottsville]

Instead of this, how about some bricks? Then just put them in the camper while you set up?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqABijWMlxA

[Hamilton Felix]

Well, that method does seem to be Alton Brown endorsed. I’ll have to ask my wife about it, she’s the cook.


Some weirdness here: When I use my iPad, my avatar appears upside down. But when I use the PC at work, it is right side up.

[KTM_Guy]

Why not just keep the stuff you don’t want to freeze in the TV where it is warm?

[Socal Tom]

Hi, I'm new here, just in the learning phase.

My wife and I have been figuring out what we want, which is mostly, lightweight, simple, and streamlined enough to tow behind a Corolla.

I had a wild idea the other day: I have a Suburban with rear heating. Has anyone tried to heat a teardrop while on the road, using the same sort of setup as a rear heater in a Suburban, plus the addition of some quick-connect hydraulic style couplers near the hitch?

I was watching a video of a young lady living in her teardrop, a Photographer who travels a lot. She was complaining about it freezing up in really cold weather. She has a catalytic propane heater for when she's in it, but when she's on the road it gets really cold and her food, cleaning supplies, even her makeup, freezes. The tow vehicle is always trying to get rid of heat. A second heater core costs you nothing in energy because it uses heat you are dumping anyway.

Feel free to tell me why I have rocks in my head. I just thought I'd toss the idea out there. It will never sell, because it represents a modification to the tow vehicle. But to anyone with moderate skills, it's not difficult.

Ok, here is my idea. Set up a heat exchanger in the TV, but instead of running a hose to the TV, just have it circulate water into a big "hot water bottle" of some sort in the TV. After driving 30 minutes, take the "hot water bottle" and put it back in the TD ( probably best to create some sort of mount for it). Have 2 HWBs and swap them out every now and then. It won't keep the interior toasty warm, but it will probably keep it above freezing under most conditions. Alternatively, just heat up the water before you go, and put it in the TD, it will probably keep the interior warmish for several hours depending on the size of the tank.
Tom

[Ottsville]

Motor homes don't drive down the highway with the gas on its not safe or really legal.

Yes, they do.

"Safe" is a judgement call. "Legal" is not. I would encourage you to actually read the laws. In almost all states it is legal.

Overview here:
https://www.goodsam.com/article/default ... ID=2377513


Also, ever see a propane powered bus or car?

[Hamilton Felix]

Pretty good summation of the potential problems. You're right, those hydraulic snap fittings do often lose a few drops when you disconnect. Might be more trouble than it's worth for just keeping the trailer toasty while on the move. It's just sort of a fun idea. Electric heat from TV would be a heck of a burden on a small car alternator. If it hasn't vanished in my junk, maybe I could find that unused rear seat/defrost 12V electric heater I've had around for years. I think it was pretty small and still had a pretty good draw - #10 wire and 30A fuse if I remember correctly.

I know there are plenty of ways to heat the camper when stationary. Some folks accept the condensation and use a small propane catalytic heater (after cracking a vent or window). I'm not worried about it while actually sleeping, because we have warm sleeping bags. If it was not such a tiny RV, I'd even play with the idea of an ammo can stove.

Actually, I want to keep the trailer itself as simple as possible. Fewer things to go wrong. Heck, wiring is easy for me, and I'm thinking of skipping almost all of that, using battery LED lights. This is one of those things I might play by ear. Of course, once I get the trailer - and retire, so I'll have time for something besides being in this powerhouse 8-10 hours a day - I might just add features as the mood strikes me. Only using a trailer will really tell us what we want and don't want.

[Esteban]

Cosmo Weems' demonstrates the pros and cons of a portable Buddy heater vs. a built-in Propex heater with exterior combustion



http://www.mrheater.com/product/heaters ... eries.html
https://www.propexheatsource.com/
https://www.propexheatsource.com/heater ... 0-furnace/

[Hamilton Felix]

You don’t have to sell me on external draft and flue. I have a direct vent 35,000 BTU in my house (along with wood, pellet and electric options). And I recall a time when similarly sized propene heaters, without external draft or flue, were in use. Even in a drafty old house with single strength windows in ancient frames, you get a LOT of condensation.

I own a Mr. Heater Li’l Buddy portable heater, but it’s mostly one of my winter freezing pipes emergency tools.

Heater cores are small (pulled one from my junk collection last night, to show my wife), 12V fans are small, but the hot water hookup could be problematic.

Heck, one Aladdin lamp would keep a teardrop toasty - equal to 60W light bulb and 750W heater.

[rjgimp]

Heater cores are small (pulled one from my junk collection last night, to show my wife), 12V fans are small, but the hot water hookup could be problematic.

So... instead of trying to plumb the hot, pressurized coolant to the trailer, why not leave that in the tow vehicle and transfer the warm air back to the trailer instead?

Dig this- Set up your aux heater core in the back of the tow vehicle and build something like a heat exchanger around it. From that you can run a flexible insulated duct to the trailer, supplying warm air. The 12v fan for circulation can be installed at the trailer inlet.

I spent 25 years in trucking. The a/c systems in truck cabs/and sleepers are often woefully inadequate and at times completely worthless. Many times I have seen a driver who is fortunate enough to be pulling a refrigerated trailer get creative and duct -20F air from the front inspection access door on the trailer into the sweltering cab of the tractor.