Heat by your truck heater to teardrop.

[KennethW]

Have you seen this. For the price you get a fully vented heater. Your set up may work but unless every thing is used the costs will add up really fast.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/332883450591

[KTM_Guy]

Would it work? Sure why not, but how much work and money do you want to put into getting some heat into the teardrop? And it's not even on demand heat. I bet you have a generator on your farm. Throw that in the back of the truck get a small electric heater or heated blanket and your in businesses. Still doesn't address the problem of getting cold in the middle of the night or getting up to a cold trailer. Need a generator with remote start.

The heater KW posted would be so much better and easier. And if your truck is diesel you got fuel source.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Todd

[GTS225]

Well, that would work nicely for a teardrop that relies on the TV's cooling system for the heat carrying medium. As others have said, though, it can start getting pricey by the time you're done with all the plumbing and bits and pieces to make the system work.
Here's the dangerous part, though. If, by chance, you get a different TV that is using a non-compatible coolant, and you hook up the system to pre-heat, you can end up with something with the consistency of Jell-o in both of the systems. You would have to make sure to completely flush the tear's system if using a different TV, and then make up for the coolant "loss" in the TV's system.

Just a cautionary note.

Roger

[Hamilton Felix]

Hey, slowcowboy, I posted a thread on this a while ago.

viewtopic.php?t=70949

I still think you can do it. Just wonder how much work it is. What attracts me is the fact you are using energy you’d normally be throwing away (engine heat), so heating your trailer is “free.” If you use a gas heater, furnace, small electric heater, etc. you are paying an energy cost to heat the trailer.

[Aguyfromohio]

Slow, I had similar thoughts about air conditioners back when we were tent campers.
I would be baking in my sweltering tent thinking about the huge 40,000 BTU air conditioner in my car just a few feet away.
One can imagine plumbing a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger into the car refrigerant loop.
Second loop is just water with disconnect hoses as you describe, putting cold water 20 feet away into a cooling unit....

Heat isn't as complicated as refrigeration. Plug a cheap AC inverter into your truck, run an extension cord to your trailer, and plug in a little 300 watt electric heater.
Same operating principle as your idea, run-truck-get-heat-in-trailer. Just without the hoses.
Since its a resistance heater the cheapest sort of inverter with the worst waveform should do fine.

[Sparksalot]

If I attempted this, I'd want a heat exchanger and second loop to the tear. No way I'd want to chance leaving the TV without coolant.

[Hamilton Felix]

The electric option, you pay for, in fuel and alternator wear. 300 watts is a small heater, 1/5 of a typical "milkhouse" space heater. But that's 25 amps at 12 volts, a pretty heavy load.

Still, as an electrical worker, I must admit it would be very easy and simple to install. It will be a bit more work to plumb up for a "rear heater" in the trailer. Not rocket science, but work.

Hey, I have an unused 1996 Suburban with dual heat and A/C. Just take that unit and run some longer lines, right?

[Modstock]

The only issue I see with this is, you are introducing air into the cooling system creating an air bubble. Not good.
Unless the heater was never disconnected. Running longer lines and putting the heater in the front box to blow warm air in somehow.
Then could use the 12v from the vehicle to power it.
But then.... The TV exhaust would need to be routed away from the trailer with some flexible tubing.

Just installed a heater in my rat rod brought me here.



Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk

[Treeview]

The coolant heat transfer systems are pretty common north of the snowline. When I had my grapple loader I plumbed it and my van. The van was at home and I could plug in the frost plug heaters at home. Get to the shop, pop on the jumper hoses and the 500 cubic inch IH diesel was up to temp inno more than 15 minutes of van idling. I would loose a few drops of coolant is all. No worries about getting air bubbles in the system either. coolant systems aren't the same as closed systems like your brakes.

On the other hand I've gone on week long winter camping trips on the MN/Ontario border for many years. No heaters..no cabins. Temps down to -35f. No frostbite injuries. Van camping w/no furnace or all night heater in winter on trips to mountains of CO and WY. I had one of the round LP heaters that I'd fire up from the sleeping bag in the morning to warm up

Cold night sleeping solution? Marmot Down sleeping bags...stocking cap. Maybe a dog or a sweet heart.

What would be noisier...idling your pickup to run the water heat exchanger or a generator to run an electric heater? My guess...gen set is quieter and would do double duty.

[Treeview]

Or this?


https://www.banggood.com/12V-5KW-Diesel-Air-Heater-4-Holes-All-In-1-LCD-Thermostat-for-Trailer-Truck-Car-p-1368620.html?cur_warehouse=CN

[KennethW]

Almost Same thing lower cost. https://www.amazon.com/SHZONS-Accessori ... 5408&psc=1 or even cheaper https://www.ebay.com/i/333045528949?rt= ... 3045528949

[Treeview]

scavenge an RV furnace from a broken down camper. Even if you have to fix something it'll be cheap.

I'd be skeptical of the furnace that I linked to. More than likely there is NO service or spare parts to count on

Watch Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. I've gotten so many things there...and cheap!

[Cosmo]

Why run several cylinders of a motor vehicle that costs 10s of thousands of dollars that is designed to travel at highway speeds when you can run one or two cylinders of a Honda Generator that costs $1000 and is designed to sip gas and generate electricity and needs no plumbing etc.?

=Cosmo

[John61CT]

What has that to do with heating?

[Treeview]

What has that to do with heating?

Everything...taken in context with what has been discussed previously in this thread.