Cabin lights and heat output

[_Ryan_]

I am getting to the point where I am looking at lightening fixtures for the cabin. I am leaning towards LEDs to conserve power, but in all honesty I don't think I will be in a place where I can't hook up to the tow vehicle after a couple days to top the battery off if necessary.

One thing I have been wondering, and haven't seen anyone comment on this forum, is if using incandescent bulbs might produce enough heat to be worthwhile as a minor heating source when cold camping. For instance I was thinking about having an incandescent dome light and turning it on an hour before bed to preheat the small cabin space. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Cheers!

[48Rob]

Ryan,

A 50 Watt bulb will get warm, and might heat a very well insulated box, maybe 3'x3' but a teardrop...no.
I have a 50 Watt bulb in mine, and it doesn't heat the trailer enough to notice.

I just replaced it with an LED bulb as it was a terrible power hog.
I use my 12 volt LP furnace when away from hookups, and a small cube heater when we have a plug in.

Never tried one, but I understand 12 volt electric heating pads, or blankets are the best use of 12 volt power for staying warm inside a cabin.

Rob

[Shadow Catcher]

I will second Rob but essentially a 100W bulb produces a fraction less than 100W of heat.
But here is a test experience http://www.reptileuvinfo.com/html/watts ... utput.html

[Lgboro]

I have a small heater and a Petcool for heat but so far I have not needed any heat. I have camped several nights in the mid 30's and fully expected to need heat but was toasty in just a few minutes under my covers with just body heat. My tear has 1 1/2 inches of blue foam insulation (4x9 one door) on all walls, floor and ceiling. A small tear is really easy to heat in my experience if it is well insulated.

[_Ryan_]

Kind of what I thought but it is good to get some first hand experience on the subject. The idea about a 12-volt heating blanket was something I had also considered and the online reviews have been mostly positive.

As far as camping in the cold I think that we might see nights below freezing possibly in the teens so it will be something I have to experiment with.

[ParTaxer]

I use the incandescent dome light to take the chill off before bed time. Usually about 30 min.. Not a heat source however.

Mike

[bobhenry]

You might concider one of the LP lamps. These used to be in most of the older standies as a kitchen counter light. I would think this would offer light and heat without bankrupting the battery bank.

We have a tradition of our winter camping gathering dubbed the "shivaree" in January ( coming up in 3 weeks ) . One of the things I have learned during these cold weather campouts is that the heat will stratify at the roof of a teardrop. I have taken to using a small fan pointed upwards to wash the heated air back down the sidewalls to be more comfortable in extreme cold weather.

[parnold]

I'll give another thumbs up for the electric blanket. I've comfortable camped in the low 30's just by preheating my bed about 30-40 minutes before I climb in. My tear has no insulation either. I have just the elec blanket which I turn off as soon as I get under the covers, a light comforter, and a down comforter. I stay toasty warm all night with no trouble at all.

[S. Heisley]

Since you haven't built the galley yet, Ryan, consider adding a pass-through to the cabin so you can make coffee or tea or...? in the morning with the pass-through open and the galley lid closed. (For safety's sake, please remember to keep 19 inches clear, above where the open flame will be.) When it's in the mid to upper 30's outside, boiling some water for coffee in the morning seems to heat the cabin up just right! Also, 3/4" Styrofoam insulation keeps the interior at least 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperatures even without heat. That's with one person and a pooch. More bodies would do even better. If it's colder than mid-30's, you'll probably want a small heater of some sort that you can turn on once in a while, whether it be electrical or propane or....? The electric blanket might be good. Keep up the good work on your build. We're watching!

[nevadatear]

Remember incandesents are slowly being phased out and will eventually become unavailable. Better to use a technology that will be readily available in a new build is my thought. And to me, it is why use more energy that you have too? Even if you can recharge easily, better to save the gas and the energy to start with. Just my way.

[DriverOne]

Folks, I've got a question that's been eating me since I first heard about heating dilemmas concerning some camping situations. I assume most campers have a fire going. What about a steel pipe in a U-shape under the fire, with flexible tubing going to the camper like dryer tubing? That way the surrounding coals heat the pipe, and a PC fan could push the heat into the camper. You could attach a thermostat to the fan so that it would shut off whenever the temperature desired was reached, and even after the fire has died down, the heat from the coals is still hot enough to give you warmth through the majority of the night.

[48Rob]

Folks, I've got a question that's been eating me since I first heard about heating dilemmas concerning some camping situations. I assume most campers have a fire going. What about a steel pipe in a U-shape under the fire, with flexible tubing going to the camper like dryer tubing? That way the surrounding coals heat the pipe, and a PC fan could push the heat into the camper. You could attach a thermostat to the fan so that it would shut off whenever the temperature desired was reached, and even after the fire has died down, the heat from the coals is still hot enough to give you warmth through the majority of the night.

Great idea in theory.
In reality, there is an ever present danger that because of a crack/hole/etc, CO and other fumes would also be pulled into the camper.
Manifold heaters used to be a popular option in cars before heaters were standard equipment.
A pipe or tube was fitted over the exhaust manifold, and run into the car.
As the car traveled forward, and from the fan blade turning, cool air was drawn through the pipe, over the manifold, and exited into the car as warm air.
Worked very well, until the manifold cracked or began to leak.

Rob

[DriverOne]

Would something like this not last more than a few weeks? I understand the volatility of your examples, and I would worry significantly if the unit had a short life in regards to the resistance to heat and the elements. For this, the multi-alarm would be a true sentinel!

[48Rob]

It would probably work just fine...but I felt a need to point out the liability involved.

How long could you expect a heavy steel pipe to last while embedded in a 1000+ degree campfire?
I'm not qualified to answer that one.
Might last forever, might crack right away

Rob

[DriverOne]

You've got an excellent point. I believe I'll start a thread with this discussion in mind, in order to keep from hacking the OP's thread any longer.