Heating your camper

[Leviticus907]

Good morning to you all!

It's been awhile since I posted here and I've been able to use my camper a few times. Even managed to catch some fish while doing so!

My question today is: have any of you thought about converting your heater into a diesel heater like an espar or maybe a small wood burner stove specifically this
http://dickinsonmarine.com/product_cat/solid-fuel-heater/

The propane heater does work very well. I haven't actually used it in any freezing temps but the cooler night it has done its job. But the fan is loud and its constantly on and off. And propane is just one more accessory whereas I already have diesel and wood would be even easier. That stove is also built to handle the presto logs and charcoal briquettes. The major issue with the Dickinson is it requires a 4 foot chimney. And also a place to put it. I dont use the toilet so I've thought about removing it and leaving the propane heater as back up.


What are your thoughts?

 

[Teknomad]

If you're looking for info on Chinese Diesel heaters you might want to visit

This gentleman has 17 uploaded videos with a wealth of information as an alternative to Webasto or Eberspacher models.

 

[Leviticus907]

Nice I'll have to check that out. I have been wondering if those heaters were a waste of money or not. But for only 100$ it would be hard not to try. Even if it only lasted 2 years

 

[Teknomad]

I'm currently working out an issue with the combustion chamber intake and exhaust ports. These both are 25mm pipes and 90° copper bends available locally are all a bit sloppy.

 

[Leviticus907]

I'm currently working out an issue with the combustion chamber intake and exhaust ports. These both are 25mm pipes and 90° copper bends available locally are all a bit sloppy.

I'm a little confused as to what you're saying. Did you install a chinese version into your camper?

 

[Teknomad]

Purchased one and working out the details of getting it installed in the original Propane heater space.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

The problem with a solid fuel heater like a Dickenson is the need for a tall chimney to achieve a proper draft.

 

[Leviticus907]

Purchased one and working out the details of getting it installed in the original Propane heater space.

Ok gotcha, do you have any photos of the original propane heater installed? Or the new heater going in?

 

[Leviticus907]

The problem with a solid fuel heater like a Dickenson is the need for a tall chimney to achieve a proper draft.

Yeah it calls for a 4' chimney, plus having to lower and raise the camper. It would need to be detchable which would turn into most likely a mess and a hole in the roof.

 

[Teknomad]

No pictures of the original unit but it did reside under the Dometic 100 Series Porta Potty in the passenger right rear area of the camper. Will have pictures of what I'm planning soon and will share them at that time.

 

[Teknomad]

No pictures of the original unit but it did reside under the Dometic 100 Series Porta Potty in the passenger right rear area of the camper. Will have pictures of what I'm planning soon and will share them at that time.

 

[Leviticus907]

No pictures of the original unit but it did reside under the Dometic 100 Series Porta Potty in the passenger right rear area of the camper. Will have pictures of what I'm planning soon and will share them at that time.

Sounds good

 

[popRoid]

I looked hard at the Dickinson system and diesel heat but in the end had Bryan Wheat at Alaskan install a platinum ventilated heater from: http://www.ventedcatheater.com which runs on minimal propane and works fantastic. We installed it in one of the floor cabinets and vented it to the outside wall just behind the heater, I upgraded the propane tank in my 10' Alaskan cabover to 30 lbs. The Plat Cat heater is approved for RV use.

 

[Leviticus907]

I looked hard at the Dickinson system and diesel heat but in the end had Bryan Wheat at Alaskan install a platinum ventilated heater from: http://www.ventedcatheater.com which runs on minimal propane and works fantastic. We installed it in one of the floor cabinets and vented it to the outside wall just behind the heater, I upgraded the propane tank in my 10' Alaskan cabover to 30 lbs. The Plat Cat heater is approved for RV use.

What were the convincing points to not go diesel?

 

[popRoid]

What were the convincing points to not go diesel?

Leviticus....In the end I found for myself that diesel heat was just too expensive and during this research for alternatives to the standard Surburban forced air heat systems that burn through propane very fast on cold nights ...drive you crazy turning on/off all night and eat battery power that the Plat CAT was just an outstanding option as it uses very very little propane and battery power but functions quite well on those cold Montana nights. Mind you I still have the forced air Suburban in my Alaskan but only use it to quickly heat up the insides and then let the Plat Cat take over from there while turning off the Suburban the rest of the evening.

Here is quite possibly the finest description of an Alaskan buildout I have ever come across ...72 pages of excellent discussion of many different topics including heat: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/alaskan-camper-build-up.9502/

Cheers to your efforts. I'm happy to help with any information I have.

 

[Keith in Co]

A simple solution is to remove your forced air heater and install a Olympian Wave 3. I’ve done this on two Alaskan campers, and they work great. No chimney needed and no fumes. I do leave the front window over the bed cracked open for air as the heater consumes oxygen as it burns. Catalytic, runs on propane, silent, compact, and does not use electricity. High and low settings for 1,600 or 3,000 BTUs.

Since you already have a propane system for the stove, I can’t imagine what benefit would be realized with the hassle of going with either a diesel or wood fueled heater.

 

[ntsqd]

the new owner of our old camper added a diesel fueled heater. Tapped into his truck's fuel tank, which means that it's running on boi-diesel at least some of the time. I don't know much about his install beyond that he put it in the odd tiny space that Phoenix left between the fridge cabinet and the lower front wall of the camper.

 

[Leviticus907]

A simple solution is to remove your forced air heater and install a Olympian Wave 3. I’ve done this on two Alaskan campers, and they work great. No chimney needed and no fumes. I do leave the front window over the bed cracked open for air as the heater consumes oxygen as it burns. Catalytic, runs on propane, silent, compact, and does not use electricity. High and low settings for 1,600 or 3,000 BTUs.

Since you already have a propane system for the stove, I can’t imagine what benefit would be realized with the hassle of going with either a diesel or wood fueled heater.

I was originally hoping to completely do away with propane but the more I search the less viable that seems. And it seems people with alot more means and money have tried as well. Also propane heat is just so wet. I want a dry heat. I want to be able to winter camp and not have the windows iced over. I spent many years of my life working commercial fishing boats amd those diesel stoves are a godsend and they warm my cold bones up all the way to the marrow. The propane heaters are great but I just cant see a plat cat or such heating up all the way into the cabover bed

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

We use a Wallas 2 burner diesel stove in our boat. It exhausts outside, is relatively quiet, and has a lid with a fan to blow air around the cabin. To eliminate the current draw of the fan, we leave the lid up, and place an EcoFan on the cooler burner. Without the fan, there isn’t much current draw from the burner portion.

Caveat, they’re expensive and can be temperamental if not used properly. If you have low voltage, they can be difficult to start. The newer models are reported much better than the units of 10 years ago. Scan Marine in Seattle is the only distributor in North America, the stoves are made in Sweden.

 

[Leviticus907]

We use a Wallas 2 burner diesel stove in our boat. It exhausts outside, is relatively quiet, and has a lid with a fan to blow air around the cabin. To eliminate the current draw of the fan, we leave the lid up, and place an EcoFan on the cooler burner. Without the fan, there isn’t much current draw from the burner portion.

Caveat, they’re expensive and can be temperamental if not used properly. If you have low voltage, they can be difficult to start. The newer models are reported much better than the units of 10 years ago. Scan Marine in Seattle is the only distributor in North America, the stoves are made in Sweden.

I did see those but that price tag is holding me back. I really liked the espar water version to keep my truck coolant warm while camping and camper warm while driving.