Winter Use - Heating

[Hyakian]

The primary use of my Alaskan will be Winter camping.

I'm told that propane catalytic heaters put off moisture into the air creating a condensation issue.

Does anyone have any direct experience with this as it relates the the Alaskan?

Is there a way to mitigate condensation build up?


Thanks!

 

[DirtyDog]

Since you will be using a catalytic heater you are going to need to have some kind of ventilation going - a couple cracked windows or something similar. That will help with the condensation somewhat. Other than that there isn't much you can do. In my FWC I usually just towel off the condensation points in the morning.

 

[Barko1]

I've used the standard heater and a Wave 3 in my Grandby with 2 people and a few dogs. I think the living creatures are the primary source of moisture. I haven't seen any more moisture using the Wave although I haven't used in in below freezing but I have been keeping the camper warmer than with the standard unit. Like DD said just use a towel.

 

[Hyakian]

Similar situation.
2 dogs, 2 humans.

I was thinking that keeping the over head vent open a bit would help to mitigate this some.
Was also thinking about installing one of these to use when I'm staying at places where I have the luxury of plugging in.

linky

 

[Rusty]

Air movement is the secret to minimizing condensation, along with good weather striping. Your body give off about 8 pints per day...if 1/3 of that is asleep then you should have about 2-3 pints of water to deal with...

The overhead fan is one way to deal with the moisture...but if you use a couple small 12v computer fans in the vent they will assist in the evacuation of some of the moisture. Cross ventilation is another trick....front window drivers side and rear window passenger side just opened a little will take care of another portion. I use this pattern all the time and don't have a problem with condensation....even with wet waders and hip boots inside. Make sure the felt brushes are in good shape on your sliding windows. You can purchase replacement brush strips at most any hardware store.

Electric heat is always preferable....along with the fan in the unit

 

[Hyakian]

I'm seeing that the new Alaskans come with a fan built into the roof vents now.
Makes sense. I may have take a look at giving the computer fan idea a go...

 

[Mike S.]

Our 94 10ft CO came with a 2 fantastic fan bases but no fans. I wanted a fan so after looking around I found the wiring for both stuck up in the wood in the ceiling. We now have the one over the stove with a fan and will put the over head one in as well.

We also carry a 110 volt heater that has both 750 and 1500 watt options. We found that on a 15 amp breaker the 1500 watts would trip the breaker.

 

[Tris]

There is a vented catalytic heater that would probably help a lot with condensation problems. It's also nice to have the other combustion products get sucked outside as well. The other advantage of these is that they are thermostatically controlled and will maintain a fairly steady temperature inside. The disadvantage is that they do use a little 12v. when starting and a tiny bit when running. I had one in a trailer years ago and found it very nice. The company has changed hands at least once since then, so I now have no idea about quality or service. Check it out at http://ventedcatheater.com/2.html .

If you want to supplement the propane heater with an electric - a good idea - look at the ones with ceramic heat elements. They make plenty of heat, but the element isn't hot enough to ignite common combustables. Makes sense in a crowded space.

 

[DanoT]

Hyakian,
I've used a 5th wheel trailer for 20 years as my ski chalet. The electric heater that you pictured is the best heater that i have found mainly due to its thermostat. I keep a minimum of 2 vents open about 1 inch 24/7 even in very cold weather.

Here is another tip. When it gets really cold, say -20 Celsius the fridge does not work very well. The fix is to block off the lower fridge vent--never the upper vent.

Also at very low temps the water pipes inside the RV can freeze. If you have electricity the fix is to attach heat tape to the pipes. The heat tape that I refer to is what they use to melt snow off roof overhangs to prevent ice build up. For my trailer the length I needed IIRC was 30ft and draws 300 watts. I removed the thermostat on the heat tape and added an on/off switch so when it gets to -20C I just flip the switch and I am good to -40C.

 

[myout]

I found on ebay a stove top metal cylinder that hooks on top of a burner. Its about 5 inches tall and apparently covers the propane flame and then radiates heat....it was only $20 or so after shipping from S Korea...so I bought it. Let ya know how well it works after I have a chance to try it!

 

[MarkBC]

I found on ebay a stove top metal cylinder that hooks on top of a burner. Its about 5 inches tall and apparently covers the propane flame and then radiates heat....it was only $20 or so after shipping from S Korea...so I bought it. Let ya know how well it works after I have a chance to try it!

Alaskan owner milt has a stove-top heater, too. I don't know if he bought it or built it, but it looks cool.

 

[myout]

There are some on ebay..."portable gas cap heater".....hope it works!

 

[Rusty]

Milt designed and built his....very cool....old, cast iron incense burner...large enough to cover a stove burner and he vented it out of the upper section with plumbing materials...

 

[Kilroy]

Milt designed and built his....very cool....old, cast iron incense burner...large enough to cover a stove burner and he vented it out of the upper section with plumbing materials...


I think the vent thing is overkill unless your trying to run the heater all night. Unless your Alaskan is a lot tighter than mine, there is enough air moving through it. A CO detector and a low oxygen sensor would be very good ideas for any un-vented heater.

I've been considering a Wave catalytic heater to get away from the electrical usage of the stock furnace.

 

[caseboy]

we have a 20yr+ old wave catalytic heater.we run it all night. we have never set off our co alarm, even on high. we do keep one window cracked a little. there does seem to be a few minor drafts coming through the main seals ,but not enough to worry about.mine only has the flap seal on the outer shell. someday i'll put one on the inner tub or make a "stuffer" for the space in between the top and bottom shells. we stay warm and dry as it is now. we get about 6-8 hours on a small colman propane bottle(16oz., i think)from the grocery store.i did buy a little portable battery operated fan to try this winter to move the heat around better and maybe cut down on condensation on the windows.even that isn't really a big deal.we also use puck lights in addition to our 12v lights,they are great for non reading times. if we need brighter light , the 12v lights are better.we also took out the fridge. an ice chest works just great for us.all in all we don't use much battery for our trips. sorry, i wandered.

wes