Heaters... NW Montana Truck Camping

LOL

 

My current Boss used to build A/C and heating units in tractor/trailer cabins and he suggested a ceramic heater for those not wanting to spend a bunch of money on a complete unit. I currently use one in my 18ft camper that I live in all year round, and we're currently getting a couple inches of snow and its been working good so far. I haven't done much research on them but they are energy efficient and emissions safe but an Aux battery and convertor would probably be needed to run it. Insulating your weak points would be necessary or you will lose a lot of heat.

 

Throw a few hot hands in the sleeping bag and call it the night

 

I bought a diesel heater (as mentioned previously

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRLYZ3F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1qIaCbMMDE865

and am putting it inside a metal box - they are loud but work well - biggest plus is that they are vented unlike the propane Little Buddy. Id rather not breathe propane fumes, sure it’s mostly just CO2 and water, but there’s also unburnt propane, CO (carbon monoxide), sulfur dioxide and other impurities mixed into it as well.

It is best to get a vented heater for an enclosed cab or tent. Whatever you do, don't rely on just a sensor to save your life, what if it malfunctions? It does not take much carbon monoxide to put you to sleep very quickly, and most victims don’t even realize it’s happening.

 

Any pics of the install? Or how yours is set up?

 

Will do after work!

 

I've been following the thread on ExPo about these Chinese heaters and it sounds like the general consensus is that 5000KW is too much for a small truck camper.
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/200-5kw-portable-diesel-air-heater.191458/

 

Yeah, it cranks- but when its windy and snowy out, its really good.

 

Buddy heater has minimal CO, lower than catalytic heaters. The issue is if there is no ventilation, they will use all the oxygen in the room, which is why they have a low oxygen shut off. Pretty safe. My issue with it is that is creates condensation by burning the oxygen in the room. Same issue with catalytic heaters.

I like vented heaters. I was going to go with a diesel vented heater if I hadn't come across a camper.

BTW, don't pay 1 to 2 grand for a camper top, got mine used for $250. High top, didn't match or look pretty. Decided to replace it when the back window got damaged. I got my Flippac for $2400 and my slide in hard side for $1000.

 

Have to get better shots, but this shows the toolbox I modified to hold the heater. Exhast and intake vents for the combustion chamber are on the front of the box, and vented cold and hot air vents are on the sides. I use dryer ducts to pipe the cold air safely to the heater and hot air to the tent, while the heater and fuel tank stay on the ground. The 1 gal. fuel tank has a quick connect installed in the cap. The two pipes on the upper left are the exhast and air inlet pipes and muffler for the combustion chamber. Its not that loud in the box and when set on the ground. Everything fits in the box to stow it except for the fuel tank. I also installed a second battery on my truck to power this and my camp gear, but it was unnecessary for the heater alone.

 

The best way to stay warm in Montana in the winter is to get a room. Or wait until summer.

 

This is exactly what I want to do! I currently have a wood stove in my Wildernest, but its a pain to take up and down if your moving on a daily basis. How long is that tool box? I have a spot in mind and curious if it would fit. Also, when you say "I use dryer ducts to pipe the cold air safely to the heater..." What are the concerns I need to be aware of when piping in the cold air? My intuition would be to pay more attention to the hot air tube, but I'm def new to this haha.

Thanks!

 

Unless you are out early getting wildlife shots with a camera or whatever...

 

I forgot about this thread! I have a second brand new unused heater unit I should sell, I will post it soon on the market place. I used a standard toolbox from HF- will update this for you this weekend. As for the pipes, I just wanted to keep the air intake for the tent as far as possible from the heater exhast.

 

Sweet thanks man! Yeah I have a basic one from HF and it’s about 17” long and it looked very similar to urs so that’s kind of why I was wondering to see if it would fit that makes sense about the intake. I was planning to put the exhaust on one side of the truck, and the intake on the other.

 

V6 fuel burn at idle is around .4 gal./hr. I have slept in my truck, running the heater when needed. It's the cheapest way to have heat. You can sleep with heat 5-6hrs. for about 2 gal. Get one of those 12v. plug in CO detectors, and use it, if you sleep in the truck.


$33 Multi-Function Car Carbon Monoxide Detector, Fast Car Charger, Quick Charge 3.0 adapter with dual QC3.0 USB ports, audible CO alarm detector, LCD digital display.

$34 Multi-Function Car Carbon Monoxide Detector, Fast Car Charger, Quick Charge 3.0 Adapter with Dual QC3.0 USB Ports, CO Alarm Detector in Car with LCD Digital Display(Black)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GH3612F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Diesel heaters will make you stink like diesel so beware. The smell and can give you a headache - CO2 alarm required!
Don't be too cheap and stupid it isn't worth your life.

 

I have two CO2 alarms in the truck at this time for my wood stove, and only put the batteries in them when I am using the stove. I do like this idea though, I am curious how much draw on the battery it is. I doubt much.

 

It's a nifty little device, even has a glass breaker point. No current draw listed anywhere, only thing listed is output currents for the USB's. I only use it when I need heat, so the engine's running and charging the battery. It's plugged into an always on 12V. cig lighter socket.

I got it on Amazon, you could ask the question. Amazon's pretty good with that. I've seen seller answered questions listed on the product page. It's $29 now, a bit cheaper than when I bought it.

BTW... carbon monoxide is CO, carbon dioxide is CO2

 

Yeah I have had good luck with having questions answered on Amazon. If I decide to go this route I will inquire.

I totally meant CO, but then got paranoid after seeing your response that I may have searched the wrong thing on Amazon when I bought mine. I just went and checked my order history though and I did get the correct ones (CO).