# Oil Filled Radiators



## donk (Sep 7, 2009)

Hi All bit of advise please I am thinking about getting an oil filled radiator to use when on hook up. Any help with type ,wattage etc would be a great help very many thanks in advance Dave


----------



## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

Hi dave

J use a DeLonghi Bambino 500w in a Voyager, ideal to keep the place cosy

We were in Valkenburg early Dec -12 and it coped well as background heating.

If it is to be your only heat source then maybe a more powerful one to be considered.

Dont forget to watch your amps consumption!


----------



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

we have the delonghi bambino as well. excellent little unit that doesn't take up much space.

have a look at this thread


----------



## jud (Aug 15, 2009)

hi donk yes we use 500watt bambino they are good for site which give you small amps they take a bit of time warming up but they are worth it and they are quite running and cheap to use at home as well we would recommend buying one .jud :roll:


----------



## TickTok (Aug 27, 2010)

donk said:


> Hi All bit of advise please I am thinking about getting an oil filled radiator to use when on hook up. Any help with type ,wattage etc would be a great help very many thanks in advance Dave


We use this one, 3 heat settings the lowest is only 450w so it can be used on most continental sites the highest is 1100w (4amps) for a lot of heat.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...s=?&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories<


----------



## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

We also have the Delonghi Bambino 500w and are very happy with it. Others feel a higher wattage one suits them better. I'm sure there has been more than one oil filled radiator thread on there in recent months so try a search if you don't get a sufficient range of replies on here.


Chris


----------



## Twilight (Aug 20, 2009)

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...268342111&isSearch=true#ancBVReviewsContainer

Brought this little beauty......superb...does what it says and more.


----------



## odipar (Nov 24, 2010)

In theory a 10A hook up will have up to 2.4KW avaliable for use
A 6 amp will supply 1.44 KW
So you could use a 2000W or a 1000W heater depending upon the hook up
heers
MGA Coupe


----------



## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

We used a Bambino 800w through December in France and it mostly needed supplementing with the diesel heating overnight but was enough through the day.


----------



## dbnosey (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi
I have used one from Tesco for 2 years. Thermostat controlled which I have in the van all winter both when at home and on hook up. All for less than £30.
Tesco Value Oil Filled Radiator
Catalogue number: 200-1549

£24.97

Colin


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Whether the radiator you are thinking of buying will do the job you want is dependant on a lot of variables, such as

The ambient (external) temperature
The temperature you want inside your MH
How well your vehicle is insulated
How many people are inside it (people give off a lot of heat)
How big your vehicles internal volume is. (a PVC has much less internal volume than a large coachbuilt)
The output of your chosen heater and how long it is switched on for etc etc

Personaly I have not found an oil filled rad that is man enough to heat up the inside of my Autotrail Dakots when the temperature is really chilly BUT if it is already warm (by using the inbuilt gas heater) then an oil filled WILL do the job of keeping it toasty warm !!

Good for background heating but (in my view) not a lot of use if you want heating from cold ! Others seem to be very pleased with theirs but I do wonder if they are used just for maintaining heat rather than heating up from cold


----------



## Touchwood_RV (May 1, 2005)

Hi,

We have a Yank with a large area to keep warm in the winter and use 2 500w DeLonghi Bambino and three 800w, the reason for the 8’s over the 5 is they have a 300 or 500 setting or both together for 800, that way we have ample mix and match flexibility to cover for 6/10/16 amp service. 

As mrplodd says they are magic background heat, i.e. in really cold spells (recent) as background, autumn and spring we find them good on their own. We also carry a good fan heater that is used to get the interior up to desired temperature quickly then switch back to the oils to maintain it when externally very cold, and re use occasionally to boost the heat level as the oils maintain their heat for the short time they are off when the fan needs to be switched back on.

But as stated above by mrplodd the whole efficacy factor is really down the area to heat, external temperature, insulation standard and number of bodies etc


----------



## TickTok (Aug 27, 2010)

odipar said:


> In theory a 10A hook up will have up to 2.4KW avaliable for use
> A 6 amp will supply 1.44 KW
> So you could use a 2000W or a 1000W heater depending upon the hook up
> heers
> MGA Coupe


 But just don't try it in France!


----------



## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Mrplodd said:


> Whether the radiator you are thinking of buying will do the job you want is dependant on a lot of variables, such as
> 
> The ambient (external) temperature
> The temperature you want inside your MH
> ...


When the van is on our drive we use our 500w Bambino on low to prevent freezing in the worst of the winter.

When we're away in the winter we use it during the night because it's quiet and doesn't feel as drying as the van's heater. If we plan to be out all day we might also leave it on to keep the chill off.

Our main source of heating though would be the van's heater, on gas or electric, with the Bambino on too if necessary.

Chris


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

We use a 800w radiator for background, storage and overnight heating and it copes well in all but very cold conditions. If I wanted one to provide all heating requirements I would want one with a 1.5kw setting to attain decent temperatures during cold evenings.
One thing we have found critical however is good thermostatic control. The thermostats mounted within the heaters are not very effective at controlling the overall 'van temperature but add a remote thermostat and it makes a huge difference to maintaining a consistent temperature. We use one of <<THESE>> which is excellent and can maintain a steady temperature to +/-0.5deg accuracy without a problem. Also ideal as a frost thermostat during storage periods.


----------



## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

gaspode said:


> We use a 800w radiator for background, storage and overnight heating and it copes well in all but very cold conditions. If I wanted one to provide all heating requirements I would want one with a 1.5kw setting to attain decent temperatures during cold evenings.
> One thing we have found critical however is good thermostatic control. The thermostats mounted within the heaters are not very effective at controlling the overall 'van temperature but add a remote thermostat and it makes a huge difference to maintaining a consistent temperature. We use one of <<THESE>> which is excellent and can maintain a steady temperature to +/-0.5deg accuracy without a problem. Also ideal as a frost thermostat during storage periods.


Ken, I have a similar one of those but it appears to get heat from being plugged in which effects its switch on temperature. I sem to have to increase the setting by 6 degrees or so to get it to operate at the temperature I want e.g switch on at 8 dgrees I have to set it for 14 degrees. Guess it should be binned! Are you ok up at this time of night? Ray


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Hi Ray

No problem like that with ours, works absolutely fine. Maybe you got a duff one?

Still up waiting for the boss to get back home - dirty stop-up she is. :lol:


----------

