# Heating the Interior



## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi all,

Information please on what is the best type of heater for keeping the van warm during the winter months. Oil filled - fan - convector etc. what are the advantages or disadvantages if any.

Your opinions will be gratefully received.

Drew


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## The-Clangers (Sep 18, 2009)

Hi,

When the van is parked up we use a small oil filled radiator to keep the frost away.

When we are away in the van we use a variety of heaters. If not hooked up we use the warm air heating. 

If on hook up we use an oil filled radiator to keep the chill off the air at night. We also leave it on during the day and if it gets too cold we use the warm air heating as well.

In the morning we use a fan heater that has been built into the skirting in the van, this is switched on by a remote control so that we do not need to get out of bed until the van has heated up. A great idea by Scott at Vantage Motorhomes.

David


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## SNandJA (Aug 22, 2008)

If we are talking storage then...
It is probably not cold that is a problem in the winter but damp. Warming a space encourages condensation at the point where it is coldest.
Some dehumidifiers will operate at temperatues below 0.
Dehumidifiers

If you can keep it dry inside and you fully drain the water system then potential damage is reduced perhaps?

If using the van during winter then it pays to get perhaps both internal and external silver screens as this is the area where condensation will occur. We have a Truma warm air system which operates on gas and supplement it with a halogen heater when EHU is available.

Steve


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## UncleNorm (May 1, 2005)

Hi Drew!

Fan heaters can send heat around the motorhome quickly... good. 

Fan heaters can be noisy... bad. 

Fan heaters have moving parts which can jam, causing overheating and/or fire!!  So they should not be left unattended.

Oil filled heaters - around 800-900 watts - are silent, can be left unattended, but work more slowly. The heat is distributed very locally, around the heater. But they are fine for keeping the chill off over night during motorhome use.

As I type, our MH is parked alongside the house with an oil filled heater set up via a plug-in thermostat... http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Product...ords&kw=et05&gclid=CLelhYeD5aQCFYE14wodpGeRLQ

The thermostat is set at 5C, so at 4.9C, it switches on the heater, switching it off again at 5.0C. No noise!

Each to his/her own. That's how we do it. :roll: :wink:


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Thank you all,

Oil filled radiator it is as the vehicle will be left unattended.

Drew


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## dikyenfo (Feb 16, 2008)

Small de-humidifiers work v. well and if you use them whilst out at this time of year with a curtain across the cab with the m/c in the front you will have no condensation to mop up. 
If you leave it with a timer to be a damp remover then should work great. A light tells you when the condensate reservoir needs emptying.


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

Hi Uncle Norm

Afraid I will have to balance up your reasoning a little    

There have been cases where the casings on oil filled radiators have split and the oil leaks out all over your floor - not good  
Admittedly you would be very unlucky for it to happen, but it happens :wink: 

Even cheap modern fan heaters are now fitted with a thermal fuse which blows and cuts the power if the fan blade stops turning - good





Trevor


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Problem we found with fan heaters is (at least with ours) the power is supplied simultaneously to the fan and the heating element. Which means you get a 5 second blast of cold air until the element warms up. Sort of defeats the object, particularly if it's cycling on/off on a thermostat. We use a small oil-filled radiator now without problems. 

However for leaving in storage, we have no power supply so it's unheated. Just use passive dehumidifiers. Can't see why anyone would want to heat the van in such circumstances, if it's properly drained down.

Paul


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## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

1kw oil filled radiator for us and if its really cold then on with the blown air Truma.
We use ours all year round, the best buy I made in terms of keeping things warm is the external screens, very effective and no condensation in the mronings.


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

We just turn on the vans own electric heating and set the thermostat down low. Are we doing it wrong?
C.


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

> We just turn on the vans own electric heating and set the thermostat down low. Are we doing it wrong?


Thats what I would do if my van had electric heating but its gas only   

Trevor


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## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

Ooooh, Clive, with a van like that I suprised you don't get the butler to turn the heating on! :lol:


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## owl129 (May 21, 2008)

*heating*



CliveMott said:


> We just turn on the vans own electric heating and set the thermostat down low. Are we doing it wrong?
> C.


Hi
now I was thinking of doing this but as the central heating system and the hot water system seem to run both from the truma boiler
does any body know weather I should keep water in the tank or does it not matter when just using the central heating part of the system??

Paul


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## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

We bought a small Delonghi oil filled radiator which also has an integral fan heater using this site below which sells seconds. I can't see what was a 'second' about our one though as it looked pristine and it works perfectly.

www.choicebrand.co.uk


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi all,

Once again, thank you for your suggestions.

I purchased a small oil filled radiator and a Meaco Dehumidifier,
Model: ECO-dd122 MK4.

Just after lunch to-day I put the dehumidifier in the van and set the timer for 2 hours, when I checked it after the allocated time there was just short of 2 litres of water in the reservoir. I must admit I was very impressed with the machine and also flabbergasted to find so much water. I must also add that it can be connected to a hose that will drain the water directly into the shower tray if required.

All I can say is that it was money well spent. The dehumidifier also emits quite a lot of heat, another bonus, and it is light enough to carry with us on these cold winter nights

Drew


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## JohnWebb (May 1, 2005)

I have an intriguing problem! My Efoy runs to keep itself warm so that any moisture in the catalyst does not freeze. It is therefore charging batteries already fully charged by the solar cell. Consequently I leave the Alde heating on the lowest setting and it all balances. Every now and then I have to go and get the Gaslow refilled. I dump the water out of the Alde as the manual says I can run the heating whilst the outer, water, tank is empty. Result is a warmer van for the price of LPG topup.


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## motormouth (Jul 3, 2010)

Drew,
2 litres of water in 2 hours   
Are you sure you didn't leave the shower on :?:


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi MM,

I couldn't believe it myself, I poured the water from the tank into a measuring jug and it was just short of the 2ltr mark.

Drew


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Drew, if there are any air gaps or 'cracked' windows then you are dehumidifing the planet 'slowly'  

tony


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## rugbyken (Jan 16, 2006)

of course most suggestion's depend on having power handy , personally i use a greenhouse heater from B&Q supposedly 10p a night to run but it saves me having to go through all the drain down rigmarole as my water tank and boiler are under the same bench seat i just prop this open and allow circulation, have done this the last 4 year's and no condensation problem's also van used as spare bedroom over xmas and new year without complaint


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## andyandsue (Sep 7, 2008)

*keeping warm*

when we ski we use a cheap electric panel heater ( not oil filled ) with a low 1000w setting,used with a time switch its silent and can be set to come on in the early hours if, like us ,you like a cool nights sleep. being 1000w it will not trip 6a breakers


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## jonse (Nov 2, 2008)

*Heating and damp*

Just been reading this topic and think you are wasting your money if you are heating the van and using dehumidifiers vans are meant to breath thats what the vents are for you not just for letting old farts out, you will get more moisture out of your home than the van yes you will get damp air but it also gets plenty of dry also, so where is the point of heating the van and using humidifiers with so much ventilation would be differant if you could hermetically seal it


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi Jonse,

Whilst I respect your thoughts, can you please explain why:

Both CC & C&C clubs, MMM and other magazines suggest that you place bowls of salt in our vehicles to absorb moisture during the winter months.

My vehicle is a 2008 Autosleeper & fully sealed other than the original vents. Our clothing and bedding are left in the van at all times except when removed to be cleaned. 

Drew


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## NicknClair (May 18, 2006)

Bit late but have to agree with Clive on leaving the van on EHU on low setting when parked up.
If your van isn't equipped with Electric feature, then we could be here all day suggesting things and sharing ideas (no harm in that at all ;-) ). Oil filled rads do work, but they have the risk of leaking (certainly the lower end of the market). Modern Fan heaters also do have more safety devices these days, but they can have issues such as noise etc etc.
It just depends on how you use the van and whether it is a long term van and worth investing in upgrading the heating to include the mains feature and whether or not you wild camp alot in extreme climates.
Have been very happy in changing the Truma to a Webasto Diesel/Electric system. When van is at storage unit, it's left at 8deg internal setting, which maintains the whole van at that temperature. When "Wilding", don't have to panic about gas use (which I did suffer with last November/December before I changed the unit). When EHU is available, I switch it to a variable 1/2KW electric depending on the mains supply on the site and what I am likely to use. This also applies when the van it outside the house in the winter, again left on 8 deg but on mains EHU.

Just a point though, it isn't a cheap option, but I am keeping the van long term so feel it is worth the investment.

Rgs 

Nick


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## oldun (Nov 10, 2005)

The best of them all....

A simple thermostatically controlled panel heater.


- no oil, no cold air flowing around the van, no noise, much lighter than an oil heater, responds much quicker than an oil heater and, if you buy one with an immersion heater type of element, very durable.

Why are so many people so keen on the far inferior oil heater?


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## jonse (Nov 2, 2008)

*Heating and damp*

Hi all well like I said look at how much air is entering you van as far as i know all sky light vent Even with the blinds over and the shower rooms get good air flow so cold air in meets hot air, outcome condensation so you cant see it but its there all the same, you would need a lot of warmth to overcome the damp coming in with the air, exterior blinds would reduce some of the cold less , as others have said interior blinds just create more damp look at your van doors if Fiat then you will see louvers on the inside more air in then the fridge has floor vents .Salt yes but at what ratio for the square meter house hold salt or just commercial salt .having left a caravan out side for the last 13 years the interior is no worse for it and yet a relation used to leave a tube heater on while his was laid up his van rotted from the inside my caravan is a1984 his was1990, But its at least an amicable discussion, we will aldo our own thing In the end and only time will tell whose right  The perfect solution is to hermiticly seal It


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