[lee_dewing]

Sure it's been asked before and not a cheap way to do things; but my up and over garage en-bloc has no electric.
so could i use this inverter with an independant leisure battery what amp? by the way

with the oil filled rad in my van?

Also how long would leisure battery last between recharging days/hours; won't work?

This inverter
http://www.amazon.co.uk/converter-appliances-converters-electrical-MRI10013/dp/B00ALRS1AS/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

With this oil filled radiator
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Bambino-TRN0505M-Filled-Radiator/dp/B0000BVBHJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384900483&sr=8-1&keywords=500+watt+oil+filled+radiator

other option green house lpg heater (not mad on this don't like the idea of flame and gas)

thanks lee.

[philip.parkin@talk21.com]

Whats the wattage of an oil filled rad? How long will it take for your battery to flatten? I just got a tube heater off ebay for 20 quid and according to google it should last 2 days on a 110ah leisure battery.

[philip.parkin@talk21.com]

Sorry im blind didmt see rad wattage on link. Lol

[Simon Mess]

That's a very small heater Lee, how weatherproof is your garage?. I'm asking because the house I recently moved out of had a large shed, about the size of a single garage, and using a heater twice that size, albeit on its lowest setting, only just kept the temperature above freezing in the winter!. So if your garage is not very well sealed, you may have to turn the heater up, running down the battery quicker than you want. If you don't need all your stuff kept warm why not build a small shed in your garage, just big enough for what you need kept warm and the heater. Wooden frame, some kind of floor insulation, polystyrene lined sides and top. That way your stuff will be kept nice and warm with heater on lowest setting.

[lee_dewing]

hi Simon was planning on leaving heater in van.

So just warming van interior.

[robertphil]

i remember watchin a prog on telly where they insulated an immersion tank big time (shrouded in foil and insulation a foot thick) and all it took was a 60w bulb sitting under it to get it warm

[Simon Mess]

hi Simon was planning on leaving heater in van.

So just warming van interior.

That should work fine then in terms of keeping your equipment warm, but a word of warning, you may get severe condensation on inside of van windows!. Whenever I put a heater in the back of my van, that is what happened, don't know if it is to do with the fact that I have a bulkhead with some holes cut in it for poles/ladder to stick through (i.e., not enough of the heat was getting through to the front to keep windscreen clear), but maybe that just happens anyway?!. 

[Dave Mills]

If your leisure battery is 110Ah, then using P=IV at 12V itll produce a total of 110x12 = 1320 watts of power before its flat. Inverter efficiency about 80% so itll run that 500W radiator for about 2h 10m

Not really a goer, sorry.

[dave0123]

Easiest way is just to run some cable to your garage make your own long exentension cable or put it on a separate ring and install some sockets.

[Mike #1]

Lee can you not heat the water in your storage tank at your parents , I have mine in a shed and heat it with a 1kw aquarium heater its like a hot tub when i open the door . Mike

[Avo]

It should be no problem with inverter rate 3000W.
If you purchase 190w tube heater you will need to work out how many batteries you need.

So lets say you want to power for at least 7 hours. 190w x 7 hours = 1330w
to get amps. divide the 1330W by 12v you will get 110.08A.

Golden rule for inverters is you need twice the about of battery power becuase the alarm kicks in when batteries fall below 50%

So you will need at least 2 x 110A.

Dose this make sense

[lee_dewing]

If your leisure battery is 110Ah, then using P=IV at 12V itll produce a total of 110x12 = 1320 watts of power before its flat. Inverter efficiency about 80% so itll run that 500W radiator for about 2h 10m

Not really a goer, sorry.

thanks Dave won't waste my money.

Avo thanks but looks like it's gonna get dear and be charging up lots of batteries.

Dave 0123 :  my garage is in a block and about 100 feet from the house and cable would have to run past neighbours front door we get on ok but not that well

Mike: Where did you get your aqua heater? and how much was it ?(if you don't mind me asking )
Are they juicy on the electric and how many hours would it take to heat a 625 ltr tank.
Thought i could use timer plug to switch aqua heater on/off.

Other option for my up and over garage where i live (not parents where ro set up is)
greenhouse gas heater anyone use one of these are they safe enough.

thanks everyone Lee.

[PoleKing]

If your leisure battery is 110Ah, then using P=IV at 12V itll produce a total of 110x12 = 1320 watts of power before its flat. Inverter efficiency about 80% so itll run that 500W radiator for about 2h 10m

Not really a goer, sorry.

thanks Dave won't waste my money.

Avo thanks but looks like it's gonna get dear and be charging up lots of batteries.

Dave 0123 :  my garage is in a block and about 100 feet from the house and cable would have to run past neighbours front door we get on ok but not that well

Mike: Where did you get your aqua heater? and how much was it ?(if you don't mind me asking )
Are they juicy on the electric and how many hours would it take to heat a 625 ltr tank.
Thought i could use timer plug to switch aqua heater on/off.

Other option for my up and over garage where i live (not parents where ro set up is)
greenhouse gas heater anyone use one of these are they safe enough.

thanks everyone Lee.

I've got a greenhouse heater.
Works a treat. Only negative is it steams up the windscreen.
Someone said to leave the window open a crack but I've not tried it yet.

[Dave Mills]

Cheapest and cleanest running greenhouse heater is probably propane.

There's a 1.5Kw one for under £120 at http://www.garden4less.co.uk/propane-greenhouse-heaters.asp

Ive not looked for cheaper but they will be out there.  Get one with a thermostat and you dont even need to think about it at night, as itll just switch on when needed.

[windowswashed]

Why go to so much trouble heating the van. Insulate wfp tank, hoses, connections and inside of van. Only require a small amount of heat to warm the water inside the wfp tank to keep it from freezing as it will act like a built in radiator. Insulation is the key to working in zero temps

[jarvy]

I have a 1200w inverter in the back of my van, and  halogen heater. Even though  the heater is less than the inverter (1000w if i remember) it cant cope with running it in both bars on the heater. If i switch it onto 1 bar (500w) then it will run it. Would not fancy leaving all that running over night though.

[Mike #1]

If your leisure battery is 110Ah, then using P=IV at 12V itll produce a total of 110x12 = 1320 watts of power before its flat. Inverter efficiency about 80% so itll run that 500W radiator for about 2h 10m

Not really a goer, sorry.

thanks Dave won't waste my money.

Avo thanks but looks like it's gonna get dear and be charging up lots of batteries.

Dave 0123 :  my garage is in a block and about 100 feet from the house and cable would have to run past neighbours front door we get on ok but not that well

Mike: Where did you get your aqua heater? and how much was it ?(if you don't mind me asking )
Are they juicy on the electric and how many hours would it take to heat a 625 ltr tank.
Thought i could use timer plug to switch aqua heater on/off.

Other option for my up and over garage where i live (not parents where ro set up is)
greenhouse gas heater anyone use one of these are they safe enough.

thanks everyone Lee.

Got my heater of Ebay a few years back if i remember from last year it costs about 3 pence an hour as soon as temps drops to -0  , I put heater on and just leave it on all night , I dont have my 300 ltr static tank insulated but water generally gets up to + 15 .

The warm shed stops my Di vessels from freezing as well , I will eventually get around to insulating the shed one day . Mike

[lee_dewing]

thanks Mike.

Thanks guys

[andyM]

Why go to so much trouble heating the van. Insulate wfp tank, hoses, connections and inside of van. Only require a small amount of heat to warm the water inside the wfp tank to keep it from freezing as it will act like a built in radiator. Insulation is the key to working in zero temps

I would agree with you.
I keep a static tank in the garage and can only think of a handful of times where the outside temperature has got down below -10 or something silly that the tank has had ice inside.
I put an electric heater in van (parked on driveway) so no problem there.
But if I were in Lee's position (no electricity supply) I would insulate the inside of the van well.
Im sure that will stop his system freezing up on 99% of occasions while parked in his garage.
If he wants to ensure the van remains 100% frost free insulate the garage aswell!