[frames to panes]

Did anyone use one in their van over the winter? I've seen a cheap greenhouse heater that burns parrafin or maybe meths. Are they safe in the back of a van with little ventilation or just too risky?

[chrismroberts]

I know a couple of guys who put those little heaters in the van overnight... it would just scare me, the thought of the whole thing going up in flames over night! :P

The few mornings it froze here over winter, I got up a couple of hours early, put a fan heater in the van and went back to bed. By the time I got up again, everything was defrosted and was nice and warm 

[frames to panes]

I'll try to remember to keep an eye open mid-summer for any bargains.

[simon knight]

My guess would be that if (God forbid) something should happen your insurance wouldn't cover you.

[[GQC] Tim]

My guess would be that if (God forbid) something should happen your insurance wouldn't cover you.

There is no way that they can fall over though, very very broad base.

[Nathanael Jones]

I got one,... complete waste of time and money IMO.
It only kicks out 300 watts of heat, and it STINKS the whole van out with a horrible paraffin smell. It also has a tendency to smoke a lot and it fairly destroyed everything in my shed with black soot one night!

I used it for a week,.. and then started filling 2 barrels with hot water in the bath, putting them in the van and throwing a blanket over them so they didn't leave the heat out too fast.

I still think is you can get power to the van, an oil filled radiator with the thermostat turned down low is prob the best solution,.... or a hot system to pre-heat your main wfp tank,..... 

[m b shaw]

we used halogen electric heater safe as houses because if it tips up or anything it won t work.saved our lives last winter. cheers mick

[Clive McDonald]

 Believe it or not there is an even better way Nathan.

[[GQC] Tim]

Believe it or not there is an even better way Nathan.

Which is?

[Clive McDonald]

It's a puzzle for Nathan to figure out, he's got till next winter to solve it. Like all good solutions it's really simple. Here's a clue (ltplo).

[m.b.s.]

It's a puzzle for Nathan to figure out, he's got till next winter to solve it. Like all good solutions it's really simple. Here's a clue (ltplo).

it woulden tbe the ionics thermo pro lol would it

[Wayne Thomas]

Leave The Pilot Light On

[Ian_Giles]

If you can get power to your van then the easiest and cheapest way is to use a fan heater with a frost stat setting, therefore it'll only kick in to keep the van above freezing. It is the method I have used since I had the van.
£15.00 for a little fan heater and you are sorted....not a lot of cop if you can't get power to your vehicle of course.

Ian

[Dean Aspects]

Have to agree with Nathaniel the van stinks for ages after using those heaters i stopped using it for this very reason and it also made little difference anyway and i was worried about the van going up in flames
Next year i will go for an electric heater

Dean

[Clive McDonald]

Wayne yes, very good.

[Nathanael Jones]

Leave The Pilot Light On

My heater doesn't have a pilot light,....
Does the pilot really give out enough heat to keep the frost away?

[Clive McDonald]

yes, and at some point you will get another heater.The flows a bit higher than you've got, and it's hotter on the high setting than you have, but remember we invented the bypass back to tank for this.

[Wayne Thomas]

Leave The Pilot Light On

My heater doesn't have a pilot light,....
Does the pilot really give out enough heat to keep the frost away?

He was joking with you, lol

[Nathanael Jones]

yes, and at some point you will get another heater.The flows a bit higher than you've got, and it's hotter on the high setting than you have, but remember we invented the bypass back to tank for this.

The bypass back to the tank is history,.... I'm installing a more efficient gizmo to control the on/off function normally handled by the heater's inbuilt flow sensor,... it'll switch on the heater at a much lower flow rate,.... AND reset the heater every time the flow stops, resetting the 20 minute failsafe, the overheat failsafe, the oxygen sensor failsafe etc etc,... allowing for a much more reliable and easier operation,... and using half the water.

I'll post details and pics when I have it sorted.

[Clive McDonald]

I don't believe that's possible Nathanael. I would say it's impossible. Even for the most skilled gas engineer you know this is not possible.You are talking nobel prize winning IQ and physics capabalility to do this.

You have made some right howlers in the past and this doesn't look promising. For a start the high flow rates are engineered that way for safety. Mostly the systems you mention are mechanical electrical- the only way to reset them would be to overide them which is a bit perilous, because they haven't been installed to make life hard for us, but for safety.

I found the Marizboa's flow rate very good. The heater I have now has an even higher flow rate, and can be dailed up hotter, but it does have the CE mark. It does have a pilot light, and because of this it's on off is very positive.