Heat without furnace

[jcussen]

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

I had to double read that LED IR heater claim. I may have found what he was talking about. It is an infrared heater with LED lights built into for effect. Frequently used as a ceiling mount unit.

https://www.easy-therm.com/en/options/easylight/

The idea of low powered LEDs producing IR heat was a little strange let's say.

More than a little strange.

[gvjackson]

Originally Posted by Biljol

Jcussen

Op here You mention the diesel and maybe a way to go I have not had any feed back on those small forced air units. I have a small amount of space under the refrigerator and also the ducting is still there maybe a smaller unit than the big furnace that was there all the venting is there still from the old furnace just not in the correct place.

I will soon have about 750 ah of lithium battery storage. I don’t mind running the genny in the morning to charge them up at 100amps.

Sounds like a perfect set-up for a diesel air heater, provided your available space has good access for venting the exhaust. If I understand correctly, the existing ducting is close but not perfectly positioned to tap into. With 750 ah, you could run one for days without a problem. The exhaust is very hot, requiring careful consideration for the install, and the heated airflow approaches 190'F also taking some thought on the material it contacts. The dry heat and isolation from exhaust by-products, priceless.

[Biljol]

There is a hole in the bottom of frig area where a duct for the furnace to go down and over to the bathroom that would get me into the bays then I can go out with the exhaust. This would also have the byproduct of heating the bays when it’s cold out. Heat pumps do not.

Taping into the genny fuel line would be the biggest question I have now would running the genny cause an issue with fuel supply to the air heater would a check valve solve it?

[jcussen]

Originally Posted by Biljol

There is a hole in the bottom of frig area where a duct for the furnace to go down and over to the bathroom that would get me into the bays then I can go out with the exhaust. This would also have the byproduct of heating the bays when it’s cold out. Heat pumps do not.

Taping into the genny fuel line would be the biggest question I have now would running the genny cause an issue with fuel supply to the air heater would a check valve solve it?

Would imagine the heater will have a fuel pump like your generator, so would put a check valve in each line.

[153stars]

If not already mentioned they also make the wall mount LP IR catalytic heaters like the buddy these can free stand also , but I would not do so. 99.9% efficient as opposed to 66% on RV furnace but need some fresh air. I wouldn't mind having one as secondary heat / fireplace coziness only. As primary heating, not so much. DW would love it she's cartoon Chilly Willy probably wouldn't be able to pry her away. I wouldn't even consider without a digital CO detector.
https://www.menards.com/main/heating...684048&ipos=18
Home Depot's has a different look nicer maybe.
There are direct vent wall heaters even ones that look like blue flame"kind of fireplace-ish" starting at about $800

Is there a possibility another model RV furnace wouldn't fit under fridge???
There's many vids and reviews on the use of China diesel heaters .

[MarvinG]

I am one who does use the Big Buddy heater when camping with no AC pedestal. I have a hose tee’d off the propane line going to the cooktop/range. The hose stores in the cabinet under the kitchen sink and has a quick disconnect on it.

I set it on the engine dog house in the front and crack a window nearby about 2”. In the back bedroom I do make sure my carbon monoxide detector is working and go to sleep. Unlike the furnaces, it is quiet and uses no electricity. So far I have used it down to 30 degrees and kept toasty warm. At that temperature I have to wipe my windows down to get rid of moisture regardless of the source of heat.

[mr.tommy]

Originally Posted by TheKraken

If you run a Buddy heater (blown LP I am assuming) in an enclosed space you're gonna die. The carbon monoxide will surely kill you.

Nope. You're not going to die. Why? Whenever you use a propane type space heater you should always have some fresh air coming in. A couple of cracked vents, or a window or two. You should being be doing this anyway in very cold temps, regardless of what type of heat your using to control condensation on the windows along within a couple of dehumidifiers. People do this all the time. Rigs need to breath when your heating inside and it's cold outside. Personally, we use a ceramic electric floor heater for living space and a smaller one in the bedroom.

[hedhunter9]

I will add our use of the Buddy heater.. Have used one for years... With the hose set up. If we dont crack a window, we do get moisture build up. I only have to crack a window a quarter inch up front to avoid that issue.
As far as dying ? It does not give off carbon monoxide . There is no flame..
Do you die when you cook on your propane stove or run the oven ? No..
The wife has baked stuff in our propane oven for hours and yet we still live..
We have camped in 18 degree temps and it kept our 37 foot outlaw nice and toasty.. (10 foot garage). We shut it off when we go to bed, but there has been a time or 2 I fell asleep and it ran all night..
With its low oxygen sensor, it would shut off if unsafe.. and yep. I tested that..
I put it in a small enclosed area to see if it would shut it off if oxygen got depleted and yes it did.... But most motorhomes are not sealed that well anyway.... Always some air leakage somewhere....

Now, that said...If we are anywhere that has electric, then we use our 2 small ceramic heaters. A 350 watt in the bathroom and a 1500 watt in the living space... They do a admirable job of keeping the chill at bay.. But if 18degree temps, you would need 2 of the 1500 watt heaters in any moderate sized MH...

Bob

[Biljol]

OP here I am leaning toward the diesel air heater and yes the cheep ones for a couple of reasons.

I will be converting the cooktop to induction so with the diesel heater and the induction cooktop all LP will be gone from the coach that would allow the removal of the huge LP tank and give me a ton of more storage space.

Opps I forgot about the hot water heater but I have seen option for that with diesel.

The diesel does not have the moisture issues as the LP units have.

I have a large supply of diesel on board already.

Electric is fine when on shore power and I may install some baseboard heaters for that use depending on how well the diesel works.

I prefer forced air heat over radiant this is of course very personal.

I have the space and the ducting for the forced air systems.

Rv Tito did one in his rv and was very happy with it he did get the $$$$ one.

Generally I am converting to a type of aqua hot with forced air vs. floor heating.

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by TheKraken

LEDs give heat in infrared. You just have to Google that. : >

Haters up there and all.

Burn some propane inside your coach if you want, lol. Have fun.

Install a fireplace too. Both safe options for enclosed spaces, lol. Smoke some crack, it's good for you.

Not a hater, but this is incorrect. Infrared heaters typically use a quartz tube, which is not the same as LEDs. The tube consists of a helically wound resistance wire coil enclosed in a silica quartz tube, so technically both regular electric heaters and infrared are resistance-type heaters.

Are infrared heaters more efficient? It depends. They can feel warmer, but you have to have direct line of sight to the element. The following is from the U.S. Dept. of Energy web site:

"Although most space heaters work by convection (the circulation of air in a room), some rely on radiant heating. Radiant heaters emit infrared radiation that directly heats objects and people within their line of sight, and are a more efficient choice when you will be in a room for only a few hours and can stay within the line of sight of the heater. They can also be more efficient when you will be using a room for a short period because they save energy by directly heating the occupant of the room and the occupant's immediate surroundings rather than the whole room."

[gvjackson]

Originally Posted by Biljol

... Taping into the genny fuel line ...

This was my plan but the genny feed & return lines twist around each other in a bundle of stuff and is routed over "hill and dale" such that working alone I can't be sure which is the feed line at the heater's feed location, so for now I have a separate tank until I can get a friend (other than my DW) to crawl around underneath to "heave" while I "ho".

Be sure to get a heater with the LED control panel (versus simple rotary knob) which allows you to update the settings, as you might need to increase the fan speed to push through the ducting to the far vents as well as to fine tune the burn for your installation (a ~$30 CO meter is used for this). This might sound involved, but can be accomplished in about an hour. Also, don't hard mount the pump unless you like counting ticks/thumps in the wee hours of the night. Lastly, if you have not read through 'Chinglish' instructions before, relax, then, carry on.

[LargeMarge]

With our ExpeditionVehicle, we follow the weather.
Winters on Baja beaches, summers along the east coast of the Pacific.

We have three catalytic heaters.
We can use all three on a chilly morn, or one on the low setting over-night.
One of our five-gallon tanks lasts about ten days for one heater on continuous low.
We carry three tanks, giving us two filled at all times.

Any time we are away during the day, we open all our windows for air-exchange.
Over-night on propane, each window is open at least a half-inch to vent humidity.

We have two smoke-detectors from different manufacturers.
We have two CO detectors from different manufacturers.

These tiny heaters work for our rig because I built it with massive insulation and 3x1 dual-pane windows.

[grindstone01]

Originally Posted by Biljol

OP here I am leaning toward the diesel air heater and yes the cheep ones for a couple of reasons.

I will be converting the cooktop to induction so with the diesel heater and the induction cooktop all LP will be gone from the coach that would allow the removal of the huge LP tank and give me a ton of more storage space.

Opps I forgot about the hot water heater but I have seen option for that with diesel.

The diesel does not have the moisture issues as the LP units have.

I have a large supply of diesel on board already.

Electric is fine when on shore power and I may install some baseboard heaters for that use depending on how well the diesel works.

I prefer forced air heat over radiant this is of course very personal.

I have the space and the ducting for the forced air systems.

Rv Tito did one in his rv and was very happy with it he did get the $$$$ one.

Generally I am converting to a type of aqua hot with forced air vs. floor heating.

Sounds like a man with a good thought out plan! I like it when the OP will post their solution, because it makes me rethink my suggestion/solution.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Biljol

There is a hole in the bottom of frig area where a duct for the furnace to go down and over to the bathroom that would get me into the bays then I can go out with the exhaust. This would also have the byproduct of heating the bays when it’s cold out. Heat pumps do not.

Taping into the genny fuel line would be the biggest question I have now would running the genny cause an issue with fuel supply to the air heater would a check valve solve it?

While Amazon has many diesel cab heaters for sale, this one might meet your requirements.It has its own fuel pump.