Dandy folding camper heating

Most people will know about the normal heating options for a dandy but some may not so i thought i would start this thread,the first option and in many owners opinion the best is the factory fitted under floor gas heater,silent,safe,no electric needed,and extremely efficient,if you are looking to buy a dandy and can find one with this fitted you are truly independent when it comes to heat.When not in use it has a metal plate laid over it with carpet on the top,so is not in the way,the main caution i would give is the grill can get hot so with bare feet and animal feet it can be a problem,although the people i bought my first dandy from said there dog liked to stand over it warming its belly.



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in our old delta jackson would get as close as he could to the grille without actually touching it and once he was postioned there was no moving him for love nor money or even food!

and i massively preferred it over the propex heating we have now

Other gas heaters
First the propex,again total safe but not silent and very expensive,they need electric to run the fan but the latest will run from 240v as well as 12 v

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Then we have the small catalytic heater,this needs a normal gas bottle to run from but will give of fumes so should be used with extreme care and also moisture so adding to the condensation.


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Then we have the cheap self contained gas heater these also give of fumes and moisture but are quick and relatively cheap solutions,will run upto 3 hours on a gas cannister.

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Then we come to electric options,i have tried all of the ones below and have to say my favourite is the convector heater,choice of heat settings,silent,safe and thermostatic

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Next we have the halogen these give off too much light for me


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Oil filled radiator silent safe but not enough instant heat for me

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Fan heater free standing or plinth good heat instant but i dont like the noise

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i currently use an oil filled heater and agree not enough instant heat and mine certainly wouldn't be hot enough for winter camping but is ok during spring and autumn overnight

Our heat source is a small electric ceramic blown air heater. 1.6kw max with a thermastat. We've found it excellent to use and fairly quiet (Less noise than the cool box.) with plenty of heat for a space like the Designer. We also got one of the cheap gas heaters from B&M which is certainly a very quick heat source but not I feel for all night use. The demise of the underfloor heater is regretable. I know that fitting space on a Dandy is limited for these but to have one fitted under a locker, venting its heat through a vertical grill in the locker side would be ideal. Alas not to be!
Steve

We have the underfloor heater and love it, the dog lie's next to it on really cold nights The only problem we have ever had with it was when someone dropped maltesers that rolled down when it was on.

helen wrote:We have the underfloor heater and love it, the dog lie's next to it on really cold nights The only problem we have ever had with it was when someone dropped maltesers that rolled down when it was on.

a dandy with a aroma of chocolate nice

A bit messy to clean though Carl and we had to use the bbq tongues to get the ones that had dropped to the bottom, the chocolate melted on impact but yep it smelled pretty good I am just please it wasn't smarties

For those of a nervous disposition thats me and not kevin this one looks the same principle as the cheap cannister fires but with an oxygen sensor.

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Another cannister version without oxygen sesor

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Ouch. If your featuring that last heater without any safety features a lot of the old fires you see for sale on eBay are just the same.
The advantage of the old fires meant for caravans on sale on eBay is that they have the instructions for use printed on the rear.
Though you're not considered competent to asses that these days.
The 800watt or so (normally advertised in BTU value) heaters are suitable. Unfortunately none on sale at moment to show illustrations.
I'd always use in conjunction with an electronic CO alarm. Indeed my alarm sounded while using my "Riviera" heater I believe this to be in error but I'll investigate.
My 4.5 Kw gas heater didn't sound my CO alarm when used in my Green Un it was just too warm. Even on it's minimum 1.5Kw setting I ended up switching it off and lighting a Tilley lamp instead. I attempted using it in Nov at the Cotton Arms it was just too warm.
This is it lit when at the Goodwood Revival. It was temporarily lodged into a corner as when fitted as originally intended there was a problem. Slid onto screws on the door the gas pipe began to crimp. As always a CO alarm was present.

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This type of fire indirectly prevents CO poisoning as it has an oxygen sensor. It may look excessive but pulls off the door screws to pack and if the door is swung open it easily heats the awning. I couldn't display its efficacy this Christmas as when loading it up I lost the control knob and couldn't get it to fire up.
Mike, you may choose to copy this article referring to how to service an oxygen sensor. Though I'm not suggesting anyone services their own gas appliances, though contrary to what is thought this is legal on portable appliances.
Also portable appliances are more likely to become gummed up with muck, fluff etc.

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Forgot about completed listings, seen these and the like go for under £20.00.


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Just joking

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I have one of the built in ones as in Mikes pic

havent tested it yet

will need to get a gas fill on my bottle or connect my blue campingaz bottle to test it all soon

If you have one of the square cartridge gas cookers you might well have a punt on one of these for £5.00.


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This looks like a nice heater,having trouble with the link but its Argos and the make is Honeywell and its 1.8kw and a unusual shape

Description

Honeywell 1.8kW Red and Chrome Ceramic Fan Heater.

This looks tempting. Very compact, 1.5kW but I wonder how much noise it makes.

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Our little used 'value' fan heater gave up the ghost when we were away at Easter proving that it wasn't value at all.

Fortunately there was an Argos not too far away. I tried to get the Dimplex 1.8kW ceramic one but it was out of stock so I got the one the navver has linked to.

It was better made than I expected and not too noisy. Certainly we were happy to leave it on a night and the 750W setting was ideal for this. It's a nice compact size too - good for packing away in the camper. I was thinking of fitting a panel heater in the loo or beside the door, but they're expensive for what they are so I may just stick with the fan heater.

I need to sort out something for when we're off EHU. There's no sign of the old favourite underfloor heaters coming up on ebay at the moment and the Propex blown air system is just too expensive.

I was thinking of getting one of the Coleman Black Cat portable ones - does anyone use one?


EDIT: Apologies - I hadn't realised there was a page 1 to this thread before I posted. I'll consider some of the options there. The ODS cleaning instructions are particularly interesting as the gas fire at home is proving difficult to light / going out randomly and I think its a blocked ODS.

I recall on of my parent's caravans having a catalytic heater (like a larger version of the black cat) but vented through the floor and safe to leave on at night. I've been watching out on ebay for something similar but to no avail.

This one looks nice. Had a similar thing for home once with a 2kW fan heater built in. Absolutely useless for heating the room so took it back.

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Does the Argos one I linked to give out some radiant heat. I'm not sure how the ceramic works with the fan.

Ooh ... now Mrs Peridot would like that

Not really practical in a camper though.

The ceramic fan heaters don't appear to be much different to the conventional ones - there's no noticeable radiant heat anyway. I think the element is just more solidly constructed making them a more compact unit overall.

I noticed this thread was used to describe the range of heaters that may be used in a Dandy so when I came across the products made by Whale, who are perhaps best known for their range of water pumps, thought it might be worth posting a link:

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The internally mounted version of the heater, which can operate on both gas and electric, seems very similar to the Propex Heater except the control module may be a little more sophisticated; there is a wireless version of this called an 'I-van'.

The underfloor version seems to require a much smaller hole being cut in the floor to accommodate the cold inlet and hot air outlet tubes but both versions have the disadvantage, when compared to the Riviera Heater, of requiring a 12v supply for powering ignition and the fans used to pump air through a blown air system.

In addition I note that Whale state supplies of these products will only be made to caravan manufacturers - they may mean to include folding camper and motor home manufacturers as well and it is difficult to appreciate how Whale could exert any control over the spares or salvage markets, only time will tell.

There have been reports of what may be teething problems with both of these products involving excessive noise, unreliability and software glitches requiring re-boots of the I-van set up - see the following link from the Caravan Club:

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On the whole the after-sales support offered to those encountering problems by Whale appears exceptional but the Company is of course attempting to carve a niche for itself in the leisure vehicle
market and complaints have centered upon products installed in caravans supplied by the larger manufacturers so that may explain why Whale appear to have gone the 'extra mile' to resolve these issues.

It is unlikely either of these products will present as practical options for heating a Dandy in the immediate future especially given Whale's apparent intention to restrict supplies to manufacturers but there is always the possibility the heaters will find their way into the spares market.

On balance, I believe the Riviera type heater and the major advantage it possesses of it not requiring a constant 12v supply still leaves it in front of these much newer, more modern products.