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Dandy Campers

Dandy Trailer Tent / Folding Camper Enthusiasts. Dandy Trailer Tent/Folding camper the best for all year camping


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    Portable Gas Heater

    Helen
    Helen
    Dandy Owner


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    Post by Helen Sun 19 Jun 2011, 7:00 am

    I have seen these vary in price from shop to shop and be on sale for as much as £35.00 but B&M have them in at the moment for £14.99 they are great for fast heat and the cartidges are also cheap at B&M ............ £3.99 for 4. Very Happy

    We use one in the awning and my daughter used hers in the Dandy they have it really warm in no time at all.
    mike
    mike
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    Post by mike Sun 19 Jun 2011, 7:10 am

    helen wrote:I have seen these vary in price from shop to shop and be on sale for as much as £35.00 but B&M have them in at the moment for £14.99 they are great for fast heat and the cartidges are also cheap at B&M ............ £3.99 for 4. Very Happy

    We use one in the awning and my daughter used hers in the Dandy they have it really warm in no time at all.

    Bought one when the first came out at nearly £50 at a camping shop and have watched the prices fall ever since,used them when we had tents and still use them on odd occasions,with the obvious provisos be careful of fumes,we also have a couple of suitcase stoves, there have been one or two scare stories about the stoves but i think its people using too large a pan and spreading the flames over the gas cannister,also on some you can put the part the pan sits on upside down.

    mike
    Owd Lad
    Owd Lad


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    Post by Owd Lad Sun 19 Jun 2011, 10:22 am

    We saw these in B&M and thought they were very neat and a good price. SWMBO suggested getting one but I had my doubts regarding how much condensation they produce & we left it at that. Do they cause a condensation problem? If its not too great a concern we'd still consider getting one.
    Steve
    Helen
    Helen
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    Post by Helen Sun 19 Jun 2011, 10:27 am

    They dont seem to cause condensation (we only used them recently though so I couldnt say about winter camping yet) if anything I think a bit of heat seems to help. These get things warm really fast and do look neat so you can leave it on low once everything has warmed up. For £14.99 you cant really go wrong even if its just to take the chill off. Wink
    Owd Lad
    Owd Lad


    Posts : 187
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    Post by Owd Lad Sun 19 Jun 2011, 11:02 am

    Helen, you've just about convinced me. We do carry a small electric ceramic heater which does a good job but only when we've got an EHU. It would be nice to have a heat source for the occasions that we go on CLs without electric. I really do regret the demise of the underfloor heater as fitted in our first Dandy. A Propex heater would be ideal except for the cost and the problem of sorting out some sort of charging system for the leisure battery. I'm among the ever increasing number of people who suffer from sleep apnoea and need to sleep with a mask attached to a CPAP machine (Its a great device for me and it's even a better device for those up to 25 yards around me who no longer have to hear me snoring). When we use our little motor home there's no problem as the diesel heater in that, plus the CPAP machine, both work on 12v off the leisure battery which of course gets recharged every day from running the vehicle. I haven't come up with a cost effective means yet of using a leisure battery with the Designer and keeping it charged up. Until then we are pretty much restricted to sites with EHUs. I know there are a lot of them but we do like using CLs. They tend to be more basic, quieter, more intimate and a lot cheaper.
    Steve
    Helen
    Helen
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    Post by Helen Sun 19 Jun 2011, 11:15 am

    We only used ours in the awning Steve but Laura had hers in her Dandy and because its not really a large area to heat it worked great. You get a bit of noise (low rumble) while it heats up the bit at the front but it only lasts for around 5 minutes and is silent then. The cartidges are available all over the show but some stores can be expensive so we get ours from B&M before we go anywhere. Compared to the under floor heater they do cost more to run but as an alternative for when not on EHU they are good. I know people use the burners to warm things up but as heat rises you are better off being able to put this on the floor somewhere and for Laura it was at the side of the front door (sofa side) worked a treat.
    Owd Lad
    Owd Lad


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    Post by Owd Lad Sun 19 Jun 2011, 11:43 am

    Sounding better all the time. Might have to be a trip to Dumfries this next week. (B&Ms are thinly spread around here.)
    Steve
    mike
    mike
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    Post by mike Sun 19 Jun 2011, 12:21 pm

    On low we get around 3-4 hours from a cannister but the cannisters do vary as to how much gas they have in them the cheaper ones often less,if you where to use it inside the dandy wouldn't putting the cooker on low have the same effect and be cheaper.
    Owd Lad
    Owd Lad


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    Post by Owd Lad Sun 19 Jun 2011, 3:10 pm

    Mike, Good point, well made. I had hoped that the canisters might last longer than 4hrs especially on a low setting. Now it just seems to come down to tossing a coin to see if i'm too tight to buy one from B&M and experiment which is better. My little cactus blossum must be kept warm. Perhaps the Propex is sounding cheaper!
    Steve
    mike
    mike
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    Post by mike Sun 19 Jun 2011, 3:25 pm

    Owd Lad wrote:Mike, Good point, well made. I had hoped that the canisters might last longer than 4hrs especially on a low setting. Now it just seems to come down to tossing a coin to see if i'm too tight to buy one from B&M and experiment which is better. My little cactus blossum must be kept warm. Perhaps the Propex is sounding cheaper!
    Steve

    If you are happy with a none vented gas heater used carefully there are a few catalytic and burner type heaters around that would fit in most dandys somewhere,cant look for links at the moment my gas powered Very Happy dongle is struggling.

    mike
    Helen
    Helen
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    Post by Helen Sun 19 Jun 2011, 3:48 pm

    Laura did get up to 6 hours on low but I suppose it does depend on what you buy, I did say the cooker burners would probably work out cheaper to burn but she did only use this when they actually went to bed as the Dandy was already warm from boiling the kettle. For warming the awning we found it did the job as we do only sit in there for a few hours at a time. I would still recommend them as an extra heat source when not on EHU. Portable Gas Heater 3498837457 When you consider the cheap purchase price.

    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
    Dandy Expert


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    Post by Tow Itch Mon 20 Jun 2011, 5:54 pm

    Other heating options

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    If you were looking to flash heat these are possible. There is also a design that clips to the top of the bottle. They are a bit fierce though notionally between 2 & 4 KW. Great for an awning on a six in winter but a bit much for the inside of a Dart in summer.
    There is a second hand one on ebay at the moment £5 presently.
    I have a low pressure fire from the sixties or seventies it probably only knocks out a KW or so but is quite portable.
    If you like to camp without a hook up why not solve the heat and light problem together?
    Yes modern LEDs are great for easily portable light but Tilley lamps provide light and about 800w of heat.
    I'm a bit of a pyromaniac and have 2. If I were advising anyone who hasn't used vapour lights I'd probably suggest petrol ones though as their easier to light and often more compact. Paraffin (Tilley fuel) should be cheaper as it has no road fund duty and only 5% vat but is often more expensive and unavailable. Unless that is you have a neighbour with oil fired central heating as that fuel is the same. Whichever type you choose make sure you see it working, parts can cost more than the original purchase!
    Owd Lad
    Owd Lad


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    Post by Owd Lad Mon 20 Jun 2011, 7:35 pm

    Tilley Lights do solve a problem to some extent and from long past experience I know how much heat they kick out. I do also like the light and the slight hissing noise they make. In fact I find them very comforting. Having said that I've only used them outside. Don't you have the same problems of condensation and the chance of a build up of fumes, particularly the one you can't smell - CO2, when used inside?
    Anyway, I've bitten the bullet and paid a visit to B&M today and got one of the portable heaters and a pack of gas canisters. (Had to go to Dumfries to get a new bathroom basin. It had an argument with a bottle of TCP & lost but at least whats left of the basin is very clean and sterile) Tried the heater out when we got home and was impressed with how much heat it gave off. There's a good chance it will see more use keeping me warm in the shed during winter so I know it will get a reasonable amount of use. I do like things that will have more than one purpose.
    Steve
    Helen
    Helen
    Dandy Owner


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    Post by Helen Mon 20 Jun 2011, 7:48 pm

    We also have the gas lanterns, they give of great light and plenty of heat too. We once ran out of gas overnight and ended up taking the top of one of the lamps and boiled a kettle on it Portable Gas Heater 1049241286 We always take a couple with us just because I like the light and sound.
    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
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    Post by Tow Itch Tue 21 Jun 2011, 1:32 am

    Owd Lad

    Re Tilley light and CO: (Carbon Monoxide)Well yes the risk from CO is greater in a Dandy than in the same sized Canvas tent as some degree of breeze does pass through the fabric. Now I've always thought that perhaps the demands for free air to combust were always overstated on appliances. Remembering the risk will be similar for any combustion carried out inside the Dandy (Gas Or Paraffin, Light or Heater)only propex (carver) or Dandy floor heaters having outside flues remove combustion gasses. You will of course be leaving the vents open, If not the window open a smidge. (not available in tents)
    Now that is only a summation I'm not bright enough to know if because of the chemical differences between gas and paraffin or the combustion differences of a catalytic burner one can produce more heat for less CO.
    There was copper who phoned into the Jeremy Vine show a few weeks ago when they were looking at camping tips. He said he had attended a couple of occasions were barbecues had been lit in closed tents, resulting in multiple deaths. Now I think they were due Darwin awards.
    Of coarse you could always purchase a CO alarm. Some also do noxious gas alarms so you can use them in your motor home as well when you travel to Spain or Italy to stop you being drugged as you sleep.
    Read Helen's message on gaslights. Coleman now do a minute gaslight that is shielded not by glass but by a little cage.
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    Got to stop, falling asleep writing this.

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