First time camping in Dora...

[Kano]

Booked to stay in a campsite in the middle of Feb in Dublin(yes it will be near the Guinness factory). Only thing is Dora hasn't a parking heater, i'll be on hook up. Any advice to a portable heater I could run. I have already a topper to keep cosy..?!

 

[Californiaman]

Some folks like a little electric heater - I find them to be a but brutal. Either too hot or too cold. The other alternative is a little oil filled radiator.

 

[WelshGas]

From the Irish Dublin site. Remember campsites normally have 6 to 10amp supplies so you want 1.5kw heater or less.

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stor...=111&searchTerms=Oil+filled+heater&authToken=

 

[larrylamb]

Roof topper and small oil filled radiator between the front seats.

 

[CALI FATE]

a nice four season sleeping bag and 9 pints of guinness will do the trick i reckon - works like an oil filled radiator

 

[Kano]

Cheers for the advice - will look at oil filled rad. Trip to B&Q...

 

[WelshGas]

Cheers for the advice - will look at oil filled rad. Trip to B&Q...

Argos have a bigger range and better exchange policy. Well they have in my locality.

 

[Kano]

I'll do that Welsh gas. Taking your advice and 1.5kw max. So looking forward to my first night.. cheers all

 

[2into1]

I'm not sure what folks mean by 'small' when referring to oil filled radiators. All the ones I've tried couldn't warm the cardboard box they came in, never mind a Cali with the roof up. Totally hopeless when starting from cold.
I'd go for a fan heater with 2 power settings - the lowest being fine on low amp sites. Yep, they are a bit noisy, but so is the parking heater. They both share something else in common - they actually warm the van up. Nearly all fan heaters now have cut-outs which trigger if they fall over.

 

[larrylamb]

I'm not sure what folks mean my 'small' when referring to oil filled radiators. All the ones I've tried couldn't warm the cardboard box they came in, never mind a Cali with the roof up. Totally hopeless when starting from cold.
I'd go for a fan heater with 2 power settings - the lowest being find on low amp sites. Yep, they are a bit noisy, but so is the parking heater. They both share something else in common - they actually warm the van up. Nearly all fan heaters now have cut-outs which trigger if they fall over.

Our oil filled is 800w I think, it obviously takes time to warm up, not instant but is very quiet and gets so hot you can't touch it. We leave it on all the time the van is parked up when cold and with the topper on the roof gets cosy, we don't have the stat on max. Works fine.
Try this, http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4152301.htm#pdpFullProductInformation
Put your van on hook up at home, roof up, topper on, heater on and give it a try. If no good take it back and swap it. We find a fan heater too much, gives you a dry throat (nothing to do with snoring).

 

[Kano]

Blimey.. That's put a spanner in the works!!! Oil vs fan heater? Harry Hill would know what to do! Right.. I'm off to Argos

 

[Gavinskii]

My experience of using a fan heater in a van is that it dries the air out so much you get a really dry throat. If you have a topper, then oil filled is the way to go IMHO

 

[sidepod]

Note to all those currently specing their Beaches.

TICK THE HEATER BOX.

 

[SlidePods]

I would second that. A retro fit heater will be just as much and generally the hot air port will be brought up under the driver's seat instead of the lower b pillar. Thus limiting locations for a second leisure battery.

 

[LindaF]

Roof topper and small oil filled radiator between the front seats.

That's what we use when we are on hook up - keeps us nice and warm

 

[johnyboy]

We had a 1Kw oil filled rad in a hi top movano - it was more than man enough (on a low setting) to keep the interior cosy.

 

[Aidy P]

We use one of these in our pop top T2...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000BVBHJ/?tag=eliteelect-21
Only 500w but puts out enough heat to keep us warm

 

[Speleo62]

We've just bought a little oil fired heater for our Cali when it arrives from the range £19.99 http://www.therange.co.uk/mini-oil-filled-radiator-heater//the-range/fcp-product/49287.chucks out a fair bit of heat.

 

[Kano]

We've just bought a little oil fired heater for our Cali when it arrives from the range £19.99 http://www.therange.co.uk/mini-oil-filled-radiator-heater//the-range/fcp-product/49287.chucks out a fair bit of heat.

Thank you for attaching that..

 

[Kano]

We use one of these in our pop top T2...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000BVBHJ/?tag=eliteelect-21
Only 500w but puts out enough heat to keep us warm

Thank you.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

Ho Ho, how do you choose,
So I have a 1 to 2 kW fan heater...1 kW for 6 amp.
12 quid on Amazon.
It has a thermostat, so I tend to whack it on full to heat the van, and me, if I am freezing, then put it right down low for the night.
It fits in that slot behind the passenger seat.
And drying out the van is fine, I tend to get a little steamed up, so the more drying the better
Pifco 1 kW fan heater will find it on google

I bet they sell them in Argos

 

[Skylark2.0]

Booked to stay in a campsite in the middle of Feb in Dublin(yes it will be near the Guinness factory). Only thing is Dora hasn't a parking heater, i'll be on hook up. Any advice to a portable heater I could run. I have already a topper to keep cosy..?!

Check these out at Aldi soon can be found on the below link.
Oil filled radiator, fan heater and halogen heaters.
Halogen heater looks interesting.
https://www.aldi.co.uk/specialbuys/dates/sunday-24th-january/c/2016-01-24/?q=:popular&page=0

 

[2into1]

Halogen heater looks interesting

There hasn't been much discussion about Halogen heaters in vans. Not based on science but it looks the most dangerous!
I'm a fan of fan heaters but must say I'm struggling to find one with a small tolerance on the thermostat. I've a cracking little ceramic fan heater but the difference between 'coming on' and 'turning off' is too large. You roast then freeze before it decides to come back on.
I think I've stated what I think about oil filled rads......so I've never had the same problem with them as they never have got the van warm enough to 'turn off'.

 

[larrylamb]

I think I've stated what I think about oil filled rads......so I've never had the same problem with them as they never have got the van warm enough to 'turn off'.

Not sure why, whether it is your cavernous Westy or your rad but mine (800w)clicks on and off all night quite happily, doesn't need to be on full power at all. With a solid roof I would have thought your Cali would keep the heat in better.

 

[2into1]

With a solid roof I would have thought your Cali would keep the heat in better.

It's got plenty of power even on low setting to get up to temperature, even on low setting, but say I'm aiming for 19C, it seems to drive up to 25c and then go to sleep until we hit (what feels like) 13c.

That's probably an exaggeration, but that captures the problem!