Oil filled radiator to heat the Cali

[ThomasHJ]

I’m sorry but if your Parking Heater is that noisy and smelly it probably is faulty and needs a service. On the CL sites I’ve been on the neighbours televisions are louder than my heater, and smell is non existent

This is interesting to me because, we use the heater (quite a lot) but I can't say it's oudorless. So no problem using it on camp sites where we have some privacy, but if we are pitched close to others, (which I dislike anyways) I wouldn't dare leave it on for too long because the smell of diesel is noticeable. Is this not normal?

 

[Nik_campervan]

Should only smell of diesel for a very short period when first started. Worth considering that if you dint regularly run it on full it will coke up the burner chamber, the deposits then absorb diesel when you first start it and it will smell /smoke more than normal. Also using an oil filled rad in conjunction with the heater will mean the heater will cycle on-off more and run at lower output which will make it coke up faster.
Used regularly on high heat they are odourless after initial start up.

 

[WelshGas]

This is interesting to me because, we use the heater (quite a lot) but I can't say it's oudorless. So no problem using it on camp sites where we have some privacy, but if we are pitched close to others, (which I dislike anyways) I wouldn't dare leave it on for too long because the smell of diesel is noticeable. Is this not normal?

Eberspacher, the heater manufacturer, recommend running the heater on high for at least 10 minutes monthly. VW don’t give any recommendations.

 

[Paul_W]

This is interesting to me because, we use the heater (quite a lot) but I can't say it's oudorless. So no problem using it on camp sites where we have some privacy, but if we are pitched close to others, (which I dislike anyways) I wouldn't dare leave it on for too long because the smell of diesel is noticeable. Is this not normal?

We used the following in our van, it was awesome. Ceramic so no oil to worry about.

Eco Chico Mini Oil Free Radiator | Dimplex

www.dimplex.co.uk

 

[ThomasHJ]

Eberspacher, the heater manufacturer, recommend running the heater on high for at least 10 minutes monthly. VW don’t give any recommendations.

View attachment 116877

Learned another thing today. Thanks. Will run it a bit more often when not camping, just to be sure.

 

[Baldrick]

After a fair amount of research we got a very small Dimplex Thermostatic oil free column style heater 700w to go in the passenger seat footwell and convect straight up into the pop top, leaving the inbuilt diesel heater off which otherwise blows straight at the dog on the bench seat.

Subsequently, Covid lead to partly working from home and my Wife nabbed it for her study.

An Amazon cardboard spirits protector now keeps the heat away from the dog & a narrow width expanding tube funnels most of the heat into the pop top overnight. It packs down to the size of a pint glass.

As its oil free the convector doesn’t need to be kept vertically, so, should be a great solution where hookup is available and is completely silent. It also warms up really quickly compared to an oil filled rad and is only the size of a small backpack. Hopefully with retirement nearly upon her the Van will regain it and I’ll be able to test the strategy.

In case anyone else thinks this could be useful the model number of it is OFRB7N

 

[Wannabecamperman]

Amazing! does this really work? Where do you put it?

 

[Wannabecamperman]

...so as you can see above, the flower pot goes upside-down over a baking tray with 3-6 tealights in (depending on heat required). The hole in the top should NOT be covered as this is where the heat escapes and I assure you that even 3-4 tealights costing pennies give 3-4 hour of heat roughly equivalent to a 500w oil-filled radiator(seen in last photo).

You aren't able to hold your hand above the hole, there's that much heat escaping! It also radiates outwards through the sides of the pot once hot and is lovely to warm hands on. We evn take a little pot of essential oil and a drop of lavender makes the whole van smell wonderful.

We generally take both when winter camping and just use the flower pot method on a table. It's not a fire issue unless you knock it off as the candles are covered by the terracotta flower pot. We use before bed - candles are extinguished before we make the bed up, and then the hot water bottles and oil radiator (powered by the 2kwh Bluetti AC Max) do their stuff.

When needs must and all that. I'm just too tight to pay upwards of £5, £6 and even £7 and £10 per night for a 6/10 amp hook up on top of the pitch fee!

 

[flying banana]

...so as you can see above, the flower pot goes upside-down over a baking tray with 3-6 tealights in (depending on heat required). The hole in the top should NOT be covered as this is where the heat escapes and I assure you that even 3-4 tealights costing pennies give 3-4 hour of heat roughly equivalent to a 500w oil-filled radiator(seen in last photo).

You aren't able to hold your hand above the hole, there's that much heat escaping! It also radiates outwards through the sides of the pot once hot and is lovely to warm hands on. We evn take a little pot of essential oil and a drop of lavender makes the whole van smell wonderful.

We generally take both when winter camping and just use the flower pot method on a table. It's not a fire issue unless you knock it off as the candles are covered by the terracotta flower pot. We use before bed - candles are extinguished before we make the bed up, and then the hot water bottles and oil radiator (powered by the 2kwh Bluetti AC Max) do their stuff.

When needs must and all that. I'm just too tight to pay upwards of £5, £6 and even £7 and £10 per night for a 6/10 amp hook up on top of the pitch fee!

the more i read this thread the more sense it makes to just use the diesel heater.

 

[RockinNRollin]

While it might generate some heat (apparently a tealight candle generates around 80W of heat), I just don't like the idea of using candles as a heat source in a van I'm afraid. Fire risk aside, if you knock it you'll potentially get hot wax spilled (and the hot flowerpot might melt something if it falls onto the floor) and you will get carbon monoxide from burning candles, which actually is likely to be increased if the flowerpot is creating a lower oxygen environment for the candles to burn in.

The diesel heater is just so effective, cheap and easy to run.

 

[chockswahay]

And nobody has mentioned increased condensation issues with the live flame?

 

[Baldrick]

And nobody has mentioned increased condensation issues with the live flame?

Agreed, worse still the oxygen that’ll be taken from a small volume of a ‘Van. Ok for a Scout hall experiment, bad in a ‘van, unless there’s airflow ie from two sides.
Welshgas commented previously that the oxygen levels plummeted and set off a warning alarm when he tested the burners for CO (carbon monoxide) in his ‘Van.
Subsequently I’ve always openers both windows even in the pouring rain. Wind out the awning just enough if the wind is in the wrong direction.