My wife and I are heading off on our first free camping trip shortly. We are going to the Swan Hill area then Broken Hill. IN WINTER !!!!!!!! Any suggestions on a retro fit heater for those cold nights we are sure to encounter. Don't want to spend big on a diesel heater. I believe those small butane ones are a bit dangerous. Cheers, Col

Very little choice Colin. As bill says if you have 240v then a small ceramic electric heater will do, otherwise its either diesel or ducted gas. We use a Truma E2400 gas heater. Works very well but similar pricing to diesel.

Hi Colin, 

We used our Butane gas heaters over the weekend, I have 2 & they are fantastic,easy, cheap & portable, the ones I have are camp master from Supercheap, I believe they may not be stocking them anymore though. They actually throw out quite a bit of heat . Hope this helps.

K J

K J wrote:

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Hi Colin, 

We used our Butane gas heaters over the weekend, I have 2 & they are fantastic,easy, cheap & portable, the ones I have are camp master from Supercheap, I believe they may not be stocking them anymore though. They actually throw out quite a bit of heat . Hope this helps.

K J

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These heaters will kill in any enclosed space.

Even quite small concentrations of carbon monoxide will cause permanent brain damage.

Posted by Motherhen recently on Caravaners Forum.

 As we head into cold days and nights and think about the comfort of heating, this week is Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week. Time to check that appliances you are using at home are well maintained and operating safely. For those travelling, dont be tempted to use any unflued heating in your caravan or camper, nor ideas bandied around like an upturned flowerpot over a gas burner.

Some common products that can emit carbon monoxide when you use them are:
Barbeques that use wood, charcoal or gas
Fireplaces that use wood, charcoal or gas
Portable cookers that use gas or kerosene
Portable and/or outdoor heaters that use gas or kerosene
Flued gas heaters (under certain conditions)
Electrical generators that are diesel or petrol powered
Electrical equipment that is diesel or petrol powered (such as pumps, chainsaws, blowers and welders).
From Product Safety.

At higher levels, carbon monoxide can kill within minutes. Even if you get fresh air in time to save your life, carbon monoxide can cause strokes, heart attacks, memory loss and personality changes. This brain damage is permanent.

Carbon monoxide binds to haemoglobin in our blood in place of the needed oxygen, and does so in preference to the oxygen in the air. This causes blood vessels of the body to leak, especially in the brain causing the brain to swell, leading to unconsciousness and neurological damage.
Source Carbon Monoxide Kills.

Last year a man was found dead from using an outdoor gas heater inside a house in Victoria
A Sydney man was found dead with head beads by his bed last year
In 2012 three men died in Tasmania while using a gas fridge in a caravan
A New Zealand mother and her three children died inside their house from fumes from a car idling in the adjoining garage.
Barbecue beads were placed in the porch of a tent for warmth, and a fourteen year old girl, being nearest to them, died.
In 2011 a man died during cyclone Yasi while using a generator inside his house.
In 2010, Chase and Tyler Robinson died from carbon monoxide poisoning from an unserviced gas heater in their rental property. They were only eight and six years old.

The Chase and Tyler Foundation raises awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning in Australia.

Thousands of people die every year throughout the world due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, directly resulted from using outdoor heating appliances indoors.
For camping off mains power in really cold weather, either a diesel heater (Webasto, Dometic or Eberspacher or cheaper copies), or installed gas heater (Truma) are the best options for heating your caravan.

You can get 12 volt electric blankets or use a 240 volt one off your inverter to warm the bed, or pull on Explorer or other thick woollen socks, and use a zero rated sleeping bag to keep the warmth you generate close around you.

STAY SAFE.

Cheers,

Peter

JayDee wrote:

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be it on your own head if you use any type of gas heater. Read Peters comments and then read it again.

To bloody risky.

jay&Dee

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 Surely not any type of gas heater. The Dometic Truma E2400 gas heater is designed especially for caravans and is flued to the outside of the van similar to the diesel heater.

We have a Truma gas heater in our van, fitted from new. It was not cheap, but its running costs are more than fair. It is vented to the outside, provides good heat but is noisy.

We also do a lot of 4WDriving and tow a Vista RV then which has no heating for free camping. We use a wool quilt which is beautifully warm and wear extra layers. We also have a fire pit which we can use for an outside contained fire when camping.

Di

We too have a Truma (it's on right now  ), but we are guilty of using portable gas heaters and even the old terra cota flowerpot over the stove burner over previous years.

Having said that, if I was to consider doing that these days, I would at least get onto ebay and get a CO monitor and install it in the van. They are only a few dollars, battery operated and could save your life.

Whatever you decide, please be sensible and let common sense prevail. Don't leave it on any longer than you would, say cooking a meal with your stove.

Hardranger wrote:

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We use a butane gas heater in our Jayco Expanda. Common sense and plenty of ventilation and you won't die. It is so efficient that we only use it for half an hour in the morning and perhaps a couple of hours at night. Don't leave it on while sleeping of course.

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