Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 17:06:47 -0800
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Propex alternative?
In-Reply-To: <CAO+YcsLwan+LDqpQ+Mf8NSYHSYazOV5C=XCzEjRmTSQ-+e1pLg@mail.gmail.com>
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Ol Al writes to say, "Lighting one candle with nominal airflow will keep
the inside warmish until you can caffeine or mate' up"
I used to use one of the smaller Dietz kerosene lanterns lit inside the
Westy for (a) light and (b) quite perceptible heat in your colder
evenings. They are quite nice and the added warmth is welcome. The soot
blackening the overhead, not so much. I have since added LED lighting
strips and have relegated the lantern to the outside. The new inside
lights provide much nicer lighting but, since they are so darn
efficient, kick off no heat. Lose one, win one.
"Several of our esteemed adventurers keep the lid up but with a heat
isolating membrane over the upstairs to keep a modicum of the expensive
hot air (we see a lot of that around these days) in the cabin."
I sleep on the downstairs bed with my head toward the front of the van.
On your more frigid nights -- like in the teens -- I definitely feel a
downdraft from the upper deck onto my head. I wonder about having some
kind of fabric snap-in seal that would close off of the upper deck and
prevent that downdraft.
And in the morning, arising when it is in the low-30s (F) or lower in
the van, I fire up the Mr. Heater Buddy (for about 30 minutes, that
thing chews through 16.4oz bottles of propane at a fearsome rate, and a
Propex heater would empty the van's stock tank quickly, too) before
bringing in the preheated kerosene heater and think to myself, I think:
sure a lot of hot air up in the top of this thing, sure wish I had a
gentle ceiling fan to bring that hot air down to me where I am sitting,
wrapped in woolens and down.
--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
Bend, Ore.
On 11/04/2013 01:47 PM, Al Knoll wrote:
> Following the thread along. Seems there are several popular heater
> types, ranging from the unglazed ceramic inverted on the westy stove,
> to full blown furnaces (propex is a furnace). Coleman (RIP) had
> propane catalytics for years and mine still work pretty well. Then
> other radiant heaters like buddys, black cats, and so on rounding out
> the bunch, with the exception of Rocket's kero blaster they all run on
> either petrol or LPG. Now since amount of energy going from fuel to
> water and CO2 is gained by breaking CH bonds is proportional to the
> number of bonds broken in the process, the most efficient is the Kero
> using long chain hydrocarbons as the energy source. The least
> efficient is the Propane. So for more BTU per buck stick with the
> most efficient.
>
> Lighting one candle with nominal airflow will keep the inside warmish
> until you can caffeine or mate' up. Several of our esteemed
> adventurers keep the lid up but with a heat isolating membrane over
> the upstairs to keep a modicum of the expensive hot air (we see a lot
> of that around these days) in the cabin. Bob has one I think. A
> sleepytime hat will do wonders for those of little thatch. And I use
> a makeshift shawl around my shoulders made of dead synchilla skins,
> adjusted to cover those nasty drafts.
>
> Oh ya, I do have a wondrous old propex which whines away under the
> seat on occasion.
>
> Some years a go a fellow in colorado made and marketed a certified
> radiant heater with an exhaust system to vac the nasties outside.
> Disremember the fellow and the name of the heater.
>
> The organic squirrel coats can be a problem as the squirrels tend to
> come out of hibernation and scurry around inside the coat.
>
> Pensionerd.,
>
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