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Date:         Tue, 3 Nov 1998 17:44:14 -0800
Reply-To:     Steve <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Steve <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject:      Re: Catalytic Heaters.
Comments: To: davidson <davidson@sierra.net>
Comments: cc: vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Bill, with all due respect to your tenacity, you're wrong. In fact, the cat-plat vents out the other moisture sources you mention, too. It replenishes all of the air in the van...the air quality is superior with the heater running than without it. The other plat cat users will verify this. (I'm telling you, this is a great little heater.) I do not know the calculation, but i believe that for every gallon of propane burned, 2 gallons of water vapor is given off...can someone help me here. The difference between vented and unvented thus is significant. steve

davidson wrote:

> Steve, > The vented heater may vent all the water vapor that is a by product of > burning propane to the outside. But my guess is that far more water vapor > is put into the air by the people's bodies and the cooking in the van than > the burning of propane. So my guess is that the difference in the amount of > water vapor in the van is not much more for the unvented heater. Of course, > the problem is created when the water vapor that is contained by the warm > air inside the van becomes condensation when it comes into contact with > cold surfaces. So there are a lot of factors at play here besides the > heater selection. How many people in the van? How big are their bodies? How > much heavy breathing are they doing? :) How much cooking is being done? > And the temperature and moisture content difference between the air inside > and the air outside. > If the vented heater gets the van warmer, as some suggest, then that warmer > air will hold even more moisture (from people & cooking if not from the > burn process) than the van with the unvented heater. That would mean there > could be more water vapor in the van with the vented heater available for > condensation. Think about it. > Bill > 90 Westy Syncro > Lake Tahoe > > ---------- > > From: Steve <sxs@concentric.net> > > To: davidson <davidson@SIERRA.NET> > > Cc: vanagon@VANAGON.COM > > Subject: Re: Catalytic Heaters. > > Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 4:09 PM > > > > The Platinum Cat heaters vent all the moisture to the outdoors...all the > water > > vapor goes outside. Since catalytic heaters give off radiant heat, the > venting > > does not diminish heat out put. When you burn propane in a catalytic > heater, > > you create water vapor and co2...if the water vapor is not vented > outside, it > > collects in your matress, condences on the interior metal walls and can > do > > damage. When i use the cat plat, there is typically little and often no > > condensation on the windows in the morning with the heater running all > night > > and with all windows closed all night). I suspect you get condensation > with the > > unvented catalytic heater if you do the same. > > > > I have had a plat cat for almost 5 years. It is a fine piece of > > engineering...one of those great products that work. I have a propex > too. I > > prefer the quality of the heat, the cleaner environment and the > efficiency > > (elec. and gas) of the plat cat over the propex, but the convenience of > the > > propex is hard to beat. When it's really cold or if i'm going to camp > for a > > few days or more, i use both, with the plat cat as the main heat source. > It's > > nicer. Otherwise, i use just the propex and am happy with it, too. > > steve > > > > davidson wrote: > > > > > I don't understand. Can you explain how this can be so? How does an > > > unvented catalytic heater (vented with windows open a crack) create > more > > > water vapor in the van than a vented heater? They are both creating > heat, > > > they both have air intake from outside and air exhaust to the outside? > Have > > > you measured this? > > > Bill > > > 90 Westy Syncro > > > Lake Tahoe > > > > > > ---------- > > > > From: Steve <sxs@concentric.net> > > > > To: vanagon@VANAGON.COM > > > > Subject: Re: Catalytic Heaters. > > > > Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 3:27 PM > > > > > > > > Unvented catalytic heaters also dump copious amounts of > > > > water vapor > > > > into the van...enough to rust it out from the inside with > > > > regular use. > > > > Plat-Cat makes the best ventded heater for a vanagon...lots > > > > in the > > > > archive...including a plat-ca- vs. propex comparison. > > > > steve > > > > > > > > Malcolm Stebbins wrote: > > > > > > > > > Harald 90 westy said: > > > > > > > > > > > I found that a unvented catalytic heater can > > > > > > give me a terrible headache if it stays on all night, even with a > > > > > > window partly open. > > > > > > > > > > This may be so, but the heaters that I have used (81 gas & 85 > > > > > diesel), I only used for a few minutes in the morning to take the > > > > > chill off while I/we dress. A sleeping partner and a good sleeping > > > > > bag and a stocking cap are enough for the night. So for my usage > > > > > pattern, I think that for just a few minutes use (even 30), an > > > > > unvented heater would work just fine for me. > > > > > > > > > > Malcolm S > >


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