Re: [VACList] Heaters

[Terry Tyler <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Don,

Before you install the catalytic heater, go down to your True Value Hardware
store and buy a hinge as long as the catalytic heater is high, then go down
to your local lumber yard (or the scrap pile in your garage) and pick out
piece of wood slightly larger than your catalytic heater. The name of the
game is to mount your catalytic heater on wood with a hinge so you can
direct the heat in several directions, yet be able to secure it tight for
traveling. 

While you're getting ready to do the installation, put some stain on the
wood (or that piece of discarded table top you found in the cellar) to match
your Airstream's cabinets. A little polyurethane might help dress it up.

You may recall when we had the '87 32' Airstream, I bought the big 15,000
ceramic heater (with 3 settings) and installed a muffin fan at one corner to
improve distribution of warmed air.  That was an awesome combination.

In the '77 31' Airstream we're using this Winter, I didn't put the catalytic
heater on a hinge twenty years ago (dumb move). But I did install a 12 volt
occillating fan (somewhat smart move). The smartest move was in choosing an
Airstream with thermopane windows throughout.

The recommended fresh air opening for a catalytic heater is one square foot.
That translates into an opening one inch wide by 12 inches long. Crack two
roof vents or windows and that'll more than do the trick.

If you haven't bought the catalytic heater yet, why don't you go to the flea
market at the Florida State Rally in Sarasota during February and buy a used
one for $100? Every year, we see them for sale. A quicker way to get one is
ask RV Solar Electric to FedEx it to you.

As for the standard furnace, replacement is typically same make and model
with a simple straight forward installation. Two years ago, when the
original furnace in our '77 31' finally bit the dust (flames shooting out
through holes in the fire box), I asked Oasis in Tucson to replace it. They
took a little more than an hour and it fit like a glove.

For us, the big propane furnace is a convenience we enjoy immensely during
the wee hours of the morning when outside temperatures may be their coldest
(sometimes below freezing).

If you've been reading my comments over the years, you know I'm big on
redundancy and options for varying circumstances. That's why we have the
standard propane furnace with 12 volt blower, the 6100 propane catalytic
heater with small fan, a 120 volt small 750  watt cube heater and a 120 volt
larger1200 watt heater.

The bottom line is - to each his own.  Your needs dictate your choices.

Stay warm, 

Terry 

mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net

PS - Today,  Jules Pluvious dumped ten (yes - 10) inches of rain on us here
in North Fort Myers, plus mixed it in with thunderstorms and a tornado watch
(gulp).  When I asked the CG office about a shelter if the tornado watch
became a tornado warning, I was told they would unlock the recreation hall.
Talk about being cavalier.  I wasn't impressed.  Wish we were in New Mexico,
Arizona or Southern California.