The BEST Heat Source For Winter Vanlife | Wood Stove vs Diesel Heater vs Propane Heater
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2024
- I've lived on the road in Alaska in extreme winter environments in truck campers and motorhomes for 11 years. In this video, I'll talk about the best way to heat your truck camper, van, motorhome, or bus. Finally, I'll tell you whether a wood stove, diesel heater, or propane furnace is best for life on the road in extremely cold and harsh weather.
#woodstove #diesel #dieselheater #webasto #propanefurnace #RV #motorhome #vanlife #van #truckcamper #overlanding #wintercamping #heating #offgrid
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Good summary. I have a Propex propane heater and it has a built-in heat exchanger so the combusted propane never enters the tent. I.e. the heat going into the tent is dry.
Great vid, love my diesel heater....just FYI (I'm a red seal RV journeyman+ gas license holder, almost 20 years in the industry) although the combustion of propane has moisture as a by product, pretty well all furnaces for the last 20 years or so are direct vent, so the combustion air is taken in from outside and by products are expelled back outside. There is no contact between the interior heated air and the combustion process.....that would be a serious safety hazard for carbon monoxide......the cooktop and oven however do combust in the interior air, that's usually a major cause of humidity increase. It's much the same as the diesel heater, the combustion is not intermixed with the heated air.....but definitely propane furnaces are super heavy on battery life 👍
I suspect he was referring to the portable propane heaters which in all honesty shouldn't be used for any extended amount of time in an enclosed space since all the issues you listed with using a stove top to attempt to heat a space would produce are relevant. Certainly a typical factory camper with a propane furnace setup works great and also is ducted into the basement of campers with holding tanks below but ... needs a good volume of propane and sucks the battery power so that is the downside there. Nothing can beat the reliability of a wood stove, if one has a way of lighting it and the wood to burn and don't mind being smoked out by a back draft LOL, its a great survival tool.
😂❤
It is serious misinformation and oversight on his end. If he wants to compare it, he should compare with diesel heaters that aren't vented if they are any. Is propane heater less efficient than diesel one? I heard diesel is the most efficient fuel. Can diesel heaters work on kerosene? As far as I know, it is almost the same thing, except tax (at least in Europe).
@@pavel9652the benefit to propane is that it’s quieter and doesn’t use electricity.
so could i just use my propane cook top to heat or is that less efficient than getting a mr buddy or single tank top propane heat lamp
You can scrounge a lot of scrap wood, even in cities. Broken chairs on the curb burn fine.
Timmy, I can’t wait to see people trying to argue with your opinions, lol. You have lived the life, most people only dream about.
lol
Timmy. Such a stud.
Great video, accept for one thing, a propane furnace is as dry as a diesel heater as it exhausts outside, not to be confused with a catalytic propane heater which exhausts inside.
yup, the dometic furnace I had though had the pilot light inside which caused a little more condensation than the diesel/wood stove
@Truck House Life that sounds sketchy af. Definitely a rare bird.
Did you consider the Dickinson Series!? They make all 3, the propane P9000/P12000 doesn't use much battery power at all!
Great video!✌️
Keep in mind that I've only used it for a couple weeks, that being said, so far so good ruclips.net/user/postUgkxAU9pOCSV9Y5JprooHvfxTpOrt4hx8uRM . Using it at 8 ft. by 8ft. deer blind that is insulated. I have to keep the door cracked for it to get enough air to burn, but that is very likely the wood I've used. Much better quality than I expected for the price. Now if I can just take it easy in the beginning it won't be 90 degrees in my blind. All in all it seems like a keeper.
Good video, a subject everyone needs to be informed about. To me camping in the woods with a saw, axe , and a wood stove you can cook on, is a sure thing. A propane catalytic wave heater would be my backup heating . These heaters use little propane and require no electricity . ❄️
You’re living the dream ☮️
Great video. As another has said Dickinson Heaters (Wood, Propane, Diesel) are a great way to go. I love a wood stove just like most people but one thing few talk about is insurance for your mobile rig. Almost every insurance company will deny you if a fire occurred (whether it was the wood stove or not) meaning you are risking losing everything you own. Of course life is full of risks one must decide. I personally am leaning towards the Dickinson Diesel Heater which has a flame viewing window. So you get the ambience of the wood stove but the legality and safety of the diesel heater as installed on many sailboats. Something for people to consider.
This video, has more info packed inside it, far far more, than 30 / 45 minute videos I’ve watched. By Far!!!
Right on, that's what I was going for:)
Yeah Timmy love the video dude.
Our camper heater is propane. It's 25 years old and no problems. I do hate the fan noise but I'm a light sleeper. Wood is my #1 choice, in general. 👍🇨🇦😎❄🔥
Excellent experiential information - the best IMHO! You share well Dude...thanx so much!
Good info. I agree with the two heat source system
Couldn't agree more! Been rocking the cheap diesel ebay heater for 3 years now and the only problem I've had is that during warm months of sitting unused for months and months, it looses prime on the fuel feed line and takes some fiddling to get reprimed. would love to add in the wood stove with propane burner and pellet options I made but its going to take up to much space so diesel heater is running solo... Great video Timmy!
Rock on from Kennesaw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice to have the ability for heat redundancy!
my intent is to build a cabin on my 11'x7' flatbed 1996 f350 xlt gasser. this helps me narrow down what i need for heat and redundancy, thank you much!
awesome! good luck!
You betcha I subscribe to this channel!!! and I always hit the like button on every video I watch!!!
Cheers dude!
Totally agree. I'm in the Canadian trucking industry and use Webasto heaters all the time. I have one in my 5th wheel camper. You need to get one for you truck engine, cold start videos are cool but that's what RUclips is for😬
Yup it's on the list!
Nice video, good advise!
Very well explained 👍👍
Glad it was helpful!
Love the stove man. Nothing like wood heat. 🔥
That's really they main benefit right.. the vibe is hard to beat
That is a tuff one , they all have there pros & cons . I agree both that way your covers . My friend hasn’t had the best luck with his diesel heater one time he had battery issues & it wouldn’t , run . I don’t like listening to it , so I camp further away & he has functioning issues . Like we say they all vary .
My propane heater uses the same amount of electricity as my diesel heater. The reason people call diesel heaters dry heat, is because they're not circulating the fan inside the camper always. You can run a input duct. Propane is definitely more effective imo. Unless you have an expensive diesel heater. I do love my diesel heater I use daily for work. I'm burning used oil, and a diesel blend. Great video!
You prob should not be mixing in the used oil because of carbon buildup
@@wagu7003 I run these all winter long. Carbon builds up, but they're simple machines and easy to clean.
The fumes has to be toxic. Do you have any filtration? What happens to the contaminants in used engine oil?
@@pavel9652 it goes out the exhaust. Oil is oil.
@@pavel9652 diesel is oil.
I run a Webasto in my HQ19 trailer and have been pretty satisfied so far.
Very informative vid. You've got the best of both worlds!
Great info! thanks!
Really good video. Thanks for the very clear summary!
Always having back up heat source is WISE.....and over time (WOOOD ....will always be cheaper if the wood is free), and gives great cabin vibes for your lady friend!!! Cheers ...B
Deisel heaters are great. If you are using it enough look into making Black deisel. Easy and very cheap and a good way to get rid of used oil.
I love your camper. Insulation is key also
Respect your vids bro, living in Whistler. Respect your grind. Duffy love
Nice, enjoy the pow down there!
Great vid, thanks. You know how to live large buddy! Keep havin fun ☮️
Great evaluation from years of experience. Thank you.
Thanks bro
Thanks! Love your videos!
Thanks!
Thanks for the information.
You bet!
I live in Canada & Drive truck on Long haul year around.I have been using Webasto diesel Bunk heater in my Volvo Trucks for last 10 years I will definitely recommend A good quality Diesel heater .it’s effective, Durable,Very cheap on running cost It’s the best option for small area heating
Pretty much sealed the deal for my build! My stove will be different for a van that I am stealing from stationary builds. That is ok cause Tim stresses "what is right for you". He is teaching us how to think about what suits us best in our situation. He mentions a storage unit to grab wood. He mentions condensation with propane. Diesel is awesome for him but make sure to have repair parts on hand if there is a problem. You don't want your heater to break down and wait 3 weeks for a part so keep those on hand. Same way he keeps the likely parts to fail on his truck with him. Just my interpretation of what Tim said..........
With the small space you have in truck house I would use for backup is a buddy heater. Now it doesn't have a thermostat but just on low would heat it for 7-8hrs on one pound. There's gonna be a little moisture but it's just a backup heater. You can use a 20lb tank or a pounder tank (which you can refill using an adapter) very cheaply.
Thanks for the info!
You bet!
Excellent video Tim Thank you so much. i’m coming up to Alaska in the summer and plan to overwinter in the old Bigfoot truck camper.(diesel & Wood-burning heat.)
having 2 heat sources is often a life saver... many stoves on burn for 2-4 hours at a time. so to keep a wood stove going you may need to get up several times at night. propane heaters have the same problem you may need to "switch propane bottles" if you are using a buddy with the 1l bottle.
That said, larger propane tanks can last a while, and built in propane heaters can provide a dry heat if they are vented heaters. but they are less efficient and more expensive.
Pairing either a propane portable and wood stove, with a diesel though is a good choice. because if one fails you have a back up, and in a blizzard, in extreme cold one failing with no backup could be deadly.
Yup, 2 sources is wise for sure
Great video, I have a diesel heater in my 13 ft boler, absolutely love it and another upside is they are really small
'Tho I’m not raving, I suggest 2 sources of heating, In my cabin it’s wood heat, I’m in Arkansas and plenty of fuel of that kind, next diesel, and I love the motor noise. Propane , depending on type moisture is an issue, along with oxygen consumption and with wood heat too.
Webasto will get ya home 🤘
Great explanation I use a diesel in mine works great But i will be upgrading to a better one at some point
I feel like no more info is needed. You summed it up well. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Primary Webasto with Kimberly as a backup. Diesel is everywhere.
I live in an RV in Arizona at 3,000 ft elevation. It rarely gets below freezing. For years I used Big Buddy Mr Heaters which don't use electric. I've just been souring on them because they are propane hogs! Also I couldn't get them to run on low without setting off my carbon monoxide detector. Then they really don't last more than three to five years. My last one caught on fire in my RV. Luckily, I caught it just as it started.
The last few months I've been running a 128-dollar Vevor 8 KW diesel heater. It's pretty easy on the diesel fuel and my battery bank. The only drawback I've had with it is there really isn't any temperature regulation (thermostat). A lot of nights it can get to hot even on low. Then on the really cold nights it struggles to keep my older drafty 32-foot fifthwheel warm enough without running it on high. Anyone that has spent the winter in Mohave County AZ knows it can get pretty windy here! Then on the coldest nights it tends to be blowing the worst.
I have lived in this RV from the midwest and minus 45 windchills to a high of 116 here. For an older four seasons RV its served me well and long ago paid for itself.
geez!
Yeah if it’s on low it over heats lol and on high” which keeps the fan cooling the components” it won’t get hot enough haha. Medium always
Looking good bro. Great advice 👍
I live on a boat I love the smoke coming out look cool
Propane produces condensation if you have an open flame! That's it! A propane Heater will not have an open flame it will have a heat exchanger just like the diesel heater and your stove. The exhaust part of the diesel heater, stove and propane heater is separate from the heat output system that warms you up. And diesel might be more energy dense than propane but that is canceled out if 1 liter of diesel is more expensive than 1 liter of propane.
Enjoyed again
Very informative thanks
We lover our chinese diesel heater. Been working great for 2 seasons. We did get the white smoke and no heat. But that was an easy fix. Just needed to clean out all the carbon. Running like a champ again.
Great video high lighting all the pros and cons! Thank you.
Yup they're awesome!
@@TruckHouseLife 😊
Awesome content as always, very informative.Thanks for sharing and taking us along
I spent $90 on a 2KW Chinese Diesel heater for my tiny house boat. It comes with a fifteen litre tank which lasts for ages.
Thank you for the helpful video. Insightful.
Greetings from the Bronx and happy holidays!!
Yet another great video Timmy, excellent comparison from someone who knows what they're talking about.
I've used my Wave 3 catalytic propane heater for 3 winters in my van already (this is my 4th) and i can vouch for the condensation buildup with propane. It's definitely humid and everything feels damp inside.
I just ordered a Vevor diesel heater a few days ago because it's a dryer heat and will hopefully dry my snowboarding gear faster overnight. Ki hope it serves me well. And you're right, having a second backup source of heat is important, especially when snowboarding f when temps hit in the teens and lower.
When i can source wood, and emergency. I like my wood stove in the Sunrader. Find i use diesel heater the most.
yup!
Is there anyone else out there that isn't getting notified by YT about Timmys new videos?
Wouldn't shock me lol
Hey Timmy! well, the Diesel Heater i recently purchased, takes it...works great, excellent heat. I think im going to try a wood stove this year too ! Thanks for another aweson video
Do it!
For wood, you need the right kind of stove, and/or know how to operate a wood stove with minimum smoke. Most people don't. People love their long burns, which usually means a smoldering fire with a lot of smoke. Paying extra for a good gasifying stove, like the Kimberly, and learning how to operate it optimally, can really cut down on your pollution footprint and cut down on irate locals. Every time I have had a wood stove in a new place - and there've been a few - I always figure out how to make the new (to me) stove work right. A lot of going outside and looking at what's coming out, until you find the sweet spot.
A tiny pellet stove would be very good, too, because they can be very efficient.and you have some control over how hot it gets. It's hard to find exactly what you want because they either have no features or they have a lot of micro-chip features that I don't want. No, I don't want to control it with my phone.
I'm hoping someone comes out with a pellet stove with blower and auger powered off the heat of combustion. You'd think almost all heaters would have that feature nowadays, with everyone wanting off-grid primaries/backups. TEGs don't produce much power, but it's enough to run a little fan and a little auger, and 'most any little fan will do for these tiny spaces. Most off-gridders doing wood pellets seem to fiddle with gravity feeds which look pretty crude, when a proper auger creates a continuous, metered stream of fuel that you can fine tune by the speed of the auger.
Wood stoves tend to be too hot for a short time and burn out and get cold before you've gotten any sleep.
I've been looking at different oil-heating ideas, searching for the cleanest burning possible. Unlike wood, you can get a long. slow burn that's not too intense.
Propane heat isn't wet unless you're burning and exhausting it in your space. The Mr. Buddy and Little Buddy heaters do put exhaust in the space.
I'm coming around to your diesel/oil with wood backup as the best.
I just wanted to say that I have a tiny oil stove, that I burn Diesel in for the past 3 winters, it heats my trailer perfectly and best is I don’t even have any power running it
nice!
Thank you for such a helpful video … I am currently designing my build and heating is top priority as I live in Alberta. Love the idea of the wood for redundancy and atmosphere. Was debating on diesel vs propane, as the cost of under mounting a propane tank needs to be taking into consideration and I’m not thrilled with the idea. I do believe you have successfully helped me reach my decision.
Awesome! You'll love it;)
How do you plan to cook?
@@pavel9652 butane cooktop, the portable kind professional chefs use when they set up remote or mobile stations.
Great video 📹 keep it up
i've been so impressed with my diesel heater. you do need to tweak them a lot and do research around the little things it needs to make it last. like aftermarket fuel line etc.
I wish they had a way to put a thermostat on them! I've seen some mention of the possibility to do that on foreign youtube sites but no real mention about how to get the parts and do it here in the USA.
@@lisam4503 Mine has one. Which one do you have? its pretty easy to swap out the controller unit with a more "advanced" or newer one.
@@Gerbyq I have a Vevor. It just has six different settings. Most of the time I just run it on the lowest setting 1. Like tonight we have a low of 41F. Running it at 12 am I just had to shut it off. It was 78F in my RV. A bit to toasty for me.
@@lisam4503 I have the same heater and there is a way to put it into thermostat mode but it will be in C° I don't remember exactly how to do it it's been a while for me but just look it up on RUclips basically all of the Chinese diesel heaters use the same controller
@@koybaker643 I will look in the owners manual and check the videos. Thanks
Great video!
We live in the Midwest and burn corn. Cleanest fuel of them all for cold weather.
I own a tree service and would love to put a small wood stove in my rig, but the places I go to in South Dakota have a constant burn ban. So I bought a diesel heater, see how it goes haven't installed yet.
You'll love it!
With a proper bank of batteries i bet a 12v space heater would do the trick. Then top them up with the generator or alternator every few days.
There's something nostalgic about burning wood though.
TIMMMYYYYYY RIBLAAAAA
outstanding 👍❗💯🏆
Thanks 👍
Great info THANK YOU
One disadvantage with diesel heater is that the oil from old fossils are old co2 so you add that to the environment when you burn it. Burning wood returns young co2 to the environment so it is not as negative pollution. There are some nasty toxic particles in diesel exhaust on cars so I guess it is the same when you burn it in a diesel heater.
CO2 is good for the environment and man does not effect the supposed global warming. It is a sham. Stop giving criminals power over us by spewing this garbage
I’m new around here and have subscribed to your channel to hear/see more. 🌱
Have you ever looked at the Dickenson marine propane heater, it's sips fuel and power and good ambiance
Yup, does't put out a high enough BTU compared to the other heating sources.
I use a chinese diesel heater in my bus. Been super reliable so far.
great video! love how you summed up the pros and cons of each! personally i think i'd go with wood if its for like survival/ extreme winter. also, I have seen other people with diesel heaters that had issues with it clogging or fouling up at higher elevation, you ever experience that?
No clogs yet, even at 12,000 feet in colorado, just make sure to keep it clean every year.
@@TruckHouseLife good to hear!
buy 2 of these so one is a backup, + propane and heater. Also keep an extra glow plug or two, an extra fuel pump, and extra fuel line.
Hey Man, i loved the video. i live in Fairbanks and have seen your truck around Alaska a few times.
nice!
nice!
In terms of propane heaters. I think there would be difference in the moisture if you had a on open flame propane heater such as a little buddy or a heater with a heat exchanger such as an RV propane heater. I use a little buddy heater sometimes and it does seem to create more moisture in smaller areas. However, using the suburban RV heater it is not as bad. I would be concerned if there was combustion byproducts entering the space. There has been some chatter lately about the indoor pollution caused by gas stoves, I wonder if the same applies to the little buddy type propane heaters. Just thinking out loud.
2:00 your wood stove won't work if you burn a lot of like pine or gummy wood. You will need to clean that chimney often
I have multiple diesel air heaters in multiple applications from keeping a mobile dog grooming trailer from freezing to keeping my dog trailer comfortable for the winter (1 for the sleeper, 1 for the dog area) . There's a portable 1 for warming up the generator pre start on the grooming trailer when its below zero. I also have a shelf full of broken ones. I can assure you in no way do I trust them though , they have there uses but survival is definitely not 1 of them !! The survival heat in my world comes from Nu Way propane stoves .
There is a significant difference between a direct vent propane heater and what ever the other type where the exhaust vents into the heated space is called.
When ever I see someone talk about the moisture from propane they didn't get a direct vent one.
You failed to mention one additional downside to having a wood stove. Difficult to get uninterrupted sleep when you constantly need to add wood to the fire to keep it going through out the night. When you mention "propane" heater, you were referring to the standard RV furnaces? I believe a Propex or Dickenson performs similar to a diesel heater in fuel efficiency and electrical draw.
Snap, forgot to mention that, never a full nights sleep lol
Thanks!
Thanks for the support, Byron!
In yor opinion will a diesel heater keep a camper warm enough to stayin over winter months thanks man love your videos
If you can only have one in an extreme cold situation… be ready for failure.. gotta have redundancy.. have all three
Hello timmy μου άρεσε όλο αυτό που κάνεις 🥳😘
What about just occasional use? Situations where you end up with weather that just ended up colder than planned. Something more of for just taking the edge off. Not relying on for survival.
I'd still suggest a diesel heater for occasional use.
Good info, thanks for creating and posting it for us. May I ask, what is the brand and model of the wood heater you are using in this video?
Huge downfall for propane in the winter is when the tanks get cold from decompression and temp, you loose about 1/3 capacity of the fuel.
well if you deside to get a new wood stove ever ,i will buy your old one there because i cant afford the new price.and i think thats the best wood stove out there for this kind of life.
They are definitely awesome, they were waaaay cheaper when I got mine 11 years ago.
Have you looked into Gravity Feed Drip Oil Stove, highly efficient and no power required. Just bought a Cabin in Willow with one. My Uncle in Fairbanks swears by them. I have seen them on Boats also.
Thanks for this Tim! Been thinking about these options on my A frame. I think I’m going diesel next winter.
You'll love it!
I always see on youtube everyone uses propane & they all have the mildew battle. I guess they should watch your show :)