What Can I Use To Heat Inside Of Cargo Van ?

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
You can get a mariane battery at wal-mart for around $100. as for an isolator at any car audio shop for around $80 or I talk to a driver that got one installed on his sprinter at the freightliner dealer he said less then a hundred buck I priced it and to use 2 batterys and all the wire and isolator was around $450 plus the inverter depends on what one you get make sure you use 4 gage wire for your battery leads.
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That was very informative thankya sir

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mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I've been using the engine at idle, realizing that's not the best idea for a number of reasons. Placing wear on the engine, causing condensate in the exhaust pipe and so on. It's what I have at the moment, so I'm keeping an eye on this thread to see what works.
 

kwexpress

Veteran Expediter
a real good sleeping bag a few cans of beans and a lighter will get you by on a cold night.it works out a little better for teams.

make sure up you open the sleeping bag first.
 

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
What does it cost for propane to run these, in the one pound and in a big bottle?
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
On average about $17 to refill a 20# tank. Probably about the same for the cylinder exchange places. Coleman 1# twin packs are about $5 at Walmart and about $4 for the off brand twin packs.
 

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
If I understood correctly one might get 5 hours operation per pound of propane at $2.50 per pound in one pound cans or $1 a pound in bulk. Maybe I'll get one of the units that attach to the top of a bulk cylinder and use that till I can get an Espar.

Do you have to do any special routing if you have 1 or 2 of the bulk cylinders?
 
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chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
If you use the BIG Buddy (2 gas canisters) verses the Buddy (1 canister) you will need to have 2 canisters on the unit at all times. If you use the 20 lb tank, you will still need 1 canister (it can be empty). You Should also use the 12 ft hose and the Filter. Bulk propane has alot of oil in it and it needs to be filtered out or over time it will build up and plug up the pilot and coupler.

I can tell you that no matter what type of hearter you use, unless your van is insulated very well, you will fight cold metal and heat transfer and loss. That means without good insulation, you will need to run the heater on as high an output as you can to stay warm...with insulation, you will run yourself out of the van on the high setting....

Right now it is 32 outside here in toledo ohio..The fiberglass body of my truck is covered in frost where my van is insulated even with the Big buddy going set on med....it is 78 inside the van....
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
If I understood correctly one might get 5 hours operation per pound of propane at $2.50 per pound in one pound cans or $1 a pound in bulk. Maybe I'll get one of the units that attach to the top of a bulk cylinder and use that till I can get an Espar.

Do you have to do any special routing if you have 1 or 2 of the bulk cylinders?

Leo..a little extra safety info....when you are shutting down the system...close the tank valve first and let the fuel run out of the lines till the heater goes off....I made that mistake once and almost created a lot of little OVM's...:eek:
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Leo, as far as routing, i am guessing you mean routing for trips, keep in mind that RV's carry Propane tanks all over the country everyday....I drive the tunnels all over the east coat without a 2nd thought...Oh and OVM's precaution is a good one and one i don't do often even....while it hasn't been an issue, one never knows if or when it might be...
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Leo, as far as routing, i am guessing you mean routing for trips, keep in mind that RV's carry Propane tanks all over the country everyday....I drive the tunnels all over the east coat without a 2nd thought...Oh and OVM's precaution is a good one and one i don't do often even....while it hasn't been an issue, one never knows if or when it might be...

That one mistake is what prompted me to spend the big bucks....my fault entirely...I have no regrets on using the propane...
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
OVM wrote:

That one mistake is what prompted me to spend the big bucks....my fault entirely...I have no regrets on using the propane...

Thats understandable...If I may ask, do you still have the "propane burner" in te truck to cook on from time to time??
 

Rocketman

Veteran Expediter
Right now it is 32 outside here in toledo ohio..The fiberglass body of my truck is covered in frost where my van is insulated even with the Big buddy going set on med....it is 78 inside the van....

Thought you lived in Toledo? Is there something you want to share with the group as to why you would be sleeping outside in the van?...in your driveway? :D
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
LOL, i have to tell you, i sleep better in that bed in the van then i do in the bed in the house anymore..but the fact is i was working in the truck fixing "guide boxes" behind the wheelwells that a yahoo tore out for me last week.....:D
 

Rocketman

Veteran Expediter
LOL, i have to tell you, i sleep better in that bed in the van then i do in the bed in the house anymore..but the fact is i was working in the truck fixing "guide boxes" behind the wheelwells that a yahoo tore out for me last week.....:D

I see. I also sleep better in my truck than in the house. Well, used to anyway :D

I had a 4" slab of memory foam on top of the mattress in the truck. I did buy a walmart memory foam topper for the house. It sleeps pretty good. I got the thick one...3" I think. They both look awful just by the way they are shaped (all squared off looking), but they sleep great :D
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
OVM wrote:



Thats understandable...If I may ask, do you still have the "propane burner" in te truck to cook on from time to time??

Oh yes....that thing is old as dirt...I love my fried eggs and doing my own burgers on layovers...and boil up some hard boiled eggs...:D
 

cableguymn

Seasoned Expediter
I might be a little more connected than most but I had a 10 gallon propane tank mounted under my van. it came from a RV. It ran a RV heater and RV stove.


Yes, I got the "rv" stuff from a buddy that used the rv in a demo durby. He gave me everything. Still have most of it including the 2CF 12V/120V fridge.

i wish I could find more photos of my old truck. It had the Heater, the fridge and the stove all mounted behind the drivers seat. The cargo wall moved. When I was empty or had one pallet I could slide the wall back and have room to stand between the bunk and the front seats. TV and microwave sat on top of the roof over the front seats. When the bed was all the way forward it would hold two pallets (102" deep) and the only thing I could not use was the stove.

You can see the propane tank just behind the drivers door on the underside of the van.
nationalparks031-1.jpg
 
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