Heat Your RV with Propane WITHOUT Using Electricity

[JaycoBot]

From the Open Road RV.Net Blog --

As winter rolls in, we’re always on the lookout for better ways to keep our RV warm. The Camco Olympian Wave Heater (http://goo.gl/BFO6nc) merits special attention. This is a propane powered radiant heater that’s designed for use inside an RV. Olympian Wave heaters can be wall mounted, or left standing and used as portable space [...]


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[Seann45]

The Big Buddy from Mr Heater also works well and you can plumb it into your internal propane lines as well

[msturtz]

A word of caution about these vent-less propane heaters. They consume oxygen in the confined space of an RV and can cause hypoxia. The other problem is moisture. One of the significant outputs of these heaters is water vapor. This is fine if you are camping in a desert with very low ambient humidity. However, if you are camping in a higher humidity area and run this type of heater you can quickly end up with a condensation problem on your windows. The net effect of this is you need to provide a lot of fresh air. For a heater of this size you would likely need a 1 - 2 square foot of open space to the outside for air exchange. This however will not account for the excess humidity. I would recommend using a mechanical dehumidifier if you use this kind of heater.

[SmokerBill]

According to the Mr. Heater Big Buddy user manual, it needs only 18 square inches of ventilation:

This heater requires a vent area of 18 square inches (example 4 1/4” x 4 1/4” opening) minimum for adequate ventilation during operation.

[Seann45]

Big buddies also have a low O2 sensor and turn off if the O2 levels fall. But I always leave my roof vent open just incase

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by SmokerBill

According to the Mr. Heater Big Buddy user manual, it needs only 18 square inches of ventilation:

Yes it depends on the BTU output of the heater.

[SmokerBill]

The Big Buddy heat output choices are 4000/9000/18,000. I run mine on the lowest setting usually, and I don't think any RV would need more than 18K btu's of heat. I leave one window (next to the bed) and the bath vent partially open when I use mine. Great little money saving heater.