Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-24-2009, 09:22 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 39
Year: 1993
Coachwork: genesis
Chassis: international harvester
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 84
what is a good way to heat bus

Looking at posiable solutions to heating our conversion, my list of possibilities , wood stove, vented lp heater, rv type furnace, anybody please give me your thoughts on which would be the best most cost effective for a full timing rig. Thank you in advance.

dieselman69 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2009, 12:50 AM   #2
Bus Crazy
 
timbuk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: vancouver island bc
Posts: 1,028
Year: 1965
Coachwork: thomas
Chassis: chevy
Engine: 350
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

i think rv type furnace is a very good choice vented through the side thats what i will use i see some wall types and have been curiuos...
timbuk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2009, 10:25 AM   #3
Bus Nut
 
SeanF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 524
Year: 1993
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: IHC
Engine: Dt360
Rated Cap: 19
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by dieselman69
Looking at posiable solutions to heating our conversion, my list of possibilities , wood stove, vented lp heater, rv type furnace, anybody please give me your thoughts on which would be the best most cost effective for a full timing rig. Thank you in advance.
I would say that a catalytic propane heater would be the most efficient way to heat, based on cost and convenience. My reasoning below, with the disclaimer that I only have one cup of coffee in me:
-Other heat sources require a penetration to the roof or wall to vent hot exhaust air, so that penetration has to be designed with heat resistance in mind. If using a solid-fuel stove, you also have to design for proper draft, so a chimney of some length is required. The only holes needed for an unvented propane heater are a 1/2" hole for the propane supply, and cracking a window or two for fresh air.
-Solid-fuel stoves require bulkier fuel and regular ash-scooping. One could argue that propane is "cleaner"...at least at the point of use.
-Solid-fuel stoves require more clearances for use (round the stove and around the chimney). A catalytic heater can be mounted against a wall with a few feet of clearance in front of it, and can also be moved for spot-heating.

I don't mention rv furnaces because I have zero experience with them. Maybe somebody will chime in an make their case.

Of course the downside to propane is that it leaves you "tied to the grid" in a manner of speaking. A wood stove could (theoretically) be run forever from a free, renewable resource. But for cost and relative ease-of-use, I think a propane catalytic heater is hard to beat.
__________________
Bus conversion/info here
SeanF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2009, 05:28 PM   #4
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Adirondack Mountains NY
Posts: 1,101
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

Every choice has serious pluses and minuses. Our camper has an RV furnace. It produces lots of heat, but is a battery killer when boondocking. A full charge on a single deep-cycle battery lasted us only about 3 very cold nights.

A lot of people like the non-vented catalytics, but as Smitty said the combustion products produce water vapor that condenses on cold surfaces. Do not take this lightly. The condensation can soak into fiberglass insulation, kill the R-value, and rot hidden wood and unpainted metal. They also burn up breathing air. I would think a CO detector would be a must, or you might go to sleep for a loooong time. Even so, I would probably use a catalytic when I'm no longer a wannabe, and be sure to use use foam insulation.

Sean has a good rundown of the other choices.
__________________
Someone said "Making good decisions comes from experience, experience comes from bad decisions." I say there are three kinds of people: those who learn from their mistakes, those who learn from the mistakes of others, and those who never learn.
Redbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2009, 06:43 PM   #5
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Winnemucca, NV/Reno NV
Posts: 186
Year: 2003
Coachwork: 2003 Thomas E-350 shorty
Chassis: E350
Engine: 7.3 Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 24
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

If bought new, they're expensive, and I don't know how available used BUT I've considered a boat cabin heater. Available in diesel, propane and even solid fuel. A benefit is they are made for a mobile environment ( a house woodstove is not!!) Many don't require electric power. Most are small, made to mount to a bulkhead. As a consequence of being small, the BTU output is also limited, at least in some of the smallest ones I've looked at. Could easily mount 2 or 3 thru the bus though. If a skoolie is in a coastal area, they are probably available used (are there boat wrecking "yards"?) Just another option to consider!
__________________
If it isn't grown, it has to be mined
elkoskoolie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2009, 02:33 PM   #6
Skoolie
 
reprobate's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 226
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

We've spent the winter full time in our bus. Where we are temps have been on avg. in the low 20'sF at night with 40-50's during the day with a lot of wind. Obviously we've had both colder and warmer days. Our heat consists of a catalytic heater in the back of the bus and one of those elec. tower heaters in the front on a thermostat. We've stayed very cozy. I do keep the roof vent cracked and we do have a CO2 alarm. We also have foam insulation. As for gas consumption we go through 2-20lb tanks of propane every 2 weeks using gas for heat, water heater and stove. I'm so far pleased with our catalytic heater. Good luck with your choices.
reprobate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2009, 11:08 PM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Prescott, AZ
Posts: 53
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: Spartan
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

A couple other options that I don't think have been mentioned yet:

You can get a diesel powered hot water heater that both provides hot water for sink/shower and also for circulating through radiators or radiant floor heating. Toyotomi OM-180 is an example of this.

You can also get diesel fired heaters made for vehicles either as coolant heaters, or as tiny little forced air furnaces. Look up Webasto heaters for an example of these.

I like the idea of using diesel for everything possible, so that there is no propane to deal with. Unfortunately, it's a bit expensive: I think that any of these diesel heaters will be about $2000. Propane is a whole lot cheaper, since you can get a water heater and an air heater for a bit over $100 each.
Anomalous is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2009, 11:37 PM   #8
Skoolie
 
Lady Franklin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Posts: 130
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: 7.3 International Diesel
Rated Cap: 72
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

Anomolous said

Quote:
ou can get a diesel powered hot water heater that both provides hot water for sink/shower and also for circulating through radiators or radiant floor heating
Why not go in floor heat guys. Really its not that hard. I did my whole set up minus the heater for about $500 and I have to spray foam the underside of the floor of the bus yet. I know most of you regulars have seen my pics but seriously, no issues with condensation beyond the moisture from you and your daily activities, the comfort of a warm floor, and the ability to do propane, electric, or both, I mean seriously is there any competition... I think not... ok maybe but Im all for the in the floor option.
Attached Thumbnails
100_2360resized.jpg   100_2435resized.jpg  
Lady Franklin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2009, 12:02 PM   #9
Skoolie
 
Lady Franklin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Posts: 130
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: 7.3 International Diesel
Rated Cap: 72
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

Smitty said
Quote:
There's alot to be said for simplicity, atleast IMO. Plumbing between the floors is fine, until it leaks. Heating sources requiring 110vac is fine (for a pump or blower), as long as it's available. The OP never mentioned the intended use of his conversion, whether boondocking will be a large or small percentage of use, or campground/lot rental with full hook-ups will be the norm.
I hear what your saying about the leaks thing, I ran the entire floor heat with one run so no joints, its just a matter of being very careful when screwing stuff to the floor. As for boondocking, we plan to use our system off grid almost always. We hope to have a fairly hefty solar array to allow us to have the 110V AC that we will need. Almost half the roof will be PV panels. I guess its a matter of money at that point. And so the project takes longer...and longer.......
Lady Franklin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2009, 09:55 PM   #10
Bus Nut
 
GoneCamping's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 704
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

So many different options out there, you'll have to figure out which one suites you the best. I usually have an electric hook-up, and as such I'd just run a couple of baseboard type electric heaters, they kept me warm enough, but the floor needs to be insulated.

An RV type propane furnace runs on 12v, they are equipped with a blower, and most of them have outlets for running ducted heating to various parts of the bus that make it very versatile. They will burn up propane and batteries, but if you got a good solar array you can recharge the batteries daily.
__________________
*Cliff*

You just might be a Redneck if...
...your motor home used to be a school bus!
...Your living room has a steering wheel!
...Your home has brake lights

1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee
1989 Thomas Diesel Pusher (Cat 3208/Freightliner)
Chesapeake, Virginia
GoneCamping is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2009, 09:00 AM   #11
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 39
Year: 1993
Coachwork: genesis
Chassis: international harvester
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 84
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

thank you all for the help I'm still undecided, were trying to get other systems together , & get the bus done before I can't work anymore.
dieselman69 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2009, 12:30 PM   #12
Bus Nut
 
phillbus914's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 786
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

Well I can tell you from my experince how NOT to heat a bus... First I tried a small portable porpane heater and that thing was a compleate joke. You could only feel a small amount of heat right in front of it, I don't think it raised the temp of the bus much if at all.. you can read about that adventure here viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2472&hilit

Then I got one of those wall mounted ventless propane heaters, which puts out a ton of heat and works great... untill it's time to lay down and go to sleep. All the heat floated up to the upper 1/3 of the bus and left me litterly frozen all night. You can read about that adventure here viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1532&hilit

When that failed to keep me warm camping in Febuary in Canada I ran the engine all night with the bus heaters going... and that works great.

I think the best solution for heat in a bus is an actual furnace. I've seen used house furnaces go for as little as $150 at local auctions and craigslist & RV furnaces for about the same. I think this is what I'll try next since I haven't found a good way to heat my bus yet.
__________________
My Old Bus :(
phillbus914 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2009, 03:45 PM   #13
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: California, Just NorthEast of San Fransisco
Posts: 539
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

Can you sleep with a fan going? You can get big computer box fans or clip-ons or something, mount it on or by the ceiling and use it to push the air around. Will help with the lower freezing.

I use to work at a moving theater, in box office mostly, where they had the A/C blasting in the summer. The floor was cold, the counters weren't. Put a fan on the floor facing up and it cooled the room by almost 20 degrees. Pulled the same trick in the winter, just hung it from the ceiling facing down.

Anyone else have an idea???
Sojakai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 01:30 AM   #14
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 48
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International Cornbinder
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 84
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

I am thinking of building a water furnace that runs off of wood. I have about 6 months to figure it out
gotmuddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 10:24 PM   #15
Skoolie
 
recycler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: leadville,colorado
Posts: 208
Year: 86
Coachwork: Thomas saf-t-liner
Chassis: International
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 40
Re: what is a good way to heat bus

For those that run a high-end rig there is a company that is making heated windows now that run off D/C. They are pretty cool, I mean warm and run about 40dollars a square foot. Exspensive but really awesome! I have seen them in action and they would totally heat a bus through the winter. I'm pretty someone could research them by contacting the "heatmeister". Do a google search for him and I'm sure he'd tell you all about them for he is waaaayyy into that kind of stuff. RECYCLER
recycler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2018, 01:24 PM   #16
Mini-Skoolie
 
Eden's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: TX
Posts: 10
Can you direct me in beginners' places to learn how to do this using either the engine heat or tankless water heater? We also have a cubic mini, I'm not sure if that will help anything.

Much colder here lately than it's ever been, so we weren't prepared to work on this so soon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Franklin View Post
Anomolous said



Why not go in floor heat guys. Really its not that hard. I did my whole set up minus the heater for about $500 and I have to spray foam the underside of the floor of the bus yet. I know most of you regulars have seen my pics but seriously, no issues with condensation beyond the moisture from you and your daily activities, the comfort of a warm floor, and the ability to do propane, electric, or both, I mean seriously is there any competition... I think not... ok maybe but Im all for the in the floor option.
Eden is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2018, 01:42 PM   #17
Bus Geek
 
Robin97396's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
The last entry on this thread was in 2009, so there's not much chance of a response here.

There are a number of builds that have used hydronic heating in their floors. Several builds have outlined the process very well.

Got cold feet huh? Me too.

I was told that the hydronic heat will feel really nice on your feet, but it's not enough to warm the bus during colder weather. Also by time you get all the parts and pieces to make the floor heat system it will probably be warmer. This time of year we usually just crank up the heat and hold on until the weather breaks.
__________________
Robin
Nobody's Business
Robin97396 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2018, 06:03 PM   #18
Bus Nut
 
Defjr333's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Culpeper, Virginia
Posts: 302
Chassis: Step Van
Engine: Prefer Diesel
Rated Cap: 14'-16' Step Van
I went the multiple choice route. I have the CubicMini Grizzley, Suburban 19k btu furnace, MiniSplit AC and Heat(I only when on shore), and Portable Buddy(emergencies). So I can use wood, LP, or electric.
Doug
__________________
Ebike Build Thread: https://electricbike.com/forum/forum...need-your-help
StepVan Build Thread: Coming Soon
Defjr333 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2018, 07:56 PM   #19
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
I have to agree that the multiple choice solution provides the best options.
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2018, 08:03 PM   #20
Bus Nut
 
Defjr333's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Culpeper, Virginia
Posts: 302
Chassis: Step Van
Engine: Prefer Diesel
Rated Cap: 14'-16' Step Van
Walmart, Target, and many others are OUT of propane in Culpeper Va right now. Was just up looking for some. ONLY way to get LP in town right now is refill only at Southern States. They said they prob be out by tomorrow at lunch. This just reinforces my mindset of no single fuel. I guess i could have also included unleaded gas as way to heat myself too(via generator to minisplit).
Doug
__________________
Ebike Build Thread: https://electricbike.com/forum/forum...need-your-help
StepVan Build Thread: Coming Soon
Defjr333 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Not so good at Good Sam Insurance bapos Titles, Insurance, Registration and Money Matters 63 11-15-2019 07:41 AM
heat vanpeoplx2 Heating, Cooling and Appliances 10 01-14-2011 07:34 AM
What should I use for heat? Diesel Dan Conversion General Discussions 2 10-10-2010 07:54 PM
HEAT phillbus914 Heating, Cooling and Appliances 27 03-07-2008 12:38 AM
I need heat! the_experience03 Conversion General Discussions 8 02-18-2006 08:28 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.