Quote: Originally posted by nicola1972 on 27/1/2011
without power we use a gas canister heater for us adults when little ones (not so little now) have gone to bed after hot choc with their hot water bottles, wolly hats if very chilly.
As there is only me, no pets or kids in my tent, I was thinking of buying the Hi Gear Portable Gas Heater to warm me up a bit first thing in the morning. Is this the type of heater you use nicola and if so is it any good? Reviews seem to be mixed on the wisdom of using a gas heater inside a tent partly because of fumes.
As a newbie I'd be very interested in the opinions of more experienced campers.
I use one of these in my Icarus 500. I don't leave it unattended, I use it for a blast of heat first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If I wake through the night I've been known to put the kettle on for a cup of tea and stick the heater on for a while to take the worst of the chill off the tent. I've been using one of these for two years and cannot fault it for anything other than the fairly short life of the cannisters (when you see them cheap buy loads)
Quote: Originally posted by nicola1972 on 27/1/2011
without power we use a gas canister heater for us adults when little ones (not so little now) have gone to bed after hot choc with their hot water bottles, wolly hats if very chilly.
As there is only me, no pets or kids in my tent, I was thinking of buying the Hi Gear Portable Gas Heater to warm me up a bit first thing in the morning. Is this the type of heater you use nicola and if so is it any good? Reviews seem to be mixed on the wisdom of using a gas heater inside a tent partly because of fumes.
As a newbie I'd be very interested in the opinions of more experienced campers.
this is the type we use and uses the canisters like fat hairspay cans (which we disengage each time). I've always been wary so we use it in our day tent on the floor or in the main living room of our tent just to warm through but we do have a big tent and no moving around when its on. one can lasted us nearly a week using it most evenings.
I think you would be very wise to go for the EHU option. Its far safer than anything else if used with a fan heater. As other people have said you can pick them up for less than £40 now with the 3 plug unit and circuit breaker. Agree with other comments, dont buy cheap ones. The camping and Caravan Club have an advice sheet and recommend that you only use an EHU with an RCD (circuit breaker) and an IP rating of 44 or greater. This should be quoted on any EHU you buy.
If you are intending going abroad you may also need a 3pin EHU to 2 pin continental adaptor as many sites abroad don't have the normal 3 pin which are standard in this country. Should pick those up for under £10.
We bought a greenhouse fan heater from a garden centre which is 1kw or 2 kw or cold blow with thermostatic cut out. Slightly dearer than what you may pick up at Argos etc but good quality and worth checking out your local garden centre.
Quote: Originally posted by jandjstott on 02/2/2011
We bought a greenhouse fan heater from a garden centre which is 1kw or 2 kw or cold blow with thermostatic cut out. Slightly dearer than what you may pick up at Argos etc but good quality and worth checking out your local garden centre.
A Greenhouse heater will also probably have an IP21 rating for protection against condensation, something that is not often mentioned in posts about fan heaters in tents.
We got this one online from Tesco Direct and picked it up at the local store. I see they're out of stock at present.
------------- Regards,
Richard
2011
May: Crowborough (*****)
June: Oldbury Hill (*****)
July: Rother Valley (*)
August: Gate Lodge (Cancelled)
September: Graffham
Whilst the small gas heaters are a good idea, they are not always suitable for those with breathing problems or for long term use within small enclosed areas, such as tents.
I highly recommend buying an EHU and purchasing a Halogen Fire either 800w or the larger 1200w. It provides both heat and light. A safety feature being that the halogen fire automatically turns off if it is knocked over. The Large Halogen Fire can be purchased for approx £10.
If the 800w Halogen Heater is plugged into a British Safety Approved EHU there should be no power surge and the Campsite main board should be unaffected.
The 800w heater are only 5amp fused - they are only Halogen Bulbs!.
Seems to me that the Campsite you visited in West Wales needs to be re-wired.
Halogen heaters take a large power surge at switch on briefly, until the element gets hot. Same with halogen light bulbs at home. These heaters in the house will generally be on a 30A ring main circuit, with a 100mA RCD. This is very different from the circuit breakers in campsite feeds.
The other point worth mentioning about halogen heaters is that they warm objects that are in front of them but not the air within a tent so while your face is nice and warm the minute you step away from the heater the air is still cold.
If you dont like the noise of a fan heater at night then something like this will keep the chill off:
Quote: Originally posted by Steven19642001 on 04/2/2011
If the 800w Halogen Heater is plugged into a British Safety Approved EHU there should be no power surge and the Campsite main board should be unaffected.
The 800w heater are only 5amp fused - they are only Halogen Bulbs!.
Seems to me that the Campsite you visited in West Wales needs to be re-wired.
It was a brand new electric set up done by the electricity power suppliers. we went for a BH weekend and the power people ended up being there all night and it was them who said it was the halogogen heaters in vans being left on that was causing it
We've got a couple of these for the colder months - Blanket. Singles for the kids and a double for us. At just 150w max, they do just the job (as long as you have ehu).
We figured that you would keep your clothes on around the tent, then snuggle up with one of these under your bag.