I'm surprised that there is no smell even from the exaust ... but I'm still getting the exaust "Positively" routed "outside" !  

So , I'm picturing :  A 6-to-8" circle of metal plate mounted in the floor/wall with a 3/4" hole in the middle w/exaust pipe run through it .  

Anybody have a better idea ?  

I suspect a car size battery would run one of these heaters for days and days without even recharging and a a 5 gallon can of fuel would last a week or more even in cold weather .
.....................
Or just mount it on the tong and run the air hose in-side with as short of a pipe as possible.   Then tie it to a 5 gallon bucket of fuel !  
The same hole-in-the-wall could take the AC Heat exaust outside all summer long too !  

I did another "test" last night, and learned a few more things.

I removed the air mattress and used a cot with the sleeping bag.  It worked better and I stayed warmer.  The sleeping bag is far more manageable on a cot as it doesn't move around as much - however the zipper is always a challenge to run and my arms always seem to be fighting with the top of the bag.

I moved the 1,500watt heater to the floor rather than the middle shelf, and it worked much better and ran far less.  On the floor it is able to pick up the colder air near the floor and heat it - then the warm air rises.  The thermometer placed on the floor at the back of the trailer read around 55 the last two night - last night it was up to 60.  (When the heater was on the floor the colder air just stayed near the floor and didn't circulate).  Around 4AM I tried the 500 watt heater - it could not keep up and the inside temperature dropped 4 degrees in 3 hours.

I want the "Fact Checkers" to look into the rating of my sleeping bag.  The Coleman label claims it is rated for 30-50 degrees.  If you used it at 50 degrees you would be horribly cold - if you used it at 30 degrees you would never wake up again....you would be frozen!  In order to stay warm at the middle 60's in the trailer I needed to add a blanket on top of the sleeping bag.

I believe my tests are done.  I am likely going to use the cot and get a foam pad to use with it.  Blankets are going to be used - that darn sleeping bag is just too much of an irritation!  I may have to alter the size of my blankets so they work well with a narrow cot...or fold them double lengthwise (maybe that means another test).

For the 30 degree temperature we had the last few nights, the 1,500 watt heater ran approximately 2/3rd of the time once the trailer was up to temperature - for several hours it ran all the time as it brought the air and contents of the trailer up to the 70 degrees I had set the thermostat.

I did a Google inquiry - and 1,500 watts puts out an estimated 5,100 btu.

So those 8,000 watt diesel heaters will heat up a cold trailer faster, and hopefully they can be throttled back to provide somewhere around 4,000 btu to keep the camper warm in freezing weather.  On those nights when it is in the 50's - the heater would need to be throttled back far more......at some point it may be too much heat and you may need to open a window or throttle back how much heat comes into the trailer (divert some heat outdoors).

If you have the diesel heater installed with a single pipe into the trailer - it appears you should have a place down low that allows the cold air to leave as the warm air is pumped into the trailer.  If you have it installed with a cold air return pipe - the cold air should be gathered up down low and the incoming warm air should be directed upward.

If you are using an electric heater - keep it down low so it heats the cold air on the floor.

Maybe next time I need to install the electric heater so it blows under my cot!!!!!!!!

MMRanch wrote on 02/13/25 at 18:04:46:



I believe having the diesel heater outside has a lot of benefits.
1)  It is not taking up valuable inside space when you don't need it.
2)  The diesel fuel and combustion process are outdoors.  You won't be spilling diesel fuel inside the camper, the majority of the noise is outside.
3)  The loss in efficiency is likely not going to be significant - as the heater is likely way oversized for a small trailer.
4)  Getting fresh air into the camper is a good thing - moisture from 1 or 2 people inside such a small space can create excessive humidity.
5)  Having your diesel heater portable is a good thing.  You can use it in the camper when needed, in the garage, to warm up that diesel tractor that won't start in the cold....or anywhere you need heat temporarily.  

When I had my smaller 4x8 trailer, I slept in cold weather a few times either out of necessity - or as an experiment to see how cold I could sleep.  After a cold night sleeping all of the windows were covered with water or ice that was created from my breath while sleeping.  The walls and ceiling also had moisture (or ice if it was below freezing) - however the painted wood surface was not as easy to spot the moisture they were still wet.  I started to sleep with the windows slightly open to allow the warm/moist air to exit the trailer - I believe it is important to get fresh air when you are in such a small confined space.

For my newer trailer - allowing the pressure from incoming air is easy to resolve.  I have windows, a roof vent and vents that were installed at the factory.  Most cargo trailers have vents installed from the factory to allow vapor from lawn mowers, etc. to exit the trailer.  They put one up high in the front of the trailer and another one down low at the back of the trailer to vent the heavier than air vapors.  From the factory most of these vents cannot be closed - I had to modify mine so that I could close them when I didn't want air flow.  All I have to do is open the one at the rear of the trailer to allow the colder air to exit while the new warm air comes in.  If you don't have this kind of vent all you need to do is open a window a slight amount to allow some air (and moisture) to escape.

Before you cut holes in your trailer floor for the heater - maybe use it for a bit and see how much your really need heat.  How often are you planning on traveling in cold weather?  For me - I have gone more than 12 year without heat, as I only haul my motorcycle to riding areas when the weather is warm!  The only time I really have needed heat while traveling is when we are going to Texas in May - the couple of days it takes us to get out of the cold north does sometimes result in us having to overnight in cold weather.

This is what the factory vents look like on my trailer...although mine are white.    

Hay Dave , I like the idea of #5 being able to use it anywhere !  

I have no experience spending long periods in a enclosed trailer , so I can make use of your experiences.

The air vents seem like a good idea , and the Diesel Heaters blow DRY AIR is good !  
The 3" hole in the window doing double duty with the AC doing heat out in the summer is a good idea if there is "Shore-Power" to run it.    I bought a 100 watt/Hr. solar collector  Thursday (long story) and will add another 100 watt twin for it after I get a mounting system.   To have a 400 watt total collector w/two battery's might run a 5000 btu unit kicking on/off while the sun is shining ?  I haven't done the math on it yet ?

I'm a warm weather guy that likes to warm at night too !  

I think this would be a great solution for how to haul a bike - and still have room to sleep!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF5e_RTz0ZM

It would be great if this was available in a kit form to install in your own trailer.