Recommendations on heaters and how to install.

Sandcoma

Member
Just recently purchased a fwc eagle. Sadly the original buyer didnt order it from the factory with the heater. Top of my to do list is add a forced air heater just not sure what option to go with and how to do it. Was looking into the propex 2000 or a atwood. Also does anyone have a write up or pictures they can provide on how they did the install? The camper does have propane and propane stove so tapping into that source shouldn't be an issue.
 
Where are you going to be camping? Warm or cold weather? Is your vehicle gas or diesel?
Even a tiny camper will go through a LOT of propane in cold weather. Especially since it isn’t insulated.
 

lucilius

Active member
I would consider an Espar Airtronic D2, in diesel, though they make gas models as well. It might be simpler to set up a external diesel tank on an rack vs tapping into your trucks tank if you're in a Tacoma (plus there's no danger you will run your main vehicle tank dry if you accidentally leave your heater on...but of course no one here who reads the Expedition Portal forum would ever do something like that). They are proven and provide a lot of dry heat (perhaps good for reducing condensation in a popup) are compact, relatively easy to install and very efficient. User maintenance is simple.
Depending on how warm you keep your camper and the sort of cold you're camping in, in most of the lower-48 winter I think you could expect to get ~24 hrs of heat per gallon of fuel (consumption on low setting I believe is less than .03 gallons per hr and the thermostat will cycle it on/off inside your camper automatically to maintain whatever heat you set) so a 5 gallon jerry can would give you a solid 4-5 days of heat if you just left it running....plenty to keep your water liquid and kit dry but the low setting is maybe not as hot as some prefer...but on high it will turn your camper into a dry sauna in minutes.
They are great for drying gear and blowing some air onto batteries and/or freeze-prone subfloor pipes to keep them warm in winter. It is quite simple to route the ducting into multiple locations. In comparison to a propane tank, mounting a 5-gallon diesel container on the outside of your vehicle might free up some space inside your rig, add a measure of safety, etc. I've been using a three different Espars for over a decade and they still work great and are worth every penny when it is cold.
 

larryqp

Full-time RVer
We had the propex 2000 in our previous eagle on a ranger 4x4. I built a cabinet, mounted the propex in the bottom of the cabinet and then used the supplied vents and exhaust tubing. The one addition was to wrap the exhaust pipe in automotive header insulation wrap. The propex heater uses very little propane and very little 12 volt energy. The drawback is that it does take some time to raise the temperature of a really cold Eagle.

I have the factory installed furnace in our new Hawk, and it does heat the camper quicker, I installed a larger battery bank (2 x 240 ampHr 6 volt AGM) and the factory provides 2 propane tanks in the Hawk, only had one in the Eagle. So I think that is a good balance.
 

Mickey Bitsko

Adventurer
Op, why do you want a heavy, noisy, bulky forced air heater?
They use a large amount of LPG and need electric to power.
Check out camco Wave 3
My eagle ( pre-owned) came with a forced air heater, I immediately removed it and added a Wave 3 , picked up large storage area where the heater was mounted.
I now have a much larger Northstar TC 650 with a Wave 3 and been in long periods of freezing temperatures hunting and been nice and toasty.
 

Rando

Explorer
The propex is pretty easy for a DIY aftermarket install and will do what you want it to do. I would avoid the newer Atwoods, there are anecdotal reports of reliability issues and the power consumption of these has actually gotten worse in the most recent models. I would also avoid the unvented heaters (Buddy, Wave etc). Condensation is already an issue in these minimally insulated campers in the cold, and dumping all your combustion products into the camper is only going to make it worse.

I am not sure what your budget is, or if you want hot water, but given the choice I would go with the Truma Combi:

It is efficient (on both electricity and propane) but most importantly it ha variable output so it can run continuously on low, which makes for much more even heat and much quieter than the propex/atwood options. The drawback is that it is pricey and the retail options to purchase are slightly gray market.
 

Sandcoma

Member
We had the propex 2000 in our previous eagle on a ranger 4x4. I built a cabinet, mounted the propex in the bottom of the cabinet and then used the supplied vents and exhaust tubing. The one addition was to wrap the exhaust pipe in automotive header insulation wrap. The propex heater uses very little propane and very little 12 volt energy. The drawback is that it does take some time to raise the temperature of a really cold Eagle.

I have the factory installed furnace in our new Hawk, and it does heat the camper quicker, I installed a larger battery bank (2 x 240 ampHr 6 volt AGM) and the factory provides 2 propane tanks in the Hawk, only had one in the Eagle. So I think that is a good balance.
Did the propex come with a cover/louver for the outside of the camper? Guessing you used a hole saw bit to drill a hole in the side? Thinking of either a propex or going with a atwood 8012 model. The atwood is nice but some say you cant
Op, why do you want a heavy, noisy, bulky forced air heater?
They use a large amount of LPG and need electric to power.
Check out camco Wave 3
My eagle ( pre-owned) came with a forced air heater, I immediately removed it and added a Wave 3 , picked up large storage area where the heater was mounted.
I now have a much larger Northstar TC 650 with a Wave 3 and been in long periods of freezing temperatures hunting and been nice and toasty.
i would like to have a forced air unit honestly. People say its reduces condensation on the tent walls and i want some more permanent. We have the space for one ( where a factory one would go ) and some say they can go almost 2 weeks on a tank of lp.
 

Sandcoma

Member
The propex is pretty easy for a DIY aftermarket install and will do what you want it to do. I would avoid the newer Atwoods, there are anecdotal reports of reliability issues and the power consumption of these has actually gotten worse in the most recent models. I would also avoid the unvented heaters (Buddy, Wave etc). Condensation is already an issue in these minimally insulated campers in the cold, and dumping all your combustion products into the camper is only going to make it worse.

I am not sure what your budget is, or if you want hot water, but given the choice I would go with the Truma Combi:

It is efficient (on both electricity and propane) but most importantly it ha variable output so it can run continuously on low, which makes for much more even heat and much quieter than the propex/atwood options. The drawback is that it is pricey and the retail options to purchase are slightly gray market.
Now this is a sweet looking unit. Definitely going to look into it. May splurge as we have some extra coin due to finding the used camper so cheap compared to the new ones we were looking at
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
How big is the propane tank on these models? In cold weather the lower energy density of propane can cause issues if you need to refill every other night.
 

Sandcoma

Member
How big is the propane tank on these models? In cold weather the lower energy density of propane can cause issues if you need to refill every other night.
Two 10lb tanks. The coldest we will be camping in is probably 30degrees
 

craig333

Expedition Leader
No smoke detector in mine. I find a tank will last about four days if its really cold and that includes cookiing uses.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
20lb of propane (true 20, not just "rated" 20lb), is good for about 3 days worst case. That's running a 2kw heater most of the day.

For comparison, that's about 3 gallons of diesel.
 

MuleShoer

Adventurer
I also used the camaco wave 3 catalytic heater in a recent trailer conversion and found it to be a big improvement over forced air. I mounted it near the shower stall for warm air when taking a shower, quiet operation very efficient. But you will need to crack a window for fresh air intake or isn a popup just unzip a small area.
 

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