Portable Heater Options for Camper Van

Question:

copy thanks, We still have a solar panel from our 5th wheel days so that could help on the recharge and how well will a battery tender maintainer work in this application? Guessing it will draw the AC / Heater is defineately a phase 3 of the build just looking for something economical that will work that we can get in a week and use this fall and in the Spring.

asked by: Poppy

Expert Reply:

It's always a good idea to think ahead. The Flex-a-lite Mojave Vehicle Heater # FLX640 is more of a permanent installation so if you plan on moving the heater frequently we'll want to look at something else like part # RA3501 that uses a bolt-on installation, but it's small enough that you should be able to move it around and secure it to a variety of locations.

I'm attaching a link to our selection of heaters that are normally used for camper applications. Some of them use 12V power while others operate using propane, so you can choose one based off of that. Be sure to keep in mind the power source as well. If you're going to be drawing power off of the battery in your Transit all night for the heater then you could very well wake up the next day with a dead vehicle.

Another thing to consider is how hot a heater can get within an enclosed space. You will probably want to turn the heater on and off at regular intervals so that the vehicle doesn't get too cold or too hot at any given time.

Your best solution would be to have a battery bank that can be recharged throughout the day and then you can install an AC kit like part # ACM135CH. This installs on your roof so you wouldn't have to move it, plus it comes with a heat strip and a thermostat so you can get cold or hot air and not have to get up in the middle of the night to turn the heater on or off. Obviously this is a bigger investment and requires a much larger power draw so I would just keep this in mind for the future of your build.

expert reply by: Jon G

Poppy

10/19/2021

Jon G.

10/19/2021

Having a solar panel setup that can charge a battery bank for the heater to pull power from is definitely the way to go - especially since you'll eventually be adding that AC/heater unit to your van. We do have a selection of battery chargers that can be used with a solar panel and these range from cost-effective ones like the Bright Way # BRW54FR to something like the Manager30 # RED88FR which is a bit overkill for your setup. I encourage you to check out the Redarc BCDC for use in your final setup because it can be used to charge a battery bank from your start battery and solar panels. Since you're only looking to use the heater for now though one of the smaller options should be sufficient to hold you over until Phase 3 of your build. I'm attaching a link to our selection of battery chargers that can be used with a solar panel for you to filter through.