Space heater to get up to temp faster?

Geetarz

Hey folks. I was curious... do any of you use a small, portable space heater to get up to sixty or so more quickly, then kick the Alde in?
I was concerned about safety, and if it is common to do this, which heaters are compact, cool to the touch, have tip-over shut-off, and bring the temp up quickly.  Thanks!

DenisP

We use a Buddy portable heater. TWD did a YouTube on the Buddy heater and we picked one up and it worked well at 12 degrees in Walmart parking lot. The heater got the temp up to 60 and the Alde took it from there and we turned off the Buddy Heater. The buddy heater did a nice job bridging the gap while the Alde was heating up. 

GibW

We often use a small electric ceramic heater when we're hooked up. Heats up faster and circulating air  can help dry wet clothes. But Alde is great for keeping constant Temps. Love how quiet it is. 

Estancio

I have an older T@B without Alde. When I camp in cooler weather and have electric hookup, I rely solely on a small 1500W space heater. Its quieter than my heat pump or my gas furnace.  Looks something like this. 

Tabster

I also have a buddy heater.  Love it. Use it out side and bring it in to warm up the tab before the alde can

Homebodyatheart

I’ve got a small ceramic heater to warm the inside quickly. What actually works the fastest is to boil a small pot of water for a bit. Then you can enjoy a nice cup of tea! My heater fits well in the bottom cabinet under the sink. 

Michigan_Mike

We have an upright space heater that we use to warm up the trailer when we pull into a site and are setting up.  I turn the Alde on and sometimes after the trailer is positioned and in place we leave the space heater going, go grab a bite to eat and then come back to a comfortable trailer.  

webers3

I light up the stove top burners for about 5 min. Heats up the inside of the 320 very fast 

GatorEgg

webers3 said:

I light up the stove top burners for about 5 min. Heats up the inside of the 320 very fast 

I used this method with a flipped over clay flower pot over the burner to heat up my sailboat interior.  The heated pot would radiate for some time after stove was turned off.

Geetarz

Thanks!

lkc001

@GatorEgg you don't have to worry about the clay pot cracking or exploding?  That's clever.

pak

We also use a small electric heater when on shore power. We also use a battery powered fan to assist the air movement when using the Alde.

Tundra57

I use buddy heater too. Heats up the tab quick. Eats gas tho

DougH

I'm resurrecting this thread to mention my two fave mini space heaters.  Like all of you, we've tried the fireplace simulators, the infrared, ceramic, oscillating, radiator types ranging from 80W to 1500W.  But these are the two we now keep in the T@B.  Both have tip over protection.  For when boondocking or on shore power but you don't want to wait for the Alde to heat up, or you need the bathroom warmed up before a shower, or just in case the Alde goes out and you need a backup heat source.

1.  Honeywell 170W / 250W.  $26
Very quiet, very small, low power, but very simple (no thermostat).


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NXZ7UMA

2.  Life Smart 350W.  $30
A little bigger but still small, a little louder, starts up at 700W whenever the thermostat kicks it on, but settles down to a stable 350W, uses a cord or plugs into wall, has remote and timer and thermostat (but only goes down to 60F).


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPD8ZF7

ontheroad

@DougH...we have the Honeywell bud too..it has a tip over kill switch on the bottom...also used a handy heater in the T@g.. unfortunately the 2021's plug locations are not convenient for it..

runline

I just purchased this Honeywell that has 360 degree heating, So far only testing it out at home since our T@B 400 won't arrive until Dec 28th and seems to work well and has tip over shut off. https://www.target.com/p/honeywell-hhf360b-1500w-360-surround-indoor-heater-black/-/A-49107839?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012764136&CPNG=PLA_Home+Improvement+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Home+Improvement&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9032179&targetid=pla-897357143982&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247068&ds_rl=1248099&gclid=CjwKCAiA8ov_BRAoEiwAOZogwS7D0uDKGdwX5oSZBwzEVeApc-mwanmDXD9pCfy5lE7U9x00vPNnBhoCx6YQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

ScottG

Taking a cue from another recent discussion, be careful if running both the Alde and a space heater on shore power--particularly if you have only a 20A hookup. Heating elements draw considerable power and you could easily overload the campground circuit.

DougH

@ScottGYup, that's why I prefer the low power versions. They take less space, can be used when boondocking, and can be used in concert with Alde on propane or even 1kW electric if on 30A shore power if low enough power like the baby Honeywell.

ScottG

@DougH, how do you use them boondocking? Inverter? Generator?

DougH

@ScottG Have 375Ah bank / 300W solar / inverter. Trying to minimize use of propane when possible.

Denny16

Doug, 300 watt or 3000 watt inverter for the space heater?

Cheers

DougH

@Denny16 I keep experimenting with inverters, and am down to a 1500W Novopal and 300W Giandel at the moment. I use the larger one for the Life Smart heater, morning coffee routine or running air conditioner, but have used the smaller one successfully on the baby Honeywell heater, and charging laptop, drone. It's probably a gross oversimplification, but I seem to get more battery hours out of using right sized inverters for the task. I'm not sure why.

Verna

@DougH, I read somewhere (I have no idea where since I read so much!) that any inverter uses power as soon as you turn it on. The larger ones do use more power, the smaller ones much less. 

I use a 150 watt inverter (pure sine wave) for my satellite TV receiver, and I think it was large enough to charge my MacBook. It would not power my DeWalt battery charger for 20V lithium batteries (no surprise). 

Jersey

Just got a buddy heater as well and intend to use it for startup to get camper heated up quickly then cut off once Alde gets going and up to temp.

ChrisFix

I've found what others have recommended, which is to simply turn on the propane cook top for a few minutes - boil some water for tea if you like, but just having them on for even 5 mins, really takes the chill off. And it is right there, ready to use!

falcon1970

@Jersey
Keep in mind that the Mr. Buddy heater (if that is what you have) is propane operated and will need combustion air.  If you run it in an enclosed trailer with no ventilation you could have greater problems than a chilly camper.  I have found that the Alde system (on propane or electric) warms the trailer up pretty quickly.  If you turn it on as soon as you park at your campsite it will have the trailer warm by the time you finish setting up.
If you have a CoolCat unit in your trailer use the heat pump setting and it will start blowing warm air into the cabin almost immediately.

Denny16

Doug, yes an inverter works best when paired size wise to the load.  The general rule of thumb is to run the inverter at 80% max load for best efficiency, so a 300 watt setup,is perfect for smaller loads up to 250 watts.  I use a 150 watt Goal Zero for charging phones and camera batteries, in addition to running auxiliary lights.
cheers

bergger

ChrisFix said:

I've found what others have recommended, which is to simply turn on the propane cook top for a few minutes - boil some water for tea if you like, but just having them on for even 5 mins, really takes the chill off. And it is right there, ready to use!

I agree completely.  Save the $ and the space needed to store an additional heater and just use the cook top. 

Jersey

Decided to try out the Buddy heater last night and worked better than expected.  Ran the heater and brought the interior temp up to 65F (with 2 windows open a couple inches) - only took 20 minutes, faster than I expected.  Shut it down when it got to 65F and Alde maintained 65F temp throughout the night.

Had I only used the Alde alone, which I had been doing previously up to this point, it would have taken several hours to get to 65F.  Granted, I was in driveway so plugged into a standard outlet and Alde on the "1" setting so not sure if setting "2" generates more heat.  Will have to test that next time at a campsite when plugged in to 30A.

Don't think I mentioned earlier, but I chose the Buddy heater over an electric heater because I always get nervous of plugging in space heaters due to the power draw, whether it be at home, work, etc.  Plus, I like the idea of getting heat without electricity if needed, whether it be in camper or elsewhere.

ChrisFix

Jersey said:

Had I only used the Alde alone, which I had been doing previously up to this point, it would have taken several hours to get to 65F.  Granted, I was in driveway so plugged into a standard outlet and Alde on the "1" setting so not sure if setting "2" generates more heat.  Will have to test that next time at a campsite when plugged in to 30A.

The Alde set to "1" is 1KW of heating elements, and set to "2" is 2KW of heating elements, so setting it to 2KW heats more rapidly. 2KW can be used on either a home 20 amp circuit or on a 30 amp circuit. If you only have access to a 15 amp circuit, you're limited to using it at 1KW (although you could always use propane, which heats much faster than electric).

Denny16

Set the Alde to both gas and electric, and it heats up very quickly.  In 1KW electric mode, it heats very slooowly....   I use gas mode or combo gas/2KW setting when I want heat quickly.
cheers