Friday, December 31, 2010

And a happy Warm new year to you!

Tis the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.

This isn't amazing, since it is happening world wide, but when I was a kid and a little beyond, I always "sensed" I wouldn't live past 2009. I can't tell you why, I don't know.. but I am glad I was wrong on this one. Go figure.

Another question I am always asked "Don't you get cold at night in that trailer? You have no electricity!". Again, folks are used to *camping* where they sleep in tents or in trailers with limited power options.

Tents are.. tents. Unless you pack around a Yurt and a wood stove, you are never going to run around in your tidy whites in it comfortably once the sun goes down, even with the best portable heating options around. Unless you are in a desert during the summer.. most folks avoid that tho.

Weekend trailer campers that do not spend days of prep and hauling a generator, 10 batteries and an inexhaustable fuel supply often experience conservation at night time..They turn the heat on to just above freezing, or not at all, and sleep in lots of jammies and under heavy sleeping bags. This works, and is fun for a few days.. BUT...

I LIVE in here.. I don't camp.. remember? Camping is hard work when you have to do a days hard work to put food on the table too. I have done my time with the sub freezing rated sleeping bags and with getting up in the a.m. an hour before the alarm goes off to turn on the heat so it would be bearable during real get outta bed time. Or not .. and wanting to do nothing but stay put under the covers.

Soooo... I have a heater that does not consume any electrical power, (Because I rarely have any) It heats my small space more than adequately whenever I want it to, and has a thermostat to keep my space from overheating. I wake up in the a.m. just like in a Stay Put house. I don't have to get up and rub 2 sticks together to start a fire and I don't chip ice off of my windows.

My little gas fire


This works almost exactly like those gas wall heaters you see in older houses. But its gooder.. it has a thermostat, and sensors that shut it down to keep you from dying if it sucks up all the air in the room.

It burns propane without the use of an electrical system. It superheats the air in the firebox. Think back to high school science class and those silly bunson burners. The air rises and it is forced out the top vent you see by nature (Heat rises, takes path of least resistance, shoots out into the room) No fan is really needed in this small space.  So, no electricity is consumed.


It doesn't use much propane, as the thermostat keeps an even temp in the room, making it run less time..just like your furnace does. The space is small, so it doesn't take long to bring the whole thing up to temp. The heater turns back on when needed, but because of the size of the space, it only does so infrequently.. thus using less fuel. Back to the credo.. Its not how much you make, it's what you don't spend. 

I am not skimping on comfort, trust me. I am a cold weenie. I stay as warm as I did in my Stay Put abode. I use the tool when I want to, not just when I can.

There is a skill to using this type of heater.. you have to supply it with lots of air and be cautious with its placement. It does not give off fumes, so it can be used without venting.

I used to use a catalytic heater that most of the same positive and negative attributes, but I wanted the thermostat option, so I changed to this one after seeing it in action in other folks rigs.

Read all about it

I did before buying, but now I have moved on and read other stuff.. in my tidy whities, all warm and toasty. Oh, sorry. TMI

4 comments:

  1. Gina,
    Does the heater have a standing pilot after you start it?

    Bill K

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, it does. It has a Piezo ignition.

    I was somewhat concerned about gas consumption with it, but since it is only standing when I choose it to be, it isn't a real concern. The heater has a hard off position and it gets shut down when I am not here. The pilot goes off too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds good, Thank You.

    Bill Kelleher

    ReplyDelete
  4. The gift is so great and cool! But I want the preschool toys as my gift.

    ReplyDelete