Heating a pop-up truck camper?

[zuren]

I attempted searching but I'm not sure the search function is working...

I'm curious to know how well a furnace heats the interior of a pop-up truck camper when outdoor air temps. are in the upper 20*F or low 30*F range? Does the fabric top offer enough of a barrier or would it be running constantly to keep it at say 58-60*F?

I'm beginning to develop a long term plan for my future adventure vehicle. My van works well for now but the family is growing. I'm thinking a vehicle that is crew cab (4 doors) with a flatbed and a camper (pop-up or hardsided) offers more flexibility, versatility, and potentially more living/sleeping space than my van. I may never execute on my plan but I would like to scope it out.

Thanks!

 

[subterran]

The Atwood in my junk is older than dirt, and cantankerous to get the pilot working, but once she's going, it will run maybe 15 - 20 minutes of every hour to maintain about 60* - 65* at outside temperature of 32*. Certainly not all the time. The soft walls do have some loss, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. You can also make your own thermo-pack out of mylar covered bubble warp, and folks say it works quite well, but I have not seen the need yet.

 

[nobueno]

we just came from a hardside to a pop-up and were concerned about this as well. we were out in upper 20's with 30-40mph winds all night and it was no problem to keep it 65 inside all night. the furnace was only running about 15-20min every hour. we have an outfitter and the softwalls weren't even cold to the touch like i thought they would be. i'm very happy. we've been out in -13* with our hardside, i'm anxious to see how the outfitter handles more extremes but i won't be seeing that til next winter. outfitter and hallmark both have very heavy duty fabric and i believe both sandwich mylar or something similar in the middle. in any case, it's got to be MUCH warmer than the van you have now.

 

[billy2]

my heater kills the house battery pretty quick. I prefer to use a buddy heater on dead low and I have refleticx insulation that I put around the soft sides.

 

[FordGuy1]

my heater kills the house battery pretty quick. I prefer to use a buddy heater on dead low and I have refleticx insulation that I put around the soft sides.

X2 on the buddy heater, when its in the 20's the buddy heater keeps it very toasty in our FWC, almost too hot.

 

[topher800]

I've had mine down to 0F outside and it works, but the furnace ran almost constantly. I figure mid-20's is comfortable and I won't be woken up every 5 minutes by the furnace. To me, really the biggest issue was a thermostat that didn't toggle every 2 deg_F. Why can't we get something that toggles every 4-5 degrees...even in my house.

...if someone knows of a quieter furnace to replace the Atwood 7900/8000 series that is in my 2006 Hallmark Ute, I'm all ears.

 

[toylandcruiser]

I've had mine down to 0F outside and it works, but the furnace ran almost constantly. I figure mid-20's is comfortable and I won't be woken up every 5 minutes by the furnace. To me, really the biggest issue was a thermostat that didn't toggle every 2 deg_F. Why can't we get something that toggles every 4-5 degrees...even in my house.

...if someone knows of a quieter furnace to replace the Atwood 7900/8000 series that is in my 2006 Hallmark Ute, I'm all ears.

Just did an upgrade in my pop up trailer. Added a digital thermostat. Get one that has a battery back up.

 

[nobueno]

I've had mine down to 0F outside and it works, but the furnace ran almost constantly. I figure mid-20's is comfortable and I won't be woken up every 5 minutes by the furnace. To me, really the biggest issue was a thermostat that didn't toggle every 2 deg_F. Why can't we get something that toggles every 4-5 degrees...even in my house.

...if someone knows of a quieter furnace to replace the Atwood 7900/8000 series that is in my 2006 Hallmark Ute, I'm all ears.

i'm installing a digital thermostat in my rig soon, provided the temperature swing is alright with it you can have our analog t-stat. i think our analog one has a 8-10 degree swing.

 

[craig333]

They work quite well, don't consume as much propane as you'd think and depending on the model, can be quiet and fairly low power consumption. Mines not like that. Fairly noisy and sucks a bit of juice. Not bad with my solar and battery setup but if your'e running it off your truck battery it may be a real consideration. I have no idea why anyone would want to keep it at 65, I don't even do that at home. I have a thermostat that goes down to 35 and keeping it just above freezing is fine for me but I do use a decent sleeping bag.

If you have one of the older furnaces like mine upgrading is expensive and the new models don't just swap right in. Check with FWC to see what they're using now. Supposed to be pretty quiet and consume half the electricity mine does.

 

[nobueno]

. I have no idea why anyone would want to keep it at 65, I don't even do that at home.

hah. my wife is from california so 65 is almost too cold.

plus, i'm not gonna lie, i like not needing to wear a jacket or gloves in the camper.

 

[brianjwilson]

The last small furnace they used only pulled 1.8 amps. The new one is 2 and change just FYI, forget the exact draw.
The coldest I've slept in my Fleet was mid to upper teens. Arctic pack and reflectix between the layers, by myself in the camper with the overhead vent and window cracked. The furnace ran for 10-15 minutes in a 50 minute period, holding the temp in the mid 50s to 60 if I remember right? Even with the electric thermostat there are big temp swings when it's cold. The furnace blows hot air everywhere but near the thermostat, so it has to heat up the wood that its mounted to as well before it registers and clicks off. The wood/cabinet also retains that heat more as the air cools off. There is no good way to fix that, unless you're using a slower, steady heat. A lower power propex or catalytic heater would be more steady. I don't use cat heaters in small spaces, mostly because of young children. But if it were just me I would consider running a wave 3 on the lowest setting and opening windows/vents to control temp when it's really cold.
My best recommendation for the stock furnace is to set it very low and use a really good sleeping bag. When it's time to get up, crank up the heat to knock off the chill. Unless again, like me, you have little ones to keep warm.

 

[escadventure]

Another option to consider is a Webasto or Eberspacher heater. They make diesel or gasoline models. Very little electrical draw and use very little fuel. They're small and easy to use. The down side is they can be a bit pricey, but this can be helped by installing the unit yourself.

 

[topher800]

i'm installing a digital thermostat in my rig soon, provided the temperature swing is alright with it you can have our analog t-stat. i think our analog one has a 8-10 degree swing.

I upgraded to digital and was sorry, in the sense that the temp swing is 1-2 degrees, which causes endless cycling of the furnace. How much for your one with 8-10 degree swing?

Chris

 

[topher800]

While we are on the subject of thermostats, most don't go below 45 or 50F. I was looking for something for my garage that would just keep it from freezing. Honeywell does have a garage thermostat that goes down to 35F. It is the classic analog style.

Chris

 

[nobueno]

I upgraded to digital and was sorry, in the sense that the temp swing is 1-2 degrees, which causes endless cycling of the furnace. How much for your one with 8-10 degree swing?

Chris

as long as my electric one works out you could have it for $5 or 10.

did you make sure your vents are pointing away from your thermostat? i've noticed if ours are pointing toward the thermostat it shuts off more quickly and will need to cycle again sooner.