My wife and I are thinking of a impromptu camping trip next weekend. We will get electric hook up, my question is what is the best/safest heater. We have a tent with good ventilation, and a carbon monoxide alarm and often use a little gas fire in the evenings. But this is definitely not suitable for these cold nights! Looking for something that we can leave on low to keep the chill off overnight which can pump out the heat so we can have a pleasant evening. My experience is that a blowey heater is no good as when not blowing you don't feel the benefit. Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Quote: Originally posted by sihitch on 20/11/2015
We have a tent with good ventilation, and a carbon monoxide alarm and often use a little gas fire in the evenings.
Quote: Originally posted by Hacksaw Bob on 20/11/2015
Quote: Originally posted by sihitch on 20/11/2015 We have a tent with good ventilation, and a carbon monoxide alarm and often use a little gas fire in the evenings.
A fan heater is as good as it's going to get for instant heat, a 3kw if on 16A electric or 2kw if unsure (both can be used on half power). Only whilst trying to heat a 5m bell tent (3m tall!) in sub zero temps ours failed to take the chill off and we went to bed early.
Many use oil filled rads or electric blankets over night but I am a worrier so opt for extra bedding and a remote socket for the heater to be switched on from the warmth of my bed in the morning.
The Argos value heater is a good one and pumps out enough heat for most tents (except perhaps a bell tent where all the heat ends up in the pointy bit at the top).
The problem with heating a tent is always going to be an almost instant drop in temperature once the heating is turned off. A fan heater circulates heated air fast whereas a radiator or convector has to heat static cold air then circulate it by convection and they will struggle to do so in sub zero temperatures, so a fan heater has to be best.
A couple of things to look out for though...some fan heaters coming in from China use 0.75mm flex which, although legal and considered safe under EU regulations, is only recommended up to 6 amps. A 2000w fan heater will draw 8.69 amps. When a fan heater with 0.75mm flex is used continuously on full power for long periods as might be the case in a tent the wiring and plug can get quite hot...still considered safe though under EU standards (according to the advice given me by UK Trading Standards).
Other heaters (including the Argos one if they are still selling the same ones I have bought previously) use 1.00mm flex which is recommended up to 11 amps I believe. After continuous use this may also get slightly warm but nowhere near as hot as the 0.75mm.
This is not a big problem, especially if used with the thermostat whereby the heater switches off and the wiring doesn't get quite so hot but I would prefer it didn't get hot at all.
The second issue is that some of the cheaper similar fan heaters (i.e some of those on Ebay) don't have a tilt switch on the bottom to cut the power if the heater is knocked over. The Argos one does.
I am not particularly promoting Argos as other outlets may well supply the same heater. I can only comment on my experiences of buying one or two of these fan heaters from different places. It's not just that design of heater either. Most fan heaters seem to come from China and the majority seem to use the 0.75mm flex.
Quote: Originally posted by Bob61 on 20/11/2015The Argos value heater is a good one and pumps out enough heat for most tents (except perhaps a bell tent where all the heat ends up in the pointy bit at the top).
The problem with heating a tent is always going to be an almost instant drop in temperature once the heating is turned off. A fan heater circulates heated air fast whereas a radiator or convector has to heat static cold air then circulate it by convection and they will struggle to do so in sub zero temperatures, so a fan heater has to be best.
A couple of things to look out for though...some fan heaters coming in from China use 0.75mm flex which, although legal and considered safe under EU regulations, is only recommended up to 6 amps. A 2000w fan heater will draw 8.69 amps. When a fan heater with 0.75mm flex is used continuously for long periods as might be the case in a tent the wiring and plug can get quite hot...still considered safe though under EU standards (according to the advice given me by UK Trading Standards).
Other heaters (including the Argos one if they are still selling the same ones I have bought previously) use 1.00mm flex which is recommended up to 11 amps I believe. After continuous use this may also get slightly warm but nowhere near as hot as the 0.75mm.
This is not a big problem, especially if used with the thermostat whereby the heater switches off and the wiring doesn't get quite so hot but I would prefer it didn't get hot at all.
The second issue is that some of the cheaper similar fan heaters (i.e some of those on Ebay) don't have a tilt switch on the bottom to cut the power if the heater is knocked over. The Argos one does.
I am not particularly promoting Argos as other outlets may well supply the same heater. I can only comment on my experiences of buying one or two of these fan heaters from different places.
It’s a great little heater isn't it Bob totally agree with the cable too, the CPC is identical in spec, one of the things I checked was the cable when you brought this up on a separate thread. Thanks for the recommendation.
In fact Argos is the easiest place to buy this little heater, I have however seen this for sale in garden centres and countrywide for £20.00.
It goes without saying you will need at least a 3 – 4 season sleeping bag or a liner or a quilt or all depends how you deal with the cold. I found this heater was great when we were camping in October and it was running to 5/6 centigrade in fact I turned it off as I was getting a little hot on setting 1.
------------- It's better to ask a silly question than make a silly mistake.
Quote: Originally posted by sihitch on 20/11/2015... My experience is that a blowey heater is no good as when not blowing you don't feel the benefit. Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Not sure I understand that? All I'm reading is "We don't like gas cookers as once the gas is turned off, it won't work"!!
Fan heaters seem by far the most recommended on here. We've not used any other type of heater, so I can't comment on these little oil filled radiators, or any other sort, for that matter.
We've been happy with our Quest Low wattage ceramic Heater. We got it elsewhere, but for a similar price, if memory serves. Might be worth a quick search for a lower price?
It oscillates, so can spread the heat a bit more. Less likely to trip anything, (We never have, even when we put our low watt kettle on too, although we're not supposed to do that!!)), as it's only 1500W when on full (plus option for 750W). Has a thermostat dial (not digital), a built in overheat cut off, the all important switch-off for if it tips over, ceramic heating element.
If it has a negative, our particular model sometimes "clicks" when it stops to change direction. I'd say it's not loud enough to wake you, but could be irritating if you were lying awake, trying to get to sleep! On occasion, I have managed to get rid of the "click" by repositioning the heater, on other occasions, that approach has failed, so we have just put up with the mild irritation. (Far less noisy than owls, for instance!!)
Having since upgraded our tent, we don't now (normally) feel the need to leave it running through the night now (canvas tent and excellent fleece lined sleeping bags, as well as wearing thermals in sub-zero temps), so that bit of clicking is even less of a concern now, but if we did (leave it running all night), I may decide to switch off the oscillation. The noise of the fan itself is not an issue, in my opinion.
Of the 4 fan heaters we've tried thus far, this has proved the best for us. Admittedly, it's also the most expensive, so I have no idea what you'd get from say a £30-40 investment. We don't feel the need to try anything more expensive, in all honesty, as we are satisfied with what we have.
What I will say though, is don't expect miracles from heaters in tents!
It is not central heating, and your tent isn't made of insulated brick walls with DG windows!
Through the winter, we sit with the heater at our feet (sharing the oscillation!), and are usually still fully dressed. Muckerette will still normally have a hat and coat on, despite the tent being all zipped up and cosy. I'll have a layer or two under a fleece pullover, and quite possibly (if we are down to zero or below) those all important "Heat Holder" socks!
It will take the edge off, as opposed to actually heating the whole tent. You will feel the heat when you walk in the tent, say returning from the loo, but when just sat down, perhaps reading, you'll pretty much need it going full time. If you do get tempted to turn it down, you will almost certainly turn it back up again within 5 minutes! Don't forget, all that nice warm air is rising... and thus seeping straight out through the tent fly sheet!
The right clothes are equally as important as the right fan heater, if not more so. Same goes for your sleeping set up.
The fan heater should simply be the pièce de résistance... as is Aldi's version of Baileys!!
Get it right, and this will be a delight, not a setback...
Only time we've used an ehu has been on the last couple of new year eve's when we found a fan heater was best during the evening at the mouth of the tent with the door open then over night we used a small oil filled radiator which kept a vango alpha 400 as comfortable as summer camping. Great fun camping out of season.
Quote: Originally posted by yoda888 on 21/11/2015
Only time we've used an ehu has been on the last couple of new year eve's when we found a fan heater was best during the evening at the mouth of the tent with the door open
Doesn't that draw in freezing cold air from outside? Would it not have been better and more economical to keep the door closed and recirculate the already warm air inside?
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Topic: Tent heating
