Especially after the weekend when my heater when out, it seemed like a backup heater would be a good plan, especially in my climate. On the recommendation of the gentleman who fixed my heater, I purchased this model. It's a Camco Wave 6 radiant heater. It burns propane, but without a flame. I don't know enough about the catalytic process to tell you more than that. But we installed it on my wall yesterday and it seems to be working quite well.
It does not use any electricity, a serious advantage over my other heater. And the radiant heat, while not quite so even as the other heater, feels really nice. Kinda like the feeling of sitting in front of a wood stove. My little brown chair is right across the room and sitting in it to read with my feet propped in front of this is really nice!
Left on medium, it kept my house at 65 all night long with the outside temp around 7 degrees. And since it does not use any electricity, this kept my other heater from kicking on and therefore my house used very little power in the last day. I think this is going to be a very good thing for my off grid setup. As I still have the other one, they can also back each other up and I'm much less likely to spend a weekend without heat. We'll see if it changes with longer term use, but so far I am really liking this little thing.
Ariel, can you please email me and let me know how much you paid for this heater and if Tumbleweed should offer this as an option. Can it be a primary heater? thanks, PS, Love following your worm story!
ReplyDeleteI'm emailing you too Amy but wanted to answer part of this on here in case others had the same questions. I purchased mine through Amazon.
DeleteHere's a link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BV01CK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It cost me about $270. The parts to run a new propane line though the wall and into the heater etc added up to about another $160.
Wow! That is so cool! Backup heaters are such a great save. Heaters aren't the kind of matter you can simply set aside, soon as they start acting up then stop working. It's something that you really have to maintain and check up regularly, or might as well have a backup for, so you can continue being well-insulated from the kind of unstable climate we have these days. Thanks for sharing that, Ariel! All the best to you!
ReplyDeleteJodi Bennett @ Marsh Heating
The gentleman who recommended these two was really great. It’s a good thing you took his advice to get one. Anyway, how are things doing with your heater nowadays? I hope you had it fixed by now. Thanks for sharing this with us, Ariel. All the best!
ReplyDeleteHenrietta Fuller @ Bri-Tech Heating and Cooling
Ariel, do you think with the addition of this heater that a tiny woodstove would now be a more viable option for a tiny? Thanks, Angie F
ReplyDeleteYes, IF you are going to never be gone for long periods of time, at least when it's below freezing. Since neither this heater or a wood stove are controlled by a thermostat, it's hard to leave either of them for too long.
DeleteThose are really nice heaters! And they would really come handy, especially to those who are living in really cold places. Thus, I’d hope to hear more about these backup heaters. Thanks for sharing this, Ariel. Take care!
ReplyDeleteLevi Eslinger @ Capital Plumbing
Hi Ariel,
ReplyDeleteWould it be advantageous to use a portable energy efficient space heater? They are electric? Not sure how long they would last - or what energy usage they may take up? Curious? Thanks
It could be if I had an unlimited amount of electricity, but as I am off grid, that is a little limited. So a non electric option is better for me.
DeleteSo, it's been about a year. Any complaints, thoughts, likes, worries, and how is it holding up function and appreance wise? Thank you for this and all your posts. ~Jay
ReplyDeleteIt works well. Since it is non a vented heater, it certainly adds a lot of moisture to the air though. For that reason I use it just as backup or if I want to warm the house up really fast. I did just add a small wood stove to my house too. It is now my main heat source.
DeleteI have needed a backup heater for so long. I keep putting off purchasing one because it is just not fun to purchase one. I would love new furniture not an ugly heater. But I think this is the last winter I will put myself through it. I'll give in and buy another one. Can not keep living like this.
ReplyDeleteCarmelo @ PRO Hot Water Service
Love reading your stories . I was wondering if you are still using the catalytic propane heater you purchased last year? Was it not producing enough heat since you have now purchased a wood stove.
ReplyDeleteIt produces plenty of heat. It also produces a lot of moisture. That and the fact that I have free fire wood and propane is not free to me are why I went with a wood stove.
DeleteI too live in a tiny house in a cold climate (NW Wisconsin) and have a wood stove (love) with an electric plug-in backup (don't love). I'm not off grid but might be in the future and am thinking of installing a propane heater as backup, but I'm reluctant to use non-vented because of the condensation issues. Although if I'm mostly going to use it when I'm not there maybe it's not a big deal. I think your other propane heater is direct vent - does it not create as much condensation by itself? I searched your posts and couldn't find a reference to what your other heater is, are you able to say? I can assume what it is if your house was built by Tumbleweed though. :) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have the same heater and I am currently using a 30 lb propane tank with it. I know you have 100 lb tanks and were talking about how bigger tanks are better because of vaporization, which I did not know. But I was wondering how you move those big tanks. I have trouble just lifting a 30 lb tank. Maybe you just need 2 people to move/carry them? thanks!
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