At last! The heating gadget i was after!

[jayjay]

Hi finally managed to track down one of these... I'm hoping it will fit on top of the caravan cooker ring, for when I have no EHU... if not, I have a little suitcase cooker I can use. (I have an electric 500w mini radiator for EHU)

OK as long as you don't leave it on overnight! Just for a quick warm up!

I know it says on the tin it should be used outdoors, but it's just a cover for an open flame, so if you can use a ring inside a van, then one of these will be no better or worse... just safer than an open flame!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Sorry Graham, none on Amazon or I would have posted a linky to one on there!

The heater in my van has been removed as I deemed it unsafe, and so did the man who came to do all the other stuff... posted in the caravan forum!

[scarrabri1]

wow,some project

Hi finally managed to track down one of these... I'm hoping it will fit on top of the caravan cooker ring, for when I have no EHU... if not, I have a little suitcase cooker I can use. (I have an electric 500w mini radiator for EHU)

OK as long as you don't leave it on overnight! Just for a quick warm up!

I know it says on the tin it should be used outdoors, but it's just a cover for an open flame, so if you can use a ring inside a van, then one of these will be no better or worse... just safer than an open flame!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Sorry Graham, none on Amazon or I would have posted a linky to one on there!

The heater in my van has been removed as I deemed it unsafe, and so did the man who came to do all the other stuff... posted in the caravan forum!

Wow just took a look at all the things your doing,thats some project you have lol what are you doing working on it all night ,the kip looks very nice,and i can see why you would want one,i have never used one of the above heaters but it should be safe ,how much more work have you to do on the kip?i thought my projects were big,but yours are some thing else,so very well done jayjay,puts me to shame lol best wishes Brian

[jayjay]

Wow just took a look at all the things your doing,thats some project you have lol what are you doing working on it all night ,the kip looks very nice,and i can see why you would want one,i have never used one of the above heaters but it should be safe ,how much more work have you to do on the kip?i thought my projects were big,but yours are some thing else,so very well done jayjay,puts me to shame lol best wishes Brian

Quite some project Brian! LOL...!

[lizzie]

Have you tried the little heater device on your stove top yet JayJay? Seems like a fairly inexpensive adjunct to just putting on a ring for a few minutes and maybe safer and more effective. Just wonder if it would fit my Outlook stove top - with glass cover - and if it would be small enough not to melt the fibreglass.

I think you are doing a marvellous job with you Kip. I am impressed by your energy and committment. Wish I was comimg to the Wolverly meet but not confident on strange motorways!

Lizzie

[jayjay]

Have you tried the little heater device on your stove top yet JayJay? Seems like a fairly inexpensive adjunct to just putting on a ring for a few minutes and maybe safer and more effective. Just wonder if it would fit my Outlook stove top - with glass cover - and if it would be small enough not to melt the fibreglass.

I think you are doing a marvellous job with you Kip. I am impressed by your energy and committment. Wish I was comimg to the Wolverly meet but not confident on strange motorways!

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie - yes, Ive tried it out! Basically its just a cover for a naked flame. I have to take off the cooker pan stand thingy/grid to use it safely though. With being situated on top of the gas burner, that, of course is adjustable, so you can turn the heat up or down. Also makes toast in the old fashioned way - with a toasting fork! Best to leave to cool before moving as well.

ETA: just to say I would have been able to use it in my roma as well.

Thanks for you comments on the Kip job, still a long way to go yet!

Where are you coming from, Lizzie? If you have a TomTom like me, you can set it to avoid motorways and just come on the A roads! I used to do that with my liddle van as it wasn't fast enough for motorways. However, I find that motorways are/feel safer than ordinary roads. If you're not confident, just stick to the inside lane and tootle along at 60 with the lorries! Always helps if you avoid rush hour times, 7.30-9-ish and 4.30-6.30ish. I'm always happiest on a motorway going North!

[lizzie]

gas heater

Thank you for your feed back on heater JayJay. I have decided to buy one and if it works would make possible pressies for camping friends.
I have not done too much long distance driving in the past and find it difficult to manage motorway junctions and cities. Problem being that this limits my trips away to familiar destinations. I am fine on country lanes which I am told some city dwellers find very scary indeed!

I would love to visit France but am really concerned re the driving! I wonder if one day it might be possible to do a trip led by experienced Eoropean drivers for some of us who have still not taken the plunge.
Lizzie.

[Ian.C.S]

escorted trips for newbies

Thank you for your feed back on heater JayJay. I have decided to buy one and if it works would make possible pressies for camping friends.
I have not done too much long distance driving in the past and find it difficult to manage motorway junctions and cities. Problem being that this limits my trips away to familiar destinations. I am fine on country lanes which I am told some city dwellers find very scary indeed!

I would love to visit France but am really concerned re the driving! I wonder if one day it might be possible to do a trip led by experienced Eoropean drivers for some of us who have still not taken the plunge.
Lizzie.

hello lizzie
the camping and caravan club organise escorted trips to campsites in France.
Why not give them a call, you are not the only one!
Ian - courage mon brave!

[jayjay]

The gadget in action!
I thought I would do a little review on this item as I'm very impressed.

As you can see, it's just a posh perforated twin wall tin can really!! About the same size, just a bit larger than a normal size beans can. LOL!!

It gets very hot, you soon have to turn it down and it glows... and radiates (perhaps difuses would be a better description) the heat from the gas cooker jet. It's brilliant, in fact.

Now if I had kids I would think twice about getting one of these as little inquisitive fingers would get burned unless there was a guard at the front. But it's up out of the way of the dog/my clothes, etc and very stable - with the pan stand taken off mine. I dare say I could make it fit the pan stand with a pair of pliers, but why go there when you can just take off the stand? It's heavier than you'd think as well, very sturdily made, Has a twin skin, there's an inside layer with fine mesh, and an outside layer with holes to let the heat out. The inside layer contains the gas flame extremely well.

It heats the caravan in a very short time, it took about 5-8 minutes on low/simmer to heat the van, so I would think less than that for a roma.. I have canvas sides on the pop top as well, so it wouldn't be long before that heat dissipated in my van, but it wouldn't in a Roma.

If you get one, give it a good burn before you need it, for approx 5 mins as when brand new, it smokes a little bit and is slightly smelly until it has been 'worn in'! It stops smoking and smelling 'new' after a short while.

Now it does say it's not to be used indoors on the box, but since these are generally used in tents, I think the advice is for that purpose, it also says the same thing on all the portable camping cookers, which get used in tents and awnings at ppls own risk. If you have a gas ring/cooker and can use those in a SMH, then you can use this.

And because it got hot so quickly and was turned down quickly there was no chance of melting anything behind it. If you are worried about melting anything behind it (like the wall/the glass top, etc) you'd need to get a fire resistant plate, frying pan, or something like that to put behind it to protect the surround from the heat. They probably make a fire-resistant tray or something these days. (Or get a mate to make one for you from a bit of aluminium sheet!!LOL!) To be honest, it's only going to get as hot as you let it - your pots & pans when cooking get pretty hot and they don't melt anything.

And don't forget you can't leave it on whilst sleeping, and don't fall asleep with it on! .. But then, that's the rule for any kind of gas fire in a camper/cara!!

Forgot to add another don't - which is don't touch it for a long time (10-15 mins I'd say) after you turned it off, because although it soon stops glowing and looking hot, it isn't - it's still hot enough to burn if you touch it. having said that, it does come with a little grabbing handle so you could move it if required, just don't put it to cool on dry grass!!!...

[Graham]

Thanks for that very comprehensive review Jayjay, it looks good for using when you just want to heat the van up quickly and you haven't got electric hook up but I would still be a bit wary about using it for long periods in an enclosed van, probably best to make sure there is plenty of ventilation or am I being paranoid?

[jayjay]

Thanks for that very comprehensive review Jayjay, it looks good for using when you just want to heat the van up quickly and you haven't got electric hook up but I would still be a bit wary about using it for long periods in an enclosed van, probably best to make sure there is plenty of ventilation or am I being paranoid?

Thanks, Graham! Yes I think it's ok for a quick warm up, but if you heat it up on high, then turn to low/simmer I reckon you could leave it on for at least half an hour at a time. I think after half an hour you'd be sweltering! Logic tells me that you already have ventilation enough for the cooker, and if you were cooking something on low for half an hour or more.... well isn't it the same thing???

[paul]

Now it does say it's not to be used indoors on the box

Mine says, on the box, that they are ideal for caravans.

The only problem I've ever had with mine is that burning gas generates water vapour and - since you are inevitably using it when it is cold outside - there is condensation on the skylight. But mine conveniently drips into the sink anyway. And I've got a cover for the skylight now so it won't do it anymore.

[jayjay]

Mine says, on the box, that they are ideal for caravans.

The only problem I've ever had with mine is that burning gas generates water vapour and - since you are inevitably using it when it is cold outside - there is condensation on the skylight. But mine conveniently drips into the sink anyway. And I've got a cover for the skylight now so it won't do it anymore.

I wonder if it's the same item, Paul? Handy to have the drips going into the sink though! LOL!

Of course I didn't have one of these when I had my Roma, I had a grill and I just used to put it on to take the chill off, and also warm the kettle for a hot water bottle. I don't have a grill in my van now, hence the gadget... although I think on reflection it is more effective and safer than the grill used to be!

[jayjay]

old thread resurrected!

I've bought this page back to the top as I have found some more of these for sale on Amazon! Pretty expensive for a couple of tin cans, and note the comments herein on ventilation!



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Spark...uctDescription

Did the people who got one of these actually ever use it? I did. They are great for a quick warm up. Mine goes on top of the cooker after I have taken the pan stand/grid off.

We could do with someone clever to make them cheaper!