Thermx emglp 900

[scarrabri1]

Hi Ant have you ever heard of a Thermx emglp 900 cat gas heater only i have bought one,and dont really know much about them,apart from it was made in France,there are not many write ups about this fire,but one or two which say it is quite good, after saying that it is a strange fire,with a blanket where the flame should be,and it gets very hot,and so does the case ,i intend to use it in my Honda Acty Romahome,but up to now i have used it in my home and it seems ok,just wondered if you have ever used one,best wishes Brian

[jayjay]

Hi Ant have you ever heard of a Thermx emglp 900 cat gas heater only i have bought one,and dont really know much about them,apart from it was made in France,there are not many write ups about this fire,but one or two which say it is quite good, after saying that it is a strange fire,with a blanket where the flame should be,and it gets very hot,and so does the case ,i intend to use it in my Honda Acty Romahome,but up to now i have used it in my home and it seems ok,just wondered if you have ever used one,best wishes Brian

Apols to Ant in case I jumped in where opinion not wanted!!

Hi Brian - if the whole thing gets hot, won't it melt the surrounding walls, etc?

I use a small 500watt electric radiator when on electric hookup, and a small thingybob which goes over the gas ring when not. You can't leave gas fires or owt on all night though, so the thingybob is just for taking the chill off of an evening. It also toasts bread very well (in the old fashioned way, using a toasting fork!) which is handy as my van doesn't have a grill, only two gas rings!

This is the radiator I have, which I used to plug in my van and sit on top of the closed cooker top and leave on all night if necessary! First time I used it I left it on full blast, but soon had to get up and turn it down as I was too hot! Ideal for a small space like a Roma.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Bambino-TRN0505M-Filled-Radiator/dp/B0000BVBHJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

And this is the gizmo for the cooker:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[ant]

Hi Brian.
It would seem to me you like to do things the hard way! The open Catalyst gas heaters were banned in this country about 15 years ago. The problem was that the heater uses the same oxygen as you do in the van and if used for long periods of time in a confined space the available oxygen is not sufficient to enable complete combustion, this in turn leads to the forming of carbon monoxide ( not good for a long and happy life!). Now I've not heard of the heater you mention but if it is a catalyst heater, and it sounds like it, if it were mine I'd only use it in the greenhouse on frosty nights.
If you want a gas fired heater go for a "room sealed" heater like the propex, this draws combustion air from outside, burns the gas in a sealed chamber and exhausts outside again. No smell no harmfull gases no fire risk - long and happy life!
Ant

[scarrabri1]

Hi Brian.
It would seem to me you like to do things the hard way! The open Catalyst gas heaters were banned in this country about 15 years ago. The problem was that the heater uses the same oxygen as you do in the van and if used for long periods of time in a confined space the available oxygen is not sufficient to enable complete combustion, this in turn leads to the forming of carbon monoxide ( not good for a long and happy life!). Now I've not heard of the heater you mention but if it is a catalyst heater, and it sounds like it, if it were mine I'd only use it in the greenhouse on frosty nights.
If you want a gas fired heater go for a "room sealed" heater like the propex, this draws combustion air from outside, burns the gas in a sealed chamber and exhausts outside again. No smell no harmfull gases no fire risk - long and happy life!
Ant

Well i will go to the foot of my stairs lol another dodgy item,i am sure i will make the world a safer place,because im collecting all the crap,thanks Ant

[scarrabri1]

Nice heaters

Apols to Ant in case I jumped in where opinion not wanted!!

Hi Brian - if the whole thing gets hot, won't it melt the surrounding walls, etc?

I use a small 500watt electric radiator when on electric hookup, and a small thingybob which goes over the gas ring when not. You can't leave gas fires or owt on all night though, so the thingybob is just for taking the chill off of an evening. It also toasts bread very well (in the old fashioned way, using a toasting fork!) which is handy as my van doesn't have a grill, only two gas rings!

This is the radiator I have, which I used to plug in my van and sit on top of the closed cooker top and leave on all night if necessary! First time I used it I left it on full blast, but soon had to get up and turn it down as I was too hot! Ideal for a small space like a Roma.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Bambino-TRN0505M-Filled-Radiator/dp/B0000BVBHJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

And this is the gizmo for the cooker:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Hey jay jay ,nice heaters my friend,according to Ant it looks like my heater was banned a while ago,i have more dodgy stuff building up than anyone on this planet,i could start a collection of crap that nearly made it lol

[jayjay]

Hey jay jay ,nice heaters my friend,according to Ant it looks like my heater was banned a while ago,i have more dodgy stuff building up than anyone on this planet,i could start a collection of crap that nearly made it lol

They are very effective, Bri! Suggest you give yours to the scrap man and get some of these! LOL!

I had the one removed that was in my van, rusty old thing it was... that's also awaiting a scrap man!

[scarrabri1]

Rag and bone man

They are very effective, Bri! Suggest you give yours to the scrap man and get some of these! LOL!

I had the one removed that was in my van, rusty old thing it was... that's also awaiting a scrap man!

Now i bet you are having a right chuckle jay jay lol well hold on a min because i have this on good advise,but mine is only two years old,and a high tec heater with more safty features than you can shake a stick at ,all gas appliances take oxygen out of a room,thats why we need ventilation,if no ventilation then the sensor kicks in and the heater turns off,and wont light until theres enough air to insure its not going to kill you,the only trouble with small campers is volume of oxygen in the room,as i have fans which exstract all fumes and windows that open,my camper is more like a wind tunnel,lol but i like to be sure,which is why i ask for opinions,i will write to the manafacturer,for his opinion,befor i give it away to the rag and bone man lol best wishes Brian

[glenw]

there is a bit of info about the thermx heater here

[scarrabri1]

therm x pics

there is a bit of info about the thermx heater here

Hey thanks very much for your information,and help ,i was about to write to the makers which i may still do,just to make sure,you see my Romahome is the older type one,and would be impossable to fit a convent flue,like where would it go,theres no where to fit a flue and no where to permantly fit the fire,but with fixing brackets it will fit where my stove is,and be easy to remove whilst cooking there are electric exstactor fans fitted,and two roof vents and also fitted vents situated within the van,thanks again and very best wishes Brian heres a few pics of what i have

[ant]

Hi Brian.
Your heater indeed has some safety features that weren't on the original catalytic heaters, my only concern still remains, how do you know the safety features are all working? It won't take much carbon monoxide production to make the small space of your van pretty lethal. The times you're going to want to use it are during very cold spells, so you've battened down the hatches, had the stove going to make a brew, then you light the heater. By using the stove in a completely closed van you've already use a significant amount of the available oxygen for a safe burn on the heater. Without increasing the upper ventilation by opening one of the roof vents I suspect the heater will either cut out ( on safety) or you'll start feeling sleepy and develop a headache ( first signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, - you don't normally get a second sign!). In a larger van or room in the house maybe the heater is ok, but in the confines of a Romahome I don't think its worth the risk.
Ant

[scarrabri1]

lifes a gas

Hi Brian.
Your heater indeed has some safety features that weren't on the original catalytic heaters, my only concern still remains, how do you know the safety features are all working? It won't take much carbon monoxide production to make the small space of your van pretty lethal. The times you're going to want to use it are during very cold spells, so you've battened down the hatches, had the stove going to make a brew, then you light the heater. By using the stove in a completely closed van you've already use a significant amount of the available oxygen for a safe burn on the heater. Without increasing the upper ventilation by opening one of the roof vents I suspect the heater will either cut out ( on safety) or you'll start feeling sleepy and develop a headache ( first signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, - you don't normally get a second sign!). In a larger van or room in the house maybe the heater is ok, but in the confines of a Romahome I don't think its worth the risk.
Ant

Hi Ant you are quite right,carbon monoxide can kill,and i will use the heater when it gets cold,i already know the heater cuts off when the oxygen levels drop, i also have two carbon monoxide monitors,one at each end of the romahome,which i will monitor over the weekend,as they give out a reading,you see i was heating engineer for many years,but never fitted any thing in a camper until the last few months,but i realise the dangers,and would not advise or indeed fit a gas appliance in any ones caravan,other than my own ,but on the other hand there is not much difference between using the gas stove as heating and a cat heater as many do,there are vents around my van that can not be closed,so ventelation should be fine, but i will contact the manufacturer,for more input,but thank you any way,another thought is i fitted a american water heater,which i did remove because the American certificit i got for the boiler was not the same as the English one ,inyet that boiler has more safty built in than anything else i have seen on the market,so now i have a very good carver water heater which is ok to use,which is fitted in a locker very close to where i sleep ,and they call that safe ?,any way must not ramble, bye for now Brian

[ant]

Brian.
I'm sure you know more about heating than I do having been in the heating trade, and will be aware of all the pit falls of burning gas in a confined space. Sadly very few caravaners have any Idea of the dangers and take all sorts of risks ( Burning the stove for long periods for heating, taping up all the draughts etc), as you know very few people die as a result of getting blown up or burnt to dead by gas appliances being faulty,or "gased" by unburnt gas from a leak, the vast majority of people get poisoned by badly burnt gas. It sounds to me you're not likely to add to the statistics with your working knowledge. - still don't like the catalytic heater tho' !
Ant

[scarrabri1]

catalystic heater project not a good idea

Brian.
I'm sure you know more about heating than I do having been in the heating trade, and will be aware of all the pit falls of burning gas in a confined space. Sadly very few caravaners have any Idea of the dangers and take all sorts of risks ( Burning the stove for long periods for heating, taping up all the draughts etc), as you know very few people die as a result of getting blown up or burnt to dead by gas appliances being faulty,or "gased" by unburnt gas from a leak, the vast majority of people get poisoned by badly burnt gas. It sounds to me you're not likely to add to the statistics with your working knowledge. - still don't like the catalytic heater tho' !
Ant

Hi Ant,yes i know a bit about heating,but im sure you can tell i no very little about whats ok in a campervan, by the mistakes i have already made ,and after taking in all you have said,i have to agree that the catalystic heater is maybe not such a good idea,some times i can let my pride push me forward,you know you start a project,and think this is good ,and then some one said hey thats not too clever,and on we go thinking ,i know it all,but in my case i dont, so good advise Ant ,project over ,best wishes my friend Brian

[ant]

Thanks Brian that's a good move, I only kept on about it because Romahome used to fit the heaters on the late 80's Demountable and C15's and we had no end of people reporting that the heater gave them headaches. In those days there were no regulations controling what you did in a Motor caravan with gas or electrics so we learnt the hard way!
I hope people reading our exchanges on this matter will now be a bit better informed and not take the risks they've been taking.
Thanks
Ant