Hi All,
Has anyone used the Olympian Wave Catalytic Safety Heaters? Pro and Cons of using such a heater in a coach.....
I found the Olympian in the 2006 RV Accessories Catalog, page 374. Can also be seen in the Camping World catalog page 141.
Thanks for the input
Bill Williamson
Currently in Mobile, Al
MCI-9 Big and Blue
A big con is having to crack a window to deal with the unit burning the oxygen in your living quarters. But I've read that the worst con is the amount of condensation the units create in your living space.
Since this Board in its present form hasn't been around very long for archives, I'd head over to the BNO board and search their archives: http://www.busnut.com/cgi-bin/bbs/search.cgi Type in "catalytic" and you'll get lots of advice. Some of it even useful! ;D
Good luck on your decision,
Brian B.
I believe they have vented ones. As Brian says, the biggest issue is condensation. I have a ventless propane heater which works great but produces waaaay too much water in the bus which could lead to more problems. I opened a bag of sugar today that was in my cabinet unopened and it was a solid block. I also have water staines on my 1/4 inch luan around screws and window openings not yet cut in.
I'd head to some of the RV forums to do your research. They're not widely adopted by bus-guys but many, many RVers swear by them.
I use the portable version, "Mr. Heater" or something like that and they work fine. The portable one only works for three hours on a 1 lb cannister but two heaters, one on standby, help. I'm going to hook them up to a 20 lb cannister in the baggage compartment to completely solve the three hour problem.
My 4104 leaks so much air that condensation and CO are not a problem! You will have so much condensation from breathing and cooking and bathing if you have single pane windows that it is hard to tell if the heater is really making things much worse. I suppose hot air heat would help keep things dry but hot air heat drives me up the wall because it is too dry for the sinuses.
My .02 added. Propane is typically a moist heat and electric is a dry heat. When baking in an oven it can make certain things come out differently. It will produce condensation in the small area of the bus in addition to what you body is expelling. I don't think you wany dripping windows. If need be install some recessed electric heaters with the fan, they usually are about 1500 to 1800 watts.
I'm speaking from actual experience using these heaters and am very pleased with them. Before I bought them I consulted the board and heard the same stuff about moisture but one or two posts from happy users convinced me that they were good.
I have not been disappointed, there is nothing like actual experience with something for the best evaluation.
I'm in the process now of installing the 20lb portable tank to eliminate the middle of the night tank changing. I decided that a separate LP tank for the heaters is the best way to go and not get involved with the bus LP system at all.