Heating Motorhome over winter parked up

[ozzyhufc]

Just a quick one again, while van is parked up over winter , what is the cheapest way to keep motorhome warm in rear, I have run the electric to van for heating to be on 24/7 but it’s taking a lot of electricity
How long would a 6kg gas bottle last if heating left on continuously , would that be cheaper or is there a better way.

Thanks.

 

[Phill D]

6 kgs won’t last long on constant heating but is of course dependent on what temperature it will be set at.

Don’t know where you are but you could cause a lot of condensation, I just drain down for the colder months ( if not in use ) and ventilate the van for a few hours on nice days.

Tried a cover and gentle heat on separate occasions and just created condensation and mould. Stopped that many years ago now.

I do have it hooked up on a timer to keep batteries upto scratch.

 

[oldiesontour]

As above heating will probably generate more condensation and damp not less..I drain down, background ventilation, leave all doos and drawers open solar keeps starter battery full.Never had any problems

 

[DandJ]

Why a need to keep it warm? As above...drain it down and keep well ventilated.

 

[golly]

Years ago, when we got our first MH, I worried about heating in winter when stored, tried oil filled radiator, electric tube heater, de-humidifiers etc. I then realised dealers don't heat the vans they have on their forecourts , so now I save my money and as others have said, I drain down and ventilate .

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[Badknee]

Why oh why would you want to heat an empty van? As marmalade man golly says just think about dealers heating thousand and thousands of vans all over here and abroad, there’s no sense in doing it whatsoever. Ventilation is more important.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

^^^^ What he said, ventilation is all you need, a fan on a timer if you must.
Have a check around the van with a moisture meter when it's cold, fabrics as well.
Mike.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

When we first had our coachbuilt van of 2000 vintage I used to go into it in the winter and was horrified to find what I thought was dampness, so used to heat the van, occasionally to 'take any chill' off.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!!
This caused masses of condensation which , thankfully , I caught early in my learning curve, and after much positive advice mainly from here, I reverted to the correct method of NO HEAT, drain down fully, and good ventilation.
Never had a condensation problem again apart from when using the van and occupied.
What I was in fact originally feeling as 'damp' was actually 'COLD' but extremely dry.
Easy mistake to make, but a Cold, unheated, stored, and well ventilated van will be unlikely to get mold growth or condensation.

 

[Googlebot]

I also leave all windows on vent, bed down and cupboards open, no heat and never had an issue.

Of course I make sure it’s drained though.

 

[pappajohn]

Please don't go down the dehumidifier route either.
The moisture removed will instantly be replaced with cold moist air through floor and fridge and dashboard vents.
It will look like it's working with the amount of water removed but it isn't.

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[mikash]

Please don't go down the dehumidifier route either.
The moisture removed will instantly be replaced with cold moist air through floor and fridge and dashboard vents.
It will look like it's working with the amount of water removed but it isn't.

Kinda like heating is also pointless because warm air is instantly replaced by cold air through floor, fridge and dashboard vents?

 

[headlight]

^^^^ What he said, ventilation is all you need, a fan on a timer if you must.
Have a check around the van with a moisture meter when it's cold, fabrics as well.
Mike.

I have a 5v fan in the back of the van and another 5v fan in the front.
Both powered by their own small solar panels, one in the back window and one in the kitchen window.
Surprisingly they don't take much sun to run.

 

[nicholsong]

Our MH jas winteredin S. Poland for 13 winters and never used heating.

Bedding and some clothes stay in the MH as do cuushions. We have never had condensation nor mould

So that is what? 10 posters for no heating?

.I hope we have saved you from worrying .....and some money.

 

[Smudger55]

When we first had our coachbuilt van of 2000 vintage I used to go into it in the winter and was horrified to find what I thought was dampness, so used to heat the van, occasionally to 'take any chill' off.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!!
This caused masses of condensation which , thankfully , I caught early in my learning curve, and after much positive advice mainly from here, I reverted to the correct method of NO HEAT, drain down fully, and good ventilation.
Never had a condensation problem again apart from when using the van and occupied.
What I was in fact originally feeling as 'damp' was actually 'COLD' but extremely dry.
Easy mistake to make, but a Cold, unheated, stored, and well ventilated van will be unlikely to get mold growth or condensation.

Exactly, I have this discussion with management all the time but regularly "advised" by management that MHOME is damp. A balance is eventually achieved a day or two before we go on a trip when I have to give way to management's points of view.

 

[LithiumConvert]

Don’t know where you are but you could cause a lot of condensation,

As above heating will probably generate more condensation and damp not less.

We go aound this every winter.

Heat does not cause condensation.

If you have condensation in a vehicle it is caused because because there is water in there. Often caused by showers and kettles, but also by wet clothes brought in when it is raining. If none of those apply, then an investigation is called for, to see where the leak is!

To have condensation, you need to have water. Heat, alone, will do no harm.

Of course, ventilation will not do any harm.

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[Stoosal]

If you heat up the air in a confined space and the walls or other surfaces are cooler (inside cupboards, under beds etc) then there is a chance that the moisture in the warm air will settle on the cooler surface and cause condensation.

 

[LithiumConvert]

If you heat up the air in a confined space and the walls or other surfaces are cooler (inside cupboards, under beds etc) then there is a chance that the moisture in the warm air will settle on the cooler surface and cause condensation.

Of course, but there will only be moisture in the warm air, if there is moisture in the motorhome to start with.

 

[oldiesontour]

Of course, but there will only be moisture in the warm water, if there is moisture in the motorhome to start with.

Long time since I did physics at school but does not all air contain moisture ?

 

[mikash]

If you heat up the air in a confined space and the walls or other surfaces are cooler (inside cupboards, under beds etc) then there is a chance that the moisture in the warm air will settle on the cooler surface and cause condensation.

You will also need to to bring in more water. If you have 100 grams of water in a volume of air (that doesn't condense) and then heat that air 20 degrees, there's still only 100 grams of water in the air (only at lower relative humidity) and it doesn't condense on the 20 degree cooler surfaces since the dew point is lower (since it didn't condense at 20 degree lower in the first place). So either you need to bring in more water or lower the outside temperature.

You can, however, on rare occasions, get condensation even in a non-heated van. For example, if there's been a warm winter week, around 0c and high humidity and then the temperature drops rapidly to say -15c. The innards of your van could cool slower, there could be a temperature gradient going in your cabinets and walls and possibly opportunities for oversaturated, cooling water vapour to condense here and there. Ventilation helps, because it replaces the warmer, wetter air with cooler dry air. I know some people also turn on the heat at those times. This can be helpful in at least two ways - heating pushes the dew point outwards in your van and it also enhances your passive ventilation, thus lowering water content in the air faster. One of those blasphemous dehumidifiers would also help, locally reducing humidity and hence lowering dew point until van is again in equilibrium with new outside temperature aand humidity. Good enough ventilation alone though will ensure minimal condensation which dries up quick.

 

[Tombola]

Of course, but there will only be moisture in the warm water, if there is moisture in the motorhome to start with.

Water in the air in a motorhome or any vehicle gets in anywhere. Heater vents, slight gaps here and there.
You can't get away from it, in effect you are heating the outside air no.matyer what you try, unless of course you can hermetically seal your van...(not.possible)
No artificial heat and slight ventilation is key

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[GoCoeGo]

Not wanting to ask a silly question, but by "Good ventilation" which has been mentioned a few times, what exactly do you mean by this? Leaving vents and/or a window open? I saw on another guide, on here, that all vents should be taped over... But should you do that with the vents and then maybe crack a window open a bit?

I like the mini fan on a wee solar idea.. that the user "Headlight" mentioned...Would something like that constitute as good ventilation?



Oh, and if someone could tell me how to hyperlink a users name I would appreciate that too! Feel like a right dummy not being able to find where to do it.

 

[oldiesontour]

I have fridge vents (2 X 150 X 150) 2 X mushroom roof vents and the 2 300 X 300 ISH sky lights that allow background ventilation when closed non are taped up

 

[Nirvanauk]

Not wanting to ask a silly question, but by "Good ventilation" which has been mentioned a few times, what exactly do you mean by this? Leaving vents and/or a window open? I saw on another guide, on here, that all vents should be taped over... But should you do that with the vents and then maybe crack a window open a bit?

I like the mini fan on a wee solar idea.. that the user "Headlight" mentioned...Would something like that constitute as good ventilation?



Oh, and if someone could tell me how to hyperlink a users name I would appreciate that too! Feel like a right dummy not being able to find where to do it.

Just add the @ sign in front of it.

 

[GoCoeGo]

Just add the @ sign in front of it.

Thanks Nirvanauk ... I definitely should of realised that.

 

[LithiumConvert]

Why oh why would you want to heat an empty van?

For much the same reason as we heat an empty house.

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[Lenny HB]

I have fridge vents (2 X 150 X 150) 2 X mushroom roof vents and the 2 300 X 300 ISH sky lights that allow background ventilation when closed non are taped up

Fridge vents should be completely sealed from the habitation area.

 

[Lenny HB]

Never heat ours and leave the beds made up, never had any problems.

 

[oldiesontour]

Fridge vents should be completely sealed from the habitation area.

It's a compressor fridge not LPG

 

[Lenny HB]

It's a compressor fridge not LPG

They don't normally have vents.

 

[Tombola]

Crack a vent or something at the back and one at the front to allow flow.

Also remember the cab heater air intake has 2 settings, one is for outside, one is to recirculate inside.
That left on outside is in effect a vent