Looking for heater for car trailer - Diesel Forum

BlackWidow · 11-20-2006, 09:32 AM

I am looking for a safe/relaible way to heat my car trailer. Would like to be able to maintain 70 degrees while going down the road.

OldmanII · 11-20-2006, 09:50 AM

Have you thought about A Buddy Heater?

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=budd...le&ct=title

BlackWidow · 11-20-2006, 10:17 AM

My only question about doing somehting like that wold be stability/safety while traveling down the road.

drcampbell · 11-20-2006, 10:34 AM

My first question would be "Why 70 degrees?" Presumably not because it will be occupied. 40 degrees will protect the contents from freezing; what's the requirement?

The next question is how much heat you'll need to make your target temperature. Without insulation, without much in the way of weatherstripping and with a 60 mi/hr wind on the outside, you're talking about a whole lot of heat - probably a whole lot more than 9,000 BTU/hour. Just guessing, I'd say closer to 90,000 BTU/hour, likely more. Without a good heat loss estimate, the whole thing becomes an exercise in groping in the dark.

Can you afford the wall thickness to insulate? Even insulating to only R-7 would require two inches of extruded styrofoam - four inches lost from the inside width and height.

My preference would be a hot-water heater, something like you'd find in a school bus. Put an adequately-large heat exchanger under the back end of the truck so that a leak doesn't drain & disable the truck's cooling system, then two hoses with quick-connects, a pump, reservoir, thermostat, ...

BlackWidow · 11-20-2006, 11:15 AM

My race truck runs on Methanol. Methanol engines hate the cold not ot mention the stress placed on it when starting cold.

There is nothing in the trailer that will "freeze". The warmer I can keep the inside while going down the road the better. I already run an oil pan heater. If I can say keep it at 40 degrees while moving and then warm it to 70 once I get to my location and am sitting still that would be good to.

Although not insulated it is double walled. My next trailer will be insulated.

This is the unit that I jsut found and seems most promising:
SF-42F Suburban Heater

gls · 11-20-2006, 12:05 PM

The Buddy heaters have sensors on them and if jarred to hard will shut off. Also the large one would be to small for the area I think. There are other open flame heaters for RV's and they work good but the gas heat is very moist so I don't think you would like that. I think you Suburban heater is a nice idea. Insulation doesn't intrude on the interior of a cargo trailer with an inside skin. I have insulation in mine.

Gary

Blue Water Runner · 11-20-2006, 02:41 PM

Would running the oil heater on your race truck while on the road solve the problem? If so you could run it off a generator possibly.

**Kanman** · 11-20-2006, 09:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]

This is the unit that I jsut found and seems most promising:
SF-42F Suburban Heater

[/ QUOTE ]

Little Methanol, little propane, little open flame, little excitement. I am sure you of all folks are well versed in the dangers of Methanol. How about a good old RV'ers type AC unit with an heat pump option that mounts on the roof?

**SteveRacer** · 11-20-2006, 10:23 PM

[ QUOTE ]
How about a good old RV'ers type AC unit with an heat pump option that mounts on the roof?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have one of those, and it barely takes the chill out of the air on a 45 degree day.

Maybe one of those fuel heaters like the VW microbus had? I think the name is Espro or similar. Keep in mind anything you burn that is unvented is going to generate a lot of moisture. I don't think that's legal anyway, so if it is rated for RV use you should be okay. I'd worry about anything unattended "on fire" in the same trailer as my precious race car, so something electric seems safer... but the amount of energy required makes it impractical.

I have an LQ in my race car trailer, so if it's cold at night I just pull the car in the trailer right after the last heat and let the hot car radiate the inside of the trailer.

I also have one of those little ceramic disc heaters that is housed in a small 6"x5"x8" metal cube, I think it's 1200 watts. It works really well, as long as the generator is running. Then again, my race car is far less sophisticated and runs fine on high-octane pump gas. The cold-start injector and temperature compensators are still in place. Alcohol fuels scare me, unless they are safely contained in a rocks glass with some ice... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]

-steve

drcampbell · 11-21-2006, 11:56 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Little Methanol, little propane, little open flame, little excitement. I am sure you of all folks are well versed in the dangers of Methanol ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, sounds like it could become rather spectacular. If you do pursue this, you might want to make sure you work out all the details and have your insurance company's blessing in advance.

A couple thoughts in different directions, for whatever they're worth:

Run a duct into the race truck's engine compartment, put a blanket over it and heat just the engine, not the whole trailer.

Install a small gasoline tank in the race truck. Start and warm up the engine on gasoline, then switch over to using meth. and skip the trailer heat entirely.

Have you given any thought to your meth. storage? If not, do.

Sancho · 11-24-2006, 11:09 AM

Webasto is one that will work.
These are diesel fired ,forced air, direct vent. We use them in cargo box areas to keep stuff from freezing. Very expensive.

larry_minn · 11-26-2006, 02:04 PM

It depends how fancy/expensive you want to get. If cheap is your goal...
Local mech uses old ambulances as service trucks. He hooks into engine water (IIRC he has some switch for radiator to disconnect not sure if just auto thermostats or what) and 1" line to back of ambulance. There it goes into a 20 gallon barrel with a small (wild guess 10" by 24") radiator with 12v fan behind it. The water tank is to keep back warm when he has doors open and engine off.
SO You could put quick disconnect couplers on back of truck to trailer/radiator in trailer/12v fan (everything filled with proper mix antifreeze) But as suggested if leak develops in trailer.... UFTA.
I got to thinking. They make 12v heaters (for cup of coffee/soup) as well as fuel tanks of vegge oil. (when engine is running.) or maybe hook up second alt that is gen-set at 110v.

Richter69 · 11-30-2006, 09:07 PM

I use a heater in the pan for the oil, a block heater from a 6.0 for the water and a gas primer system to start and put heat fast in the motor. I run an injected BB ford with alum heads and a big roller shaft, the thing will not build heat on its own with the fuel all the way on. The oil and water heaters are plugged in as soon as I get the trailer opened up. While unloading and getting set up the motor is already warm. The gas set up I built will put heat in the sucker real fast and comes in handy sitting in the staging lanes and some chevy oils down the track and we have to sit and wait.

BASSAGE · 12-01-2006, 10:56 PM

Chevy oils down the track.....made me blow pop out my nose. But it was a good one though.

Race safe.

Dan

RLDSL · 12-01-2006, 11:41 PM

Get an Espar Airtronic. It is a forced air furnace, and ignition and exhaust are all routed to the outside. They make them big enough for cargo heat : http://www.espar.com/htm/airheat.htm
You can get thermostatic controls that will maintain a preset temp, you can even get remote controls to trigger it from the cab if the cold sneaks up on you, or you need to kick it on from the motel room.

--------Robert