any tips for warmth

hi all, ive only done five nights in the van and not experienced any cold nights/ mornings yet, i wondered if anyone had any tips for keeping warm when it does get cold in one???!! the heater in mine does work but you have to stand right in front of it to get any benefit, quick update on the project too,,,, all welding in engine bay complete, service done, ht leads, filters, anti freeze in, undersealing chassis still on going!!!! happy camping everyone

Difficult to give tips when we dont know what model your van is. You have it shown as an Express - this is in fact the chassis, so it could be any number of models , Harmony, Talisman, Executive, &etc where the advice may differ from model to model.

As general advice if you are going on hookups then the small low wattage electric heaters from any of the "sheds" are ok as they take up little space and seem to work fine. For sleeping you could do worse than buy that well known invention from W.Yorks called a Duvalay - absolutely brilliant and you can move without restriction. Possible draughts coming from under the dash can be cured by making a curtain the fill the gap between the bottom of the dash and the floor attached with pop it thingy's.

There will be draught points irrespective of model and if these are not statutory vents for the various gas appliances then its seek and find time unless a previous owner has already had a go.

Hi there,

TIP ONE

Buy the best sleeping bag that you can afford.

I got a Vango Sonno Comfort from Blacks ( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ) earlier this year and have been overjoyed with the results!

The feature I really like is the zip at the bottom that allows me to stick my feet out when I get a bit warm!

TIP TWO

ALWAYS let your partner get up first in the morning to make breakfast. By the time the coffee and toast is ready it is usually warm enough to stick your nose out of the sleeping bag!

TIP THREE

At home turn the thermostat down by 5 degrees to get yourself acclimatised to life at a lower temperature. I had a friend who inherited a 22 room mansion in the Scottish Highlands. His mantra to visitors was always "When you get cold just put another sweater on!"

Hope this helps.

Best regards (from a house without central heating),


Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that most motorhomes have a gas fired heating system that can be used in dire emergencies when you wish to throw away money as opposed to putting on an extra layer of clothing!!

thanks for replys, think il invest in a good double sleeping bag when it turns cold, the model isthe highwayman btw

Hi


One of the simplest and cheapest ways of keeping the habitation area warm, is to isolate the Cab area. Turn the slide option on the van heater to internal air circulation, quite a draught comes through this when it is on fresh air option. The next thing is to do, is get a long adjustable pole (the ones that go along the side of a bath to allow the shower cutain to hang) and cut it to the width of van, and hang a nice shower curtain to fill the gap,behind the backs of the seats. The standard shower cutains are just about the correct width, but will be on the short side ,so fill the gap(cold air trough) by using the small table top or a piece of cardboard (nice and light) to fill the gap at the bottom.

You should find that this will keep the habitation area fairly comfy, even in the coldest nights. When not required the curtain can be slid to one side, and held back with the curtain ties.




Andy

Some good ideas above - I'd never thought of the shower curtain one, but it's true that the big glass area in the cab leaks heat really quickly.

Some other things: If it's got a built-in fridge, check around it for gaps. Because of the big vents to the outside, this can be a big source of draughts, and it's easy enough to seal around with foam - just make sure (obviously) that you're not sealing the burner area off from the outside!

If you're on EHU then one or more 500W greenhouse convector heaters work well - they are silent and so can be left on at night if needed, and are low enough power to be low fire risk.

If you're not on EHU then a really good source of heat is a paraffin pressure lamp, which pumps out loads of heat as well is being bright - and that also means less load on the leisure battery. However, make sure you get a recent one and maintain it well - they have the potential to produce CO if not running properly (though it would almost certainly be visibly/audibly obvious if it were not). I used one for years in my old camper, which had no other heating options, and never had any problems.

Or you could just find yourself one of these

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Mind you... you would probably need a bigger van and some air rides so maybe not such a good idea