Diesel/Gasoline Heater Question

[7mm-08]

I've decided that I'm going to purchase a diesel or gasoline heater to keep me warm in the colder weather I hunt wolves (sometimes as cold as -10 degrees F) and spring bears (not nearly as cold but with temperature frequently below 32 degrees F). The style of camping I use for this type of hunting is my truck canopy (an A.R.E. MX series, which is a mid-height fiberglass canopy). I have a wall tent and a wood stove, but that is overkill for a single guy doing this a day or two at a time. I have a sleeping frame in the back of the truck, but I do not want to cut holes in the bed to install a diesel or gasoline heater inside the canopy so it can vent outside. As such, I'll be purchasing a heater to run/use outside the truck. I won't be using any sort of propane heater in my sleeping space to avoid permanent slumber. The challenge is getting the warm air from the heater (outside the truck and probably set up on a wheel step) into the canopy. I have the silicone hose and external connection parts figured out.

My challenge is a mechanism to get the warm air from the heater into the canopy. Some folks use a clear plexiglass partial window unit into which they have permanently installed a 3-inch vent that they put into one of their sliding side canopy windows while others use 4-inch deck plate into which they place HVAC pieces to accomplish this. I would consider installing a deck plate in my canopy. Are there any other brilliant ideas out there that I haven't run across that this brain trust uses for my specific purpose?

Amazon.com : JT-HLM 4 inch Boat Deck Plate Hatch ABS Marine Round Inspection Deck Plate Hatch with Detachable Clear Lid for Boat Yacht, White : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : JT-HLM 4 inch Boat Deck Plate Hatch ABS Marine Round Inspection Deck Plate Hatch with Detachable Clear Lid for Boat Yacht, White : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

[HairyScandinavian]

That deck hatch is a great idea for the camper shell. Did you end up going that route?

 

[7mm-08]

Not sure how much interest my response will generate because you were the only person who responded to my original post, but here goes. I DID install a deck plate hatch in my canopy to accommodate the warm air outlet on a 14,000 BTU gasoline VELIT Portable Air Heater I intend to purchase soon to introduce the warm air into the canopy. I'm sure that I'm biased, but the install came out exactly as I hoped. I've added a few photos for you review. I intend to place the heater and power source on a wheel step to keep it out of the snow.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

That turned out great! Are you recirculating the intake as well or just the hot output? I think I'll do both, should make even hotter air coming in and also ensures the intake doesn't pickup any of the exhaust fumes to inject into my space.

I'm thinking of doing both in my canvas tent, probably using two stove jacks unless I can come up with a better idea. If I slept in a camper top I'd absolutely try to copy what you did..

 

[7mm-08]

I am not recirculating intake air, but I would, no doubt, do that for a wall tent or larger space. The 4KW (14,000 BTU) gasoline heater I am going to purchase is just too much heater for a space as small as a truck canopy - even in single digit temperatures (I suspect). A 2KW heater would be ideal, but VELIT doesn't make such a thing (and either do any of the other manufacturers making products in the rice category I find myself). As such, I'm hoping the heater will be less efficient (if that makes any sense at all) drawing colder air so I can run it more closely to max efficiency, which is as close to full blast as you can in order to limit carbon buildup and reduce maintenance issues. I still suspect I'll have to vent the canopy to keep it from baking me out. You bring up a great point about the potential for the heater to inject exhaust fumes into the living space and I may have to rig up some sort of exhaust extension to move that discharge away from the heater. A certain way to avoid that is to do exactly as you suggested with recirculating heated air.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Yeah that's gonna be an oven lol.

I plan to run mine on the lowest setting and crank it up to run for a while full speed before turning it off. Hoping that'll be enough to cook off any carbon build up.