Catalytic Heater Install - Zero Power Consumption

[bryan.a.white]

Fellow Aluminum Campers.

We do a lot of the grid boondock camping/fishing/boating in colder weather up here in Washington State. Regularly in the 20's at night in the spring and the fall. The batteries don't last long with the furnace cycling and running a lot in cold temps and I HATE generators while sleeping (or any other time for that matter). So I bit the bullet and installed a Camco Olympian Wave 8 in our Quicksilver Toy Hauler.

Thought I would share my experiences with the heater install.


Step 1- Found a place to plumb in supply line. This was a tricky step as I found out. The propane manifold located near mid-trailer under the floor seemed optimal as it had a 3/8" NPT plug that I was hoping to remove and tap into. However, it became evident after my point of no return that the supply lines were Locktite glued in place and I couldn't remove the plug in place and had to rebuild the manifold. This involved a lot of fittings and some real thinking about reassembly. The original supply lines were male NPT and changed them to a swivel female for assembly purposes.


Step 2- In order to get this whole thing done I had to cut each of the supply lines and crimp new fittings on each end. I borrowed a crimper and went down to the local hose shop and got the parts. This step was a huge P.I.T.A. Had the plug been removable none of this would have been necessary. I'm not sure why these lines cannot be removed from the factory. Maybe there is something to them coming loose after driving or something, but it would not budge. I tried heat with a heat gun, then a propane torch and it wouldn't budge. I ended up melting the hoses as you can see in the below photo.



Step 3- I plumbed the supply line to the quick disconnect inside. The Camco Wave 8 heater can be mounted or on feet. I wanted to move it around and have a quick disconnect for storage under the front bed. Using a 3/8" Nipple Supply Kit purchased on Amazon, I was able to clamp the nipple to the floor solidly to support the quick disconnect on the inside of the trailer.





Step 4- Plumb supply line to the heater which is 3/8" flare male. I chose a 10' hose to allow me to set the thing anywhere out of the way.

Hope this is helpful to somebody looking to put one of these in. After running it, I couldn't be happier. Seems like less propane consumption and we were comfortable in the low 30's with the unit running on low. Inside temperature hovered around 60 with the furnace cycling once every hour or so. Please make sure you follow the venting instructions. The Wave 8 needs 24 Square Inches of fresh air venting

[gbpack]

Looks like a nice unit and it seems like you did a great job in hooking it up! Just curious, you mention the obvious need to bring in fresh air, but how much venting is that? How much do you need to crack a window in order to get enough fresh air in there and do you also need to crack another window on the other side of the trailer as well (in order to get cross ventilaton)?

[bryan.a.white]

Looks like a nice unit and it seems like you did a great job in hooking it up! Just curious, you mention the obvious need to bring in fresh air, but how much venting is that? How much do you need to crack a window in order to get enough fresh air in there and do you also need to crack another window on the other side of the trailer as well (in order to get cross ventilation)?

You need to crack a window 1/4" to 1/2" (8" minimum size) and also open a roof vent 1/4 to 1/2 on the opposite end of the trailer/camper to get the cross ventilation. We were camping in 20-mph winds this weekend so we played with it a bit. The instruction manual conditions of 24 square-inches of venting is in dead calm I'm sure.

The unit emitted no odor at all.

[pjcd]

Looks great, nice clean job. What crimping tool did you use? I've been looking at a hydraulic crimper for cables, I would guess it would work on gas lines.

[bryan.a.white]

Looks great, nice clean job. What crimping tool did you use? I've been looking at a hydraulic crimper for cables, I would guess it would work on gas lines.

I used one like the attached. I have tried the type that looks like a pair of Vise Grips and they are horrible. I recommend this type. I borrowed one, but they run about $100 if you shop around.