Dickinson Marine Newport propane heater/fireplace

[bgordon]

Hi All-
I have been looking into heaters for with more and more intensity over the past two months as temperatures have dropped here in the Colorado mountains.

The 1948 14' Boles Aero trailer that I'm working at is definitely more of a 3-season / mild desert weather camper. I've been full timing into colder temperatures to see how far I can extend the comfort range at a reasonable cost. It is quite comfortable down into the 30s and fairly comfortable in the 20s with a kerosene shop heater that I am using in the meantime.

After all that I've looked at, it seems like the Newport P9000 or P12000 heater from Dickinson Marine is the answer - though this is not a cheap heater. I have two potential install locations. I am trying to figure out my BTU needs as there are two models: P9000 (7500 BTU on hi) or P12000 (9700 BTU on hi). I was wondering if some of those who have either model can tell me the trailer they have it in and the temperature range that it has been effective in.

Also, if there is a heating system with a small footprint that I have overlooked let me know. Vented is a must. Oxygen can go quick in a small space at a high elevation.

Dickinson Marine Newport propane heater/fireplace:
DickinsonMarine.com - Propane Fireplaces

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by bgordon

Hi All-
I have been looking into heaters for with more and more intensity over the past two months as temperatures have dropped here in the Colorado mountains.

The 1948 14' Boles Aero trailer that I'm working at is definitely more of a 3-season / mild desert weather camper. I've been full timing into colder temperatures to see how far I can extend the comfort range at a reasonable cost. It is quite comfortable down into the 30s and fairly comfortable in the 20s with a kerosene shop heater that I am using in the meantime.

After all that I've looked at, it seems like the Newport P9000 or P12000 heater from Dickinson Marine is the answer - though this is not a cheap heater. I have two potential install locations. I am trying to figure out my BTU needs as there are two models: P9000 (7500 BTU on hi) or P12000 (9700 BTU on hi). I was wondering if some of those who have either model can tell me the trailer they have it in and the temperature range that it has been effective in.

Also, if there is a heating system with a small footprint that I have overlooked let me know. Vented is a must. Oxygen can go quick in a small space at a high elevation.

Dickinson Marine Newport propane heater/fireplace:
DickinsonMarine.com - Propane Fireplaces

If a heating source provides too much heat, it can always be turned down.

On the other side of that issue, if the heating source does not provide enough heat, it cannot be turned up.

As always, it's the individual owners choice as to the degree of comfort, or not.

Andy

[doorgunner]

I have a direct vent Dickinson in my 32. It's on the thread I started a few years ago, has lots of info on heat producing devices and other stuff.
the thread is titled -Heaters, heaters , heaters.

[Wazbro]

It looks like those heaters don't have any thermostats if this is the case before you decide which one to get you need to decide how you will control the temperature, depending on what you need for comfort level.

The choices I would use are either use a fantastic fan with thermostat to vent excess heat or use a second heater (electric or furnace depending on available power) to finish heating and regulate temperature, maybe both combined.

[Jammer]

The advantages of the Dickinson are that it looks cool and doesn't require 12v. The disadvantages are that it requires a good deal of space and isn't amenable to automatic control with a thermostat. You could contact pbearsailor (Steve) who has one and likes it.

Otherwise you could consider the Everest Star, which is a propane furnace available in an unducted configuration that uses only a small fan, which might fit your needs. It does not look cool. On the other hand, it is readily controlled with a thermostat.

Look at the BTU output of your Kerosene shop heater as one guidepost for size, then adjust up or down depending on whether you think it is too small or too large.

I would suggest that you probably need around 20,000 BTU/h input to heat your trailer in winter weather down to -10 F. The model numbers for Dickinson are the BTU input with the output being about 75-80% as is typical for the industry. So use the input numbers for comparisons between brands.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...ead-71842.html

[pbearsailor]

I've got the smaller version and it is plenty of heat for me. The fan uses a very small amount of 12 volt and it will work without the fan, so it is nice for boondocking. Downside of course is that there's no ducting to warm tanks, so I can't go to extremely cold places with it. Everyone notices it when they go in the trailer. I especially like the fireplace effect.

I suspect you'd be happy with the 9000. Mine always runs on the low setting.

cheers,
steve.

[bgordon]

The shop heater puts out 23K BTU and is too much when temps are in the 20s/30s. We have been in the single digits the last few nights and all that heat is welcome.

I'm leaning toward the larger model. I didn't find any indication of how much it could be turned down, just that it has a hi/low setting. Are these heaters binary in giving you only two preset options or can you adjust it linearly (from lo to hi OR from off to hi)?

It's a small trailer and wheel well covers, floor insulation, and a skirt could be added to provide better heat retention and insulation.

[Wazbro]

From what I could see it looks like high or low and the fan needed on high.
P-9000 is 5,500 - 7,500 BTU
P-12000 is 7,000 - 9,700 BTU