Though summer is the most popular time among the adventurous, outdoorsy people, autumn and winter RVing can be just as enjoyable and interesting for the people who prefer less crowd on the roads and the camping sites. If you are going camping in freezing temperatures, you need to be fully prepared for the harsh and cold blasts of wind and snow. After good insulation of your camper van, you need a good heater. The heaters for camper vans are designed to heat your RV’s interior and keep it toasty warm in the cold seasons. With the right heater for your caravan, motorhome or campervan, you can take it to the most out of the weathers and camping will become an all-year activity. But the problem is that the heater that is ideal for your van is hard to find. To help you find the best camper van heater, we have narrowed down the list by bringing you only the best heater for your camper van. We have also put together a small buying guide to let you know what to look for in your RV heater. So let’s get on to it.
Various Types of Campervan Heaters
Fan heaters are designed to warm your caravan in the cold weather instantly. They blow out warm air similar to a regular air conditioner. One of the trade-offs of this type of heater is that it produces noise as it has several moving parts.
These are small flat panel-like heaters that circulate heat around in your vehicle. It transfers heat to the air in the campervan after heating the electric element in it. They replace the cold air with warm air after raising it naturally or blowing it away into the heater by the built-in fan.
In these heaters, the thermodynamic oil is heated with electricity and then the oil transfers the heat to the environment in the RV. They are considered to be the safest choice of heaters as their functioning doesn’t involve the production of any flames. Though the oil takes a while to heat up, it retains the heat for longer as well. The downside of these radiators is that they have a risk of oil leakage.
These radiators are designed to solve some of the major issues found in the oil-filled radiators; oil leakage. Oil-free radiators are filled with aluminium or ceramic instead of the thermodynamic oil. One of their trade-offs is that they take up more space which is mostly limited in most RVs.
These heaters are fitted with halogen bulbs that are electrically powered. These heaters give off the heat with infrared radiation produced by the bulbs. The glowing of the bulbs makes the interior of the RV nice and cosy in the winters. The disadvantage of this heater is that it only provides heat to the objects placed directly in front of it.
These heaters are specially designed to warm up small spaces. They produce heat in the form of infrared radiation with electric resistance. They do not dry up the air in the surrounding like other types of RV heaters.
These heaters warm your campervan by circulating air around the heating element and heating the surrounding air with convection. When the air in the heater’s ambient gets warm, it rises to let the cold air come in front of the heater to get warm. In this way, the air inside the RV becomes warm and makes you feel comfortable even in the freezing weather.
These heaters are thought to be the most popular option. They run on LPG to ignite an open flame that heats the air. They usually have a built-in warm air distributor that transfers the heat energy to the surrounding air.
Various Features to Look for in a Campervan Heater
Ensure that your RV heaters meet the unique needs of heating requirements; from frost protection, warming chilly limbs, or heating an entire caravan. RV heaters are available in different designs for each of these needs, so check the capabilities of all the options available before making a purchase.
All the options for RV heaters are portable as they can be easily carried in the campervan. However, for maximum portability, you need the model that can run without connecting to external power sockets. If you plan on using your heater in different parts of the RV or even outside, you have to pick the heater that is easy to carry around.
For more comfort and control on the caravan’s temperature, pick the heater that features a reliable and accurate thermostat. Some caravans have a programmable thermostat, making it a lot easier to maintain a comfortable environment in your RV no matter if you are asleep, awake or away from your vehicle for a long time.
Campervan and caravan heaters are, after all, a fire hazard. You have to make sure it comes with reliable safety features like automatic shut off in case of tipped over.
RV heaters such as oil-filled radiators are generally more silent than ones with a fan.
