Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 16:09:24 -0800
Reply-To: Steve <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Steve <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject: Re: Catalytic Heaters.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
The Platinum Cat heaters vent all the moisture to the outdoors...all the water
vapor goes outside. Since catalytic heaters give off radiant heat, the venting
does not diminish heat out put. When you burn propane in a catalytic heater,
you create water vapor and co2...if the water vapor is not vented outside, it
collects in your matress, condences on the interior metal walls and can do
damage. When i use the cat plat, there is typically little and often no
condensation on the windows in the morning with the heater running all night
and with all windows closed all night). I suspect you get condensation with the
unvented catalytic heater if you do the same.
I have had a plat cat for almost 5 years. It is a fine piece of
engineering...one of those great products that work. I have a propex too. I
prefer the quality of the heat, the cleaner environment and the efficiency
(elec. and gas) of the plat cat over the propex, but the convenience of the
propex is hard to beat. When it's really cold or if i'm going to camp for a
few days or more, i use both, with the plat cat as the main heat source. It's
nicer. Otherwise, i use just the propex and am happy with it, too.
steve
davidson wrote:
> I don't understand. Can you explain how this can be so? How does an
> unvented catalytic heater (vented with windows open a crack) create more
> water vapor in the van than a vented heater? They are both creating heat,
> they both have air intake from outside and air exhaust to the outside? Have
> you measured this?
> Bill
> 90 Westy Syncro
> Lake Tahoe
>
> ----------
> > From: Steve <sxs@concentric.net>
> > To: vanagon@VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Re: Catalytic Heaters.
> > Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 3:27 PM
> >
> > Unvented catalytic heaters also dump copious amounts of
> > water vapor
> > into the van...enough to rust it out from the inside with
> > regular use.
> > Plat-Cat makes the best ventded heater for a vanagon...lots
> > in the
> > archive...including a plat-ca- vs. propex comparison.
> > steve
> >
> > Malcolm Stebbins wrote:
> >
> > > Harald 90 westy said:
> > >
> > > > I found that a unvented catalytic heater can
> > > > give me a terrible headache if it stays on all night, even with a
> > > > window partly open.
> > >
> > > This may be so, but the heaters that I have used (81 gas & 85
> > > diesel), I only used for a few minutes in the morning to take the
> > > chill off while I/we dress. A sleeping partner and a good sleeping
> > > bag and a stocking cap are enough for the night. So for my usage
> > > pattern, I think that for just a few minutes use (even 30), an
> > > unvented heater would work just fine for me.
> > >
> > > Malcolm S
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