I'm new at all vanlife/ camping stuff, just learning. Watched what feels like a million videos. Discovered you and omg thank u!! Easy simple language used, everything shown and explained. I think I finally get it when it comes to heat. THANK YOU. New happy subscriber.
Glad you found it helpful, and best of luck on your camping and van camping excursions! A lot will depend on your local climate, how many days you're going to be out and at what temperature, and what your own expectations are for comfort. There's a lot of different ideas out there on UA-cam and they can give you some good ideas of what to try (or not!) as you find what works for you. I didn't get out in my minvan very much at all this last summer and I am hoping to make up for that come this spring!
Hi, no any UA-cam channel introduced this before, I keep using Mr buddy heater for too long, but it overkilled in my small camping trailer, way too hot, I couldn’t sleep, Thks for the introduction, I am going to order it soon as possible.
Hi Kenny - yes, I think the Little Buddy is just too big for this application. I heat my entire Toolshed (seen in my shotshell reloading video) with one of those, and it's 120 sq ft or so, and in midwinter!
I have owned one of these Cupid heaters for over a year - and it is great. Things to be aware of: No integrated oxygen sensor, No tipping sensor, butane cans are not refillable, it uses an "open flame", and being an open flame type heater it can produce a fair amount of water vapor after hours of use (dripping water on windows and trailer walls). I too use a a CO sensor - and a propane sensor. I also ensure that I keep a window cracked open. The open window helps reduce the moisture accumulation as well as lower the risk of CO poisoning. When properly deployed, the cupid is VERY stable, so tip over is not a real concern verses a Mr. Buddy box type heater. My experience is that 90% of the heat (or more) goes out from the front grate - not out the back, top, or bottom of the unit. For safety I would not run the heater all night when you are sleeping - but I will admit that I have done this on at least one very cold night in my small trailer. In my 6x8 square drop trailer, on the low setting I have gotten 5+ hours of heat from a single butane can. I too bought my Cupid heater on eBay, shipped directly from South Korea. It arrived in about a week, well packed with bubble wrap, with no damage of any kind (and also came with Korean language-only instructions). When used safely the cupid is a great solution for SUV, tent, and small trailer camping.
Hi Eric, Good comments. Catalytic heaters also create water vapour, basically there's no way around it - the "O" from (half) an O2 ends up in H2O during combustion of any sort. With the window vented I didn't notice too much of a problem this last weekend when I got to really use the heater, but one night when it was about -5C or so out, there was a fair bit of ice on inside of windshield in the morning. I got 6 hrs run time on low output from a 227g butane cylinder (I notice there are some wheich are 250g so those should go 30-45 minutes longer)
i have a truck wedge camper on my tacoma and im using the kovea heater on my job's breaks,im always taking my breaks in the truck this winter and this little heater is pretty good...im not using this when im sleeping,only to kill the chill in the camper and im pretty happy with it.
I found a butane heater on marketplace last spring. I had looked at a Kovea but they were all sold out. I live in my minivan in ontario Canada. I was not expecting to be spending the winter in it but s@$# happens. Average winter Temps can be around -20-30 with windchill s. My little electric heater did a good job in that weather but then the polar vortex came through and added 48hrs of -45+. Did I think I was going to die?? Yup then I remembered my heater. I also have a butane camp stove so while the weather was at its extreme I had them both on. I kept them on a lower heat which still was very warm and it was so comfy I was sleeping on top of my blankets. The next day I shut the stove off and just ran the heater unless i was cooking. For the coldest 48hrs this winter it cost me the price of a 4pk of butane which, with tax, is about 18$ Canadian. Oh then 2 days later the power went off for 15 hours so no electricity so butane saved the day again.
I even wonder in your case, when it's extremely cold, if you could blow up some air mattresses, put all on the sides and above for emergent insulation. No weight, and they just fold up when you don't need them. What got me to think of this is that for my house basement windows, I have PVC that I use as a "curtain rod" in the windows (just sitting up on the concrete blocks, bubble wrap placed over the PVC, along with a second layer of semiclear old shower curtain. This works well, insulates, and still let's the light come through but also gives privacy.73 DE W8LV Bill
There are many good points but the cans can become quite expensive if you live in a minivan or spend long extended stays in it . perhaps a mini wood stove of the same size would be cost efficient An sensual always have to have a bit of an open window you could run it right out the side window with minor modifications
Absolutely not cost effective for any extended use, for sure! I wouldn't opt for any wood stove system I know of in a space this small - the firebox would require constant tending, the ash removal is a headache, and I had a "no permanent modifications to the vehicle" criteria which would make a chimney, difficult. A marine bulkead style diesel heater is a similar option, but requires a diesel tank, flue pipe, and again is too much output even on low for a mininvan. (In a bigger van like a Transit or Sprinter, I could see it working!) There's also Espar type heaters, if I had a bigger diesel van I might be tempted to go that way but from personal experience in marine settings I can say they're loud (fan and pump) and pull a lot of electrical load.
Perhaps you can point out some of the thinking I have but, it seems to me that one could use a 12volt roof-mounted AC/Heating system with a good battery system. You eliminate the condensation issue with gas heaters and well, the AC is all but unattainable almost any other way except if you have access to shore power. With a 12v system, I realize that you are going to have to sink about $3,000 for the battery system and then you will want to add a fully dedicated second alternator to recharge the battery while you are driving if you are spending that much on a BATTERY system you can get one with over 3000watt hours and a 12v AC running on low will only consume about 50Whours per hour. The 12v heating/cooling system would require a custom install since you would be putting it on the roof of your minivan... you could have enough room left to put a solar panel though I think its cost-benefit is not worth the investment. It seems to me, that you if you have the sleeping space COMFORTABLE, then you have 95% of the battle won and this is where you should be spending your money if you want an environment that you can control
Hi Rob, Yes, that's a possibility - but before I sunk a lot of money into the gear (and cutting a hole in the van roof!) I'd want to look into the math. 50W is only about 170 BTU/hr, and AC reccommendations usually run about 5 BTU/sq ft. If you figure the inside of the van is about 72 sq ft (5x12'?) that yields 360 BTU/Hr reccomended rating... so you're only about half that. Of course, parking in the shade or using reflex panels in the windows has an impact as does your local climate; what works in Halifax NS might not be so good in Las Vegas, NV!!! Heat is a similar concern. A single 227g cannister of butane holds about 11.2MJ of energy which is 3.1 kWH... so about the content of your entire proposed battery but vastly smaller and lighter. If it's so cold that you use a full 3 kWH for heat overnight, it's going to take a while even with a big alternator to recharge - and solar is even more a challenge since it's likely winter in that scenario. Your comments about humidity are of course absolutely true, and the roof mount electric is safer for fire risk and CO, so there's pros and cons. If I were determined to go with electric for heat in the minivan at night, I'd probably look to an electric blanket as the most energy efficient option. It puts the heat right where you want it, so it's more efficient than space heating, while retaining the safety and rechargeable aspects of electric. In the end there's no right or wrong answers here, it's what works for you in your climate, needs, and priorities - and half the fun is researching and planning what works best for you.
I want to set up an amateur radio "QRP" rig in either a minivan or larger van. Small carries the day, QRP is very small economical low impact radio, 5 watts or less,.and still worldwide coverage! I use pieces of foam pipe insulation cut for vehicle windows edge for amateur radio for the antenna: Keeps the weather and bugs out, and protects the coax. No Winter operations as of yet, and just in the Prius. Does that Korean heater have a low oxygen shut off? I like the smaller cans of fuel, cut a hole on the side with a can opener and crush when they are done. At least that's what I do. Nobody has ever explained to me with the larger light steel propane ones, how to dispose of them properly. Sadly, in Ohio? They still don't take recycling as seriously as they should. We don't have curb separation bins like I see when I go to Ontario. We just don't have that: The trash goes into a plastic bag into a plastic barrel, and the trash guy takes it on Thursdays, that's it! What gauge and convenient length extension cord do you use for the 1500 watt heater? Have you considered an electric blanket in lieu of the other heating methods? I hope that you might review CO detector that you use: Even just vehicle heater can be a danger and wow what a waste of fuel. Though with the Prius which has thermostat, I do that to cool sometimes! 73 DE W8LV Bill (and W8LV/VE3 prepandemic.) ...Also I hold a Commercial Telegraphy licence, one of the very very last. All the Best!
-GM W8LV de VE7JBX. Yes, I also run my QRP rigs from inside the minivan sometimes, it gets you out of the rain and wind! I've toyed with the idea of more permanently mounting my TenTec Scout in there but doubt I'll do so. -Kovea heater low O2 - no, I don't think so, but CO is a much higher risk than low O2. -Electric heater, I carry a 10m/ 16G (I think? Mid-weight?) extension cord. I almost never use it, not because it's not a good idea, but I just rarely end up places with electrical outlets. I prefer cabin heating to electric blanket, just a personal preference thing. For longer runs, resistive losses might be an issue and heavier gauge cords warranted. -CO monitor - I own two, but frankly I have to take it on faith (and CSA certification!) that they work. I don't see any way to practically review them without some sort of enclosure with reference CO levels inside, and assess response times etc. I backstop my faith in their utility by some basic sanity checks - when I have run the heater, I check myself for symptoms of CO poisoning (blurry vision, headaches, etc) and have never had any of these (if I did, I'd take that as very serious indeed, shut the heater, move to fresh air, and reassess using either the heater OR the monitors!) So far so good though. 73 de VE7JBX dit dit
Buy those butane canister in your local Asian/Chinese grocery shops. These fuels are common in Asian cuisines.... $4.99 for a pack of 4 as of Jan 2024. You can't get lower than that..
Yep! Hot pot stoves.. sadly, no asian food stores anywhere near where I live (and don't even mention a real hotpot restaurant, I will cry... although oddly enough I have seen thin sliced frozen hot pot meat show up even in the "local" grocery store (is 75km local?).
I bought the kovea cupid heater and mine wouldn't lock the canister properly. Looking at the Amazon reviews this seems a common problem. I returned mine.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. It definitely won't work if the cannister won't lock in (nor would you want it to). Never been an issue on mine.
None that I've noticed, but... whatever you do .. DO NOT USE ONE OF THESE WITHOUT A FRESH AIR SUPPLY. CO is odorless, has 200x the affinity of O2 for hemoglobin, and CO poisoning will kill you.
Using an electric blanket with a power inverter of about 300 watts output will keep you harm without heat, if you are wrapped up in it. Most electric blankets take only about 150 watts so they don't take that much power to run so you can stay warm cheap.
If you can plug in they're a nice option. Off a battery pack? 150W @12V is 12.5A draw, for 8 hours would be 100AH - if you are pulling that from a SLA or other lead acid chemistry battery you'd be marginal with one listed at 200 AH capacity. LiIon or LiFePO4 chemistry batteries can be discharged lower than 50%, but you'd still need 100AH+ capacity.
Aha! Yes, you're right, if the butane cannisters are cold, you have a problem. However in my use, I'm driving somewhere in the minivan all day with the cab heat on, so everything inside is warm to start with and by nightfall it's still easily warm enough to work well. Every time during the night it gets too chilly, I turn the heater on for a bit and warm it up again. Last weekend it was about -5 to -8 C (about 20F) outside but it was comfortable inside the minivan all night and I had no issues with the butane cannisters. If however you let the inside get really cold, then try to start heting it, it likely wouldn't work. In a case like that I'd start the engine and use that to bring the temperature up enough to get the butane flowing, then switch over to the butane heater.
I'm not sure at what temperature it happens, probably something not even that cold - but yes, if your butane cannister is too cold, it won't generate pressure and heater won't run. In a situation like that, you'd have to warm up the space (here, I'd run the engine and heater) to bring the interior temp up until the butane will work, then switch over. When I'm camping in the cold, I don't usually let it get cold enough in the van in the first place, for this to be an issue!
Mine is an Outbound brand - I'd guess you can find the same one under other names too, but a search under that brand name should be a start. It works really well, I should do a video on it some time.
It's a mystery! Yes, there's a pentane sticker on it. However I am quite sure it's a Peltier element cooling system, not a compressor based one, so I can't figure out where, or why, there would be any pentane used in it. I've always been puzzled by that, too. If someone on here has the answer, I'm all ears!
@@SelfSufficiency Pentane is the blowing gas used to fill the insulation with. Check the data plate on the back of your fridge itll say something like Blowing agent: pentane or cyclopentane. My small 40L mini fridge had a massive cyclopentane sticker on the back
Burn alcohol and or used vegetable oil homade burning in Sterno stoves..cheap warm .felt carbon wicks .candlez out of crisco can be made to but kinda suc.
I think you're referring to the hole in the top right, with some text and what's actually a "no fingers!" symbol? That's a view port to see where the butane cannister fits in. They have a notch in top of cannister which matches to a large flange, then rotates to lock cannister in place. Any butane fueled device using this cannister type has the same systemand in all cases I know, the same sort of view port to help you line a new cannister up.
I had nothing but trouble with my Kovea. It sits in my garage. After it blew up a bubble of flames outside the unit, dangerous! I tried to send it back, but shipping was $80. So I ate the price of this dangerous unit.
I'm new at all vanlife/ camping stuff, just learning. Watched what feels like a million videos. Discovered you and omg thank u!! Easy simple language used, everything shown and explained. I think I finally get it when it comes to heat. THANK YOU. New happy subscriber.
Glad you found it helpful, and best of luck on your camping and van camping excursions! A lot will depend on your local climate, how many days you're going to be out and at what temperature, and what your own expectations are for comfort. There's a lot of different ideas out there on UA-cam and they can give you some good ideas of what to try (or not!) as you find what works for you. I didn't get out in my minvan very much at all this last summer and I am hoping to make up for that come this spring!
Hi, no any UA-cam channel introduced this before, I keep using Mr buddy heater for too long, but it overkilled in my small camping trailer, way too hot, I couldn’t sleep, Thks for the introduction, I am going to order it soon as possible.
Hi Kenny - yes, I think the Little Buddy is just too big for this application. I heat my entire Toolshed (seen in my shotshell reloading video) with one of those, and it's 120 sq ft or so, and in midwinter!
I have owned one of these Cupid heaters for over a year - and it is great.
Things to be aware of: No integrated oxygen sensor, No tipping sensor, butane cans are not refillable, it uses an "open flame", and being an open flame type heater it can produce a fair amount of water vapor after hours of use (dripping water on windows and trailer walls).
I too use a a CO sensor - and a propane sensor. I also ensure that I keep a window cracked open. The open window helps reduce the moisture accumulation as well as lower the risk of CO poisoning.
When properly deployed, the cupid is VERY stable, so tip over is not a real concern verses a Mr. Buddy box type heater.
My experience is that 90% of the heat (or more) goes out from the front grate - not out the back, top, or bottom of the unit.
For safety I would not run the heater all night when you are sleeping - but I will admit that I have done this on at least one very cold night in my small trailer.
In my 6x8 square drop trailer, on the low setting I have gotten 5+ hours of heat from a single butane can.
I too bought my Cupid heater on eBay, shipped directly from South Korea. It arrived in about a week, well packed with bubble wrap, with no damage of any kind (and also came with Korean language-only instructions).
When used safely the cupid is a great solution for SUV, tent, and small trailer camping.
Hi Eric,
Good comments. Catalytic heaters also create water vapour, basically there's no way around it - the "O" from (half) an O2 ends up in H2O during combustion of any sort. With the window vented I didn't notice too much of a problem this last weekend when I got to really use the heater, but one night when it was about -5C or so out, there was a fair bit of ice on inside of windshield in the morning. I got 6 hrs run time on low output from a 227g butane cylinder (I notice there are some wheich are 250g so those should go 30-45 minutes longer)
i have a truck wedge camper on my tacoma and im using the kovea heater on my job's breaks,im always taking my breaks in the truck this winter and this little heater is pretty good...im not using this when im sleeping,only to kill the chill in the camper and im pretty happy with it.
Sounds like a great fit. Those wedge-style campers look great, I hope you get out to use it lots!
I found a butane heater on marketplace last spring. I had looked at a Kovea but they were all sold out. I live in my minivan in ontario Canada. I was not expecting to be spending the winter in it but s@$# happens. Average winter Temps can be around -20-30 with windchill s. My little electric heater did a good job in that weather but then the polar vortex came through and added 48hrs of -45+. Did I think I was going to die?? Yup then I remembered my heater. I also have a butane camp stove so while the weather was at its extreme I had them both on. I kept them on a lower heat which still was very warm and it was so comfy I was sleeping on top of my blankets. The next day I shut the stove off and just ran the heater unless i was cooking. For the coldest 48hrs this winter it cost me the price of a 4pk of butane which, with tax, is about 18$ Canadian. Oh then 2 days later the power went off for 15 hours so no electricity so butane saved the day again.
Wow! That's impressive, but I don't envy you being put in a position to have to have tested it out. Good to know it worked so well.
I even wonder in your case, when it's extremely cold, if you could blow up some air mattresses, put all on the sides and above for emergent insulation. No weight, and they just fold up when you don't need them. What got me to think of this is that for my house basement windows, I have PVC that I use as a "curtain rod" in the windows (just sitting up on the concrete blocks, bubble wrap placed over the PVC, along with a second layer of semiclear old shower curtain. This works well, insulates, and still let's the light come through but also gives privacy.73 DE W8LV Bill
This was very helpful thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
There are many good points but the cans can become quite expensive if you live in a minivan or spend long extended stays in it . perhaps a mini wood stove of the same size would be cost efficient An sensual always have to have a bit of an open window you could run it right out the side window with minor modifications
Absolutely not cost effective for any extended use, for sure! I wouldn't opt for any wood stove system I know of in a space this small - the firebox would require constant tending, the ash removal is a headache, and I had a "no permanent modifications to the vehicle" criteria which would make a chimney, difficult. A marine bulkead style diesel heater is a similar option, but requires a diesel tank, flue pipe, and again is too much output even on low for a mininvan. (In a bigger van like a Transit or Sprinter, I could see it working!) There's also Espar type heaters, if I had a bigger diesel van I might be tempted to go that way but from personal experience in marine settings I can say they're loud (fan and pump) and pull a lot of electrical load.
Perhaps you can point out some of the thinking I have but, it seems to me that one could use a 12volt roof-mounted AC/Heating system with a good battery system. You eliminate the condensation issue with gas heaters and well, the AC is all but unattainable almost any other way except if you have access to shore power. With a 12v system, I realize that you are going to have to sink about $3,000 for the battery system and then you will want to add a fully dedicated second alternator to recharge the battery while you are driving if you are spending that much on a BATTERY system you can get one with over 3000watt hours and a 12v AC running on low will only consume about 50Whours per hour. The 12v heating/cooling system would require a custom install since you would be putting it on the roof of your minivan... you could have enough room left to put a solar panel though I think its cost-benefit is not worth the investment. It seems to me, that you if you have the sleeping space COMFORTABLE, then you have 95% of the battle won and this is where you should be spending your money if you want an environment that you can control
Hi Rob,
Yes, that's a possibility - but before I sunk a lot of money into the gear (and cutting a hole in the van roof!) I'd want to look into the math. 50W is only about 170 BTU/hr, and AC reccommendations usually run about 5 BTU/sq ft. If you figure the inside of the van is about 72 sq ft (5x12'?) that yields 360 BTU/Hr reccomended rating... so you're only about half that. Of course, parking in the shade or using reflex panels in the windows has an impact as does your local climate; what works in Halifax NS might not be so good in Las Vegas, NV!!!
Heat is a similar concern. A single 227g cannister of butane holds about 11.2MJ of energy which is 3.1 kWH... so about the content of your entire proposed battery but vastly smaller and lighter. If it's so cold that you use a full 3 kWH for heat overnight, it's going to take a while even with a big alternator to recharge - and solar is even more a challenge since it's likely winter in that scenario.
Your comments about humidity are of course absolutely true, and the roof mount electric is safer for fire risk and CO, so there's pros and cons.
If I were determined to go with electric for heat in the minivan at night, I'd probably look to an electric blanket as the most energy efficient option. It puts the heat right where you want it, so it's more efficient than space heating, while retaining the safety and rechargeable aspects of electric.
In the end there's no right or wrong answers here, it's what works for you in your climate, needs, and priorities - and half the fun is researching and planning what works best for you.
I want to set up an amateur radio "QRP" rig in either a minivan or larger van. Small carries the day, QRP is very small economical low impact radio, 5 watts or less,.and still worldwide coverage! I use pieces of foam pipe insulation cut for vehicle windows edge for amateur radio for the antenna: Keeps the weather and bugs out, and protects the coax. No Winter operations as of yet, and just in the Prius. Does that Korean heater have a low oxygen shut off? I like the smaller cans of fuel, cut a hole on the side with a can opener and crush when they are done. At least that's what I do. Nobody has ever explained to me with the larger light steel propane ones, how to dispose of them properly. Sadly, in Ohio? They still don't take recycling as seriously as they should. We don't have curb separation bins like I see when I go to Ontario. We just don't have that: The trash goes into a plastic bag into a plastic barrel, and the trash guy takes it on Thursdays, that's it! What gauge and convenient length extension cord do you use for the 1500 watt heater? Have you considered an electric blanket in lieu of the other heating methods? I hope that you might review CO detector that you use: Even just vehicle heater can be a danger and wow what a waste of fuel. Though with the Prius which has thermostat, I do that to cool sometimes! 73 DE W8LV Bill (and W8LV/VE3 prepandemic.) ...Also I hold a Commercial Telegraphy licence, one of the very very last. All the Best!
-GM W8LV de VE7JBX. Yes, I also run my QRP rigs from inside the minivan sometimes, it gets you out of the rain and wind! I've toyed with the idea of more permanently mounting my TenTec Scout in there but doubt I'll do so.
-Kovea heater low O2 - no, I don't think so, but CO is a much higher risk than low O2.
-Electric heater, I carry a 10m/ 16G (I think? Mid-weight?) extension cord. I almost never use it, not because it's not a good idea, but I just rarely end up places with electrical outlets. I prefer cabin heating to electric blanket, just a personal preference thing. For longer runs, resistive losses might be an issue and heavier gauge cords warranted.
-CO monitor - I own two, but frankly I have to take it on faith (and CSA certification!) that they work. I don't see any way to practically review them without some sort of enclosure with reference CO levels inside, and assess response times etc. I backstop my faith in their utility by some basic sanity checks - when I have run the heater, I check myself for symptoms of CO poisoning (blurry vision, headaches, etc) and have never had any of these (if I did, I'd take that as very serious indeed, shut the heater, move to fresh air, and reassess using either the heater OR the monitors!) So far so good though.
73 de VE7JBX dit dit
Buy those butane canister in your local Asian/Chinese grocery shops. These fuels are common in Asian cuisines.... $4.99 for a pack of 4 as of Jan 2024. You can't get lower than that..
Yep! Hot pot stoves.. sadly, no asian food stores anywhere near where I live (and don't even mention a real hotpot restaurant, I will cry... although oddly enough I have seen thin sliced frozen hot pot meat show up even in the "local" grocery store (is 75km local?).
@@SelfSufficiency 🤣😆😆😆
I bought the kovea cupid heater and mine wouldn't lock the canister properly. Looking at the Amazon reviews this seems a common problem. I returned mine.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. It definitely won't work if the cannister won't lock in (nor would you want it to). Never been an issue on mine.
Many thanks for the info de A61MW 73s
Does it produce any odor or smell?
None that I've noticed, but... whatever you do .. DO NOT USE ONE OF THESE WITHOUT A FRESH AIR SUPPLY. CO is odorless, has 200x the affinity of O2 for hemoglobin, and CO poisoning will kill you.
Using an electric blanket with a power inverter of about 300 watts output will keep you harm without heat, if you are wrapped up in it. Most electric blankets take only about 150 watts so they don't take that much power to run so you can stay warm cheap.
If you can plug in they're a nice option. Off a battery pack? 150W @12V is 12.5A draw, for 8 hours would be 100AH - if you are pulling that from a SLA or other lead acid chemistry battery you'd be marginal with one listed at 200 AH capacity. LiIon or LiFePO4 chemistry batteries can be discharged lower than 50%, but you'd still need 100AH+ capacity.
That is great, but. I have a butane stove when it gets around 40 degrees it wont work. So what happens when it is around freezing. Minus 20 What.
Aha! Yes, you're right, if the butane cannisters are cold, you have a problem. However in my use, I'm driving somewhere in the minivan all day with the cab heat on, so everything inside is warm to start with and by nightfall it's still easily warm enough to work well. Every time during the night it gets too chilly, I turn the heater on for a bit and warm it up again. Last weekend it was about -5 to -8 C (about 20F) outside but it was comfortable inside the minivan all night and I had no issues with the butane cannisters.
If however you let the inside get really cold, then try to start heting it, it likely wouldn't work. In a case like that I'd start the engine and use that to bring the temperature up enough to get the butane flowing, then switch over to the butane heater.
I keep mine wrapped in warm fabric when it's cold and it helps a lot- obviously only wrapped when not in use.
@@allegrosotto2126 haha. 😆
Does the fuel can freeze in below 0°f
I'm not sure at what temperature it happens, probably something not even that cold - but yes, if your butane cannister is too cold, it won't generate pressure and heater won't run. In a situation like that, you'd have to warm up the space (here, I'd run the engine and heater) to bring the interior temp up until the butane will work, then switch over. When I'm camping in the cold, I don't usually let it get cold enough in the van in the first place, for this to be an issue!
What kind of barbecue grill uses butane?
Mine is an Outbound brand - I'd guess you can find the same one under other names too, but a search under that brand name should be a start. It works really well, I should do a video on it some time.
...if you check under channel posts, I put up a photo of it in use
Look up the brand iwatani....they make shit load of small butane stove/grills
...and I've posted a video on it, now :)
C5H12 printed on your cooler. Pentane (White Gas)???
It's a mystery! Yes, there's a pentane sticker on it. However I am quite sure it's a Peltier element cooling system, not a compressor based one, so I can't figure out where, or why, there would be any pentane used in it. I've always been puzzled by that, too. If someone on here has the answer, I'm all ears!
@@SelfSufficiency Pentane is the blowing gas used to fill the insulation with. Check the data plate on the back of your fridge itll say something like Blowing agent: pentane or cyclopentane. My small 40L mini fridge had a massive cyclopentane sticker on the back
Thanks for replying - that makes sense.
Burn alcohol and or used vegetable oil homade burning in Sterno stoves..cheap warm .felt carbon wicks .candlez out of crisco can be made to but kinda suc.
There’s another English push showing finger in the hole where there’s a button ? What’s this about?
I think you're referring to the hole in the top right, with some text and what's actually a "no fingers!" symbol? That's a view port to see where the butane cannister fits in. They have a notch in top of cannister which matches to a large flange, then rotates to lock cannister in place. Any butane fueled device using this cannister type has the same systemand in all cases I know, the same sort of view port to help you line a new cannister up.
@@SelfSufficiency yes but there is a push button ? Is this button to release any fuel left in heater once you remove canister ?
@@SelfSufficiency yes that hole in directions shows a finger pressing the button that goes in & and out in stove .
It’s not a no finger symbol.
looked all over the unit and I can't find what you're referring to, sorry.
… 🙌🏼
I had nothing but trouble with my Kovea. It sits in my garage. After it blew up a bubble of flames outside the unit, dangerous! I tried to send it back, but shipping was $80. So I ate the price of this dangerous unit.
Ouch, sorry to hear - was that right at startup or during running?
Use the electric heater with a cigarette lighter inverter
Then you risk draining your battery! 😳
You are painfully slow to explain things.
Only took 7 out of 12 min to get to the point 😂