When do I take a gas heater? When will the diesel parking heater for my camper ?
Where, when and how long do you want to be on the road in a mobile home? Because the travel time , the travel length and the stands play an important role. You don’t want to experience that the heating fails at night during the cold season. In the summer, on the other hand, you don’t want to bother your neighbors with the smell of diesel from your van.
But what are the advantages and disadvantages of the two heaters?
Let’s start with the diesel parking heater . It impresses with its small design. No heavy and bulky bottles are necessary. I can also get diesel at every gas station – almost anywhere in the world. Almost all diesel-based parking heaters can also be operated while driving. Good for the passengers in the back. If the camper has a diesel engine, you already have quite a lot of fuel with you for the heating. The tank shouldn’t be empty that quickly.
The disadvantages of the diesel parking heater are the high power consumption due to the preheating and the diesel pump. In addition, it is often reported that a diesel burst can be perceived from the outside. Last but not least, many diesel-based RV heaters emit a quiet, but still audible, noise. Even fine adjustment is not possible.
The gas heating attracts with fine regulation and at the same time very quiet operation. In addition, you often have a gas bottle with you for cooking anyway. If you tend to be out and about in the warm seasons, the additional gas consumption of the heating is rather negligible. Gas heaters for campers are almost maintenance-free. A bottle lasts a whole vacation in reasonably warm climates. If the GA runs out, I can get these bottles in almost every hardware store.
However, the weight of a complete heater can easily add up to 45 kg when using 2 gas bottles. Difficult with the low payload that many campervans have. If I’m out and about in winter and want to heat the whole day, a gas bottle is empty in no time. The further I get away from Germany, the more difficult, if not impossible, to obtain it.
Our conclusion
Gas heaters are well suited for holidays in Europe from spring to autumn. Here they fully exploit their advantages and make the holiday more pleasant. Swapping bottles isn’t a big deal and can be done along the way. The diesel heater is more suitable for year-round van life and winter campers. The consumption due to heavy winter use alone should speak in favor of diesel heating.
