tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628259243920099203.post7809114680975263981..comments2019-07-20T08:39:17.346-07:00Comments on Cheap Travel Project: CTP 001: Seven Things to Consider Before Buying a Campervan part 1Cheap Travel Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03468560072846795743noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628259243920099203.post-21237243945555173042017-11-21T05:13:53.354-08:002017-11-21T05:13:53.354-08:00Excellent, definitely some great points. I haven&#...Excellent, definitely some great points. I haven't considered trying to use ventilation during the cold weather so I'll keep it in mind. We are also now looking into kerosene heating. <br /><br />Do you have links to your window van so I can have a look?DSChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16721057528385510288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628259243920099203.post-2244364106898072902017-11-21T03:55:36.703-08:002017-11-21T03:55:36.703-08:00Not sure about the environmental part of kerosene,...Not sure about the environmental part of kerosene, but the safety factor, the dryer heat, and the fact that a 7 gallon jug lasts me about a year are good selling points to me. In comparison, a 20lb propane tank of about the same physical size, lasts under a month for the same usage.<br /><br />Your split charge relay is for charging your house battery, the battery protectors are a totaly different animal. They protect your batteries from over discharge, and insure you still have enough power to start your vehicle. They will greatly prolong your battery life too.<br /><br />Insulation only works in a sealed box, with a heating or cooling source. In a house, with the huge volume of air inside, opening a door for a short time will have little effect, and all the windows are typically closed. A house isn't as prone to condensation problems as a vehicle is and you can't stop condensation from happening in a vehicle. You can hide it, and/or trap it with insulation, but you can't stop it, and hiding it or trapping it results in mold and rust problems. In a vehicle, dry heat and ventilation are the only way to combat moisture problems. Due to a larger amount of outside walls to the lower volume of inside air, proper ventilation will totally defeat any temperature advantages of insulation. Just like in a house, if you isolate an individual very insulated room, and run an individual heater in that room, it will heat up very quickly. If you open a window, regardless of the insulation, it will take much more heat to achieve the same effect, because the insulation has now become worthless.<br /><br />For a real world example, I live in a window van, and I never insulate my windows. I have no added insulation, and have 24/7 ventilation. My yearly heating and cooking costs are under $30, and in the winters I spend months below 0f degrees, and -20f is not uncommon. I both live and work in my van, so I am in my van almost constantly, and I like to keep the temperature in the 70f+ range... My current window van came with a finished interior, which is still unmodified, so my cost to finish the floor, walls, and ceiling were $0. In a previous cargo van, it cost me $1500+ to insulate it, add two roof vents, and finish off the floor, walls, and ceiling. Using propane, it cost about $150+ a year for heating & cooking. Condensation and moisture were never ending issues, and it was always either too hot in the summer, or too cold in the winter. My window van is comfortable year round, with no added insulation or roof vents needed, annd since switching to kerosene instead of propane, I no longer have moisture problems either.<br /><br />If we compare costs, using my $30/year heating & cooking costs, vs. $1500+ to finish the interior of a cargo van, it would take 50 years to break even, and the cargo van wasn't half as comfortable as my window van and had all the moisture problems. We can't keep our vehicles sealed up because just living in a vehicle creates moisture, not to mention condensation, and ventilation is the only way to prevent that moisture from becoming trapped inside. With the need for constant ventilation, even on the coldest of nights, and the wettest days, the value of insulation in regards to temperature control becomes highly questionable. The only working solution I have found, after years of trial and error, is to have enough dry heat to compensate for, and overcome the necessary ventilation.<br /><br />Camper_Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06781701509592589993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628259243920099203.post-57496058701931527872017-11-20T03:26:53.343-08:002017-11-20T03:26:53.343-08:00Cheers for your feedback Camper_Bob.
From what i ...Cheers for your feedback Camper_Bob.<br /><br />From what i read kerosene is more damaging to the environment, but ill look into it more. I'm pretty sure the split charge relay i have installed won't allow the leisure battery to jump the main when needed. <br /><br />As for insulation I'm not sure what you do during the cold when condensation builds up on your roof. I agree that ventilation helped a lot when the weather got above 30. Cheap Travel Projecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03468560072846795743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7628259243920099203.post-41957336241714083532017-11-19T21:23:42.224-08:002017-11-19T21:23:42.224-08:00I didn't see mention of a couple options that ...I didn't see mention of a couple options that greatly improved my life...<br /><br />A) Kerosene instead of propane or butane. (Much safer, cheaper, and dryer. Also safe to run for heat overnight.)<br /><br />B) A low battery protector or cut off. (Automatically cuts off battery before over discharging, also leaves plenty of juice to start vehicle.)<br /><br />C) Insulation in a camper van is a bad joke. Shade in the summer and sun in the winter is much more effective. One old timer simply stated "Ventilation, not insulation." .<br /><br />D) Lots of opening windows to provide a view and much better ventilation than a roof vent. (Not as likely to leak either!)<br /><br />Camper_Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06781701509592589993noreply@blogger.com