Pros & Cons to Propane Heat! | Kimbo Camper

I love being able to stay warm in the truck camper, however there are some things that you should know about these Dickinson Heaters...

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[stephendavis]

For those who use butane lighters just keep it in your pocket/in your bedding. If you keep it warm you won’t have any lighting problems. Mountaineers keep their butane fuel and water bottle etc. in their sleeping bags. Or you can do away with lighters entirely like I have; I just have a small ferro rod built into my Mora Kniv bushcrafter. Use proper technique, moving the rod not the knife, and you can aim/control the volume of sparks quite nicely.

[BStadulis]

Hey dude, fellow Kimbo owner here. This is my technique when starting the Dickinson and it's proven extremely reliable and not finicky: (I used to do what you do based on what the folks at Kimbo told me when I picked up the camper, but this method seems to work much better).
1. light your lighter or match and place inside the heater
2. turn the knob to low, with the flame source already there to avoid excessive propane build up
3. close the door immediately, while holding the fuel knob pressed in at the low setting
4. release after about 4 seconds

The trick is closing the door immediately. Give it a shot and let me know! Hasn't failed me yet.

[kdodson]

I have one of these on my 24’ cabin boat. Cabin is about 14’, non insulated. I use a 1 gallon tank. It lasts all summer. This is in Alaska with temps in the 40’s f and rainy. I only use low, fan on low or off. I have never had it blow out even while moving. It has been a game changer for fishing and camping comfort. Was using Mr Buddy before and just to much moisture. This dries clothes and cabin instead of making it wetter. When I light I slowly close the door right after lighting and continue holding in the button for 15 to 20 seconds. Great video on the stove. It is truly efficient. The 30 lb tank may be a lifetime supply or at least a year😊.

[randallmiser]

I do what Bob Wells has always done and run my propane cook burner at very low and vent my rig. No problem so far even overnight.
If you rig can breath it works fine..

[todddunn]

I have a couple of comments. I have had a Dickinson P12000 on my boat for about 15 years so I have plenty of experience with the heater. When you light the heater you can close and seal the door withing 10-15 seconds although you do have to hold the propane knob for the 30-60 seconds. That is to allow the thermocouple to warm up so it won't shut the propane off. I think your issue with the heater going out when you partly close the door is simply air blowing in the narrow opening going fast enough to blow the flame out.

As far as lighting the heater with a cold butane lighter goes, you don't actually need the flame. All you need is the spark you get when you pull the trigger on the butane lighter. So if you position the lighter so the spark is in the propane it will light even with no butane in the lighter.

Personally I like that the heater doesn't have a bunch of electronics to regulate temperature. The Dickinson heaters are basically very simple and fool proof.

[HabitualButtonPusher]

Bring the lighter to the bed will stay relatively warm. Thank you for finally being one of the rare people that actually use a real time thermometer when talking about a camper heater. You would think folks trying to sell a heating solution might want to do that.

[gregfawcett]

Looks great...go to Dickinson Diesel Heater best installation ever. I cut my cabinets away on my sailboat so I could put the heater as low as possible and am so glad I did as much more comfortable to not have cold down in the bottom half of the space you live in.

[dustin.bradford]

I recently installed the P9000 in my truck camper. Yes, the Low setting is too hot for such a small space at non freezing temps. However, I found that you can actually self regulate the flame lower than the "Low" setting by moving the knob between the Off and Low positions. I do this after the camper gets up to temp. It's a very small range to work with, but you can get the flame much smaller. This will use much less propane and allow you to use the heater in more mild temps. I've run it all night like this with no issues, and the camper won't get too hot. I'm sure Dickinson wouldn't recommend this...they probably only want you to lock into their High or Low setting. So, try at your own risk...but it works.

[terrylookabill]

On the propane tank gauge. Buy a tank with a built in gauge, because they have a float inside that actually measures the level of the liquid propane. The ones you add to the top of the tank at the hose only measure pressure in the tank, making them wildly inaccurate. The pressure in the tank varies greatly with the air temperature around the tank. About all they will really tell you is if the tank is empty.

[GrummanRV]

I've been using one of these heaters for the last 10 years in my RV. The only issue I've ever had is the fan. The fan looks heavy duty, made from metal as opposed to plastic. After lots of use the fan starts to make more noise that I could put up with so I replased with a new one from Dickinson; not cheap. This fan too finally failed in the same manner. I decided to try something else, something a lot cheaper and quieter. I found a 12 volt "muffin" fan that not only fit in heater but used at least 2 of the original mounting screws. I was a little worried about heat effecting the fan but because it's below the fire box and blows cold air up and around the fire box it hasn't been an issue. Way cheaper and much quieter. Great heater which even works when you're driving down the road. Wind has no effect on it.

[edp]

The 'cons' are also 'pros'. Here is why: if it doesn't have an item, it can't fail because of that (non existent) item. I have been leery of the Diesel truck heaters. They have sensors and error codes...not a good sign. They also have a fuel pump, not to mention smelly diesel fuel. Also, don't forget the glow plug! This has none of that. This is camping after all. Lighting it with a match is a plus!

[NebukedNezzer]

I have had 2 campers with automatic propane heaters. a 10 1/2 foot nothstar pop up and a 4 wheel grandby. I have no complaints about the heaters I owned.

[alanfoix]

Propane is my choice. I live in my van, rv, in Wisconsin. I like heat. I been doing this well over 20+ year's and before wheel's it's was tent's. Peace ✌️✌️🇺🇲

[MannyWC]

I think the Wave 3 is still the better way to go. It sips propane, doesn’t require electricity hook up, and the condensation is minimal due to its catalytic combustion. Much easier to light, not an open flame, but it does give a nice ‘fire’ glow.

[simon]

As a former owner of a kimbo camper, when you refill, make sure they’re not using a long rod to fill your propane canister. Basically, you should read your manual.
I was in the Grand Canyon some years back and had no problems lighting my propane furnace in the cold, but at that time they didn’t have the extra extension on the outside, so sometimes the wind would blow out the flame.
But on the newer models, that’s not an issue anymore. Plus, you can send away for the extra enclosure extension and put it on yourself. I did it and they have a video online to see how it’s done.

[bonnierodger]

Thank you for your video. I just installed my Dickenson in my Sprinter. We will see if it keeps us warm…

[ablokeandablue]

It does look cool but I’ll take function over looks any day. Propex HS2000 works flawlessly it my camper. Have used it in temps as low as 15F and it easily kept a constant 70F inside. Thermostatically controlled so no waking up cold it the night and pfaffing around trying to get it lit. No having to drill a big hole in the roof and worry about potential leaks. Mounts out of the way and just does it’s job quietly and efficiently.

[jacarajc]

One of those little propane canisters with a blowtorch attachment if the best way to have a reliable flame for fire. Or dabs.

[OverlandUnderBudget]

Nice talon, thanks for sharing. I think ive always seem that little thing as the ultimate camper heater but didn't think about the fact it doesn't have temp regulation. I love the idea of the visible flame, makes such a difference on atmosphere, but i can also see the advantages of a diesel heater as well with easy starting and temp control.

[CombatDoc]

I have a propane gauge on my tanks and they work great. I bought a 2 pack for around 19 dollars on Amazon.