I’ve found some really inexpensive heating blankets on amazon and I was wondering if these would be practical to use? I can’t quite seem to find how much power it uses but I assume it is a lot. Just a thought that came into mind, any ideas are welcome!
Radiant floor heating from what I understand usually use some type of themal mass above the heat source to retain the heat. This is not very practical for the build because of weight and space of course… I was thinking (From ground up) Van floor > polyiso > reflectant (maybe not needed) > warming blanket > wood flooring.
You’ll have to figure out how many btu’s are needed to heat the van. Then you’ll have to establish an electrical budget to figure out how much power you need to generate the btu’s.
Bottom line is that heating with electricity consumes a whole lot of power, which may not be realistic with solar/battery - you’d likely have to be plugged into shore power or a generator to heat a van. To be independent of shore power or a noisy generator every time you need heat, use carbon-based fuels for heating and put some socks on your feet to keep them warm.
I heat my van using no electricity at all, using a solid fuel heater burning charcoal or coal. It works very well, and even if my battery were to go flat I’d still have heat. If my power were to fail, having electricity-free heat may be a life saver.
All electric floor heating systems I’ve seen have been made for shore power use only.
It is still more a comfort thing than actual heating. There is some other way to actually heat the living area and in floor heating just takes the feeling of draft away.
While a warming blanket is capable of heating you directly, it won’t heat up your interior enough to make it comfortable.
I use a wick type kerosene heater to provide dry heat and keep me comfortable down to -60°f. Since I don’t like cold floors, mine is carpeted. My heater requires no electrical power, and I use a heat operated wood stove fan with it to circulate the air without needing any power. My heater will run on kerosene, diesel, or even cooking oil. Basically any liquid that can be burned using a wick, without being explosive.
My heater is portable, so it doesn’t require any modifications to your vehicle. It does require ventilation though, like a window cracked an inch or so. I frequently have to open more windows to prevent my van from getting too warm inside.
Cheers!
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