New fish house furnace options

[traveler]

I finally picked up a fishhouse (shell only) and am looking to minimally finish it...likely just a couple foldup bunks, maybe a table. I want to keep it pretty much open for hauling/work use.

I do want to put in a furnace. 3 types/styles I'm seeing so far:

1. Direct vent wall furnace...sticks out 9 inches from a wall, appx 20 inches square.

2. Floor mount direct vent...maybe 1 ft square by 2 feet, mounts on floor, probably under a bunk or cabinet. Although I don't plan on building in much, I'm sure i could find a spot for this type.

3. "blue flame" type...not direct vent, instructions say fresh air must be provided (window cracked or similar) This one is 1/2 the price of the other 2. Also mounts on the wall ands seems about the same size as #1.

4. Portable model of # 3. Could then also be used elsewhere (with ventilation) I don't have that need currently, but ya never know...

Any other options? Opinions? The house is a 6.5 x 12 plus V.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Is option #2 a forced air?

Will you be sleeping overnight in it frequently? If not, I would probably go for a small blue flame (10kbtu or smaller).

[NoWiser]

Direct vent wall mount for sure if it were mine. I'd avoid one of the blue flame type heaters at all costs, unless you like sitting in a stinky sauna. You should have plenty of time this summer to find a good deal on a nice vented wall mount. My personal opinion also, is that you would be much better off with a wall heater, and a nice 12v ceiling fan(depending on ceiling height) than one of the forced air type heaters. This way you can use it without draining your batteries (or even without batteries if need be) and it will be much, much quieter. The noise from a forced air heater would get sickening really fast in a house that size. You could probably even get by with a wall mount and no fan at all. We have a house about the same size and it stays toasty warm from floor to ceiling.

[traveler]

#2 is forced air...and it requires a 12 volt battery to run. Not that thats a big deal, so do the lights, but I'm thinking running a furnace fan would draw it down faster (obviously). There was a very small 12 vt. fan in the house I rented this year and it really seemed to help distribute the heat. Not sure how many times a year it'll be slept in, but a few for sure.

About the wall heaters...nothing circulates the aire, correct? Just ambient heat? How high are they usually mounted? Much trouble to install? 14,000 btu is the smallest I've seen, even that sounds like a lot. Are there smaller out there?

thanks guys....

[NoWiser]

Traveler,

You are correct, the only thing that circulates the air is natural convection. It doesn't take too long to warm up a house, though. Both my dad and my uncle have wall heaters that work very well in houses about the same size as yours. I will take a look tomorrow and see what brand, size, etc. they are. Both are mounted with the bottom of the heater a few inches off of the floor. Keeping the heater low is an advantage as it aids in the convection of air, as I mentioned earlier. Watch this thread and I'll post more info for you.

[cold one sd]

I use a wall mounted direct vent heater with two 80mm computer fans mounted on the wall close to the ceiling. The fans keep the heat circulating well and draw very little current.

[Smoker]

The Empire heater I just looked at has a min. 4 inches of the floor. You need that to hook up the gas and still have some kind of drip leg under it. It is a wall mount dirct vent heater. They do make a 10,000btu one also.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

In a smaller house like that, I would probably stay away from the forced air. I have one in mine, and love it, but you'll need at least 1 battery for every 2 days. If you are thinking of a weekend, you'll need a minimum of 2 batteries, and maybe a 3rd, depending on what else you have hooked up to it. The other option would be a generator, but then you are somewhat losing portability.

The Empire DV is the most common one. I'd probably do the Empire DV215 in that house.

[traveler]

The Empire DV is the most common one. I'd probably do the Empire DV215 in that house.

Is there much difference between the DV and the MV130? Other than a themostat? The MV is nearly 300 bucks cheaper...

Thanks for all the replys guys.

[Smoker]

I believe the DV model you can hook a wall thermastat up to and the MV model I don't think you can if I remember right.

[traveler]

Thats what it looks like in the description. Seems like a huge $$ difference just for a thermostat...