Effective Living > Mobile Hermitage
The heater in the mobile hermitage is the same as that used to heat the small water-tight cabin of a boat. Seen at right, the heater is mounted on the wall by attaching it to a stainless steel surface. This helps protect the wall and reflect heat into the room. Click image to enlarge.
A 20 pound tank of LP fuel can be refilled for about $15. This can last for a few weeks or a month depending on the outside temperature. Since the house is so small and highly insulated, it doesn’t take much to heat it up and maintain a comfortable temperature. The house can be kept comfortable even with outside temperatures of below zero (fahrenheit).
The exhaust pipe seen above the heater includes an air intake pipe as well. In this way, cold air is automatically drawn in as the hot air naturally rises. This prevents oxygen from inside the home from being burned up.
The heater has a 12-volt electric fan for increased heat dissipation. The knob seen on the front left of the heater can fully and variably adjust the fan speed (rather than just having high, medium low).
However, the heater works fine without a fan when saving on electricity or for use when electricity is not available. If a power outage occurs during extremely low temperatures, this feature could end up saving a life.
The knob on the front right of the heater provides two indexed settings for fuel consumption (and heat output). It it also possible to gradually turn down the flame (ignoring the low and high indexed settings or stops) by pushing the knob in and adjusting the flame precisely to a desired setting. For safety, you may want to consult the manufacturer regarding this technique (although it’s worked fine for two years for me).
The cost to purchase a tiny heater like this is about $800. In addition to the heater, other accessories are required for installation. For a full selection of tiny space heaters, visit the Dickinson Marine website.