Wave 6 Heater

[gadgetman]

I installed the wave 6. Not a lot of choice of where to put it. We have a dog so i wanted it wall mounted. They say 30" ft clearance I only have 24 to a short wall with the bathroom door open its only 30% of the ft of the heater at 24in. I may still put a finish plate of sorts on that wall just to be sure. I can get behind that wall too because it is under the bathroom sink. I may install a stand off plate of sorts with a 3/4 space behind it. That would protect the wall and it would even let me install a pc fan behind the plate to use that trapped heat so to speak.

Maybe just a fan on the floor, haven't decided just yet

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The propane hose goes through a 1/14 pcv pipe to the rear where the grill quick disconnect is located. That is just a electrical outlet cover plate covering the inside hole.

Not sure how much more I can put in this coach. That heater is mounted on the old furnace door after I added a 3rd hinge  and 1 brace.

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This is looking down the hallway with the bathroom door open on the right side.

[moonlitcoyote]

I cant see your pics

[Oz]

Fixed.

[moonlitcoyote]

Thats how I installed mine at first but the floor got REALLY hot. So I switched mine around to be vertical. I actually didnt measure the clearance on the front of mine, but mine is set opposite the oven, so I figured the oven door could handle the heat. Then I set a small personal box fan on the counter across from the heater, since heat rises. And I have it blowing the warm air into the babies room.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Looking good!  We're going to install the Wave 8...you can get them for just over 300 bucks on eBay...on the side of the kitchen counter just as you enter the RV.  That way it sits right over the entry door stairwell, which means the dogs can't lay right in front of it and singe their fur, and the very minor draft that all RV doors have will encourage the heat to make its way throughout the rig.  Its also conveniently located in our RV right next to the furnace, so tying it into the propane system will be simple with a flair T fitting.

We're are going to undertake the project in North Carolina this year, right before our winter boondocking vacation.

Kev

[gadgetman]

I did put screws in the closet door just incase I feel like I have to move it higher. I think it will be fine down bottom with a fan on to help spread the heat a little.

[moonlitcoyote]

I would just check the temp of the floor every now and then when you have it running. Your supposed to run it on high for the first 10 minutes and I know on High my floor felt like it would melt.

[gadgetman]

I ran it on high for a few hours, floor was hot but not so hot I couldnt just keep my hand there. Put a small fan down there and after another hour it was much cooler. I dont mind the warm floor and the warm bathroom will be nice for a change too !!!

Also,  high sure seems to put out a lot of heat. It would have to be pretty cold for me to run it on high from what   I see right now.

[moonlitcoyote]

good deal, mine was 8" off the floor and I couldnt hold my hand on the floor for more than a second it was so hot. It does warm the place nicely. So far the coldest weather we have had is 39° degrees and I ran it on medium. It was a bit warm for me but the dang back room is staying cooler no matter what I try.

[tomr]

Try placing one of those silicone baking/cookie sheets on the floor to protect it from the heat.
Not my idea... see http://www.andybaird.com/Eureka/pages/cold.htm#cat-heater

Tom

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Pretty neat article, Tom!  That guy seems to really know his stuff!

Kev

[tomr]

Yup...I love his stuff. He once sold a CD of RV tips etc, but recently decided to make free...in his words: "a treasure trove of RVing ideas"
See http://www.andybaird.com/travels/eureka/

[Froggy1936]

  Use CAUTION with heating the floor !! Fluid residue under neath from a leaking seal / U joint etc are extremely flammable when heated Especially Trans fluid Also fuel lines live there !!  Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Well thanks to Tom I "wasted" a few hours reading Andy Bairds stuff...a good read!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Okay folks...I've been tracking a few different Wave 8 heaters on eBay, and the cheapest I found was 305.00, plus 20 bucks for shipping.  We were going to buy it in a couple of weeks, then the seller upped the price to 385.00, and 30 bucks for shipping!

So I did another search, and found one brand new in the box for $259.99, and free shipping!  It was the only one and I jumped all over it...already have the tracking numbers.

So a question.  How difficult is it to install?  Does it come with a propane line or hose?  Or do I have to get my own fittings and whatnot to tie it in?  I'm good with flare fittings...I have a lot of experience with copper propane lines and making them so they don't leak.

Just curious how involved a project it is that I got myself into...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Answered by own question by downloading the user and installation manual...lol!  Should be a no brainer in the location I picked out.  The heater comes with nothing but mounting screws and instructions...I'll have to get my own fittings.


Kev

[gadgetman]

I went to lowes and bought the hose and coupler kit for a grill. It was about 40.00

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So the Wave 8 heater I bought on eBay for 259.99, brand new in the box with free shipping, arrived yesterday...SWEET!  Sure got lucky spotting that right when it was listed!

I'll be doing the install after the weekend and ordering the cover for it to keep the dust and dog hair out of it when we aren't using it. 

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I installed the Wave 8 yesterday, and man does it heat up the whole rig nicely!  Not as quickly as the furnace, which takes the chill out of the air in minutes since its ducted to everywhere in the RV, including the bathroom, but it definitely works!  Just in time, since the cold weather is starting to roll in.  Even on high it doesn't appear to draw much propane, although exactly how efficient it is remains to be seen when we're on our winter boondocking vacation and starting out with a full propane tank.


Kev

[LJ-TJ]

Soooooo Where's the pictures of the install???

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  I'll get the pictures posted, just you wait and see!  I've just been too busy to take and post them, especially with the slow internet connection I'm dealing with.  I probably won't get around to it until vacation actually begins, and then you'll get sick of all the pics I post.   

The vinyl cover arrived for the heater yesterday and its a good fit and looks good too.  It'll keep the dust and dog hair out of it when not in use.  One thing you never want to do with a Wave heater is vacuum it!  It'll suck all the platinum out of the catalyst and ruin the heater!   D:oH!

Kev

[moonlitcoyote]

I have now found a negative side to the wave 6 heater, my dogs do not feel the heat through their long thick coats and will stand right in front of it. My beautiful male Sheltie named Tank now has a huge patch of singed hair that stunk up the place for about an hour.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  That is why we mounted ours over the entry stairwell.  That way the dogs can't stand, sit, or lay right in front of it.  Takes a while for the heat to get to the back of the RV since it faces the front, but if its really chilly in the morning, we throw the furnace on for a few minutes which warms up the whole RV through the ducts, then turn that off and put the Wave 8 on to keep the place warm.  Works great! 

The pups have taken to laying as close as they can get to the heater when its cold, since they both have mild arthritis.  And they've learned really quick that if they lay in the floor over where the ducts pass through the floor, it warms their tummies!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Here is where we mounted our Wave 8 heater, right over the entry door stair well:



Keeps the dogs from burning themselves and warms the whole rig, even on low.  The night before last was down to 32 degrees outside.  We ran this on low all night and the rig stay a very comfortable sleeping temperature (we left the small window over the sink open for air flow).  I checked the propane tank level in the morning, and the needle hadn't moved at all on the gauge, with this running all night long...SWEET!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Here are a few last pics of the Wave 8 heater installation.

This is a picture showing again where I installed it on the side of the kitchen cabinet, over the entry stair well.  It also shows the cover for it to keep dust and dog hair out of it when not in use:



In the following picture you can see that Sheba can't singe her fur...she can't lay right in front of it!  Both pups already learned not to touch the chrome grill over the heater with their noses!



This picture is a little further back.  It shows the cabinet and sink a little better.  At the bottom of the cabinet you'll see a removable oak framed panel with a brass grill.  This is the compartment where the furnace lives, and is where I tied into the propane system:



I used a copper line and flair fittings to make a good leak free propane connection into the propane line that comes into the furnace.  There was enough room to route the new propane line in front of the furnace and still be able to close the compartment cover:



I tied it into the propane line going to the furnace with a flair t-fitting, and also put in an inline gas valve in case we have to shut the gas off to the Wave 8:



And one last pic of the heater all installed!



Not all that difficult a project, although I did have to make my own template for the install for drilling the holes in the cabinet, and instead of hanging it on screws, I used pan head bolts, washers, and nuts and bolted it to the cabinet from the inside.

Kev