June 09
 
If you are looking for a bit of heat for the winter months away from mains power, this may be of some interest.

The search for something a bit more effective and safer than the traditional LPG powered radiant heater which we have tolerated for years now has turned up an ethanol alcohol (metho) fueled heater from Dometic, an Origo HP5100 shown here.
Methylated Spirit (metho) is 95% ethanol and 5% methanol alcohol.
 
Although it is principally a heater with an output of 1500W (5100 BTU, hence the name), it can also serve as a very effective stove with the top half removed, able to accommodate up to a 250mm saucepan or frying pan.    Fuel capacity is 1.2 litres giving a burning time of approx 6 hours.

The big advantage of these is safety, metho being the safest of all liquid fuels (it can be extinguished with water) and the fuel is held absorbed in a non-flammable mineral wool material.   Even if knocked over, no fuel can escape.
The downside, metho is probably the dearest fuel on an energy per $$$ basis, but that's the price of safety.
 
This heater is the simplest of devices, no taps, valves, absolutely nothing to go wrong.     Constructed from stainless steel for the tank, burner, snuffer, internal burner base plate and aluminium for the outer top and bottom shell.    They should last a lifetime.
 
It is virtually an identical system used in their marine stoves, unlike the Aust Maxie stove which has a valve fuel delivery and requires pre-heating to vaporise the metho.   
(We had a Maxie metho stove in our boat for years and loved it.   Our next caravan will be a gas free zone, cooking and heating will be by metho, either Maxie or Origo.)   
 
Although the materials are excellent, I was disappointed and surprised by the quality of assembly (these are made in Sweden).  But maybe I'm too fussy.

How well do they work ?  Looks very promising in a test at home, good heat output and pleasant ambience with the flame reflecting on the interior exaggerating the flame size.   They will only be of any use indoors since almost all of the heat escapes as hot air from the top with little heat radiated from the side.   The lower half remains cool enough to handle and use on any hard surface (table, bench top etc).  All in all, a good safe effective heater in the confined space of a caravan, boat etc.
I'll finish this assessment when we return from our trip our through SA, Vic and NSW in Sept/Oct .

IMPORTANT - Contrary to advise from the suppliers help line, DO NOT USE SHELLITE, only use methylated sprit.
Also be aware when reading the suppliers specifications that they frequently confuse the heater burner and the burner that is used in the stoves and therefore confuse heat output and burn times.   Although almost identical, the heater burner is restricted to 54mm dia flame opening thereby reducing output from 7000 BTU (2000W) for the stoves to 5100 BTU (1500W.) for the heaters.

Price, rrp is $249, we got ours for $210, not cheap but I'll need more than a schooner of stout in my hand when the outside temperature approaches zero.

Update Sept 09

Having recently encountered temperatures just below zero (Celsius) on our recent trip, the decision to purchase this heater was a good one.   Not so much that it was a spectacular performer but because any increase in temperature was very welcome.

Obviously any heat rise is dependent on the volume to be heated and the degree of insulation but in our case with approximately 12M³ of actual air space minus the shower/toilet and a token 12mm polystyrene insulation, on average the heater was good for 9-10^oC increase after a several of hours where outside temperature is around 2-3^oC.

It was also very useful and effective drying clothes hanging directly above and can heat enough water for a couple of cuppas in around 10 minutes.

Burn time is approx 5 hours per liter at a cost of around 60c per hour depending on how and where you buy your fuel.   We found ourselves filling it up every day away from mains power which resulted in heating costs of around $3 to $4 per day.

We couldn't detect any soot or water vapour problems and only slight inoffensive odour that soon became un-noticeable.

We considered it to be more effective and far safer to use than our LPG radiant heater.

We also use an electric heater when on mains power, a DeLonghi DCH2530 oscillating ceramic heater rated at 1800W on high and 900W on low power, so a comparison was interesting.
The fan forced ceramic heater was much quicker to warm the caravan and on low (900W) gave a temperature rise of 10-12^oC and on high (1800W) 14-16^oC after a couple of hours also where outside temperature is around 2-3^oC.

In summary, the Origo HP5100 is very safe to use, versatile and a very worthwhile purchase but for a larger caravan than our 16' one or a pop-top with the roof up, you may be less impressed than we were.

 

 Ray's Caravans, Campervans & Motorhomes