[Mike Banks]

I have used a decent branded elec fan heater for frost protection on van.  Only have it on a low setting just above the frost protection on the thermostat.

I had a lucky escape.  Last night, just before turning in  I heard the fuse in the house trip for the garage.  Went out to check, opened the van doors and found the heater smoking with very  small fire.  Luckily I caught it in time, and having a fire extinguisher in the van saved the day.   Looks like condensation on the roof of the van had dripped onto the heater.  I was lucky. 

How do you guys protect your heater from getting wet?

[Splash & dash]

I have used a decent branded elec fan heater for frost protection on van.  Only have it on a low setting just above the frost protection on the thermostat.

I had a lucky escape.  Last night, just before turning in  I heard the fuse in the house trip for the garage.  Went out to check, opened the van doors and found the heater smoking with very  small fire.  Luckily I caught it in time, and having a fire extinguisher in the van saved the day.   Looks like condensation on the roof of the van had dripped onto the heater.  I was lucky. 

How do you guys protect your heater from getting wet?

Condensation dripping onto an electrical appliance isn’t going to cause a fire at worst it will blow the fuse and damage the fan armature, I suspect there was a problem with the fan heater if it caught fire , a very common cause of fires with theses things is a build up of dust on the heating elements catching fire

[Simon Trapani]

Probably better off with a oil filled radiator, that’s what we use.

If you want to stop the condensation, stick some 25mm polystyrene to the inside of the roof with silicone. You can buy it in Wickes etc. Works in our Vivaros.

[NWH]

Probably better off with a proper diesel heater I would think,you could always finance one for peanuts a month.

[dd]

Probably better off with a proper diesel heater I would think,you could always finance one for peanuts a month.

You must be thinking of some very expensive nuts.

[DJW]

Most of his posts are nuts to be honest.

[simon w]

Adding a portable RCD should safen things up some

[JandS]

As stated not water that would have cut it off.....not been used for a while will be fluff and dirt inside and on grille.

[combat1]

Good post, I noticed drops of condensation on the extension reel in the back of the van this morning after the immersion had been on.
I use an RCD but will definitely protect the reel in future.

[windowswashed]

I can't see the point in heating the air trapped inside the cargo area of a van because as soon as the back doors are opened, all the heat disappears. Makes more sense to drain everything down so there is no water in the pole hose, hosereel, pump, etc.

Even better still is heating the water a bit to raise the temperature to stop it from freezing for the morning and carry a flask of boiling water in case anything freezes up. Insulate the tank and pump and everything will be fine.

[p1w1]

I used to get a cheap car tyre compressor (£10-£15), cut the end tyre valve off and fit whatever fitting I needed attach it to the end of the hose reel, and blow the water out with it. Only takes a minute.