Camping Interior Propex

Specifications

1.8 KW Propex

ECONOMY

These are the specs for a modern Propex:

Gas consumption for a Propex Space Heater HS2000 - Single outlet - 12 volt (calculated on a continuous running basis) as follows :-

Average gas consumption 128grams/hour
3.9kg propane cylinder 30.5hrs
4.5kg butane 35.0hrs

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Heat input 1.8KW
Heat output 1.6KW
Voltage 12V or 24V
Current consumption 1.2A cont. running
Air throughput 50 C.F.M.

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Contact Propex

Hard Starting

Anon: Unfortunately, it refused to light. I could hear the sound of the ignition trying to fire up but no warm air. Everything else works fine i.e. the fridge and the hob but not my heater. Are they dependent on gas pressure as I am unsure of the amount of gas left in the bottle? Any ideas before I freeze to death?

Hacksawbob Propex won't light if pressure is too low, get a refill and try again. Also if your running blue bottle (butane) this doesn't like the cold so wont light. ( Only solution is to warm the bottle (I've heard of people taking it into the shower with them on campsites!) or upgrade to propane (red bottles) you'll need to change the regulator too. I have an autohomes and the red bottle wont stand up in the cupboard so lie it down when not in use and secure it some how for driving.

Aidan: Modern version needs to be used regularly 'cos there's a secondary passive fan with an optical sensor in the air flow to check the flow is as required, part of interlock for CE approval that old ones didn't have apparantly. If not used the bearing grease in the passive fan goes a bit thick and so when the blower notor blows the fan doesn't spin fast enough to activate the optical sensor so locks out.
I phoned Propex when this happened to me and the advice was take an airline with nozzle on and blow through the external pipes in the inlet which will spin up the passive fan, after about thirty secs the grease will be redispersed and the thing will then light ok when you go through the normal start. Worked fine for me, I used an old sock to seal the inlet end with the air line blower attachment.
Top tip from Propex (and it's in the manual) is run the heater every month, even in the summer just to keep it free running and ready to light when you really need it.

Remote Controlled Propex

Penned by Covkid

A remote control for your Propex is often very handy. Perfect for those days when you're knee-deep in snow or your locks are frozen solid and it works from indoors so no more trips out in the cold to turn it on!

Heres the remote kit used (under a fiver): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-10A-Relay ... 5d4d95ce33

Here's thermostat board removed from its case. There are two models I know of - this just happens to be mine but principals apply to both, and you could do the same to any electrically switched heater up to 10amp load (Propex is about 2amp):

You'll need to solder a two-core cable off to remote receiver (shown here with red spots):

Anyway, soldering to back seemed a whole lot simpler. That cable goes to load side of relay on remote receiver. Essentially all you're doing is creating a mirror copy of the rocker switch only now operated by remote - make/break. Wired this way, when you switch off at remote controlled fob, heater will still go through its normal cool-down cycle (important). The only other cable that needs to go to remote receiver is 12v +- to provide power, which you can either take from thermostat itself or another 12v point nearby.

Bear in mind, if you have manually switched heater on (ie via rocker switch), the remote receiver will click away but it will have no effect on heater. The rocker will always overide the remote function. Remote will only work if rocker is in mid-position (ie switched off at thermostat). I'll be stating the obvious to some, but best explained.

If your thermostat looks different to mine, with the board out, just put a meter between middle and outer terminals on back of board and check for continuity when you switch to 'heater on'. Then you know which outer terminal is one you want. Whichever has continuity is the correct side. With it switched the other way, you'll get fan only ofcourse. If this has lost you already, please don't attempt it - get someone who knows what they're doing.

It seems to work over quite a distance - certainly from indoors. Worked ok from the opposite side of the house.

I ran long cable (initially) to remote receiver so I could test which position will be best to mount it for optimimum range via remote but window level is ideal.

Thoughts: Rather than solder to thermostat switch, you could in fact (if you follow circuit tracks - simply connect at screw terminals but it can get a bit cramped then. The perfect solution would be to remount thermostat board inside a slightly bigger vented project box and install a seperate choc-bloc arrangement to allow for more wires. You could then mount remote receiver in same case making it all self-contained.

You'd also need an extension for potentiometer as stock knob sits below level of rocker switch. Case must be vented remember or it won't sense interior temperature!

With a slightly larger case the back of the stock thermostat case (board is screwed to this) could simply be mounted inside new case, then take the four board terminals to a new termination block into which you can run all external wires. Draw a map for reference.

The 'heater on' LED in the thermostat case could be extended so you have something more prominent and therefore easy to see at a distance, that heater is actually on. Maplins do what they call an alarm LED - basically a flashing red LED that you can run direct to any 12v source. You could mount this wherever suits.

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