Wave heater reviews

I have read with interest the wave heater installation, and the furnace lighting problems. Since I had furnace problems last night, fortunately I had my down mummy bag and eight pound cotton and flannel bags, I kept warm after my furnace quit at midnight. But it was plenty cold when I got out of bed to go hunting. I can start my Blazer and heat the camper in no time, but the whole idea of sleeping in the woods was to not spook the deer with vehicle traffic traffic in the morning.
My furnace seemed to have thermostat problems. It would continue to cycle constantly and get too warm, I would turn down the stat, and once the camper would cool off it would fire and keep cycling. Well, I finally fell asleep and awoke around midnight to a squeaking fan and a cold camper. The burner would not light, so I was po'd enough already so I just shut it off. It did not fire in the morning, but it did after I started the truck later in the day.
So after some strong wind, I will get to my point. I'm not sure I want to screw with the furnace, so I would like to hear some reviews on the wave 3.
Will it idle down low enough to run all night in 20 degree weather and not overheat the camper?
Will it keep a camper warm in zero degree weather without help?
What about efficency compared to a furnace?

I know MarkBC and Barko have them. There was a fella that did a total restoration on a Blazer model similar to mine. He removed his furnace and replaced it with a wave 3. I think his name was desertgeo. I would love to hear the pros and cons from you guys that have used them. Thanks.

Oh, and the fun didn't end there, I missed a nice buck at about 175 yards, and found ice on the way home and took my Blazer, with trailer and quad in tow, through a ditch and in to a corn field sideways at about 45 or 50 mph. All went well as I managed to get it in 4h and floor it out of there. I was a little gun shy the rest of the way home. I got home to a warm reception from the dog and the little woman(yes, in that order)and everything is good.

Will it idle down low enough to run all night in 20 degree weather and not overheat the camper?
Will it keep a camper warm in zero degree weather without help?
What about efficency compared to a furnace?

If adequately vented, yes.

yes. if you are dubious of this, the wave 6 will DEFINITELY fit the bill

Far more efficient, no precious electrical power required, uses ~1-1.5 lb. of gas per night

I don't own a Wave 3, but have installed a few. They're simple, light weight, take up less cargo space, and cheaper than buying a replacement furnace anyways. And FAR less likely to fail in the backcountry. The only real drawbacks I can think of are it can't be mounted recessed, and you do actually have to get out of bed to adjust the temperature (vs. just reaching down and flicking the thermostat.)

I have a Wave 3 waiting for my camper, in the mean time I am using it in my studio.

I am impressed with the quality of the heater. It heats at 99 % efficiency. The high setting puts out a lot of heat.

That is what I know at this point. I am glad I have one for my camper build.

The only real drawbacks I can think of are it can't be mounted recessed,

The Wave 6 and 8 can be recessed. The Wave 3 can not.

true.

But you can't really recess anything in the FWC without losing valuable storage anyways.

I used my Wave 6 for the first time on my October vacation to the Sierra-east and White Mts. and another weekend in November. I like it and recommend it...with a couple of qualifiers.

It's a great and powerful radiant heater, but not as great a way to heat up the cabin air in general, at least not quickly: Like, if the cabin started at 20° the Wave 6 could ignite my pant-legs before it thawed my ears. Ok, maybe a bit of an exaggeration , but you get my point.

It's true that all of the propane energy goes into heat for the cabin, so that seems to make it super-efficient...but a stickler might say that since you have to have the cabin vented (to let in fresh oxygen, if nothing else) then some of that heat is wasted out the vent (and/or cold-air in), so that reduces the Wave's effective efficiency. The forced-air furnace wastes heat out it's flue, but it doesn't require venting the cabin. But, yeah, the Wave is probably more efficient than the furnace -- maybe a lot more, especially if you push the limit of minimum venting.

Yes, I've left the Wave 6 on all night (on purpose) while I slept -- on it's lowest (of 3) settings, with adequate venting -- I've done this a few times and I'm sure I will on my upcoming post-Xmas trip. How do I know the venting was adequate? I didn't suffocate. Yep, trial-and-error doesn't seem like a good way to determine adequate venting...so make your own decisions on this. (Remember, I'm the guy who travels unarmed among grizzlies and humans, so don't necessarily follow my example of caution. )

I'm glad I got the Wave: If nothing else, it's silent and doesn't draw on the battery: recommended.

Hey Mark

I heat my home with wood, so I know how long it takes to warm an area with radiant heat. Sometimes hours. Once it is at that point it goes right through the bones and feels great. I have venting in my mechanical room and sometimes leave windows open.
I have a Blazer so it is open to the cab, I can heat with my truck heater initially if needed. How many btu output is that wave 6, do you know? I take it the low setting did not bake you out. I have been thinking of where I would put it, and the most logical spot would be hanging above the door or from the door pointing to the front. I imagine my camper is smaller and may be adequately heated with a wave 3.

[quote name='jmodge' date='05 December 2010 - 08:25 PM' timestamp='1291605954' post='44210']
I would like to hear some reviews on the wave 3.
Will it idle down low enough to run all night in 20 degree weather and not overheat the camper?
Will it keep a camper warm in zero degree weather without help?
What about efficency compared to a furnace?


I don't know about zero, 20 I think would be fine. Zero might require a wave 6. The 3 on low keeps my Grandby plenty warm at least near outside freezing temps. While you do lose a bit of efficiency from keeping some ventilation I was doing some of that anyway for moisture. Feel the very hot air blowing outside from the standard furnace and you'll know about relative efficiency
I'm fixing up a smaller toy hauler I got and one of the 1st things will be to add a line for the Wave 3 even though it has a 16,000 btu furnace. Efficient, quiet, reliable.

1)How many btu output is that wave 6, do you know? 2)I take it the low setting did not bake you out. 3)I have been thinking of where I would put it, and the most logical spot would be hanging above the door or from the door pointing to the front. 4)I imagine my camper is smaller and may be adequately heated with a wave 3.

1) The Wave series is named for the maximum BTU output: Wave 6 = 6000 BTU, 3 = 3000 BTU, 8 = 8000 BTU
2) No it didn't at all...and you can always just open vents more to regulate the temperature of the cabin
3) I kept mine free-standing on the optional legs. I wanted the ability to change the direction/location that the radiant heat is pointed depending on where I am in the camper, etc. When not in use it fits out of the way (almost) pushed up-against/under the overhung zone under the built-in furnace.
4) Seems like most people get (and are happy with) the Wave 3 for campers my size (Hawk), but I got the 6 as a better guarantee to meet my needs. I really do winter camping every year in cold places (i.e., not just winter in Arizona or Death Valley) and it has gotten down to single-digits more than once when I've been out there. Very cold temperatures reduce the capacity of the battery, so running the main furnace in those very-cold temps draws down the battery even faster. The 6 may be a little bigger than I need, but the downsides of the larger size (it takes up more space and it costs more) are worth it to me. YMMV.

I'm loving mine so far. I think I would have to agree with Barko on a Wave 6 if you are camping at zero or below, but I say that not having an arctic pack myself with my Wave 3. That said, I've slept comfortably in the mid-low 20's without any type of insulation and couldn't be happier with it.

The main plus for me is the propane efficiency, we took a 2 week Baja trip this summer (with the Wave 3 removed) but we used the stove quite a bit. Then we followed that up with a week trip up to the Lost Coast using both the stove and the Wave 3 every night. I thought I should fill up my propane tank just to be safe before my last trip and my tank surprisingly only took 1.9 gallons. I probably ran my Wave 3 for 30 hours on my recent trip and the tank still feels full. Very efficient.