Just so you know CampingWorld sells this brand online via www.campingworld.com.

Sure seems better than 700 dollars for a P4. Plus you won't have to cut any
holes in yer van.  They sell optional legs for it as well.

CW, however recommends using them in a ventilated area, and that they may
not be meet some ANSI standard for RV's.

YMMV.
Robyn
91 Westy Syncro.

At 12:48 PM 11/2/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Just finished adjusting the gas heater in my ' 80 westy...Thought I'd throw in
>some info about an auxillary heater I purchased last year for winter camping.
>It's a catalytic heater made by Olympian. It operates on propane (I've got a
>grill sized tank stashed unser the rear bench w\ a hose running through the
>lower corner into the cabin-lasts at least a week, running on high!) The
>heater is only about 4" thick, 24" high, and 12" wide approx. very reasonably
>sized/portable. They are available in 3 sizes that I'm aware of ranging from
>2000 to 6000 btu approx. I bought the largest one (thankfully) about $250
>dealer cost. He sold it to me just to get rid of it, doesn't sell many I
>guess? They can be freestanding or flush mounted, like in the bathroom of a
>large RV. It has a ceramic disk of some sort that heats up and conducts the
>combustion and catalytic operations, lights via piezo ignition (no current
>draw) except at high elevations where we have to light the thermocouple
>manually, don't know why? It is absolutely the greatest investment I ever made
>for my bus. We travel all winter throughout the Rocky Mountain region (powder
>hounds!!!). We can use it while traveling or stationary, especially nice while
>gearing up in the morning for a day of riding. It supposedly burns 99.9% of
>all emissions (at any altitude!) so is entirely safe to use in an enclosed
>van. The only requirement is that you have a source for fresh air-we just
>leave the triangle shaped window in the front open a bit...seems to be
>suffecient since my westy gets a little drafty anyway.My wife and I can sleep
>comfortably in January at 10,000+ feet!!! (our own little slopeside condo-ski
>in/ski out)  I did a lot of research prior to purchase on RV furnaces of all
>types and sizes and found this to be the most economical, portable ( we have
>an extra long hose so we can set it outside of the van in our side tent for
>those cool fall evenings, and take it out in the summer) and simplest option
>available. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap,
>reliable, and most importantly..SAFE!!! auxillary heat source for your bus.
>Just thought I'd see if anyone else has discovered this little miracle and how
>it has worked for them. I'm especially interested in reliability over a period
>of years, if anyone has an older model. Also, if anyone has their two cents
>worth (good or bad experiences) I'd appreciate hearing those too. I'd be more
>than happy to dig up the info on it if anyone is interested, however most of
>the RV suppliers seem to at least know about it, or can get it for
>you...remember to buy the large one, since it has a high, med. and low
>seting...you won't regret it!
>        Of course I have no vested interest in this company, just wanted to
>throw out
>some alternatives!!
>
>Marc&Monica Bitner
>Ft. Collins, CO
>'80 westy
>'72 bus
>'79 westy
>'93 passat glx wagon