7 Best Propane Fireplaces For RV Bedrooms That Nomads Swear By

Waking up to a layer of frost on the inside of your RV window is a rite of passage, but it doesn’t have to be your reality. A propane fireplace in the bedroom transforms a cold, damp morning into a cozy, comfortable start to the day. It’s about more than just heat; it’s about creating a dry, warm, and inviting sanctuary, completely off-grid.

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Choosing Your RV Bedroom Propane Fireplace

Picking a propane fireplace isn’t just about grabbing the one with the highest BTU rating. In a small, enclosed bedroom, your primary concerns are safety, ventilation, and moisture control. Get this choice wrong, and you’re dealing with condensation running down your walls or, far worse, a serious safety hazard.

The biggest decision you’ll make is between a vented and a vent-free unit. Vented models are the safest bet, hands down. They pull combustion air from outside and exhaust all fumes outside, creating a sealed system that doesn’t affect your indoor air quality. The tradeoff is a more complex installation that involves cutting a hole in your RV wall or roof. Vent-free heaters are simpler to install but require you to be vigilant about ventilation—meaning, you must crack a window to provide fresh oxygen and let moisture escape.

Here are the core factors to weigh:

• Venting: Direct-vent is safest. Vent-free is easier to install but demands active user ventilation.
• Heat Type: Catalytic heaters provide silent, radiant warmth. Blue-flame heaters provide convective heat that warms the air.
• BTU Output: Bigger isn’t better. A small bedroom needs a low-BTU unit (3,000-9,000 BTU) to avoid turning your space into a sauna.
• Safety Features: An Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) is non-negotiable on any vent-free model. A thermocouple that shuts off gas if the pilot light goes out is a must-have on all units.

Dickinson Newport P9000: Marine-Grade Choice

When you see a tiny chimney poking out of a van or sailboat, it’s often connected to a Dickinson Newport. Originally designed for the harsh marine environment, this little fireplace is a workhorse built for reliability and efficiency in small, moving spaces. It’s a direct-vent unit, meaning it has a completely sealed combustion chamber.

The beauty of the Newport P9000 is its safety and simplicity. It pulls air for the flame from outside through a small, concentric flue pipe and sends all the exhaust back out the same pipe. This means no carbon monoxide risk and no added moisture inside your rig—two of the biggest problems with other heating methods. It sips propane, and its gentle, radiant heat is perfect for maintaining a comfortable temperature in a bedroom without overwhelming the space.

The main considerations are cost and installation. The Dickinson is an investment, and you’ll need to be comfortable cutting a 3-inch hole through your wall or roof for the stainless-steel chimney. The heat output is also modest, ranging from 4,000 to 5,500 BTUs. It’s ideal for keeping a bedroom cozy, but it won’t be your primary heat source for an entire 40-foot fifth wheel in a blizzard.

Camco Olympian Wave-3: Efficient Catalytic Heat

The Camco Wave heaters are legendary in the boondocking community for one reason: silent, efficient, radiant heat. The Wave-3, with its 1,600 to 3,000 BTU output, is perfectly sized for an RV bedroom. Instead of an open flame, it uses a platinum catalyst to create a chemical reaction that generates infrared heat, which warms objects directly, just like the sun.

Because there’s no flame and no fan, the Wave-3 is completely silent and uses no 12V power, making it a truly off-grid solution. It’s also incredibly efficient, converting nearly all of its fuel into usable heat. Installation is as simple as it gets: mount it to a wall and connect a propane line.

However, this is a vent-free heater, and you cannot ignore the safety protocols. It consumes oxygen and produces water vapor as a byproduct. You must always have a window cracked for fresh air. While it has a reliable Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS), treating that as a last-resort backup, not a primary tool, is the mark of an experienced nomad. These heaters are also less effective at high altitudes (typically above 7,000 feet) where the air is already thin.

Empire White Mountain Hearth: Most Realistic Flame

If the ambiance of a crackling fire is just as important as the warmth, the Empire White Mountain Hearth series is your best bet. These are direct-vent, sealed-combustion fireplaces that look and feel like miniature residential units, complete with realistic log sets and dancing yellow flames. They offer the cozy aesthetic that most other RV-friendly heaters lack.

Safety is paramount with these units. Like the Dickinson, they use a coaxial vent to pull in outside air and exhaust all fumes, completely isolating the combustion process from your living space. This eliminates any concern about oxygen depletion or carbon monoxide. They are available in various BTU ratings, allowing you to select a smaller model (around 10,000 BTU) that can be turned down low for a bedroom.

The tradeoffs are size, cost, and installation complexity. These are not small heaters; they require significant dedicated wall space and depth, which can be a dealbreaker in a compact RV bedroom. They are also among the more expensive options and require a substantial hole for the direct-vent pipe. This is a luxury choice for those with the space and budget to prioritize form alongside function.

ProCom Dual Fuel Fireplace: A Versatile Option

ProCom offers a range of vent-free fireplaces that are popular for their blend of features and affordability. Many models are "dual fuel," meaning they can run on either propane or natural gas, though for RV use, you’ll be sticking with propane. They often come with built-in thermostats and multiple heat settings, giving you more control over your bedroom’s climate.

These are typically infrared or blue-flame convective heaters. They are easy to install and provide a good amount of heat for their size. The inclusion of a thermostat is a huge plus for overnight use, as it will cycle the heater on and off to maintain a set temperature, preventing you from overheating in the middle of the night.

Like all vent-free appliances, the ProCom units require diligent ventilation. You are responsible for providing a source of fresh air. They come equipped with an ODS, but you must crack a window to manage oxygen levels and the significant water vapor they produce. They can also be a bit bulky, so always double-check the dimensions against your available space before buying.

Mr. Heater 20K Vent-Free: Powerful Blue Flame

Sometimes, you just need serious heat. The Mr. Heater 20,000 BTU Vent-Free Blue Flame heater is a powerhouse designed for larger spaces, but it has a place in RVs for those who winter in truly frigid climates. This unit uses a blue flame to heat the air, which then circulates through the room via convection. It can raise the temperature of a space very quickly.

This heater is a simple, wall-mountable unit that hooks directly to your propane system. It includes a thermostat, multiple heat settings, and a built-in ODS for safety. For a large, poorly insulated slide-out bedroom or a toy hauler garage converted into a sleeping space, this heater has the raw power to keep things toasty when smaller units would struggle.

Use this heater in a bedroom with extreme caution. 20,000 BTUs is massive overkill for a typical RV bedroom and will turn it into an oven in minutes. It’s a vent-free appliance, so it produces a lot of moisture and consumes a lot of oxygen. You will need substantial ventilation to run it safely. This is a specialized tool, not a general-purpose bedroom heater.

Williams Forsaire Direct-Vent: Compact Design

Williams has been making reliable wall furnaces for decades, and their Forsaire Direct-Vent models are a fantastic, no-nonsense option for RVs. These are not "fireplaces" in the aesthetic sense—they look like small, utilitarian furnaces. But what they lack in looks, they make up for in safe, efficient, and reliable performance.

The Forsaire is a counterflow furnace. It pulls cool air in from the floor level, heats it in a sealed combustion chamber, and directs warm air out from the top. Because it’s a direct-vent unit, it’s completely sealed off from your interior air. It’s a "set it and forget it" solution that you can run all night without a single worry about air quality or condensation.

Installation is moderately complex, as it requires venting through an exterior wall, but the units themselves are surprisingly compact and can fit into spaces where a traditional fireplace wouldn’t. While you won’t be watching flickering flames, if your top priority is safe, powerful, and thermostatically controlled heat in a small package, the Williams Forsaire is one of the most practical choices you can make.

Suburban SF-20F: Classic RV Built-In Fireplace

This isn’t a fireplace you add; it’s the furnace your RV probably already has or one you’d use as a direct replacement. The Suburban "SF" series furnaces are the industry standard for a reason. They are compact, powerful, direct-vent units designed from the ground up for the vibrations and space constraints of an RV.

The SF-20F (20,000 BTU) is a forced-air furnace, meaning it uses a 12V fan to push hot air through your RV’s existing ductwork. This is a huge advantage, as it can heat the bedroom, a nearby bathroom, and even send a little heat down to your holding tanks to prevent freezing. It’s thermostatically controlled and completely sealed from the living space for safety.

The primary drawback is its reliance on 12V power. The fan is a significant power draw, making it less than ideal for extended boondocking without a robust solar and battery system. The fan can also be noisy, which is a common complaint from light sleepers. It’s a furnace, not a fireplace, so there’s zero ambiance. But for integrated, whole-system heating, it remains the default and most effective option.

Ultimately, the right propane fireplace for your RV bedroom balances safety, your heating needs, and your tolerance for installation. A direct-vent model is always the safest path, while a vent-free unit demands your constant attention to ventilation. Before you get captivated by a pretty flame, think about the cold reality of a 3 AM wake-up call and choose the heater that will keep you safe, warm, and sleeping soundly.