# ldv convoy



## kimbo4444 (Dec 2, 2011)

hi to all im new i wanted to no if there is a simple way to heat the back of the van in winter when i am driving many thanks to all


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## Firefox (Dec 2, 2011)

Welcome! Probably the only easy way is put in some ducting connected from your dashboard warm air system because the two main ways of heating, electric hook up and gas cannot really be used while driving.


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## scampa (Dec 2, 2011)

Hi and Welcome Kimbo!   :wave:

I usually keep warm by sitting in the front when I'm driving, so haven't really thought about this problem, sorry. 

No doubt someone will give you some suggestions on here very shortly!


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## n brown (Dec 2, 2011)

don't see why you can't use an eber or propex while driving.i put the eber on to heat the back so its warm when i park up


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## scotsy (Dec 2, 2011)

n brown said:


> don't see why you can't use an eber or propex while driving.i put the eber on to heat the back so its warm when i park up



I agree, i have just installed a Webasto diesel powered heater in the back of my sprinter conversion and it has inlet and exhaust pipes underneath the van so is in effect 'room sealed' so none of the air in the vehicle is a part of the combustion process even though the burner/blower unit is inside the van under the seat in the back. I see no reason this couldn't be used 'on the move' but await more knowledgeable people's answers?

They are not however cheap to buy (even second hand they fetch £300 easily) so could you not run a small 12v blow heater utilising the alternators 'overcharge' from a cig socket from the cab (vehicle battery)

Ian


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## Northerner (Dec 2, 2011)

I'm sorry that you've not yet had any useful replies, apart from the one above. I also suspect that you have no idea what an Eber or Propex is, and I doubt that you have one fitted. There is no easy way, as free-standing heaters powered by gas cylinders are obviously dangerous in the event of a crash and diverting heat from the cab simply means that you'll be cold when driving.

The best way is to ensure that as little heat as possible escapes. Insulate any roof lights using pieces of closed-cell foam (see below). Draw the blinds on any windows not needed for vision and try to block any draughts around fridges etc. When you park up and start cooking you must ensure that there is adequate ventilation though. If the back of the 'van is well insulated and draught proof, the heat that percolates through from the cab will help. Direct the vents towards the back and put the fan on high!

Closed-cell-foam mats are available from any camping shop for a few pounds. They have incredible insulation values and you can sleep on them on snow and be warm. Cut them a couple of inches larger than the aperture and they'll just hold themselves in. And of course you can then slide the roof light's cover shut to be certain.


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## Firefox (Dec 2, 2011)

You could use a Webasto or Eber (diesel heater). However the original poster asked for a* simple *way. Webasto/Eber would require considerable investment and installation.

It's not advisable to have a Propex (gas heater) on while running. If you have an accident, open gas lines could lead to a break and an explosion. Though, many people will tell you they have done it for years without problem and therefore little risk etc etc. Your call on that one, I'm just letting you know  A propex heater also requires quite a bit of an investment.

I'd still maintain my original solution of taking some ducting from the cab heating system and ducting it to a passenger seat behind the can (I assume that's what you need it for) would be the simplest. This would however be subject to routing and travel length, but if you put your cab fan on you should be able to blast the air through. It may not be the most efficient but it will work, combined with Northerners suggestion to insulate the back area. 12V heater may also work though can be a fair load on the alternator used continuously.


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## Guernsey Donkey (Dec 2, 2011)

Hi Kimbo and :welcome: to the site.


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## kimbowbill (Dec 2, 2011)

Hi Kimbo, you nearly  have the same name as me, thats another useless bit of information that will annoy one member :wacko:


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## Northerner (Dec 2, 2011)

kimbowbill said:


> Hi Kimbo, you nearly  have the same name as me, thats another useless bit of information that will annoy one member :wacko:



Doesn't annoy, me but I do wonder what makes people answer posts with:

I can't help you myself but I'm sure that someone will be along soon who will.

Very strange!


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## David & Ann (Dec 2, 2011)

Northerner said:


> Doesn't annoy, me but I do wonder what makes people answer posts with:
> 
> I can't help you myself but I'm sure that someone will be along soon who will.
> 
> Very strange!



That's what makes the world go around, rich and poor, loud people and quiet ones, clever and foolish, handsome and ugly....etc...etc. Myself, I am older and wiser and take things in my stride.


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## kimbowbill (Dec 2, 2011)

Northerner said:


> Doesn't annoy, me but I do wonder what makes people answer posts with:
> 
> I can't help you myself but I'm sure that someone will be along soon who will.
> 
> Very strange!



Did i mention your name? think your a bit paranoid Northerner, i dont know where is says, "this will annoy Northerner",  can anyone else see this?????. And yes people are strange, you've just prooved that.:dance:


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## caspar (Dec 3, 2011)

May sound stupid, but if people in the back of ours are cold, they wrap coats, sleeping bags, blankets etc... round them.


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## scampa (Dec 3, 2011)

Northerner said:


> Doesn't annoy, me but I do wonder what makes people answer posts with:
> 
> I can't help you myself but I'm sure that someone will be along soon who will.
> 
> Very strange!



Sorry Northerner, can't help with that query, but I'm sure someone will be able to answer it shortly for you? 

At a guess though, I'd say that because this section is for new members to introduce themselves, some existing members take the chance to say Hello and welcome them to the site, even though they can't help with their question at the time.

And don't worry Kimbo, there are several thousand members on this site, and every one of them will be happy to help you if they can. There's only a very small handful who pretend to be grumpy, or seem to look for things to complain about, but it doesn't last long as they soon grow out of it!


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## kimbowbill (Dec 3, 2011)

scampa said:


> Sorry Northener, can't help with that query, but I'm sure someone will be able to answer it shortly for you?
> 
> At a guess though, I'd say that because this section is for new members to introduce themselves, some existing members take the chance to say Hello and welcome them to the site, even though they can't help with their question at the time.
> 
> And don't worry Kimbo, there are several thousand members on this site, and every one of them will be happy to help you if they can. There's only a very small handful who pretend to be grumpy, or seem to look for things to complain about, but it doesn't last long as they soon grow out of it!



Nice one :lol-053:

Jen xx


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## Northerner (Dec 3, 2011)

kimbowbill said:


> Did i mention your name? think your a bit paranoid Northerner, i dont know where is says, "this will annoy Northerner",  can anyone else see this?????. And yes people are strange, you've just prooved that.:dance:



Even stranger! Where did I say that I thought you meant me? You mentioned that one member may be annoyed by fatuous posts. I happened to mentioned that fatuous post don't annoy me but I do find them strange. If you were to mention that there is one member who enjoys flogging himself with a wet copy of Practical Motorhome and I were to post that this practice doesn't appeal to me, but I find it strange, would you assume that I also actually flog myself with a wet magazine occasionally?

I hope that no one posts that there is a member on this site who sleeps with his dogs. I'll be scared to death of commenting in case you think that I also sleep with dogs! Whatever happened to free speech? As I said, there are some strange posts on here occasionally!


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## Northerner (Dec 3, 2011)

Sorry, somehow managed to post the same response twice!


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## Northerner (Dec 3, 2011)

scampa said:


> Sorry Northerner, can't help with that query, but I'm sure someone will be able to answer it shortly for you?
> 
> At a guess though, I'd say that because this section is for new members to introduce themselves, some existing members take the chance to say Hello and welcome them to the site, even though they can't help with their question at the time.
> 
> And don't worry Kimbo, there are several thousand members on this site, and every one of them will be happy to help you if they can. There's only a very small handful who pretend to be grumpy, or seem to look for things to complain about, but it doesn't last long as they soon grow out of it!



And you may notice that I was one of the ones who actually helped, as opposed to just posting a fatuous comment. And in many cases they don't actually welcome them! It's as though they feel a need to comment even though they've nothing to say. If someone joins a forum and asks a sensible question I try to give them a sensible answer. If you look at some of the responses to this one you'll realise why this person may well just give up and join Motorhome Facts!

As for this site having thousands of members, not even hundreds I'm afraid, not that it's important. I would estimate fewer than 100 paying members and just a few hundred in total. This theory applies to all the motorhome forums. Fun boasts that 14,000 people have joined but, when there was a poll recently on which is the best forum, despite it urging all its members to vote over several weeks, it could only drum up about 300 votes. Yes, 14,000 people have joined Fun, but 13,500 have left! There were similar voting numbers for most of the other forums. I can't remember the number for this one but it was very low compared to the others. Not that this is important as this is a more specialised forum but we should at least keep things in perspective.

Finally, I wish certain people would stop sniping at others purely because they may not like them. It's like being stalked. BigPieEater has gone for a while thank God and he was one who'd have a go even if you weren't in the thread! It would be nice if certain people could treat each thread separately and forget the personalities.


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## David & Ann (Dec 3, 2011)

Northerner said:


> Sorry, somehow managed to post the same response twice!



Never mind Northerner, you are forgiven. that is what makes the world go around☺☺☺☺☺ I have done it myself☺☺☺ quite often infact☺☺☺


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## John H (Dec 3, 2011)

Northerner said:


> I was one of the ones who actually helped, as opposed to just posting a fatuous comment. And in many cases they don't actually welcome them!



And I think this demonstrates why you have upset people. I too have frequently wondered why people post "I can't help but I'm sure someone else will" comments but I don't berate them for doing so. If that is their way of saying hello then what on earth is there to get hot under the collar about? On the other hand, people who say - as you have above - "my comment helped; yours was ridiculous" and say it in the aggressive way you sometimes do are people who provoke me to write a comment. Relax.


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## Beemer (Dec 3, 2011)

Welcome Kimbow.
I think it will depend on the depth of your pocket, as to how you intend to heat the rear of your van.
As suggested, a simple way is to extend heater ducts, maybe even easier is a portable 12v heater fan, sold in many caravan accessory shops, Towsure, halfords etc.
We have an erbespacher heater (and hotwater) system fitted in the back of our van, which we have had running whilst driving.  Seems to work ok.  Given the option, I would prefer a gas heating system, but as has already been mentioned, probably not a good idea to have working whilst the vehicle is in motion.
Hope this helps.  Even if not, at least you know that I have acknowledged your post, like others have. :wave:


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## MOS (Dec 3, 2011)

Hi kimbo4444
in the back of my work vehicle(ex welfair bus )i have a heater that works from the engine (same way your cab heater does )its simple and uses heat from the engine and 12v from the alternator ,its a metal box with two water pipes and two electrical conections to it ,i am going to transfer it to the back if my camper for the same reason you are asking ,it seems quite a simple job as its a self contained unit with inbuilt fan ,i have looked around and there seem to be a few in scrap yards ,all the same basic unit with slight different covers ,mine is plumbed in with rubber hose from the heater circuit ,i supose it depends how handy you are with the tools .MOS


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## n brown (Dec 3, 2011)

following suggestions on this thread i tried flogging myself with a wet Practical motorhome,not quite as satisfying as Camping and caravanning,but i did find a wet Woodworker works wonders.


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## Northerner (Dec 3, 2011)

n brown said:


> following suggestions on this thread i tried flogging myself with a wet Practical motorhome,not quite as satisfying as Camping and caravanning,but i did find a wet Woodworker works wonders.



Flogging myself with a wet copy of anything is something that I never do as it happens. I leave this job to my personal therapist, Miss Domina Whiplash, whom I see every Thursday afternoon.


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## darrenxjr (Dec 3, 2011)

*heater*

hi , theres this one thats a quick fix and cheep , might even look at this myself
12v 300w High Power PTC Ceramic In Cab heater | eBay

or there are these which look brilliant  
Heaters : T7Design.co.uk, Lightweight Kit Car Heaters


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## n brown (Dec 3, 2011)

Northerner said:


> Flogging myself with a wet copy of anything is something that I never do as it happens. I leave this job to my personal therapist, Miss Domina Whiplash, whom I see every Thursday afternoon.



when i said wet woodworker i of course meant a damp lady carpenter,Miss Measurement


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## scampa (Dec 3, 2011)

Northerner said:


> Doesn't annoy, me but I do wonder what makes people answer posts with:
> 
> I can't help you myself but I'm sure that someone will be along soon who will.
> 
> Very strange!



To save any confusion when this happens again in the future, I'll try to explain it a bit better....

When a new member joins and asks a question_ in their first post_, if I just reply with "Hi and Welcome to the site" it might appear as if I was ignoring their question, or not interested in trying to help.  That's why some of us add a line such as "Sorry I can't help you with that, but I'm sure someone else will be able to answer it for you soon".

It's not strange, it's just a way of being polite when welcoming a new member who asks a question.

Now if I gave that same response to a question from an established member, then I agree, it might seem strange and unnecessary!


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## Deleted member 13859 (Dec 3, 2011)

MOS said:


> Hi kimbo4444
> in the back of my work vehicle(ex welfair bus )i have a heater that works from the engine (same way your cab heater does )its simple and uses heat from the engine and 12v from the alternator ,its a metal box with two water pipes and two electrical conections to it ,i am going to transfer it to the back if my camper for the same reason you are asking ,it seems quite a simple job as its a self contained unit with inbuilt fan ,i have looked around and there seem to be a few in scrap yards ,all the same basic unit with slight different covers ,mine is plumbed in with rubber hose from the heater circuit ,i supose it depends how handy you are with the tools .MOS



you can sometimes find these in scrapyards, they tend to be in busses? and larger type of minibus things.
hope this mat help.

tranivanman


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## Northerner (Dec 3, 2011)

scampa said:


> To save any confusion when this happens again in the future, I'll try to explain it a bit better....
> 
> When a new member joins and asks a question_ in their first post_, if I just reply with "Hi and Welcome to the site" it might appear as if I was ignoring their question, or not interested in trying to help.  That's why some of us add a line such as "Sorry I can't help you with that, but I'm sure someone else will be able to answer it for you soon".
> 
> ...



I know why you do it and I do know that your motives are for the best! However, perhaps I'm guilty of being a very logical person and my view is as follows: I don't think that people need several others welcoming them to the site. This to me is self-evident and I just assume that everyone is automatically welcome and that there's no need to do it. If I was offering advice, which I did, as I'm sure you noticed, that to me is the most welcoming thing that one can do for a new member. Again, if you're offering advice, to start the post with "Hello XXX, welcome to the forum" is fine but just imagine if every regular member decided to do that, even if they've nothing to contribute to his query?

As I said, I'm a logical person and, as an example, I can see no logic whatsoever to waving to total strangers just because we drive motorhomes. I never did it as a tugger ans refuse to do it now just because 'we've always done it'! But if you break down, or have a problem on a site, I'll be the first to help you and invite you in for a drink as well! But let's not go to the waving debate, it's just an example!

Anyway, That's my view to which I hope I am entitled without being jumped on by those who disagree. They may think I'm a humourless git, but that's their right! Good luck to them!


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## scampa (Dec 3, 2011)

No problems Northerner, we are all individuals with our own views and styles. As long as we have good intentions with our comments, then we should make an allowance for others even if we have differing views.  I'm as guilty as anyone of sometimes writing a comment (often tongue in cheek) then realising afterwards that it could easily be taken the wrong way by someone else!

By the way, I've found all the "sensible" replies to this heating question interesting.  Maybe it should be transferred to a separate thread so that others can join in and also learn from it?  I like the idea of the engine-fed heater....I've been toying with the idea of making a similar system to feed a type of heat-exchange or immersion type water heater, so this makes my idea sound more feasible.


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## John H (Dec 3, 2011)

Northerner said:


> As I said, I'm a logical person and, as an example, I can see no logic whatsoever to waving to total strangers just because we drive motorhomes. I never did it as a tugger ans refuse to do it now just because 'we've always done it'! But if you break down, or have a problem on a site, I'll be the first to help you and invite you in for a drink as well! But let's not go to the waving debate, it's just an example!
> 
> Anyway, That's my view to which I hope I am entitled without being jumped on by those who disagree. They may think I'm a humourless git, but that's their right! Good luck to them!



Hi

As another logical person I can understand your point entirely but a word of advice: if you can't see the joke or you can't understand why other people do things that make them happy then fine and by all means say so - but please think twice before you berate them for doing it and/or give the impression (intended or not) that yours is the only logical way. Sometimes facts need to be corrected but that is a different matter - and just because a fact is wrong doesn't necessarily mean that it should automatically be corrected. For example, if someone posts incorrect legal advice or dangerous technical advice then there is a need to sort that out but if they post an incorrect fact about who won the FA cup in 1938 then who cares? With opinions, I take the view that unless the person concerned is being objectionable (and yes, I'm thinking of the same name as you!) then they are entitled to say what they want. If you feel you have been jumped upon (by anybody other than ......) then it is probably a reaction to the way you have posted in the first place. As is evident, most of the time you post in a reasonable tone and give sensible advice but sometimes you can be seen as overly aggressive. Anyway, Merry Xmas.


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## Firefox (Dec 3, 2011)

It takes all sorts to make a forum tick, I've found. The ones who post fluff and smilies are just as important as the ones who answer technical questions or who are prepared to have a debate and post alternative views, in the nicest possible way of course. The forum would end up quite boring if all people did was say "LOL I agree". Then there are other people who like telling jokes or posting pictures. I often find I am reactive rather than proactive so I'd hardly post at all if it weren't for other people, even if it's just responding to "fluff"!

The other thing I've found is on text, people are just offering an honest opinion. Even if it seems like they are having a dig , they aren't. If you had the same conversation face to face you'd all be laughing. That's text for you!

By the way, plenty of people down here at Stonehenge. We've got a nice fire going. Come down if you are in the area :tongue:


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## Viktor (Dec 3, 2011)

Lol....is it still windy....I came away the last time smelling like a forest fire....had to go to a campsite and
do a complete laundry wash and a shower!


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