Diesel or Gas heating?

[Fisherman]

Have you had any problems at all with your diesel Truma combi Bill

Not really Chris.
Just the same problem I had with my Truma gas electric combi in the last van.
I sometimes need to hold the reset switch to do a reset.
It’s not bad in the new van because the boiler is easily accessible Chris.

 

[Neckender]

I fitted a 2kw Chinese diesel heater in my VW T6.1 Transporter 3 years ago and it’s been brilliant warms the van up really quickly and about 0.1 litre per hour use. I also installed 3 years ago a cheap Chinese 8Kw diesel heater unit in my 22’6” x 10’6” insulated precast concrete garage , it heats up my garage really quickly and now a pleasure to go in there and tinker with my bikes.

 

[merl]

Thats the bit I wanted to know but with a scientific explanation. Two identical vans, side by side both with their heating set at 22c. One diesel heating, one Gas over say 8 hours. How many litres does each use? I would have expected LPG to burn better but apparently its not about that. I Googled it and it says " Diesel fuel is more energy-dense than propane. One litre of diesel contains about 10 kWh of energy, while one litre of LPG contains about 7 kWh. This means a diesel heater can generate more heat from a smaller volume of fuel.

It'll depend on the efficiency of the heaters and how/ where you buy your gas.
Assuming the appliances were similar in efficiency (probably approximately so?) and you purchased your gas in bulk into refillable tanks I don't think there'd be a lot in it because the calorific value per £ is similar. Buying bottled gas however will give poor results because it's relatively expensive, especially as the bottles get smaller.

 

[jann]

We've had both.
The cost and efficiency are not as important as being able to buy the fuel.
When we're in Europe, it's better to have a diesel heater,because we can always buy diesel even in remote areas.

 

[barryd]

We've had both.
The cost and efficiency are not as important as being able to buy the fuel.
When we're in Europe, it's better to have a diesel heater,because we can always buy diesel even in remote areas.

100% this! We are tight with Gas as its going to run out and you have to faff on refilling it or lugging bottles. If its coming out of your diesel tank you can literally fill your boots. When you think about it why have they not been putting in Diesel heating for yonks? I do however seem to remember they at least used to be noisy. That would be a big no for Michelle as she's a light sleeper. I think though its maybe moved on a bit. I Can remember being next to one a few times and hearing it.

 

[merl]

100% this! We are tight with Gas as its going to run out and you have to faff on refilling it or lugging bottles. If its coming out of your diesel tank you can literally fill your boots. When you think about it why have they not been putting in Diesel heating for yonks? I do however seem to remember they at least used to be noisy. That would be a big no for Michelle as she's a light sleeper. I think though its maybe moved on a bit. I Can remember being next to one a few times and hearing

Ours is underslung so outside the van. You can hear it when it fires up and runs full chat but as it reaches temperature it modulates down and settles at a tick over and then it's completely inaudible, even through the night.

 

[mark61]

They have been fitted for yonks, buses, trucks, cars have been available with petrol or diesel heaters probably since the 40's and first started being used for motorhome heating from late 60's 70's. My parents early 80's MH had diesel heating. Some will be fitted to preheat engine coolant as well as living area, though they probably won't do both as once.
Wouldn't be surprised if many MH manufacturers offer it as an option, but seeing as gas is pretty much always fitted for cooking the gas heating option would be much cheaper.

 

[barryd]

Ours is underslung so outside the van. You can hear it when it fires up and runs full chat but as it reaches temperature it modulates down and settles at a tick over and then it's completely inaudible, even through the night.

Our gas heater makes a fair old racket when it first gets going to be fair. Well it sounds a bit like a fan heater.

 

[runnach]

I have posted this outfit before, if I were to have issues with our blown air system, or even have a derv one installed as a back up (no need to tap into vehicle tank, separate stand alone one available, I would use this company.

Diesel Air Heating Specialist

Challenger, Eberspacher, Webasto, diesel heating specialists for sales and repairs.

aclsmotorhomeandmarine.com

 

[alcam]

Interesting. How easy is that and is there a way to add it into the current blown air system? I suppose it doesn't matter if a diesel system takes longer as long as once its up to speed it can maintain a temperature. You could heat it up quick with gas then switch to diesel. If I was on diesel though and needed heat I would just leave it on all the time, even when out as you are never going to run out of diesel. Kind of like what we do now on EHU. I just set the thermostat around 22c when we are in the van and knock it down to about 15 overnight. I generally leave it on around 20c if we go out so the van is warm on our return. The Gas heating is great but your just so limited to the size of the gas bottles.

Couldn't even tell you which diesel heater I have but it heats my van in a few minutes .
Don't really see any sense in having a gas heater too .

 

[Sharon the Cat]

We are just about to part-ex the Rubbish Rimor against a Pilote. Looking at new vans recently, a lot of them have diesel heating, solar and lithium now.
We are buying a 5 year old van with gas/leccy blown air heating with a blissfully accessible boiler.
I've been looking at diesel, heater fitted under one of the cab seats (coldest part of the van), taking fuel direct from the tank. I saw an online ballpark price of about £1,800 supply & fit, Webasto I think. Interestingly, it had a cut-out when your fuel tank goes below 25%. That seems a bit high to me.

As soon as it gets cold I worry about the gas heating consumption, and finding an LPG station to fill up our 11kg GasBank cylinder. We would have both systems (only a 6m van) as we'd still use the Truma for hot water, which I believe is not as thirsty as the heating.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Does a diesel heater use less diesel than a gas heater uses LPG then Bill to heat the same space at the same temperature because if you use refillable gas like most of us do its cheaper than diesel. The cost is not a factor to me though, its the available quantity but I just assumed they would use about the same.

I asked

how reliable is diesel heating in a motorhome compared to LPG Heating



Thinking
Searching

Both diesel and LPG heating systems are generally reliable when properly installed and maintained, with their own specific maintenance needs and potential issues.

Reliability Comparison

Feature	Diesel Heaters	LPG Heaters
Maintenance	Require periodic high-temperature runs to prevent carbon buildup ("coking up") and regular servicing.	Require less maintenance in terms of carbon buildup, but components like regulators and hoses must be replaced every 10 years.
Cold Weather	Less reliable in extreme cold if fuel is not treated with anti-gelling additives, as diesel can "wax" or freeze.	More reliable in extreme cold as LPG has a much lower freezing point (approx. -188∘negative 188 raised to the composed with power C), though a high butane mix can be an issue in cool weather.
Common Issues	Prone to ignition failure (glow plug issues), carbon buildup from low-setting operation, and power management problems due to high start-up current draw.	Issues often stem from an empty tank, low battery voltage affecting the fan/igniter, or a malfunctioning sail switch/regulator.
Fuel Availability	Highly reliable fuel source as it taps into the main vehicle's diesel tank, which is widely available at fuel stations.	Fuel availability can be an issue in some countries (needing foreign connections/adapters), making it less reliable for extended continental travel unless you have an underslung refillable tank.
Installation	Reliability is highly dependent on correct installation, as poor sealing can lead to smoke/CO leakage and noise issues.	Considered safe and reliable when installed by a qualified professional, with an emphasis on regular gas inspections.
Longevity	Known to be long-lasting if serviced correctly.	Also have a long lifespan, provided components are inspected and replaced as required.

Summary

• LPG heaters offer a generally quieter operation and require less frequent specific maintenance (like 'full-power' runs), and perform better in extreme cold, but fuel sourcing on the continent can be a logistical challenge with standard bottles.
• Diesel heaters are excellent for off-grid and winter use due to superior fuel availability from the main tank, but they demand a reliable power supply (especially during ignition) and specific maintenance to avoid carbon buildup issues.

LPG vs Diesel heaters for winter travel Pros & cons
Apr 11, 2021 — Pros for LPG * LPG heaters works quieter in general and there is no ticking noise. * Cleaner burning fuel as a result...


Ultimately, a professionally installed and well-maintained unit of either type provides reliable heating. Some motorhome owners opt for a dual fuel system for maximum redundancy and flexibility.

 

[Sharon the Cat]

I was on a Pilote FB group earlier and saw a post saying that there are only 5 lpg stations in the whole of Denmark, and they're closed at weekends.
I'm off to check the app now.

 

[alcam]

We are just about to part-ex the Rubbish Rimor against a Pilote. Looking at new vans recently, a lot of them have diesel heating, solar and lithium now.
We are buying a 5 year old van with gas/leccy blown air heating with a blissfully accessible boiler.
I've been looking at diesel, heater fitted under one of the cab seats (coldest part of the van), taking fuel direct from the tank. I saw an online ballpark price of about £1,800 supply & fit, Webasto I think. Interestingly, it had a cut-out when your fuel tank goes below 25%. That seems a bit high to me.

As soon as it gets cold I worry about the gas heating consumption, and finding an LPG station to fill up our 11kg GasBank cylinder. We would have both systems (only a 6m van) as we'd still use the Truma for hot water, which I believe is not as thirsty as the heating.

Should have said my water is heated by gas . Would have been happy to have it diesel heated as well .
The 25% figure does seem to be standard

 

[Sharon the Cat]

Diesel heating definitely looking good if you are intending to stay in Denmark for a while. I'm wondering if there are other countries where lpg is really difficult to get.

 

[barryd]

Couldn't even tell you which diesel heater I have but it heats my van in a few minutes .
Don't really see any sense in having a gas heater too .

Yes I suppose it is a bit daft having Gas and diesel. I was more interested in how it distributes the heat. I presume they can be connected into the existing heating ducts network using all the existing heating vents and pipes around the van?

 

[ProDave]

Here are my ramblings on Diesel Vs Gas heating.

My older caravan had Truma gas water and space heating. They worked well, they were separate units, they operated from simple controls and did their stuff reliably and silently. Great.

My last caravan was more recent, about 2000, and had what was current then. Still Truma gas powered and separate. The water heater had more fiddly controls, but it worked okay. The gas heater was awful. The controls were most non intuitive and not explained well in the manual. It was basically a gas convector heater that could be used just as that, with an addition of the blown air kit. It was how the 2 worked together and interacted that was poor. And the basic controls for the gas heater here poorly made. And my final gripe was the ignitor for the gas fire was battery powered with really awkward to reach batteries. Why oh why not 12V powered.

Now my present demountable motorhome. That came with a gas hob, the only gas appliance in it, and a Truma diesel powered water and space heater. In true Truma fashion the manual explains the operation badly but I have got the measure of how it works now. It heats the MH and water okay once you figure out the idiosyncrasies but it is noisy. The plus point is is sips fuel very efficiently. It has a 2 gallon diesel tank and we have used less than half of that in all our trips this year. It will do weeks on a tank full and of course it is easy and cheap to re fill.

The only downside for us is the diesel tank takes up almost half of the "gas locker" meaning there is only room for one gas bottle. I refill my own bottles so we can always start a trip with a full bottle and know the hob won't empty that in one trip, but if you did not self refill you would have to carry the spare gas bottle somewhere else.

 

[mark61]

We are just about to part-ex the Rubbish Rimor against a Pilote. Looking at new vans recently, a lot of them have diesel heating, solar and lithium now.
We are buying a 5 year old van with gas/leccy blown air heating with a blissfully accessible boiler.
I've been looking at diesel, heater fitted under one of the cab seats (coldest part of the van), taking fuel direct from the tank. I saw an online ballpark price of about £1,800 supply & fit, Webasto I think. Interestingly, it had a cut-out when your fuel tank goes below 25%. That seems a bit high to me.

As soon as it gets cold I worry about the gas heating consumption, and finding an LPG station to fill up our 11kg GasBank cylinder. We would have both systems (only a 6m van) as we'd still use the Truma for hot water, which I believe is not as thirsty as the heating.

Not suggesting it's a good idea, but you could have it fitted to cut off at any point. On aftermarket fitted ones, I'm pretty sure it's the length they cut the standpipe to that dictates the cut off point, both Eberspächer and Webasto recommend the stand pipe is cut off at 25mm above the bottom of the tank.

When heater is fitted by vehicle manufacturer they probably use CAN bus signal, or digital. Unlikely aftermarket instals tap into CAN bus.

 

[Nabsim]

Not suggesting it's a good idea, but you could have it fitted to cut off at any point. On aftermarket fitted ones, I'm pretty sure it's the length they cut the standpipe to that dictates the cut off point, both Eberspächer and Webasto recommend the stand pipe is cut off at 25mm above the bottom of the tank.

When heater is fitted by vehicle manufacturer they probably use CAN bus signal, or digital. Unlikely aftermarket instals tap into CAN bus.

Yes as this. Mine was fitted by Panks and it cuts off for the heater at about an eighth of the tank left

 

[alcam]

That woul

Yes I suppose it is a bit daft having Gas and diesel. I was more interested in how it distributes the heat. I presume they can be connected into the existing heating ducts network using all the existing heating vents and pipes around the van?

That would seem logical Barry but pretty sure most on here will have a better idea than me .