Heating Costs Aboard for you ?.

Interesting thread Paul.

We have LPG heating but very rarely use it as we usually go on sites with EHU during the cold weather. Now we are switching the van to all electric though it would be interesting to know if anyone heats their van with electric heaters off grid and for how long?

I do realise that this will be very restrictive and we will be keeping some of the gas system for now and we too will be using an electric blanket for a couple of hours at least.
 
...also looking at your diesel setup I see it has it's own tank built in. Do you get any smell of diesel within the van from it?
 
Hey Matey 😊.
Because I didn’t have the luxury of Running up & bench testing the heater before installation, I just replaced the green fuel lines with white Nylon, Filled the Tank with Fuel, Primed the system, Connected up the Air intake (taken from inside the Fire Box housing I constructed to House the heater with Flor Vent), Fitted the Exhaust through a heat shield that went through the floor with High temperature Gunky stuff, Wrapped the whole lot in Furnace Wool, Tested the TWO strategically placed Co Alarms & the Single Combination Co & Fire alarm & Fired it up with me standing by with a Fire extinguisher & a mate with his thumb on the Remote Stop.

YES, it initially Smoked (Set the Smoke alarm off a I shxt Donuts for a minute or two) & Smelled for the first 10min while it burned off Oils & Whatever for the first 15min Test. I took the furnace wool out & inspected the floor, Walls & anything else I could looking for signs of Warmth or Leeks along the way. But the Initial 15min Test & The second 30min Test Both went without incident.

I then bit the Donut & Ran it for an Hour for the final test & subsequent inspection & noticed around 20 minutes or so into that there was absolutely NO smell at all, & has run Clean & Faultlessly for around 185 hours since often for 5 or 10 hrs at a time again without incident or smell from Unit OR Diesel tank.
 
Nesting Zombie said:
Hey Matey 😊.
Because I didn’t have the luxury of Running up & bench testing the heater before installation, I just replaced the green fuel lines with white Nylon, Filled the Tank with Fuel, Primed the system, Connected up the Air intake (taken from inside the Fire Box housing I constructed to House the heater with Flor Vent), Fitted the Exhaust through a heat shield that went through the floor with High temperature Gunky stuff, Wrapped the whole lot in Furnace Wool, Tested the TWO strategically placed Co Alarms & the Single Combination Co & Fire alarm & Fired it up with me standing by with a Fire extinguisher & a mate with his thumb on the Remote Stop.

YES, it initially Smoked (Set the Smoke alarm off a I shxt Donuts for a minute or two) & Smelled for the first 10min while it burned off Oils & Whatever for the first 15min Test. I took the furnace wool out & inspected the floor, Walls & anything else I could looking for signs of Warmth or Leeks along the way. But the Initial 15min Test & The second 30min Test Both went without incident.

I then bit the Donut & Ran it for an Hour for the final test & subsequent inspection & noticed around 20 minutes or so into that there was absolutely NO smell at all, & has run Clean & Faultlessly for around 185 hours since often for 5 or 10 hrs at a time again without incident or smell from Unit OR Diesel tank.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Paul, sounds a promising option.
 
Some I've fitted have smelled mildly (probably stuff used during manufacture like sealant or coatings on the gaskets etc )
BUT that's always gone after a 10 minute run on high .

The component types (rather than all in one 'suitcase')
Along with a turret mount are the only type that should be used in a campervan/motorhome situation as that allows all exhaust connections to be kept outside the vehicle ....
Though if you look on the Facebook Chinese heater groups there are lots that risk it using the all in one type ...

Mind there's a lot out there not recirculating cabin air ...which seems barmy to me efficiency wise .

I personally would go the the extra effort of connecting into the main fuel tank if you have a diesel vehicle ...for the convenience of topping the fuel up every time I fill the vehicle ...
Just makes life a lot easier ...AND less chance of spillage when filling a seperate tank .
 
mistericeman said:
Some I've fitted have smelled mildly (probably stuff used during manufacture like sealant or coatings on the gaskets etc )
BUT that's always gone after a 10 minute run on high .

The component types (rather than all in one 'suitcase')
Along with a turret mount are the only type that should be used in a campervan/motorhome situation as that allows all exhaust connections to be kept outside the vehicle ....
Though if you look on the Facebook Chinese heater groups there are lots that risk it using the all in one type ...

Mind there's a lot out there not recirculating cabin air ...which seems barmy to me efficiency wise .

I personally would go the the extra effort of connecting into the main fuel tank if you have a diesel vehicle ...for the convenience of topping the fuel up every time I fill the vehicle ...
Just makes life a lot easier ...AND less chance of spillage when filling a seperate tank .
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Yes I think I will go for a connection to the main fuel tank as the smell from any diesel spillage inside the vehicle would make my wife extremely ill.

Having now done the maths (note the 's' Paul 😁) I think that the idea of running an electric heater off grid is a none starter although I will always carry one in the van.

I have asked for a quote for supply and fit of an Autoterm 2D (formerly Planar) from a local dealer but I'm still researching. Ideally I think I would like an Eberspacher or Webasto.

I have a few options for location, could be external under the van, in the 'boot' (which would be under the double bed) or under the front passenger seat. Any comments re noise? Apparently the Autoterm is supplied with a silent pump so no ticking noises.
 
Robmac said:
Thanks for the reply. Yes I think I will go for a connection to the main fuel tank as the smell from any diesel spillage inside the vehicle would make my wife extremely ill.

Having now done the maths (note the 's' Paul 😁) I think that the idea of running an electric heater off grid is a none starter although I will always carry one in the van.

I have asked for a quote for supply and fit of an Autoterm 2D (formerly Planar) from a local dealer but I'm still researching. Ideally I think I would like an Eberspacher or Webasto.

I have a few options for location, could be external under the van, in the 'boot' (which would be under the double bed) or under the front passenger seat. Any comments re noise? Apparently the Autoterm is supplied with a silent pump so no ticking noises.
Click to expand...
Once upon a time ....I would've only fitted an eberspacher ..
As for me the thermostat is important,

AND the quality of some of the early Chinese clones was pretty poor ...

However the last few I've had dealings with (Hcalory and others sold under different names BUT same heater )

Have been a world apart quality wise,
AND the versions I have chosen having a working thermostat ...
Have made me rethink ....especially as a Eber d2 is now around £1000
Compared to the last Hcalory 5~8kw being £95
Complete with everything to fit it barring dip tube for the tank ...
OK some of the ancillary bits are cheaper quality BUT the core unit is excellent IMHO .

Pump wise ....I've yet to come accross one that is truly silent ....but even the standard pumps can be mounted so any tick is minimal .
 
Yeah have to say, I was more a Webasto guy, Good But Outrageous prices.
I paid around £85 for my Haclary Chinese unit, as you say it comes with everything.
As a Livaboard I could run it for say 3500/4000hrs over 3 years then Chuck it & I’m STILL £s up.🤷🏻‍♂️
 
My diesel heater is plumbed straight into the vans diesel tank so not really able to say what it costs. My understanding though is just about all the pumps on the 2/5Kw heaters are the same output so it totally depends on what settings you use/how long you run it. Happy to be shown to be wrong though lol
 
According to the fitters the Autoterm 2Kw uses between .1 - .24 litres per hour depending on the setting I expect they exaggerate a tad though.

They have now quoted at £1095 inc. to supply and fit to my van which sounds a bit high to me given that they advertise that it is simple for self installation! I'm quite happy to install one myself apart from connecting to the Diesel tank.
 
Yeah, So the setting I’ve got mine on (1.7Htz) is around the Minimum, & the Actual fuel consumption on my ‘Spatula Guide’ DOES suggest just over the 110ml per hr ish. So 9 or 10 hrs to the LT, So that would be the 0.1 end I’m assuming.

& yes I believe that the rating of the heater is directly attributable to the speed of the pump I think
 
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2kw is a physically smaller unit than the 5~8kw (almost half the size ;-) )

And as far as I can remember the difference between the 5~8kw units is down to pump size and htz settings in the menus .

Very easy to install in most vehicles if you have the space ...
Transits can be a pain to get access to the main tank ...
Easy on our 2004 ducato though as there's a hatch in the passenger side floor to remove the in tank pump/sender unit

Other than that ....
Hole in floor for the turret and some care routing exhaust etc
 
mistericeman said:
2kw is a physically smaller unit than the 5~8kw (almost half the size ;-) )

And as far as I can remember the difference between the 5~8kw units is down to pump size and htz settings in the menus .

Very easy to install in most vehicles if you have the space ...
Transits can be a pain to get access to the main tank ...
Easy on our 2004 ducato though as there's a hatch in the passenger side floor to remove the in tank pump/sender unit

Other than that ....
Hole in floor for the turret and some care routing exhaust etc
Click to expand...

Mine's a Renault Master LWB and my mate Chris (of this parish) is installing a Diesel heater in his Movano (same vehicle) at the moment so I will see how he gets on with the tank connection.
 
Robmac said:
According to the fitters the Autoterm 2Kw uses between .1 - .24 litres per hour depending on the setting I expect they exaggerate a tad though.

They have now quoted at £1095 inc. to supply and fit to my van which sounds a bit high to me given that they advertise that it is simple for self installation! I'm quite happy to install one myself apart from connecting to the Diesel tank.
Click to expand...
Rob, Liam at Coalition vans advertise supply and fit (plumbed into main tank) for £450
 
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