Heating?

Gary217

Guest
Hi - we're going to use the van a fair bit soon, can use a fan heater when hooked up but when wild camping we have no heating. With the best will in the World, even in nice weather a van is not the warmest place in the evening.

The proper heaters are extortionate (e.g. Eberspracher) so wondered if anyone has any other cheaper, but safe!!, alternatives for stand alone parking/heating?

Thanks
 
I share your dilemma.

I've tried the portable gas heaters but they just fill my van with fumes and produce a mass of condensation.

I feel they're better suited to tents with more ventilation.
 
Sadly I too can offer no immediate remedy.

If you are thinking of using a gas heater, give consideration as to whether there is adequate ventilation as the type Barryd posted is flueless and could fill the van with fumes. Which eventually could be carbon monoxide.

For cold weather you need to use propane, and this will require a regulator simply because the pressure in the canister is around 4.5 bar and the fire will run at only 37 mbar.

Hope this all helps rather than hinders

Channa
 
This is something I've been looking into over the last year or so.

My uninsulated van is soon drenched in condensation which freezes into quite thick ice inside the windows and on the walls in the winter. However, I've had to conclude that the only heaters safe to use would be along the lines of a diesel Eberspacher (no use with my petrol engine) or a gas/diesel Webasto Air Top, involving an outlay of about £1200-£1500 fitted.

It's a lot of ££ so I've been holding off investing in the hope that somebody might have found a better option - but it's not happened, yet....
 
As I thought..

Thanks for the responses - it's as I thought. I'd just hoped there was a cheaper option. Time to start saving the pennies....
 
truma

truma make a fixed propane heater that looks quite easy to fit , takes its air in and vents out through a hole in the floor,,so no fumes or condensation, pick them up on ebay. worth investing in some sort of insulation, to cut back on condensation, and also to keep the heat in, you will always need a bit of ventilation to keep the place fresh.
 
It may be worth looking again at the Eberspacher option. A lot of people fit the diesel version with a little separate fuel tank just for the heater (a metal fuel can for example).

My van is diesel so no problems there. I bought an Eberspacher Airtronic D2 from Ebay for only a few hundred pounds, and fitting it was not nearly as challenging as I had feared.

It makes a BIG difference out of season! We have wilded all winter this year in Cornwall with a record night of -8c. We were lovely and toasty in the van.

Rich.
 
Our mid 80s Westfalia has an Eberspacher - standard fitment - along with wall, floor and roof rockwool insulation. Hot air ducts into the living compartment and one into the shower/toilet - Ah the bliss of having a hot shower/sit down in a little hot box first thing on a freezing morning!

Most of the caravan diesel heaters have purpose built tanks, just a few litres keeps you going for days.

Skipperjonce - how about a quick write up on fitting the Eberspacher as it may help others who want to do a DIY fitment but are put off by thinking it will be complex?
 
Hi Roger,

For some pics of the installation have a look at my build log/blog website under the 'Eberspacher' page: Clicky.

For anyone tempted to fit their own, make sure you are buying the full kit, i.e. the heater unit, full loom, fuel pump and correct diameter pipe, a controller (either digital or rheostat type), inlet and exhaust pipes, and the vent outlet piece.

In a very basic summary you will need 2 large and one small holes in the van floor to route the inlet, exhaust and fuel line; a fused 12v supply with sufficient ampage, either a self-contained fuel tank to be mounted outside of the living area or a tap into your vehicle's fuel supply, and sufficient space to mount the heater allowing for air-flow to the inlet.

Take the time to read the instructions at least a couple of times before you start and with a little bit of skill and patience it shouldn't be too big a deal. There is also a link to official fitting instructions on my build web-site.

If you're not too comfortable messing around with fuel lines i'd suggest doing the grunt work yourself and enlisting a local mechanic to plumb you in and bleed the system.

How is the weather in Queensland at the minute? I'm on a job off Dampier at the moment. Bloody hot but at least the cyclones have let up a little!

Rich.
 
The gas Propex heaters already mentioned are very easy to fit and IMO more reliable than the Eber's. I've just put one in ours to supplement the purpose built wood-burner. The Propex has the advantage of being able to be used whilst in motion but whatever you use I would recommend fitting a Carbon Monoxide Alarm. A few years ago a couple of surfers gassed themselves down this way, they were using the cooker to try and keep warm and left it on overnight, sadly a fatal mistake.
 
Trippytinker said:
The gas Propex heaters already mentioned are very easy to fit and IMO more reliable than the Eber's. I've just put one in ours to supplement the purpose built wood-burner. The Propex has the advantage of being able to be used whilst in motion but whatever you use I would recommend fitting a Carbon Monoxide Alarm. A few years ago a couple of surfers gassed themselves down this way, they were using the cooker to try and keep warm and left it on overnight, sadly a fatal mistake.
Click to expand...

Would like to know your insurance company's opinion of the gas not issolated whilst in motion, but hey what do I know? With fixed LPG tanks it's not so bad as there are safety measures involved, but domestic gas bottles???

There are plenty of Diesel heater kits about, Webasto have a lower consumption of 12v when in use. They have been type approved for this sort of use with years of development under their belt and use very little in terms of fuel to run.
As for DIY installation, the hardest part is the fuel take off point (has been mentioned that a good technician can do this after you have done the main bulk of the installation).
Second hand kits vary between £275 - £500.00. A brand new kit will set you back approx £980.00 plus then any air pipes/ducting etc. If you travel round Europe, this is a little more convenient to use, as diesel is available practically anywhere.
 
Hi Tinker,

I have heard good things about the Propex too. As for reliability (along with all serviceable equipment) either system is only as reliable as the guy who services it! A regularly serviced Eber should go on indefinitely.

As for using whilst in motion I can't help but think you have the two confused. It is not recommended to move your vehicle without first isolating your gas supply, as in the event of a crash a ruptured propane/butane line could quickly make a nasty incident lethal! The Eberspacher system is perfectly safe to use on the move.

Cheers, Rich.

EDIT: Oops, double posted with NickandClair there. Nice to see we have the same opinion about driving with the gas on!
 
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Skipperjonce said:
Hi Roger,

For some pics of the installation have a look at my build log/blog website under the 'Eberspacher' page: Clicky.

How is the weather in Queensland at the minute? I'm on a job off Dampier at the moment. Bloody hot but at least the cyclones have let up a little!

Rich.
Click to expand...

Thats a really great self build - very professional, a tribute to your skills.

Weather in Queensland - up North they are copping it yet again with flooding, some places got around 300mm of rain in the last two days. We've got a friend who's just been posted to Karumba and she has to drive through floodwaters to work each day - safer than facing a croc when wading!! Down South we are suffering from 28C today, sea temp about 26C but its humid at about 85%.
 
Start saving then...

Thanks for all the replies. It seems a proper heater diesel/propex is the way forward so we'd better start saving. With stuff like that I'm not knowledgable enough to do it myself so will have to get it fitted to make sure it's safe - gas and/or fuel isn't something to mess with. So we're prob in for £500 ++.
 
Personally I find Eberspacers a bit too noisy and not that reliable, but then I've only been able to afford 2nd hand. Propex are cheaper & a doddle to fit but whatever type of heating you decide on DO fit a Carbon Monoxide Alarm. A few years ago some teenage surfers died using a camping heater in their van, you don't know it's happening until it's too late.
 
I have had a 12v eber in my last van, and a 24v version in the new one. OK - you can hear them, but I use the water versions (hydronic) so I get hot water as well as heating.....

you can also run them, legally, on red diesel (tractor / boat fuel) which is about 80p / litre as time of posting (with a separate tank).

I sold my last 12v hydronic for 150 quid. I have some heater 'bars' - like long thin plinth heaters for sale - 6 feet long, ideal for camper vans (new one has them already installed).
 
I have fitted several Propex heaters over the years. They are ideal where space is at a premium. Installation only requires the drilling of 2 holes through the floor or wall of the van to take the combustion air inlet duct and exhaust outlet duct to just beyond the van body line. The heater is a heat exchanger ie the air that is used in combustion is kept completely seperate from the warmed air in the van, hence no condensation and no noxious fumes.
There are a few negatives with the older Propex heaters, they are thermostatically controlled,and with 1 heat setting so they constantly switch on and off. The fan is noisy,and consumes about 1.5 Amps current. The only advantage over the Truma heater was cost.The very latest mods may have addressed these problems.
 
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