Is gas still an option?

Okta said:
I disagree but we are allowed to disagree and expressing different opinions is part of a healthy discussion.
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Disagreement about opinions is good.
Disagreement about facts is stupid.
 
Geek said:
Anyone with any concern for the environment isn't going to use a BBQ, surely?
How can you have mains electricity without the daily standing charge?
[Later] Ah, I see you are paying that.
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I use a gas BBQ as a compromise, but my main concern isn't the environment it's my pocket (long term). same as the EV 39,000miles and only spent £43.08 running the thing so far.
 
Boris7 said:
I use a gas BBQ as a compromise, but my main concern isn't the environment it's my pocket (long term). same as the EV 39,000miles and only spent £43.08 running the thing so far.
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The thing about EVs is that you trade low running cost for high other costs, some financial.
Very easy to say your electric bill is 3p per day, forgetting 53p standing charge.
Very easy to say your EV fuel is £43.08, forgetting the standing costs, depreciation, insurance premiums, tyre replacements, time spend finding and waiting at charge points (though not much of that for £43).
In the long term, we are all dead. No pocket in a shroud..
Enjoy your EV.
 
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The difference we found between a diesel heater and a gas heater, we can leave the gas on overnight, and not be woken up by a noise like a small jet engine !
 
Geek said:
Disagreement about opinions is good.
Disagreement about facts is stupid.
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What facts do you think I have I got wrong. Have you checked with the outlets that use the words “transport only” and “no bottles or cylinders” to see what they actually mean? I am not talking about MFG/Morrisons here, they clarified their position ages ago, I refer to the ones in Scotland.
 
jann said:
The difference we found between a diesel heater and a gas heater, we can leave the gas on overnight, and not be woken up by a noise like a small jet engine !
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My diesel heater does not sound like a jet engine and does not wake me up when it fires up in the night.
 
Okta said:
What facts do you think I have I got wrong. Have you checked with the outlets that use the words “transport only” and “no bottles or cylinders” to see what they actually mean? I am not talking about MFG/Morrisons here, they clarified their position ages ago, I refer to the ones in Scotland.
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Interpretations are opinions, not facts.
 
Geek said:
The thing about EVs is that you trade low running cost for high other costs, some financial.
Very easy to say your electric bill is 3p per day, forgetting 53p standing charge.
Very easy to say your EV fuel is £43.08, forgetting the standing costs, depreciation, insurance premiums, time spend finding and waiting at charge points (though not much of that for £43).
In the long term, we are all dead. No pocket in a shroud..
Enjoy your EV.
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I have never struggled to find a charge point, or had an issue with waiting or charging time. It's Just a myth, unless your shortsighted enough to wait till your out of charge and then think about what to do. Sure charging takes a little longer than putting petrol in. 20-80% is about 16mins at a Supercharger but remember at that point I've done 200miles and generally don't need to charge to 80% After 200miles + of driving I wouldn't just fill with petrol, I'd have a toilet break and find a coffee/snack by the time you've done so the EV is charged. The cost of the charge is offset against what I put back in the grid at home.
The insurance is lower than SWMBOs 4x4 same as the purchase price and they both depreciate her 4x4 cost £41k in 2014 and is still in use (until she gets her new Volvo EX60 Cross Country next year)

Why you would think that as a retired businessman who ran a large fleet of commercial vehicles all over Europe and beyond for 30years plus wouldn't understand stand and running costs I've no idea, and my Chartered accountant wife will I'm sure look to you for advise in future.
 
Okta said:
My diesel heater does not sound like a jet engine and does not wake me up when it fires up in the night.
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And I am trying to understand why some (mine) do sound like a jet engine starting.

What make and model is yours please and where is it located?

And when you know it is running, can you open the cupboard / locker etc and tell us honestly how noisy it is when you are right next to it please?
 
ProDave said:
And I am trying to understand why some (mine) do sound like a jet engine starting.

What make and model is yours please and where is it located?

And when you know it is running, can you open the cupboard / locker etc and tell us honestly how noisy it is when you are right next to it please?
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IF we were talking about a Eberspacher Airtop type heater....

I'd be asking...

Do you have good quality combustion intake and exhaust silencers fitted?

Is your heater fitted somewhere that acts like a soundbox?

Do you have a short heated air duct run

Etc etc

I can't hear our eberspacher d2 outside the motorhome unless I'm closer than around 1m...

I can hear air movement inside and some combustion noise inside when I turn it up full (very rarely)

BUT mine is installed behind the carver gas fire front and I made no efforts to put any sound insulation in....

The D2 in our previous transit was under the passenger side seat box and was pretty much inaudible Barring the noise of the air coming out....

To be honest in the 30 plus years I've spent dealing with diesel heaters...
The bulk of noise issues have been from heaters not fitted with combustion air silencers...
A lot of folks ignore the combustion air intake.... Or fit poor quality silencers...
Ever driven a car with no air filter on it...?

Intake air roar is probably 50% of the noise on a diesel heater....
That intake roar is then passed through the heat exchanger and into the cabin along with the heated air.
 
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I will report back after our iminent trip away when I will take more notice of what is making ours noisy.

Unless there is a concentric inlet and exhaust silencer inside that big black pipe (unlikely) then lack of silencer may well be the problem, but I am sure up to now it is the fan itself whining not any roar from the burner.
 
Could be a dodgy bearing or an out-of-balance fan, it could even be rubbing on the casing, needs investigation as it shouldn't be too intrusive, bad internal sound insulation, common in most coachbuilds, doesn't help, even the Shurlfo pump is supposed to be rubber mounted, but I've had vans where it's screwed directly onto the floor.
 
@ProDave
On the Truma Gen 2 Combi the exhaust duct runs within the air intake duct and the whole assembly should run quietly (mine does). They share the external cowl but through separate channels. I think adding any additional silencing would be very unwise. It might unbalance the balanced flue and create dangerous gases. Personally I wouldn’t make any modifications and would seek expert advice from a Truma specialist if you think there is a problem with the exhaust.
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Out of curiosity I have just measured the noise levels of our with a decibel meter app on the phone. Nothing special but a decent indicator to noise level. Note the lack of bends in the exhaust and ducting which are the cause of a lot of noise.
The Combi is under one of the rear seats, Measurements were taken 1m away from the Combi,
General backgtound noise light traffic boiler off 38/40 db
Combi on hot water heating 40/42db
Combi on hot water heating with seating removed and boiler exposed 42/44db
Look up those figures to see what they relate to noise wise.

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Pudsey Bear said:
It's not so much the LPG, but how much you can carry, an underlung tank plus a couple of cylinders would do most of us a couple of months, dependent on how much cooking and heating you do of course.
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Auto sleeper only fit underslung tanks no facilityto carry bottles, they now do an option of truma gas or deisel heater ,
 
Wow! I didn't think my original post would generate so much interest and knowledge, opinions etc. Thank you one and all.
On Monday, Whilst in Scotland, I ran out of gas in the underslung tank, coincidence or what, or I had half an idea fate would soon dictate.....
I took a ferry from Bute to Wemyss Bay, travelled in my XLWB Iveco camper to Morrisons in Kilmarnock only to find that pump 11 zeroed up but would not dispatch any gas. I held the button in for 7 minutes! Went to the cashier but no help available so I turned round and tried pump 12. It too zeroed up and I kept the button depressed for nearly 15 minutes (a few seconds short of) and in that time it delivered 0.1 litres at a cost of 11p!
My mind is made up, my next camper will not have gas of any kind!
 
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