LPG
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r4dent
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A 500w heater is only any use if you are out of the van all day and even then it will not provide heat for long.
I estimate that heating my van from 0800 - 2200 hours in Winter uses 2 kg of gas per day which is the equivalent of 28 kwh.
To put it another way, during the winer my van requires a 2kw heater on full time to keep cosy,
A 500w heater (via an inverter) will use around 45 amps.
Therefore, a 100 ah leisure battery will be flattened if you use a 500w heater for 1 hour.
This allows nothing for other power demands; cooking / fridge / etc
If you don't have Gas and you want to use the van in winter get a diesel heater.
What ever you decide to install do the sums before committing.
jagmanx
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Just commenting that if the Wallas cooker/heater doesn't quite warm say the rear of the vehicle.
Then a top up may work.
Leccy is not an option for heating.
Maybe Wallas and a diesel heater ?
barryd
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I would agree with that about a 500w heater. We hadnt done a winter trip for a while but were away three weeks+ over christmas and New Year and pretty much had to have a 2kw electric heater on full whack to keep the van cosy while we were in it. I think it was better using the gas fire but 500w would not keep you warm in our van by a country mile. Its a big space to fill though the Kontiki 640 with two lounges.
jagmanx
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Yes the 500 watt just as a topup if the Wallas is not quite enough.
I post from limited experience as it was only in october/november 2001 that we endured winter.
Luckily we used a campsite which was both cheap for camping and ehu,
We used our Truma gas combi but topped up with a 500watt leccy heater but only in bursts.
As Neil @Nabsim has posted wallas may not be warm enough in winter.
r4dent
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What you need is a tea light under a plant pot.
A tea light produces about 30w of heat.
To keep a moho warm requires about 2,000 w.
So you will need 2000 / 30 = 66 tea lights and cost under £1 an hour to run.
There are also other problems e.g. too many candles under a plant pot can cause the candle wax to reach flash point with the resultant explosion destroying your van.
Can a flower pot and tealight candle create enough heat to save you in a cold emergency?
We’ve been testing various prepping memes, like turning oranges into candles and using Doritos to start fires. Around this time of year we often see people share memes about using tealight candles and a terracotta pot to craft a DIY heater. So we built a couple of different versions ourselves...
theprepared.com
Millie Master
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Like so many Youtube videos, total and absolute garbage made by people who know absolutely tiddly-squat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fazerloz
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Stop getting them crap Ikea ones then and get some proper heat churned out.A tea light produces about 30w of heat.
To keep a moho warm requires about 2,000 w.
So you will need 2000 / 30 = 66 tea lights and cost under £1 an hour to run.
There are also other problems e.g. too many candles under a plant pot can cause the candle wax to reach flash point with the resultant explosion destroying your van.
Can a flower pot and tealight candle create enough heat to save you in a cold emergency?
We’ve been testing various prepping memes, like turning oranges into candles and using Doritos to start fires. Around this time of year we often see people share memes about using tealight candles and a terracotta pot to craft a DIY heater. So we built a couple of different versions ourselves...
When all your tea lights flash over and blow your van up at least you will be warm.
Robmac
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I used the Seitz windows for my conversion Wilhelm, and I'm very happy with them.
My only complaint is the blinds can be a bit fiddly sometimes.
DTF
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I have the Seitz S4 (double glazed windows) in my self build and they are OK. I think there is now another version that better fits the curves of panel vans.
You will find plenty of information on youtube about cheap Chinese diesel heaters. For a very good website with regard to Eberspacher heaters, ducting etc: this https://www.letonkinoisvarnish.co.uk/eberspacher_intro_1.html is well worth looking at.
For hot water and diesel air blown heaters you might want to look at Bobil heaters: https://www.bobilvans.co.uk/product-page/bobil-air-hybrid. There is a 12V and 240V option. There are reviews on youtube. However, this may be the system you have seen bad reports about! There is also now a diesel version of the gas Truma combi system and a Chinese version!
Much depends on how you are going to use you van but there are certainly many more options available than when I did my build.
I've around 25mm of insulation in the walls, ceiling and floors in a MWB boxer. The 2kW diesel heater will get the temperature above 20deg when the outside temperature is around zero. The 800w and 1.5kw (supposedly) 240V oil filled radiators wont get the temperature past 17-18deg.
You will find plenty of information on youtube about cheap Chinese diesel heaters. For a very good website with regard to Eberspacher heaters, ducting etc: this https://www.letonkinoisvarnish.co.uk/eberspacher_intro_1.html is well worth looking at.
For hot water and diesel air blown heaters you might want to look at Bobil heaters: https://www.bobilvans.co.uk/product-page/bobil-air-hybrid. There is a 12V and 240V option. There are reviews on youtube. However, this may be the system you have seen bad reports about! There is also now a diesel version of the gas Truma combi system and a Chinese version!
Much depends on how you are going to use you van but there are certainly many more options available than when I did my build.
I've around 25mm of insulation in the walls, ceiling and floors in a MWB boxer. The 2kW diesel heater will get the temperature above 20deg when the outside temperature is around zero. The 800w and 1.5kw (supposedly) 240V oil filled radiators wont get the temperature past 17-18deg.
witzend
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I'd stay with gas for fridge an cooking & heating. Perhaps UK lpg pumps might get to be scarce but you can always fall back to bottled gas which will always be available at a price. I have always used French Intermarche bottled gas which is much cheaper than UK with bottle deposits around €5 available at most of their Supermarkets with filling stations some even have self service racks now.
groyne
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First off, Plenty of LPG/Autogas on the continent.
Like the OP, I pondered over whether I could build an LPG free L3H2 van, and the simple answer was No, not for our particular circumstances. As we are off grid as much as possible, I looked at Diesel and/or electric for our cooking, heating, lighting, hot water and refridgeration needs, but nothing fitted the bill. In the end I went for a 22l underslung gas tank (the biggest that will fit without major modification). This supplies a Truma E4 for heating and hot water, and a Thetford Triplex oven/hob/grill for cooking. Electrics are two 120ah batteries supplied by 2x140w solar panels, van alternator and site electric when plugged in. They run the 12v led lights, various 12v sockets and a 12v compressor fridge. I went for a compressor fridge because of all the problems I had with the gas fridge in the old van.
The van is now 5 years old, so more modern equipment might now be available. In the summer I'm going to do a refit and try to insulate the cab area better, after our or recent cold trip to Italy.
Like the OP, I pondered over whether I could build an LPG free L3H2 van, and the simple answer was No, not for our particular circumstances. As we are off grid as much as possible, I looked at Diesel and/or electric for our cooking, heating, lighting, hot water and refridgeration needs, but nothing fitted the bill. In the end I went for a 22l underslung gas tank (the biggest that will fit without major modification). This supplies a Truma E4 for heating and hot water, and a Thetford Triplex oven/hob/grill for cooking. Electrics are two 120ah batteries supplied by 2x140w solar panels, van alternator and site electric when plugged in. They run the 12v led lights, various 12v sockets and a 12v compressor fridge. I went for a compressor fridge because of all the problems I had with the gas fridge in the old van.
The van is now 5 years old, so more modern equipment might now be available. In the summer I'm going to do a refit and try to insulate the cab area better, after our or recent cold trip to Italy.
shaunr68
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I would definitely go for a refillable system. People have been claiming for years that LPG is being "phased out" yet there are still hundreds of pumps across the UK and tens of thousands on the continent where a refillable system is pretty much essential for a long multi-country trip. I regularly see complaints online from people who don't have an LPG pump within a few miles of their house. There is no logic to this being a concern. We tend to use our motorhomes to go places, all it takes is a bit of planning and fill up en route.
I have a Truma gas heater in the motorhome but also added a diesel heater. Best of both worlds - if I have plenty of gas or there is an LPG pump on my route, I'll heat using gas which is cheaper. If not, I'll fire up the diesel heater.
Ironically despite all the doom and gloom we may actually see a reversal of recent trends and an increase in LPG pumps in the UK over coming years. With the continued demonisation of diesel and EVs out of the price range of most of us mere mortals, petrol/LPG hybrids may well be making a comeback. Dacia have recently introduced a bi-fuel range of vehicles to the UK market. https://www.dacia.co.uk/dacia-lpg.html
I have a Truma gas heater in the motorhome but also added a diesel heater. Best of both worlds - if I have plenty of gas or there is an LPG pump on my route, I'll heat using gas which is cheaper. If not, I'll fire up the diesel heater.
Ironically despite all the doom and gloom we may actually see a reversal of recent trends and an increase in LPG pumps in the UK over coming years. With the continued demonisation of diesel and EVs out of the price range of most of us mere mortals, petrol/LPG hybrids may well be making a comeback. Dacia have recently introduced a bi-fuel range of vehicles to the UK market. https://www.dacia.co.uk/dacia-lpg.html
shaunr68
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What about trips over 2 days? Depends on what type of camping you do and for how long I suppose. I've been abroad and off grid the whole time since early November, running a gaming laptop for hours every night and a portable twin tub every couple of days. Despite having a lot (665w) of solar and 460Ah Lithium I don't think it's a good idea having something as critical as a fridge being reliant on the weather. A week or two of dull conditions and you would really struggle. With less solar, you might run into trouble after a few days. I can think of two or three occasions on the current 4 month trip where I would have struggled to power a fridge on top of everything else. Meanwhile my 160 litre 3 way fridge freezer can run 24/7 for a solid month in the pitch black if need be on one full tank of gas. Something it might need to do if I pay a return trip to Norway to see the Northern lights in winter.
Derekoak
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Our main electric use is a fridge. It is never a problem because after a few days we charge when we have the engine on for moving. Even with that much solar you need some alternator driven backup.What about trips over 2 days? Depends on what type of camping you do and for how long I suppose. I've been abroad and off grid the whole time since early November, running a gaming laptop for hours every night and a portable twin tub every couple of days. Despite having a lot (665w) of solar and 460Ah Lithium I don't think it's a good idea having something as critical as a fridge being reliant on the weather. A week or two of dull conditions and you would really struggle. With less solar, you might run into trouble after a few days. I can think of two or three occasions on the current 4 month trip where I would have struggled to power a fridge on top of everything else. Meanwhile my 160 litre 3 way fridge freezer can run 24/7 for a solid month in the pitch black if need be on one full tank of gas. Something it might need to do if I pay a return trip to Norway to see the Northern lights in winter.
shaunr68
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Since early November through France, Spain, Morocco and Portugal I have never used EHU or had to drive a 4 tonne motorhome just to run the fridge. Ran a bit low a few times after 4-5 dull days, a compressor fridge would have been the straw that broke the camel's back and forced me onto sites. I carry enough gas to run the fridge for a month and can plan ahead to make sure I have enough for the trip without being reliant on the weather. As I said, depends on what type of camping you do and for how long I suppose.
barlicker
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He was forced to remove his video because he did not state the facts correctly and put a lot of people in limbo as regards the use of LPG. He then pulled out an ECOFLOW battery station which only a week ago he had been slagging.
He released another video calling people who commented in the negative fools and uneducated and that he had been bullied.
All the comments in the later video had only positive comments for him.
I have unsubscribed. He is a complete joke.