Diesel Heaters for caravans

We have the one retailed through Dometic. Make sure you get the remote timer (not just the remote ON/OFF). There's nothing like having the heater come on 30 minutes before you get out of bed.

We wouldn't be without ours.

Got a diesel heater in when we had the Kedron built.really like it.very efficient on battery's & fuel.make sure you fit an inline filter & use fuel conditioner in it so the diesel stays fresh. certainly used ours in TAS last year.friends had gas heaters & they work well but use a lot of gas.
Cheers Danny

Terry,

We have a Webasto in our camper trailer. Fantastic for those cold times. Economical with diesel at around 5 hrs per litre.

Prices vary considerably. I was quoted $2600 from a retailer in Perth but paid $1600 to a Qld Ebayer, but I know someone who purchased from the UK for around $1100.

Paul

Terry,
We have a Dometic produced Eberspacher diesel heater in our van, excellent heater and has a modulator kit which allows you to adjust the temp to your requirement.
Where abouts are you in Tassie, if in the south Alpha Fibreglass 10 Ascot Drive HUNTINGFIELD (03 62291513) supply and fit them or if in the north contact a guy by the name of Peter Booth trades as Tas Mobile Caravan Service out of Westbury (0458615003).
Hope this helps.
Cheers.
Baz

We have the Eberspacher unit, it is very economical to run, using only about half a litre an hour on high, but it doesn't stay on high for very long. It will raise our 20' van interior temperature by about 5 degrees in half an hour, gets to the set temperature and then goes to a lower fan speed and heat output.
The thermostat has a bit too large a differential, but you learn to work around that.
I only have one outlet vent in the van which is positioned to blow down the length of the van, but I also have another vent, which can be blocked off, installed on the outside of the van which heats the annexe (when required) admirably.
Make sure the exhaust is on the off side of the van and not under a window as the fumes can be a bit annoying.
The fans on both types are a bit noisy when on high speed, but they don't stay there for long.

Pros -
Doesn't use precious gas, which can be a concern if running a 3 way fridge and are a long way from civilization.
You can go into a service station and partly fill a diesel tank, and only pay for what you get, whereas with gas, you pay for a full bottle no matter how much you actually receive.
The diesel in the tank becomes an extra reserve for the vehicle (assuming a diesel tug) if you leave yourself short.
Gas becomes increasingly more expensive than diesel the further away from the cities that you get.
You can legally install it yourself, no gas fitter's licence required.

Cons:-
The diesel is more smelly when in operation than the gas unit. This is more a concern for other campers nearby than for you, but the upside is that it entices them to not be too close. They just sit there shivering and cursing.
You have to carry an extra tank for the diesel, but then you also need more gas for the other unit.
The diesel fuel pump emits a ticking noise which can be a bit annoying to those of us who can still hear such things, so don't position it under the bed if you are going to run the heater at night.
I think I have covered most of it, hope it helps.

Terry - When you're searching for a previous discussion somewhere, always use Google for the search, not the particular forum search.

Google will find the item you're looking for in an instant, if you use the right keywords.

When you search for previous threads here, just preface your search with "exploroz" and the words you're looking for.

Search - Exploroz and diesel heater

Cheers, Ron.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/WorldWideDieselHeatersSparesSupply
I met the guy that operates this shop in Turkey recently.
He ships to Oz at no cost and has a good reputation for price and service.
I have not yet bought anything from him, but will probably buy a Webasto combined hot water/central heating unit for the OKA at some time in the future.

Cheers,
Peter

Hi Terry

I fitted one to my Jayco Eagle, it works a treat but I wouldn't want to camp near me when it's on. There is a ticking noise from the pump which is difficult to try and make quiet. The intake needs a silencer otherwise it's to loud. I have a Webasto.

I think the gas ones are not so noisy. I would try and find one in a van a get them to fire it up to see what you think. We have ours on just before bed and in the morning when its cold.

Good luck.

Alex

Ladies and Gents
What can I say I am flabbergasted as I was not expecting the amount of replies so quick to my request for advice on the diesel heaters and their pros and cons. Also Ron for his advice when I am trying to search for info (no wonder inter-coolers ect were coming up in my searches ) ,thanks Ron shall do as you suggested in the future .
Gone Bush (WA) replied:
We have the one retailed through Dometic. Make sure you get the remote timer (not just the remote ON/OFF). Thanks Gone Bush was not aware that there was a remote timer for these units but can definitely see that one would be handy
There is a lot of good advice been passed on here have decided to check out one being sold in Launceston Tamar Marine (no affiliation or kick back ) Eberspacher twin outlet $1.600 this includes the digital temp readout come control panel.
So will let you know once I check it out on Tuesday also going to install it myself (that will be interesting ) thank you all for your help and advice very much appreciated
Terry

Hi Terry,

We tend to agree with Brian more or less on the pros and cons.

We have retailed the Dometic product for a long time now and wouldn't go past it. We would say 95% of our customers are happy with the product and would recommend it to friends.

When purchasing this sort of product, if you are looking at buying offshore there will often be no warranty in Australia. Manufacturers make that very clear to their customers. If you are looking for a good price I'm sure our staff could assist you one way or another for a fully 'warranted' unit. We do our best to keep pricing fair so people continue to purchase locally.

You can see a link to the heating products here:

http://www.caravanandrvworld.com.au/air-conditioningand-heating/room-heaters

Or for more information please call 1300 259 499.

I'm sure we can assist you.

Cheers,
C&RVW

My bro installs and repairs diesel heaters in RV's full time
He says the Webasto is heaps more reliable and trouble free than Dometic
He also says don't install 2 outlets as lose all heat in cupboards unless insulate pipes well
He installs if layout allows under bed so blows down full length of RV

We had electronic times and dumped it for manual temperature control
Electronic timer was pain in the bum setting and operating