Caravan Diesel Heaters

I beg to differ as there is no governing body that controls the installation of a diesel heater - gas yes but not diesel.
Another option that has recently been discussed on Caravanners Forum is to use your gas hot water system and circulate the hot water through a radiator the same as your car heater works.
You need a small 12V pump to circulate the water and a fan to blow air through the radiator to collect the heat.
Very cheap option and from what i have read, it works very well. Have seen someone using an auto transmission cooler. If you had access to a wrecked car you could probably pull the heater and fan out of that to use.

You can buy the full kit for around $500 but using bits and pieces you could do it much cheaper. If you have a HWS you should already have gas on board.

Assuming that the water from the HWS is potable before the mod, then after the mod it may be tainted from running through hoses, etc.

Just a thought.

The dedicated heaters that work that way (eg Webasto) circulate hot green auto coolant through the room heater and may also run it through a heat exchanger to provide hot water, a lá Kimberley Karavan.

FWIW, I don't think that heater in my van is particularly powerful, though the water it produces is way hot enough. For a larger van a more efficient diesel to air heater may be more appropriate.

Cheers

Dodger was talking about diesel heaters not gas ones. Mine burns around one litre per 8 hours. If we use your 20 cents per hour that makes diesel $1.60 per litre.

This subject has been thrashed to death in all the forums. If your heater is properly installed with an exhaust silencer it is only the supersensitive wingers who go looking for them that hear them. They are no where as noisy as most of the air conditioners and no one objects to them being fitted to vans. I have not asked tent dwellers if they have heard mine but when I ask neighbours in pop-tops they all say they have not heard it running.

Peter, do you mean intake silencer?

Yes, the Webasto needs both an intake and an exhaust silencer. The installation manual is quite specific about that, but not every installer reads it!!!!

Cheers

Thanks Frank. Ours is the Eberspacher and it comes with the exhaust silencer, but having just read the installation manual, the intake silencer is optional. Looks like I'll have to go buy an intake silencer.
So I've just ordered the genuine Eberspacher D2 silencer - $83 delivered from a UK seller. Didn't want to risk the $25 Chinese version.

No Phil, ours only has an exhaust silencer, that is all that comes in the installation kit.

"Yes, the Webasto needs both an intake and an exhaust silencer. The installation manual is quite specific about that, but not every installer reads it!!!!"

Which page is that on? The subject has been discussed in the four forums I frequent over the last 5 or so years and that is the first time that that gem has come up.

Good point Doug but nobody has even mentioned the use of a portable gas heater.
A properly installed diesel or gas heater that is designed to be installed into vans are quiet safe to use.
A diesel heater can be a DIY but gas needs to be installed by a certified gas installer.

The heaters being discussed here must be installed so their combustion air and their exhaust discharge are out in the open air, just like gas fridges. No one has suffered from properly installed and maintained heaters like these.

No one has suffered from properly installed and maintained heaters like these.


Except the campers nearby who have to listen to the noise !! lol

Gronk, how do you get on with air conditioners? They are much louder than the diesel heaters.

Don't hear air conditioners when free camping. Yet to hear someone run their gennie all night for one.

You might have a quiet heater, but the ones I've heard sound like a jet plane coming in for landing. Louder than a gennie....even a Honda.

I use a doona for cold nights....works a treat.

Haha Gronk, that reminds me of an old housemate years ago. I came home one night and here he is sitting in front of the tv with a radiator on in his singlet and shorts!

Getting older does make me realise though that low temps and the body don't get on that well, and whilst a short trip once or twice a year or just w/ends away are able to be handled ( always nice to get home ) those on the road for extended periods have to have a ability to keep comfortable.

Especially when the weather is foul for a few days as well.