Diesel heaters.Yes or no?

[Camper634]

With LPG seemingly becoming harder to find,I wondered what experiences forum members have had with diesel heaters.All in one seem to be quite popular at the moment,but i am not sure if they are the answer.Any experiences or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Basildog]

What sort of modern fridge uses gas continually?
They are designed to cycle on and off
We regularly when sitting outside hear
the fridge igniters relighting fridge..

Dometic were certainly manufacturing a fridge last year that didn’t have automatic ignition so was on constantly, it also wasn’t AES so you manually select the power source and as such it would not switch off gas operation at fuel stations either

 

[Landy Andy]

Diesel heaters are certainly noisy. The cheap Chinese ones home installed which I have fitted, and even the proper ones fitted as standard to new vans. It was very noticeable when away over xmas/new year in the alps who was running diesel heaters.

 

[Pausim]

Surely it will depend on the efficiency of the heater you are using without taking that into the equation and comparing different units it doesn't mean a lot.

The efficiency of the heater is certainly a factor. As far as I can tell the Truma Combi 6D has a very similar efficiency to the gas version. My main point was that simply comparing the price per litre of the two fuels takes no account of the very different heating values.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Dometic were certainly manufacturing a fridge last year that didn’t have automatic ignition so was on constantly, it also wasn’t AES so you manually select the power source and as such it would not switch off gas operation at fuel stations either

Ours was the same. Think it was RMS 8400. You're better off with a big manual selector knob. Auto ones are nothing but trouble from what I've read on here.

Tin hat on

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[Pausim]

Diesel heaters are certainly noisy. The cheap Chinese ones home installed which I have fitted, and even the proper ones fitted as standard to new vans. It was very noticeable when away over xmas/new year in the alps who was running diesel heaters.

People who have the Truma Combi 6D report that the noise level is similar to the gas version. The only thing they sometimes comment on is a small ticking noise from the fuel pump.

 

[Landy Andy]

People who have the Truma Combi 6D report that the noise level is similar to the gas version. The only thing they sometimes comment on is a small ticking noise from the fuel pump.

It maybe inside the van, but we could very much notice which vans were on gas, and which on diesel whilst walking around the Aires, on our winter trip. Quieter than the Chinese version on my Landy, but still significantly noisier than gas.

Thinking about the diesel heater in my Landy, that isn’t particularly noisy at all inside, but is outside.

 

[dunnah01]

Seriously, my comfort is more important, if anyone can’t bear the start up of a diesel heater, they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their problem. I will have no quibbles starting up the heating. Never seen any rules forbidding this anywhere.

Must have been you I parked next to

 

[Raul]

It maybe inside the van, but we could very much notice which vans were on gas, and which on diesel whilst walking around the Aires, on our winter trip. Quieter than the Chinese version on my Landy, but still significantly noisier than gas.

Thinking about the diesel heater in my Landy, that isn’t particularly noisy at all inside, but is outside.

I think you generalise, personal experience and real life example: we have the propex blown air heater 2.8kw gas powered, that noisy compared to pur chinese diesel heater I installed. I use two silencers with a 22mm pipe in between. You have to be very close to the van, yo notice that the diesel heater is on.
On start up is like any other diesel heater, all start the same.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We have a deisel heater. Brilliant.
I dont find ours noisy . I insulated part of the exhaust with a wrap around heat proof tape and it works a treat. I bought an additional silencer and tube to further reduce the sound but found i dont need it so it's a spare.
tapped into the main tank through the elbow on the breather pipe in the inspection cover between the seats( saves drilling the tank or taking anything out except the elbow which is a removable part and can be easily replaced)

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[tezza-alli]

Fitted a Lavana Pro 5Kw I bought off Steve & Denise last year. They decided to go with the 2Kw version as their van was slightly smaller than ours. Steve did his homework on this brand and I can say they are far superior than the other Chinese heaters of which I've bought a few. The installation kit is up to the German standards and the heater itself has a superior casting and control board (I took it apart to look!)

The 5Kw throws out some serious heat and works well with our 8.5m van. Once its up and running you hardly notice any noise. I fitted ours under the L shape seating which then heats the under floor area and comes out of the vents around the windows and floor. The pump etc is all under the centre of the van.
As for the fuel pump they do tick but you can improve this with an extra rubber mounting. Ours is fitted to the chassis so solid and very quite, don't fit it to anything like a wood panel or it will drive you mad!
The heat outlet can get very hot when on heat up so make sure its positioned away from surfaces and your legs .

The reason for fitting an extra heater was to conserve the Auto gas due to it getting harder to find and to have constant heating when boosting the hot water. I run ours on Kerosene as we have oil heating at home. Kerosene is around 66-70p at the moment so cheaper than gas and hopefully slowly coming down in price again.

The 2Kw is probably enough for most vans(depending on the insulation quality), slightly smaller in size for finding a space for it and should use a little less oil.

In my opinion well worth fitting.

 

[Pausim]

It maybe inside the van, but we could very much notice which vans were on gas, and which on diesel whilst walking around the Aires, on our winter trip. Quieter than the Chinese version on my Landy, but still significantly noisier than gas.

Thinking about the diesel heater in my Landy, that isn’t particularly noisy at all inside, but is outside.

If the reports about the Truma Diesel Combi are correct then you wouldn’t know whether it is a diesel or gas version from the outside. The diesel and the gas now have the same flue and are supposed to make the same noise. Yes the Eberspacher and Chinese type can be noisy without an air inlet silencer but not all diesel boilers are of this type.

 

[Landy Andy]

If the reports about the Truma Diesel Combi are correct then you wouldn’t know whether it is a diesel or gas version from the outside. The diesel and the gas now have the same flue and are supposed to make the same noise. Yes the Eberspacher and Chinese type can be noisy without an air inlet silencer but not all diesel boilers are of this type.

Don’t know which model heaters they were, but some were only very much newer and flasher vans than mine, not the sort of thing that you would screw a £90 eBay cheaply heater on.

Don’t get me wrong, they weren't crazy noisy, but noticeable compared to gas ones.

 

[Soycd]

We have had two motorhomes/vans with diesel heaters (Webasto and an Eberspacher) as well as three running LPG. The new Adria Twin 640 we are picking up next week is LPG. Adria do put diesel in some models of PVC but would not in ours. I have toyed with an underslung LPG tank but, I'll give it 12 months and then may take out the Truma 4e and replace it with a diesel model, the Truma combi D4E (heating/hot water) Fittings are the same apparently. Overall we prefer the diesel heaters, for a number of reasons. We would only need a 6kg gas bottle for cooking, thus saving valuable space. We only need concern ourselves about one fuel level, diesel. We can leave the diesel heater running whilst travelling without the need for a crash regulator. It just seems a more efficient way of providing heating/hot water. We travel a lot in Europe, however, LPG supply could be becoming an issue in UK if I went refillable/underslung. The ticking pump issue arises if the fuel pump has not been suitably dampened and can be remedied. Now, in terms of the cheap Chinese diesel heater I have in my shed, no way would I consider it for the van. It's a bit volatile at the best of times! Folk will have their reasons/preferences in the LPG/diesel discussion, there isn't a right answer.

 

[starquake]

It maybe inside the van, but we could very much notice which vans were on gas, and which on diesel whilst walking around the Aires, on our winter trip. Quieter than the Chinese version on my Landy, but still significantly noisier than gas.

Thinking about the diesel heater in my Landy, that isn’t particularly noisy at all inside, but is outside.

We parked next to a 2 diesel running vans at a UK aire in January. We noticed their heating noise inside OUR van. Ours we did not.

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[gus-lopez]

Why to noisy? According to who? We use ours in Aires, campsites, park ups etc.

I used my chinese diesel heater this morning.Turned the van in to an oven
Even outside when it has settled down I don't hear mine. I have to check it is running by putting my hand under the exhaust outlet

 

[marpool]

I have had the same experience as others, on an aire in Spain parked up next to a German van with a diesel heater running constantly what a racket, had to move in the end to get some peace.
James

 

[scotjimland]

It is not in doubt...actually obviously more than 50x as compressor fridge don't use ANY gas..
My comment was directed at scotjimland statement "fridges use more gas than people think" ! And I was simply pointing out that 17days on a 6kg bottle is very reasonable gas usage...... For an absorption fridge...IMO...

... my statement was directed at those who think a fridge runs on a whiff .. , not people like yourself who know how much they actually use..

some don't know or even consider just how much LPG a fridge uses .. large fridges have a healthy appetite

the 6kg Calor bottle has been in my van for the last two years .. and still not empty

 

[VXman]

What sort of modern fridge uses gas continually?
They are designed to cycle on and off
We regularly when sitting outside hear
the fridge igniters relighting fridge..

Hmm, my very expensive current model Thetford 3 way fridge does very little cycling. I have monitored it and gas is on for about 10 mins and off for maybe 3. It still doesn't use a lot of gas. Effectively the gas when on is little more than a pilot light.

Technical specs say it uses 400g per 24 hours.

 

[Basildog]

Diesel heaters are great but there’s far too much rubbish on the market at the moment, diesel heaters, lpg water heaters, lpg hobs , etc .

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[scotjimland]

It still doesn't use a lot of gas...................................Technical specs say it uses 400g per 24 hours.

so using that figure, a 6 kg bottle would last 15 days

6 kg Calor refill is £28

which works out at £1.87 per day

 

[scotjimland]

Turned the van in to an oven

handy for a Sunday roast

 

[BillandHelen]

On the subject of noise, inside the noisiest component is the fan, just the same as on gas, but we also can hear in the background the ticking noise of the fuel pump. Ours was installed by Truma Uk, most experienced fitters, it’s rubber mounted but it’s still noticeable. Doesn’t disturb Helen at all, I’m finding it reassuring that it’s all working!

On noise outside, I’ve been able to compare it to a vw conversion with an eberspacher, it was very noisy, could hear it 3 pitches away. On the Truma, if on comfort setting, I’d say it’s practically silent, if you have it on high and it’s going full chugg then you can hear it through the flue, but you could hear my gas one when it was going full power too.

We have on one occasion have it get its knicker in a twist, cloud of white smoke coming out the flue, switched off, reset and all was well. As I say only happened once, so fingers crossed.

Im now converted to diesel for heating, no longer even think about how much fuel (gas) I’ve got in my underslung tank, we never let the diesel level in the van get low so we will always have power, don’t even run it off electric, well sometimes overnight to keep the water warm if on site.

our next quandary is whether to go totally gas less and just use induction hob and microwave, lots of new vans seem to have compressor fridges, haven’t yet decided, we do like our gas oven.

 

[Soycd]

Diesel heaters are great but there’s far too much rubbish on the market at the moment, diesel heaters, lpg water heaters, lpg hobs , etc .



View attachment 869247

I read somewhere (?) That once the patent on Eberspacher diesel heaters had run out, this opened up the floodgates in terms of the Chinese and Russians churning out cheaper versions that in some cases are quite dangerous. Certainly the instructions for some of the £100 heaters are ambiguous, to say the least!

 

[ivorantony]

It maybe inside the van, but we could very much notice which vans were on gas, and which on diesel whilst walking around the Aires, on our winter trip. Quieter than the Chinese version on my Landy, but still significantly noisier than gas.

Thinking about the diesel heater in my Landy, that isn’t particularly noisy at all inside, but is outside.

That’s because you are driving a Land Rover speaking as a Discovery MK1 owner

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[Gromett]

Diesel heaters are great but there’s far too much rubbish on the market at the moment, diesel heaters, lpg water heaters, lpg hobs , etc .



View attachment 869247

That picture looks familiar from a facebook group I am in. I believe it was a bad install compounded by a forced shutdown (power just cut)?

 

[ivorantony]

I fitted my Eberspacher In a empty space were the drivers footwell would normally be on my A Class,
With both Induction and exhaust silences and the fuel pump secured with the correct flexible mount,

It’s pretty much quite outside except for the initial startup that’s certainly no worse than a normal diesel engine starting near you, Once running it’s quite outside and inaudible inside,

 

[Dazzola]

I've had 2 chinese ones in my last 2 vans, both self installed, wrap the pump in sound proofing foam to reduce the tick.
The exhaust is a little noisy on startup but quietens to a gentle hum on lowest setting (the only one you need overnight)
Certainly cannot be heard inside mine or other vans nearby.
You can add a second silencer which can reduce the dB by 3, which is half the sound level.

 

[Basildog]

That picture looks familiar from a facebook group I am in. I believe it was a bad install compounded by a forced shutdown (power just cut)?

I thought he said it was a fault in the unit ,
But I just used the picture as an example as have seen a few

 

[AdrianChen]

I thought he said it was a fault in the unit ,
But I just used the picture as an example as have seen a few

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[RogerIvy]

I recently changed my Truma LPG combi for a JP diesel combi.
Works really well. Definitely a good decision.
The boiler itself is as quiet as the original Truma. The pump, as expected, has a bit of clicking so needs to be mounted for quiet operation.