Diesel heating retro fitting in coachbuilt - anyone done it?

MisterB said:
It's a big base vehicle from what I've seen. Max and Sophie seem to be doing everything they can to make 'their' perfect camper. Having a workshop where they can work inside is invaluable, especially as they are not working on it full time.
There are always things that could have been done differently, if you wanted to be critical, but it's their van and they're doing what they want, so good luck to them !!
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Yes personally i think they are doing an amazing job on it ...of course it does help having a family workshop , tools etc to use and im guessing he has a bit of joinery training etc too but a lot of good ideas in their build
Im following several builds on varios at the minute
 
Northernraider said:
Yes personally i think they are doing an amazing job on it ...of course it does help having a family workshop , tools etc to use and im guessing he has a bit of joinery training etc too but a lot of good ideas in their build
Im following several builds on varios at the minute
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The Vario seems to be favoured a lot by Councils. (as minibuses) which means they are likely to be well maintained if you get an ex council one !
 
Top Hat said:
I'm told you can have a silencer fitted anyone had any experience of one with a silencer
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I thought that they all had silencers on the exhaust ?
Mine is fitted in side a Transit pvc behind the passenger seat ( UK drivers side) mounted on the 8" box section with a hole cut in to it for mounting. this is ideal as underneath there is a oblong stamped cut out where all the pipework exits.
I intended mine to be connected direct to the diesel tank but having had to fit ,basically at the side of the road ,it with few tools as I was in the uk I am running it off a 5 litre plastic fuel can fitted under the bonnet as the 10 l was too big. I do really need to sort someting out as in connect to fuel line or a much larger seperate tank.
 
Yeah i don't want a minibus though as theres too many windows ....im building one thats pretty stealth to be honest.

But most ive seen in germany are one owner FSH etc and thats what ill be trying to get if i can ....i missed a cracker last week as didn't want to buy it unseen but i think the next one that comes up suiting my requirements ill just buy it
 
I cant remember what the heating was in the hire van we had in New Zealand but there was a heat exchanger plumbed into the vans engine cooling system. As per the narrow boats it provide hot water when the engine was running.
I didnt get chance to check it out properly but the sink unit had no cupboard underneath that was the hot water tank and blown air unit. There must have been another way of heating water because we didnt start the van for morning showers.

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gus-lopez said:
I thought that they all had silencers on the exhaust ?
Mine is fitted in side a Transit pvc behind the passenger seat ( UK drivers side) mounted on the 8" box section with a hole cut in to it for mounting. this is ideal as underneath there is a oblong stamped cut out where all the pipework exits.
I intended mine to be connected direct to the diesel tank but having had to fit ,basically at the side of the road ,it with few tools as I was in the uk I am running it off a 5 litre plastic fuel can fitted under the bonnet as the 10 l was too big. I do really need to sort someting out as in connect to fuel line or a much larger seperate tank.
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Theres pros and cons to a seperate tank but i think when i fit one it will be tapped in to the main tank
 
We fitted a diesel heater 5 years ago and its turned out to be one of the best extras I've invested in. A local professional installed it and fed it from the main diesel tank. He also fitted an extra trunk to the van rear. We have heat whilst travelling and instant heat when parked.
We didn't fit a Chinese variety as he gave us a 5 year warranty on his brand.
 
Two on Tour said:
The silver box around mine is a combined heat and sound insulation which I fitted around the heater unit and it quietens it down a lot, plus I install two silencers and wrapped the exhaust pipe in exhaust wrap to absorb the combustion noise.
Running flat out, our heater still sounds a bit on the loud side, but with the heat it chucks out you would never have it running full blast for long. Normally it's running just above tickover and you have to be standing next to our van to hear it and it can't be heard at all in our MH.

View attachment 458023
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Mine is installed in a false floor behind the driver seat, the majority of the noise comes from the exhaust pipe external of the van best described as a small jet engine and easily heard,
gus-lopez said:
I thought that they all had silencers on the exhaust ?
Mine is fitted in side a Transit pvc behind the passenger seat ( UK drivers side) mounted on the 8" box section with a hole cut in to it for mounting. this is ideal as underneath there is a oblong stamped cut out where all the pipework exits.
I intended mine to be connected direct to the diesel tank but having had to fit ,basically at the side of the road ,it with few tools as I was in the uk I am running it off a 5 litre plastic fuel can fitted under the bonnet as the 10 l was too big. I do really need to sort someting out as in connect to fuel line or a much larger seperate tank.l
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If there is one fitted I would hate to think what it sounded like before it was fitted.
IMG_20210119_100500.jpg
 
Top Hat said:
Mine is installed in a false floor behind the driver seat, the majority of the noise comes from the exhaust pipe external of the van best described as a small jet engine and easily heard,


If there is one fitted I would hate to think what it sounded like before it was fitted.
View attachment 458071
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I don't believe they have silencers fitted just exhausts and from what i can see its a straight pipe through the exhaust box ...that wont reduce sound. But a small silencer can be fitted additionally.

Ive watched videos on youtube where they dismantle and compare the chinese ones and the webasto heaters ....theres lots of differences.

I dont use sites so the noise isnt much of an issue for me ....ill be fitting a woodburner also so there will be options

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Northernraider said:
I don't believe they have silencers fitted just exhausts and from what i can see its a straight pipe through the exhaust box ...that wont reduce sound. But a small silencer can be fitted additionally.

Ive watched videos on youtube where they dismantle and compare the chinese ones and the webasto heaters ....theres lots of differences.

I dont use sites so the noise isnt much of an issue for me ....ill be fitting a woodburner also so there will be options
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Like you I have also fitted a back up heater, in my case a 800w Alke mini catalytic gas heater something just incase of a emergency.
 
OllyHughes said:
Thanks. I did a search last night and found Mr Jones web page but he for some reason won't post to the UK Mexico or South America, which I found odd.
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He is no longer sending the Afterburner units to the UK because he is now required to collect VAT on behalf of the UK government and do the reams of paperwork that goes with it and understandably as he was building and selling the units as a hobby, he is not prepared to take on the roll of a tax collector.
The way around it if you want one is if you know someone that is in i.e. France, Germany or Spain etc, then have them buy one and then for you to pick it up while on your hols or have them post it onto you when they receive it.
There is always more than one way of skinning a cat as they say.
 
bigwood said:
There has to be a reason why diesel heaters are not fitted to the big name campervans and motorhomes. I think it will be down to cost. They can be exspensive and also you may not find a dealer that is able to repair them.
We have hired narrow boats with diesel heating via radiators and hot water. Due to the build of a narrowboat you can only hear them running from out side.
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AS used to fit them,,,Think Murvi fit them and quite a few more,,We have one on our Symbol and love it..Had them on trucks for years and they were very reliable..Need using often..BUSBY.

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jumar said:
We thought the same...too close....open toilet...let SOG do it's best.....
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Yes ill miss that with next van as im building a compost toilet in that lol.

I have to say though Jackie's vw California has a factory fitted diesel heater in that and it is noisy ...i can here it from inside my van

Not sure what make it is .... probably eberspacher id imagine.
 
We had an eberspacher engine pre heater in the Land Rover- had it on a timer for a while to pre heat before hubby went to work. It used to wake us up with the sound of a jet engine when it started up, but then settled down to a loud drone. I put my foot down in the end - I’m sure the neighbours were grateful! 😱
 
mitzimad said:
truma used to do one the down side is in summer you get heating on
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You fit a diverter flap valve so you can vent the leftover heat out of the van in the summer months.

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Try this company https://planarheaters.co.uk/
I have fitted quite a few of them to vw t5s, transit customs and fiat duactos. They are very very easy to install, better quality than the Chinese ones and as good as a webasto type one and considerably cheaper. Air heating only and fuel plumbed into vehicle fuel tank.
 
We had an Eberspacher fitted on a boat to provide heating and hot water. It was noisy....sounded like a jet engine on startup and the ticking of the fuel pump was annoying.
Had one on a pvc in New Zealand and that was noisy also but heated the van so it was toasty even in winter on South Island.
 
I have a new Chausson 711 which I bought in Sept 2020. Hasn’t had much use yet for obvious reasons!
It is fitted with a Webasto space heater ( doesn’t heat the hot water). I haven’t used it in earnest yet, but on a test It is very quick in heating the vehicle - although seems a little noisy! It is fuelled directly from the vehicle fuel tank, but will not operate if the fuel tank is less than a quarter full. It can be used while driving so probably useful for winter touring to preheat the vehicle before stopping.
 
MisterB said:
Does anyone have any experience of diesel heating in a Moho or has anyone retro fitted one to work direct off the vehicle diesel tank.
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I've had 2 fitted, both Webasto, the second one is quieter than the first.

They don't sound noisy from inside the van. :whistle:

The first one was fitted and sold by a specialist in vehicle electrics - I found the second on as a special offer on Ebay and had it fitted by the specialist.

IMHO - one of the best inventions since the bread slicer.

MisterB said:
We are looking at getting a new Moho in the summer.
I do like the concept of the diesel heating and hot water in the Chausson, but it's not a feature offered on what we are hoping to buy.

Does anyone have any experience of diesel heating in a Moho or has anyone retro fitted one to work direct off the vehicle diesel tank.

That way we would only need lpg for cooking (if not in why)
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bridgedino said:
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Good old Gadget John rears his ugly head again. There is no way I would trust anything that guy does.
I take it you have not seen his video on his lithium battery install which was discuss on a Funster thread a year or so ago, that proved that he can be clueless.

Anyway I have just watched his heater install video and I'll give you my views on some areas of his install.

Luckily his kit came with the correct fuel line and that fuel line has to be used all the way not just the last part as he suggested unless you use a fuel line of the same internal bore and is not a rubber or flexible type like silicon tubing as these will kill the pulse of the fuel dosing pump due to the fuel line expanding and contacting and taking the energy out of the pump pulse. He does not seem to understand that the fuel dosing pump delivers ,022ml of fuel per stroke and the pump rate ( 1 stoke @ 1 Hz = 1 stroke per second ) is controlling the amount of fuel delivered to burn so adjusting the heat delivered. He has also fitted the fuel filter the wrong way around for the flow of fuel.

The mounting plate supplied for the heater should be chucked away if your install through the floor of a MH as the are designed to be used on a thin metal skin of a van or lorry.
For a thicker insulated floor as in a MH you should use a metal turret as the photos below and the hole drilled through for it should allow for a 3mm air gap around the ring section that goes through the floor to stop heat transfer from the hot exhaust which is getting towards the wrong side of 500 C as it exits the heater, and does he not realise that aluminium foil is an excellent conductor of heat.

1611130350446.png
1611130626615.png


Moving on to his fuel tank. I do not see it as a good idea of hanging 15Kg on a plastic door skin which are usually about 2mm thick. I wonder how long that stays attached after a few bumpy roads and speed humps, and as for his leave the cap loose, did he miss the vent hole and non return valve in the cap. I have had 5 or these Chinese diesel heaters come through my hands and all have have a vented cap. Here's a cap cap from a tank that I did not use for an install.

1611134885675.png
1611134907384.png


To prime the fuel for the first firing of the heater, you put it into priming mode which stops automatically after a set period. If the fuel has not reached the heater then you prime again. You watch the fuel as it makes it's way along the fuel line and when it reaches the heater you stop the priming. If you over prime you can flood the heater which will then not start and you have a problem that need not happen.

The gauge and length of the power cable supplied with these Chinese heaters can cause problems with the voltage drop on startup and shut down when the glowplug pulls about 10 amps and was graphically illustrated when he showed the voltage dropping to 11 volt at the heater. If his hab battery was giving a health 12.5 - 12.8 volt, than a hab battery voltage any lower will cause a shutdown on startup as the glowplug does no reach a heat to ignite the fuel. This potential problem can be overcome by replacing the original power cable with 4mm2 on shorter runs or 6mm2 on longer runs.

I noted that he is utilising the existing Truma ducting. The Chinese heater ducting has an internal diameter of 75mm where as the Truma ducting has an external diameter of 65mm meaning the it's internal diameter is nearer 60mm. Using the Truma ducting greatly reduces the cross sectional area from that of the 75mm ducting which is likely to increase the back pressure of the airflow and slowing down the air speed down the ducting. The heater relies on a certain volume of cool air being drew across the combustion chamber fins to extract the heat you want from the heater at also to maintain the correct temperature of the combustion chamber casing and reducing the volume of airflow can and will cause overheating of the heater which is likely to cause the heater to shutdown if used at higher heater setting. Adding insulation as he has done only concentrates more heat in the area of the combustion chamber. I don't know the lengths of his Truma ducting in his van, but the recommended overall maximum length of the 75mm to be used is 3 metres, so this will be greatly reduced by going down to 60mm.
 
Two on Tour said:
Good old Gadget John rears his ugly head again. There is no way I would trust anything that guy does.
I take it you have not seen his video on his lithium battery install which was discuss on a Funster thread a year or so ago, that proved that he can be clueless.

Anyway I have just watched his heater install video and I'll give you my views on some areas of his install.

Luckily his kit came with the correct fuel line and that fuel line has to be used all the way not just the last part as he suggested unless you use a fuel line of the same internal bore and is not a rubber or flexible type like silicon tubing as these will kill the pulse of the fuel dosing pump due to the fuel line expanding and contacting and taking the energy out of the pump pulse. He does not seem to understand that the fuel dosing pump delivers ,022ml of fuel per stroke and the pump rate ( 1 stoke @ 1 Hz = 1 stroke per second ) is controlling the amount of fuel delivered to burn so adjusting the heat delivered. He has also fitted the fuel filter the wrong way around for the flow of fuel.

The mounting plate supplied for the heater should be chucked away if your install through the floor of a MH as the are designed to be used on a thin metal skin of a van or lorry.
For a thicker insulated floor as in a MH you should use a metal turret as the photos below and the hole drilled through for it should allow for a 3mm air gap around the ring section that goes through the floor to stop heat transfer from the hot exhaust which is getting towards the wrong side of 500 C as it exits the heater, and does he not realise that aluminium foil is an excellent conductor of heat.

View attachment 458313 View attachment 458337

Moving on to his fuel tank. I do not see it as a good idea of hanging 15Kg on a plastic door skin which are usually about 2mm thick. I wonder how long that stays attached after a few bumpy roads and speed humps, and as for his leave the cap loose, did he miss the vent hole and non return valve in the cap. I have had 5 or these Chinese diesel heaters come through my hands and all have have a vented cap. Here's a cap cap from a tank that I did not use for an install.

View attachment 458364 View attachment 458366

To prime the fuel for the first firing of the heater, you put it into priming mode which stops automatically after a set period. If the fuel has not reached the heater then you prime again. You watch the fuel as it makes it's way along the fuel line and when it reaches the heater you stop the priming. If you over prime you can flood the heater which will then not start and you have a problem that need not happen.

The gauge and length of the power cable supplied with these Chinese heaters can cause problems with the voltage drop on startup and shut down when the glowplug pulls about 10 amps and was graphically illustrated when he showed the voltage dropping to 11 volt at the heater. If his hab battery was giving a health 12.5 - 12.8 volt, than a hab battery voltage any lower will cause a shutdown on startup as the glowplug does no reach a heat to ignite the fuel. This potential problem can be overcome by replacing the original power cable with 4mm2 on shorter runs or 6mm2 on longer runs.

I noted that he is utilising the existing Truma ducting. The Chinese heater ducting has an internal diameter of 75mm where as the Truma ducting has an external diameter of 65mm meaning the it's internal diameter is nearer 60mm. Using the Truma ducting greatly reduces the cross sectional area from that of the 75mm ducting which is likely to increase the back pressure of the airflow and slowing down the air speed down the ducting. The heater relies on a certain volume of cool air being drew across the combustion chamber fins to extract the heat you want from the heater at also to maintain the correct temperature of the combustion chamber casing and reducing the volume of airflow can and will cause overheating of the heater which is likely to cause the heater to shutdown if used at higher heater setting. Adding insulation as he has done only concentrates more heat in the area of the combustion chamber. I don't know the lengths of his Truma ducting in his van, but the recommended overall maximum length of the 75mm to be used is 3 metres, so this will be greatly reduced by going down to 60mm.
Click to expand...
i know who i will be speaking to re retro fitting one to my new motorhome !!

- is it the fan that is noisy or the clicking of the pump or is it the burner itself? ive seen it described as a similar (though obv quieter) to jet engine, so i assume its the burner?

- i have also seen some fit an additional silencer to the exhaust, though i am not sure of the noise reduction it produces?

- i have also seen (on you tube) that someone fitted some sort of damper to the pump, which reduced the 'tick, tick' noise, though again not considerably (although a reduction in 5 decibals is quite large in hearing protection measurements) - does anyone have any alternatives?

- i have read, in several places, that even the top notch espacher heaters emit roughly the same noise levels - can anyone confirm?

- has a anyone fitted/experienced the Bobil water heater

 

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