- Sep 7, 2024
- 16
- 39
- Funster No
- 106,280
- MH
- Campervan
- Exp
- Vauxhall Movano bus
Hello how do you guys heat the campervan when there is no electricity available to use are you are not on a campsite
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If you do a search on YouTube, there are few very comprehensive videos documenting the power consumption of a diesel heater. All measured, and real life experience. Pump don't even comes in to it as is so minuscule, similar to a pulsing LED on its own.There's also the diesel pump which is extra draw compared to gas that's fed to the burner by its own pressure.
A friend that switched from gas Truma to diesel said the diesel consumes roughly 50% more amps in similar conditions compared to the gas version so in winter it might be a difference of 25Ah vs 40Ah / day. Significant enough that some dealers here recommend a second living area battery to compliment the typical <100Ah AGM if you choose diesel instead of gas.
The second generation is supposedly more efficient, but I haven't heard any real life numbers about that yet.
I've had a few and think they all come out of the same factory...the case colour and kit contents vary but otherwise all seems identicalExcuse me all but why does no-one tell us Funsters, who might be in the market to buy a Chinese heater, the make of your heaters?
They can't ALL be equally good, can they?
I should add if you intend to tap into the van fuel tank get one with pick up pipe secured by a nut...not multiple nuts/bolts..much easier to fit especially on a Ducato type tank fits in fuet pump/sender easilyI've had a few and think they all come out of the same factory...the case colour and kit contents vary but otherwise all seems identical
I just buy the cheapest one I could find on ebay at any given time. All have been of around the same quality.Excuse me all but why does no-one tell us Funsters, who might be in the market to buy a Chinese heater, the make of your heaters?
They can't ALL be equally good, can they?
I found there was little if any difference between battery usage except right at startup when the glow plug pulls 10A for less than a minute which is nothing.There's also the diesel pump which is extra draw compared to gas that's fed to the burner by its own pressure.
Tempted to say from some of the stuff I've read trauma don't do reliability 7Truma Combi 4E... (I don't do "cheap".)
JJ
Given that according to your link that was measured from battery BMS instead of a shunt, "doesn't event register" could mean loads up to an amp or two depending on the battery and bms in question since many are pretty bad at detecting small loads and hence drift quite a bit.says the little fuel pump uses so little electric it doesn't even register. The biggest component of usage is the fan. Which gas heaters also have.
I would be very interested to know what kind of equipment was used at the pump DC feed to measure DC pulse flow. Even the victron shunt won't register the pump as is too small of a load. The shunt can count down to 0.1A or 6 coulombs per minute. Therefore 60 coulombs per minute = 1A flow, or one coulomb every second = 1A flow.Given that according to your link that was measured from battery BMS instead of a shunt, "doesn't event register" could mean loads up to an amp or two depending on the battery and bms in question since many are pretty bad at detecting small loads and hence drift quite a bit.
I did check a few vids as instructed and at least one suggested the pump was pulsing at ~0.3 amps. That is indeed insignificant compared to f.ex. 10 amps for the glow plug, but given I was wondering about the fractions of amps' difference between gas and diesel Truma average consumption, it seems it might be significant in that context.
I think the guy was basing his estimate on measuring the current draw min and max or average with a multimeter.I would be very interested to know what kind of equipment was used at the pump DC feed to measure DC pulse flow. Even the victron shunt won't register the pump as is too small of a load. The shunt can count down to 0.1A or 6 coulombs per minute. Therefore 60 coulombs per minute = 1A flow, or one coulomb every second = 1A flow.
DC pulsing is diferent, and very dificult to measure. It can be calculated after some mesurments and energy top back up, over a longer time.
Actually is not way off, and it makes sense. If you know the duration of the pulse and the coil resistance, then yes, I think you can calculate the consumption pretty close. And I tend to believe the 40ms; because an A type RCD trips with a DC pulse exactly at 40ms or under. The coil in the pump does exactly what the coil in a RCD does: electromagnetic charge lunches a piston that hits the disconnection mechanism, and on the pump just pushes a fixed amount of fuel up, the spring reloads it, and cycle repeats.I think the guy was basing his estimate on measuring the current draw min and max or average with a multimeter.
I did come across this site (https://www.letonkinoisvarnish.co.uk/eberspacher_fuel_2.html) which talks about Eberspärcher dosing pumps. It says the pump is 10 ohms at 12V so wouldn't that mean a 1.2A current? It also claims the pulse width is 40ms, so simplistically you could then estimate that at 2Hz frequency the average current would be 0.1A. Is there a reason why that simplistic model is way off?
I guess this is drifting quite far from my original Truma comparisons though, not to mention the opening post, so apologies for that. Just interesting stuff and quite possibly an opportunity educate myself
The best !We have built in Alde central heating which can run on mains electrics or the on board LPG gas supply or both. Keeps us very cosy in winter and provides hot water for showering.
Well I’ve been astounded by the replies!I only asked how to heat the campervan
It's not about the amount you spend it's about getting the result you wantWell I’ve been astounded by the replies!
People spend a fortune on a motorhome and then look at miniscule amounts for heating.