TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:25 am

Title says it all. I've been thinking about this since I purchased my van. I had one on an '81 I used to own and it has since been my favorite feature ever on my many Vanagons. I would be willing to do considerable work to have another. I saw the one in the classifieds and the gentleman selling it seemed very knowledgeable by his description. His opinion is that it would not be feasible to install on a WBX. I'm not trying to prove him wrong by any means and respect his advice. I'd like to get some more opinions though from a larger pool of creative thinkers. If even to confirm that it is just not possible.

Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:42 am

Do you mean a stand alone remote gas heater, the type that blow hot air?

like this?

or a ceramic panel?

Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:47 pm

The optional gas heater? This comes up a lot. Those that love them, and then those that don't. You seem to be one that loves them. I have one in my 1985 and love it. Get all the pieces, hose ,connectors etc and it can be done. Don't forget the protective cover panel, and the exhaust pipe, fuel pump which is very special . You would really have to love it to do the install from scratch.

Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:29 pm

are you talking about a heater that burns gasoline or as in propane gas?

Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:54 pm

Thanks guys. Yes, I'm talking about the gasoline burning, optional heaters found on the aircooled vans. What are they called...BA-6 heaters? I can't remember.

Anyway, my thought is that I really did like how they work. They heat up the small space in moments and I like the timed usage. A Propex would be nice too but, I have more initiative than money.

Mon Nov 17, 2008 3:05 pm

I'd sell mine out of my 1980. I took it out of the van last year and its sitting in a corner where I work. It maybe too much of a hassle sending cross the border though.

Jon

Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:47 pm

Hey Wellington. Did you install yours yourself? Is your heat routed in under the rear seat? Do the belly pans from the older vans plug right into the WBX vans?

Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:55 pm

hansh wrote: Title says it all. I've been thinking about this since I purchased my van. I had one on an '81 I used to own and it has since been my favorite feature ever on my many Vanagons. I would be willing to do considerable work to have another. I saw the one in the classifieds and the gentleman selling it seemed very knowledgeable by his description. His opinion is that it would not be feasible to install on a WBX. I'm not trying to prove him wrong by any means and respect his advice. I'd like to get some more opinions though from a larger pool of creative thinkers. If even to confirm that it is just not possible.

Propex makes a nice one...thermoking nw is the local distributor for the Espar which was formerly eberspacher....and they make them for truck cabs..Pretty expensive 800-1000 and not much support but you can do it!.also there were some sweet ones at west marine but I like the propex. I will search for some links. PM GWTWTLW, he just bought a Syncro Westy that has a pretty nice one installed. had to camp next to him and I was jealeous every 35 minutes when I was shivering thinking about his Westy being all toasty!

Here is a cool onehttp://home.earthlink.net/~johndolsen/id13.html

Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:17 pm

3 words: Mr. Heater Buddy.
Not something I'd use while in motion, but if you're looking for a way to warm up your interior on cold mornings and keep yourself warm while sleeping the the van it's definitely the way to go. When we lost our sleep room at the hospital and I was crashing in the Vanagon in the hospital parking lot mid-winter, a kind soul from the forum donated theirs to me and I am forever grateful. I recently loaned it to one of my good friends who couldn't afford propane for their rambler and it kept the whole place toasty warm until she could afford a propane refill. She even said it was the one thing that kept her out of the hospital when she came down with a pretty nasty bug.

There's a few ceramic heaters that fit under your rear seat that will pop up on craigslist here and there as well.

Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:30 pm

RevKevin wrote: 3 words: Mr. Heater Buddy.
Not something I'd use while in motion, but if you're looking for a way to warm up your interior on cold mornings and keep yourself warm while sleeping the the van it's definitely the way to go. When we lost our sleep room at the hospital and I was crashing in the Vanagon in the hospital parking lot mid-winter, a kind soul from the forum donated theirs to me and I am forever grateful. I recently loaned it to one of my good friends who couldn't afford propane for their rambler and it kept the whole place toasty warm until she could afford a propane refill. She even said it was the one thing that kept her out of the hospital when she came down with a pretty nasty bug.

There's a few ceramic heaters that fit under your rear seat that will pop up on craigslist here and there as well.

That is what I roll with right now as well as I cannot justify the expense of the alternatives. Mr Heater even has a CO2 shutoff switch and lasts several nights on the low setting on one small canister of Propane! less than 75.00 -shop around for best price.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:45 am

Clarification: The Mr. Heaters have a low oxygen shutoff, not a CO2 shutoff or sensing device.

I use the Mr. Heater, but I don't like the amount of condensation it puts out.

I've got a 1983 Vanagon that I will either fix or sell parts from. It has the gas heater and I had considered taking it out and putting it in either my '85 Westfalia or '87 Wolfsburg Vanagon. I'd like the added heat but not sure I'm up for the task.

Ed in CT

Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:11 am

hansh, mine was factory installed, a more common option in Canada. Hot air exits from under the driver's seat, and from a grill facing rearwards between the two front seats.

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:23 am

I'd maintain a strong discipline to put a propane-burning heater outside at nap-time, invite it back in the morning. I don't trust sleeping with one in an enclosed area.

Another thread discussing the gas heater and others here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3374973#3374973

Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:26 am

The Mr. Heater Buddy is a can of worms. I was looking into it but, the condensation is actually the biggest deterrent to me. I can remember mornings on the Oregon Coast in our '81. We'd all wake up to a nearly dripping wet interior of the van. My wife wouldn't feel like getting up to deal with anything given the moisture level combined with the morning chill and, neither would I. I'd click on the aux gas heater and w/in 5 minutes we'd be cozy and dry.

It's interesting that the Canadian vans continued with the vent between the front seats. I guess I'd forgotten that these bodies didn't change.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:26 am

Sodo wrote:
Another thread discussing the gas heater and others here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3374973#3374973

Thanks so much Sodo...I dug around for that thread but I guess I did not search my previous posts back far enough. Some good info in that one Hansh...Bend and Central Oregon camping would definitely be much more comfortable with the hardwired unit, but, if you can tollerate cold nights in a sleeping bag and use the Mr. Heater to kill the chill and camp with top down.......It works great. I have only had the condesation issue when I left the heater on inside the van for about 2 hours while we took a walk to the beach.....that is when I figured out that it was a " use when you need it only" type of unit! Let us know what you find out 8-[

Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:52 am

one other nice thing about propexes ... I have mine on a digital thermostat/timer so I can set it to come on 10 mins before I get in it in the morning... or if we've been in the pub for the evening and get back to the van at closing time

bliss

what a marvelous modern age we live in :D