TheSamba.com :: View topic - Propex heater install locations Pros and Cons

Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:54 am

Alaric.H wrote: I went with the closet I can still hang clothes in there and
I took out the rear heater so I can turn the bench in to a cider chest.
Plus I have the thermostat behind the drivers seat so I can turn it on and
off for the rear passengers. I love that friggin thing.

Alaric---that's not a Propex! :lol:

OH! I was trying to envision what a 'cider chest' was...then remembered you mentioning 'cedar' a few days ago--gotcha.

Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:00 am

tsombrero1 wrote:
Back to the Propex, has anyone figured out how to minimize the "gurgling"? It is a weird noise that sounds a bit like flames fluttering, but amplified through the exhaust tube. I've seen three and so far they all do that. I'm thinking of wrapping it in some kind of heatproof tape or something to dampen it.

The HS2000 should not exhibit substantial 'gurgling' at the proper gas pressure, but will at stock regulator pressure. Try adjusting the regulator to 13-14 w.c.i. pressure and see if that helps.

Also, if you want to quite the exhaust note further, you could possibly adapt one of the Espar heater mufflers. The muffler does an amazing job of quieting the jet roar of the Espars.

Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:00 am

I should know, but what is the black box on the side??

SSWesty wrote: I put mine under the rear seat facing fore and aft. It gave me some room underneath to store some stuff. Not pictured is a guard that keeps stuff away from the exhaust/intake/propane line and I did remove the factory heater. Very happy with the space savings.

Simple angle iron bracket

Mounted about a 3/4" below bottom of seat

That heater makes winter trips very comfortable.

Steve

Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:05 am

FNGRUVN wrote: Hey Bill, have you seen this thread:http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=345545&highlight=propex

Yes i have, i like the location.... however one of my chief priorities is MORE floor space

Therefore, for my use, not appplicable, but thank you for that :)

Example:
Install the Virtifrigo to replace the ice box
Keep my crap to a minimum

Reason:
I have a Dog Crate that needs to sit on the floor behind the passenger
- I am sure some of you dont approve, but my dog is crate trained
- First dog i have had that has been, sorry i did not do it with my other dogs...... example: this morning i got up, took him out, back to kitchen to make coffee, he scratched at the kitchen gate to go BACK INTO his crate to sleep

Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:32 am

westyventures wrote:
The HS2000 should not exhibit substantial 'gurgling' at the proper gas pressure, but will at stock regulator pressure. Try adjusting the regulator to 13-14 w.c.i. pressure and see if that helps.

I always likened the sound to a Didgeridoo, and mine makes it, too...not a bad or very loud sound by any means.

duh...how do I adjust my regulator to 13-14 w.c.i.? I don't even know what to turn on the regulator to adjust.

Not trying to 'hijack' the thread...just seemed like an opportune moment.

Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:49 am

billwilson wrote: I should know, but what is the black box on the side??

Simple angle iron bracket

The black box is the ECU(a.k.a. the electronic brains for the engine). The cool side of the Propex faces this so I have no worries about it getting too hot. Even on the burner side of the Propex it only gets warm, not even close to hot.

Steve

Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:05 am

billwilson wrote: Rodknock wrote: I would put it in a place in which it was easy to get back out. Under the fridge may mean you have to take the fridge out in order to get the furnace out for service. I have mine under the rear seat and have no problem with the space lost.

good point
how much service you doing on it?
had it a long time?
how many hours/days before service?
in fact, what kind of service??

Karl is probably going to cringe when he sees this but I had flame instability problems at altitude above 6,000 feet where I do most of my camping. Had to pull it out twice, second time sent it to Karl for service. My fingers are crossed that it will work this season without problems, it is supposed to work up to 10,000 feet. Keep in mind this is a modern furnace and things can get dirty inside, sensors can get dirty/old and fail, fans can fail, jets get clogged. This stuff is normal.

As far as the gurgling sound, I found that when I took the inlet pipe off the gurgling went away significantly. So I stepped up the diameter of the inlet flexible pipe, found some on www.mcmaster.com that is stainless and is 1-1/4" ID. I got a copper fitting from home depot that fit the furnace inlet pipe and stepped up the diameter to fit the larger flexible pipe from Mcmaster. It helped a lot, but did not totally remove the gurgling/resonating sound especially at initial start up.

It is a nice unit and I love it as long as it works this year without flaming out. If it continues to flame out, I will visit Karl and shove it up his butt (just kidding Karl). Karl is a great vendor and he is very helpful and responsive.

Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:08 am

ok ok, ECU
i want to feel special TOO !
where is mine now??
i have a standard 84 wolfsburg ed westy 4 speed waterbox

SSWesty wrote: billwilson wrote: I should know, but what is the black box on the side??

Simple angle iron bracket

The black box is the ECU(a.k.a. the electronic brains for the engine). The cool side of the Propex faces this so I have no worries about it getting too hot. Even on the burner side of the Propex it only gets warm, not even close to hot.

Steve

Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:09 am

Texxxxx wrote: westyventures wrote:
The HS2000 should not exhibit substantial 'gurgling' at the proper gas pressure, but will at stock regulator pressure. Try adjusting the regulator to 13-14 w.c.i. pressure and see if that helps.

I always likened the sound to a Didgeridoo, and mine makes it, too...not a bad or very loud sound by any means.

duh...how do I adjust my regulator to 13-14 w.c.i.? I don't even know what to turn on the regulator to adjust.

Not trying to 'hijack' the thread...just seemed like an opportune moment.

On the OEM regulator: Take that plastic cover off your regulator and on the back is a big cap that you remove. Under this cap there is a slotted knob/plug. Make yourself a water column pressure tester exactly as Karl describes on his website (very easy). Follow Karl's instructions to set the gas pressure via the slotted knob/plug. Mine was way off.

Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:21 am

Rodknock wrote: On the OEM regulator: Take that plastic cover off your regulator and on the back is a big cap that you remove. Under this cap there is a slotted knob/plug. Make yourself a water column pressure tester exactly as Karl describes on his website (very easy). Follow Karl's instructions to set the gas pressure via the slotted knob/plug. Mine was way off.

Thx, Rodknock...I've seen the water column pressure tester on Karl's site, and now I know where the adjuster is on the regulator.

Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:49 am

Rodknock wrote:
Karl is probably going to cringe when he sees this but I had flame instability problems at altitude above 6,000 feet where I do most of my camping. Had to pull it out twice, second time sent it to Karl for service. My fingers are crossed that it will work this season without problems, it is supposed to work up to 10,000 feet. Keep in mind this is a modern furnace and things can get dirty inside, sensors can get dirty/old and fail, fans can fail, jets get clogged. This stuff is normal.

As far as the gurgling sound, I found that when I took the inlet pipe off the gurgling went away significantly. So I stepped up the diameter of the inlet flexible pipe, found some on www.mcmaster.com that is stainless and is 1-1/4" ID. I got a copper fitting from home depot that fit the furnace inlet pipe and stepped up the diameter to fit the larger flexible pipe from Mcmaster. It helped a lot, but did not totally remove the gurgling/resonating sound especially at initial start up.

It is a nice unit and I love it as long as it works this year without flaming out. If it continues to flame out, I will visit Karl and shove it up his butt (just kidding Karl). Karl is a great vendor and he is very helpful and responsive.

Ha, no, I won't cringe. FWIW, Propex being in UK there is no opportunity for testing at altitude. Altitude-related issues are purely a North America thing. With my advice and technical help, Propex has been able to overcome flame instability issues, for the most part, at high altitudes. But we have to remember that anything requiring a fuel/oxygen ratio to burn properly is affected at these altitudes, not just the Propex. For instance, the Espar heaters - you're SOL above 5-6000 feet unless you have paid the extra $400 for the altitude compensator add-on.

Gurgling--removing the pipe will significantly reduce the sound, correct. This because there is no 'echo chamber' provided (exhaust tube). That's why a muffler would help greatly. There are also intake mufflers available from Espar if you want to go one step further. :)

Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:09 pm

Was there a thread and pictures were someone smartly put the propex either above or below their fridge (non-dometic)?

Thanks ~ I'm usually pretty lucky with the search, but this one eludes me.

Mark

Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:42 pm

markz2004 wrote: Was there a thread and pictures were someone smartly put the propex either above or below their fridge (non-dometic)?

Thanks ~ I'm usually pretty lucky with the search, but this one eludes me.

Mark

there was a lot of talk about it but as far as I know nobody has tried, pretty tricky. I've seen pics of one Porpoex installed in the fridge space after removing the fridge and converting the space into a custom cabinet

Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:43 am

I put mine under the rear bench-seat, just like Karl's setup. But, I wish I would have put it somewhere else ...

as the when I'm sleeping on the Z-Bed, all of the heat is either trapped under the bed-overhang (and the bottom of the bed gets way too hot) or it's lost to the front of the van (where I'm not sleeping). Especially since the thermostat is located above the closet and the temp at the floor is much hotter than the air at the thermostat.

In retrospec, I really love the box on the floor by the stock-battery location, Rocky Mtn sells one (below link), but I'm not sure about loosing my precious floor space.

http://www.rockymountainwesty.com/VanagonWestfaliaStorageBox.htm

Outside of that, I've been thinking about moving it into the closet (i have a westy) or in one of the cabinets at the rear of the van.

It's worth noting that the fan in the propex is pretty damn strong and the heat is pretty intense. So, it'll move the air well, but anything directly near it will be very hot.

Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:53 pm

Try rotating the grill so the heat flows sideways, it can't really become 'trapped'. :wink: As it comes out from under the bed, it should rise and not make much headway towards the front. I always hang a blanket behind the front seats too.

boulderdrop wrote: I put mine under the rear bench-seat, just like Karl's setup. But, I wish I would have put it somewhere else ...

as the when I'm sleeping on the Z-Bed, all of the heat is either trapped under the bed-overhang (and the bottom of the bed gets way too hot) or it's lost to the front of the van (where I'm not sleeping). Especially since the thermostat is located above the closet and the temp at the floor is much hotter than the air at the thermostat.

Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:12 pm

markz2004 wrote: Was there a thread and pictures were someone smartly put the propex either above or below their fridge (non-dometic)?

Thanks ~ I'm usually pretty lucky with the search, but this one eludes me.

Mark

Mad: you and I are thinking the same thing...under the new TF/VF fridge, right?

What are the dimensions of the Propex unit and what are the clearance requirements?

Another place to consider besides under the bench seat - the lower/foot cabinet below the fresh water tank (left of fridge). I call it the PITA storage spot - very low and small...

Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:14 pm

I have a pair of 6v golf cart batteries wired in series as my auxiliary battery - located other than under the driver's set. Is there enough space under the driver's seat for the propex? Anyone know?
Thanks

Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:26 pm

rockfish wrote: markz2004 wrote: Was there a thread and pictures were someone smartly put the propex either above or below their fridge (non-dometic)?

Thanks ~ I'm usually pretty lucky with the search, but this one eludes me.

Mark

Mad: you and I are thinking the same thing...under the new TF/VF fridge, right?

What are the dimensions of the Propex unit and what are the clearance requirements?

Another place to consider besides under the bench seat - the lower/foot cabinet below the fresh water tank (left of fridge). I call it the PITA storage spot - very low and small...

Rock~ it's as if we did some vulkan mind meld. I did like where someone put in the TF65. As it is wider, there were some cabinet mods, but it still leaves a space above or below. However the TF45 is a relatively quick and easy install.

I like the below option as the venting is close to the floor. Also, I think I saw where someone was playing with the old dometic vent as an intake/exhaust exchange. Your thoughts?

Mark

Fri Feb 12, 2010 3:03 pm

markz2004 wrote: rockfish wrote: markz2004 wrote: Was there a thread and pictures were someone smartly put the propex either above or below their fridge (non-dometic)?

Thanks ~ I'm usually pretty lucky with the search, but this one eludes me.

Mark

Mad: you and I are thinking the same thing...under the new TF/VF fridge, right?

What are the dimensions of the Propex unit and what are the clearance requirements?

Another place to consider besides under the bench seat - the lower/foot cabinet below the fresh water tank (left of fridge). I call it the PITA storage spot - very low and small...

Rock~ it's as if we did some vulkan mind meld. I did like where someone put in the TF65. As it is wider, there were some cabinet mods, but it still leaves a space above or below. However the TF45 is a relatively quick and easy install.

I like the below option as the venting is close to the floor. Also, I think I saw where someone was playing with the old dometic vent as an intake/exhaust exchange. Your thoughts?

Mark

I think the unit will fit under the new fridge no problem, the issue is routing the various lines. I have not looked in detail under the van but I remember right under this location you have the propane tank so probably cannot put the Propex flat the way it is done in the rear bench. And I don't know if you can fit the Propex on its side in the space left by the fridge. Need to look at this more in detail.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:05 am

I have a propex under the rear bench seat, I followed Karls installation pictures. One downside of that location is the heat outlet prevents me from storing luggage under the bench seat in bed position. For that reason, if I did it again, I would put the propex in the bottom rear of my Westy closet, with the outlet above the closet door.

As far as the gurgling reverb sound, with my pressure set to 14wci per Karls manometer instructions, my Propex 2000 was so loud I posted numerous times complaining about not being able to sleep with it running. And I had lots of problems getting my propex to work above sea level.

Well, I finally sent it back to Karl, and he fixed everything! My unit has an oversized jet, so no longer needs 14wci. Karl also replaced the igniter and gas valve. My Propex is now totally reliable, even at altitude, and it no longer gurgles.

Moral of the story, if your propex is gurgling, get Karl to put the bigger jet in, so you can drop your pressure back to 11wci. Using the lower pressure, the gurgling went away, AND my fridge stays lit, AND my stove no longer burns with a yellow flame.

Moral of the story, Propex is quieter at 11wci in my case.