12v 600watt Cabin Heater for '76 bus

[cpatrice]

We got our 1st VW bus ever last November, and naturally the heater was not connected and needs lots of work/restoration. I've talked at length with my very competent local VW mechanic who does nothing but work on vintage and late model vw's and he filled me in on the situation...

The bus runs great, and I was wondering if anyone has tried incorporating a 12v 600w forced air heater into the existing duct system. Here's what I'm considering...

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/heaters242500.php

I've searched out a bunch of threads and am starting to get a feel for what I might be able to do, and I understand that adequate heat is simply an issue for these busses, and I'm ok with all that. Basically just looking for something that will keep the interior windshield from fogging up and will take the chill off on cool/cold days where windshield/cabin heat might be a problem.

How difficult would it be to wire something like this into the existing system...I'm guessing I might need a bigger/more powerful alternator to get the extra amps. I'm not concerned about losing a little HP to do that. Any thoughts or links to helpful threads or posts greatly appreciated. Thanks for the awesome forum!

[Jeff Geisen]

My wife’s hair dryer has 1650 watts and I really don’t think if it was running wide open it’d do much to warm a bus interior. It would defrost though. I use a propane heater but it’ll fog the glass up if the air is cold and damp.

This winter I fabricated a divider behind the front seats and even in below freezing weather I drove down the road toasty and draft-free. The cab is much quieter at speed as well.
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[TomWesty]

Check out the cheap Chinese heater thread. I think it’s a great way to go for us northerners. You can fire up the heater before you even start your engine.
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[KentABQ]

Check out this recent thread...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=749544&highlight=heat

And I agree about the Cheap Chinese Diesel Heater.
I installed one, and it is great while driving and overnight camping.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=727273&highlight=diesel+heater

It requires little fuel and puts out a great amount of heat, while costing under $200.
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1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

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Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[aeromech]

I live in a warm climate but I’ve heard great things about heaterbuddy propane heaters
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[nemobuscaptain]

I would guess that many of us have been dumb enough to buy something like that. It may heat the tips of your fingers or a small 6-in section of your windshield.

Electric heat is incredibly inefficient, the byproduct of high resistance, and the entire output of your alternator will not defrost your windshield. Forget electric heat.

The stock heat is pretty decent when hooked up properly. The problem is most people have never been in an aircooled VW with an actual functioning stock heater. The other problem is it is a long way from the back to the front and there and many opportunities for leaks or loss. Add this to piss poor door seals etc and you get a frigid bus..

However, hooked up correctly the heat will be uncomfortably hot on your fingers, defrost the windshield and knock the chill off the inside. There are numerous opportunities for upgrades, namely insulating the tubes, adding bilge fans, or making a partition and keeping the stock heat up front.

Propane, diesel or gas heaters are really the only option for truly heating the inside.
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[TomWesty]

[Ryan P]

I use a Mr.Buddy propane heater heats the bus up quick. We do not run a constantly. We will run it for about 30 minutes before sleeping then pile the blankets on and turn it off while we sleep. We keep it in reach from the bed so in the morning we can turn it on without getting out of the blankets. We just came back from a trip the one night came real close to freezing.
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[danfromsyr]

uhh yeah, that's nice and special like, used a buddy heater in my younger years. but now I'm too old for that crud.
the Diesel heater has a remote.. I preheat the camper from the campfire.

has a thermostat. like my house does.. so it maintains a comfortable temp while I'm lulled by the soft drone of the circulating fan... *I always run white noise to overcome my tinnitus.

[cpatrice]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Much appreciated. I have a feeling we’ll be trying the Chinese heater as well...will update as we get closer to install

[wagohn]

I've been pondering all of the above options but for camping. For diesel heaters, It seems a 2kw would be the way to go with the 5kw and 8kw being too powerful. However, I don't want to drill holes for the exhaust vents and don't want 10L of diesel in the cab - especially when trying to fill without spilling on the carpet.
We currently use a Mr Buddy and use refillable 1LB cannisters - cannisters that are both legal to refill (from a 20lb with an adapter) and transport. This seems by far the most economical and works out much cheaper than diesel if using refillable 1LB bottles.
As far as electric heaters, we tried a 250w MyHeat(?) personal electric fan heater but it blew through our 300w Jackery in an hour.
All in all, we are sticking with the Mr Buddy for now and cracking the two front windows for vents. Mr Buddy REALLY cranks out the heat. Condensation does gather so Im trying to convince myself of drilling a hole for the diesel heater and the economics of it all.
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1976 VW Transporter, 2.0 FI Engine

[danfromsyr]

the factory had zero qualms on making holes for accessory heating.

and if you study the CDH installs, some good, some iffy
you should come to a palatable solution.


one can also spend the extra $$ and buy a gasoline heater from the Russian republic and skip the dual fuel issues. in the long run it's not that much more $
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[orwell84]

Those 12v heaters...Don’t even bother. You might as well sit around a cigarette and pretend it was a camp fire.

Do the Chinese heater thing or refurbish an Eberspacher heater if you like to tinker.

[Anchovy]

[wagohn]

[ImAddicted]

One of my suppliers has the self contained Chinese heater for about $155, I’m thinking of picking one up soon. I think it’s a better deal than the smaller mounted ones for only $5 more.
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[Abscate]

[wagohn]

[calvinater]

small woostove ?
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[alman72]