Aux heater for Eurovan Weekender

[Abscate]

Some thermo calculations before chainsaw would save a lot of time and money here
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.ssS!

[markcm2]

I am a fairly mild weather camper, I doubt (knock on wood) we will do much camping below freezing, maybe 25F. Either way I will probably cut a hole and plumb in a return air duct for better effeciency and reduce the risk of pulling exhaust into the cabin.

One thing I already don't like is the way the heat dumps into the rear heater box, the air blows directly on the heater core which does two things:

1) Reduces the air velocity coming out of the vent when it hits the heater core
2) Sinks heat into the heater core which is connected to the cooling system filled with cold coolant; the heater core is a heat exchanger after all and I want all the BTU's going into the cabin, not the cooling system.

I will almost definitely be either making some sort of a deflector to route the heated air to the heat vent outlet rather than just blasting right into the face of the heater core. This is something to think about for anyone else installing a heater.

Also, I got my subwoofer installed; I will probably make a post for that. Major sound improvement.

Here is a picture showing how my heater outlet blows directly into the heater core in the rear heat box, I will be modifying this:

And although unrelated, a quick peak at the powered subwoofer install under the passenger seat:

[motochica04]

HI. I'm also interested in installing heat in my '02 eurovan weekender. I like the write up here on the wabesto install. Looks like this was done. few years ago. Any updates on how the system is working? any issues?

[markcm2]

[kguarnotta]

Hey guys - I'm looking to put a heater into my Vanagon.

I want to stick with the single fuel source (ie I don't want to add a propane or diesel tank).

The Webasto looks like the way to go. I see they have a couple controllers for them. Can anyone explain what the real world difference is? I also see a brand new one - Smart Temp Control 2.0 https://online.flippingbook.com/view/177291/

That looks pretty cool...

I plan on using mine while driving, and camping, and after skiing - in some VERY cold temps. (think below zero F).

Things I want - to control heat while driving important, when camping at night - to have thermostat control. Would be nice to have - ability to have van warmed up before I go to get in it in the morning (timer? or programmable timer? or from my phone?) Are the more advanced controllers too finicky or difficult to actually use? SHould I stick with a simple controller? Is there a way to have a control up on the dash, and in the back?
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-Kevin
Lincoln, MA

'86 Triple Knob Syncro w/EJ22
'78 Westy
'69 Single Cab
'65 Kombi - EZ-Camper

[FloAK]

We are looking to install aux heater for parking. I see a lot of diesel heaters being installed in vans that run on gas. If all is the same, I would like to run the heater off of a tank outside the living area, unless there is something that makes the diesel heater a better option...Checking to see pros-cons of running a gas heater in gas fueled EV as opposed to diesel heater in gas fueled EV...Appreciate it.

[ocelotpotpie]

I'd say preference, convenience, and efficiency.

You might prefer to have a single tank that the heater taps into nicely. Or you might not have the skillset or desire to run a second tank and plumb/secure it properly and safely.

Diesel burns better in these things than gasoline does, so the diesel wins on efficiency. Diesel options are more plentiful and you can find cheaper ones as well if you're interested in that route.

[FloAK]

[ocelotpotpie]

Worth mentioning that the cheaper heaters on Amazon/etc come with a little diesel fuel tank. So you can buy a whole kit that has everything you need if you want to go that route. I haven't seen anyone post photos of an install with a super easy to access / refill tank yet.

[Zeitgeist 13]

As reliable as my CDH has been, I feel a whole lot better that it's diesel and not gas. I wouldn't trust a cheap knock-off of a German design with a much more volatile fuel.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[FloAK]

[alaird]

$117 on aliexpress
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002003495546.html

I'm sure it's awful but I'm almost curious enough to get one to see how bad it is.

[Zeitgeist 13]

That appears to be a similar unit to the one I installed. It's been rock solid reliable. A total game-changer when it comes to cool weather camping.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[shirk]

I picked up a heater last week and digging up old install threads to reference what others have done.

Instead of cutting into the rear heater I was considering removing it and 3d print a flange that would allow both hot and return air hoses to mount here. We rarely use the rear heater, and if we need extra heat we can turn on the diesel heater.

I've not gotten under the van to have a closer look at how the heater mounts up yet to see if this would work, just brainstorming at this point. Will need to look up if there is a minimum distance between intake and outtake that needs to be considered.

[bigfoot_ev]

I spent a lot of time trying to find 'the best' location under my van for a diesel heater. In the end I decided to mount my heater inside the van. This gives me a few pros that helped seal the deal.
1) the heater is protected inside. For these knock-off heaters the circuit boards are not weather proofed, so just one less issue to contend with.
2) the return air comes from inside the van.
3) the wiring and plumbing are very straightforward.

The major con is that I needed to drill a big hole in the floor of the van.

If you do mount underneath I would seriously consider building a box that holds the heater much like the propex earlier in this thread, with both outlet and return hoses coming from the same end. Also, you can safely mount these heaters on their side with the glow plug up. This gives you better clearance for the exhaust and combustion air inlet plumbing.

During a recent outing we woke up to snow and 28 deg F morning. As everyone who has installed one of these has said...this is a game changer! Just push a button and soon you have hot air blowing out. And my heater has a little remote that I can put up in the pop top with me to turn the heater on before I get out of bed. Pure luxury.

[shirk]

I don't think I am brave enough to cut a big hole in the floor of the van just yet.

Yes it would certainly go into a weather proof box when mounted under the van. I don't have any issues fabricating a box with a seal on it.

Just realized that the return air for the rear heater is from the vent in the well for the sliding door. So two adaptors would be needed in a rear heater delete.

For how little fuel these use and that we're "weekenders" I am thinking of also making a box to mount the fuel tank up under the van. Yes it will take a few minutes to drop the tank each weekend to fill it up in the spring/fall season but just part of the weekend prep.

[BatesEV]

That’s exactly what I did. No holes just adapted a drawer to hold everything

[bcolins]

[BatesEV]

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=776439&highlight=aux+heater

This was my post I made with some more details. The only thing is the diesel tank. I ended up running the fuel line though the heater coolant tubes for protection. The pump echos being inside the box other than that it’s quiet

[bcolins]

Anyone tried a portable unit like this one on Amazon? I believe these are designed to be left outside whatever area you are heating using a flexible duct.

https://www.amazon.com/LF-Bros-Parking-Stylish-Sui...7e17e03685

And another from Amazon, that got a great review on Youtube. Apparently a new product and already sold out temporarily.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBBMNCJQ?maas=maas_adg...merReviews