van heat

[rfrogger120]

Now that the cold is subsiding, wondering if any van drivers can tell me if the van heater was sufficient this winter, if it was'nt, what did you use to stay warm? So i could prepare.

 

[greg334]

Well my truck idled a lot – too much for me but I had to stay warm.

I got used to idling the truck in January, but because it would go into a cold engine cycle, I would eat up fuel. I figured that if I was 250 miles or less from home, it was cheaper for me to go home than to sit over the weekend idling away. Sounds stupid but I did have a busy time in January and February.

What I did when I didn’t idle my truck is if it dipped down to 30, I would use my army quilt and a blanket on the air mattress with a casualty blanket between the two to reflect the body heat back. I was always really warm.

If it was below 30, I would do the same thing but throw my Swedish civil defense jacket (its got to weigh 15 pounds) over me and I would be toasty.

But if it got down to 5 or 0, which I did have to deal with this a few times, I would use my flight suit that I bought for $20 with just the army quilt and air mattress – it don’t matter how cold it is you will stay warm.

I notice since I change air mattresses, I no longer need the casualty blanket.

This year it is either an Eberspächer or Webesto heater as part of my new APU system I hope to put together.

 

[FIS53]

I usually use an air matress with a couple of sleeping bags (1 a -5 rated and a -15 rated). This winter only had a foam matress. The two sleeping bags worked rather well except once. Was north of Thunderbay Ont at a mine and the temp was -40 with the windchill. Truck would not push enough heat to help even at high idle. So moved to a place a 100 miles east. Temp was only -15, truck pushed heat and I could sleep and the truck was comfy enough when I woke up.
Rob Fis

 

[rfrogger120]

is your van insulated? from what i read, you probably dont have a wall seperating the 2 areas in the van, just curious would a inverter and a 1500 watt space heater done the trick or would that kill the battery or damage the alternater?

 

[redytrk]

>is your van insulated? from what i read, you probably dont
>have a wall seperating the 2 areas in the van, just curious
>would a inverter and a 1500 watt space heater done the trick
>or would that kill the battery or damage the alternater?

Every inverter I have ever had,would shut down at about 11.8 volts.
With 3 Deep Cell batteries this means your 1500 watt heater would cause the inverter to shut off in just a few minutes. I have even tried a small 600 watt and the shut down occurred in about 30 min.

 

[rfrogger120]

Is there another inexpensive alternative to heating the van without spending $1500 on an espar? Because I personally dont like sleeping in sleeping bags.

 

[davekc]

Depending on your setup, a ceramic heater that lets you set the draw, might be an option. They will typically through more heat with less draw on system than a standard electic heater.






Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[rfrogger120]

ceramic heater sounds good, but I'm sure it will also shut down while your trying to get some sleep and a generater would have me getting up every for hours to refuel it.

 

[late for dinner]

If you figure the cost of fuel only, and not the wear and tear on your engine maybe the espar would not be a good buy for you, but the cost of one engine will pay for several espars. And espar of michigan told me the cost of moving the unit to another truck is not that much, what ever that is! After looking at the unit installed I think that even I could make the switch. After only one season with the espar, I would never be without one.

 

[ACE]

I Have the Espar unit in my van for 2 years now and I would not be with out it.

 

[LDB]

I don't run a van but I can tell you the only way to go in a van is an Espar. Between fuel savings and not needing to service the engine as often because you aren't idling it will pay for itself pretty quickly. You couldn't carry enough batteries to power a space heater all night long. Go with the Espar. You get what you pay for isn't just a saying.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
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[TJ959]

I have 3 isolated batteries and a Wabastco heater. I can run my heater, tV and DC cooler for 12 hours without running the van. It doesn't take too long to get the payback for the investment in the system when you aren't running the truck.

 

[Crazynuff]

I read the GM vans will have an auxilary heater that runs off diesel in the tank .

 

[dhalltoyo]

A fuel-operated heater (FOH) also is available for vans equipped with the Duramax 6600 – the industry’s first factory-installed application for full-size vans. It quickly provides heat to the vehicle interior in cold weather. The seamlessly integrated system is designed into the Express chassis, saving customers the time and labor of upfitting an aftermarket system.

The electronically controlled fuel-operated heater operates automatically, turning on and off within load parameters that include outside air temperature, fuel level, coolant temperature and whether the engine is running. It features a self-contained, pressurized auxiliary coolant heater (with a surge tank) that uses diesel fuel to generate up to 17,200 Btu/h (5 kw) of heating energy.

 

[greg334]

>the industry’s first
>factory-installed application for full-size vans.

I thought that Ford had this in Canada on a limited basis and that D-C was installing them for the last 30 50 years along with VW in their vans. Maybe I am wrong.

 

[LDB]

>>the industry’s first
>>factory-installed application for full-size vans.
>
>I thought that Ford had this in Canada on a limited basis
>and that D-C was installing them for the last 30 50
>years along with VW in their vans. Maybe I am wrong.

I don't know about Ford of Canada but the bean counters and hair splitters will get around the VW by pointing out it isn't a full sized van. I also wonder if the VW system was factory installed or dealer installed but either way it isn't full sized so the lawyers have an out.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[highway star]

The VW gas fired heater was an option in the Beetle back in the day. The forced air heater in an air-cooled engine was lame, to say the least. I had a couple of them and there was no way to be warm unless you did expressway speeds for an extended period of time.

 

[greg334]

>I don't know about Ford of Canada but the bean counters and
>hair splitters will get around the VW by pointing out it
>isn't a full sized van. I also wonder if the VW system was
>factory installed or dealer installed but either way it
>isn't full sized so the lawyers have an out.

Well i sort of agree with you, VW is no longer a full size van but when the first van came on to the market, it was a VW - 1949 (we had panel delivery wagons and the suburban but no 'van'). I don't know when they hit the US martket - 1953.... maybe - but no one at that time had van on the market until I think 1960 or 61 (Ford Econoline, Corvair 95 Greenbriar and Dodge A100). When you compare the VW van of that era to the Chevrolet/Ford/Dodge van, they are pretty much the same size, capacity and such. I think the turing point for the 'van' was 1972 or 73, but I know .... who cares anyway.

the point is that the heaters were factory installed in the 50's and 60's for both the VW and mercedes vans/trucks. As a matter of fact forced air gas heaters were also installed by the factory (special order) for Hudson and Packard, most were Stewart Warner heaters but for cars, not vans.

Regardless, it is great that GM is putting in the heater and it sounds like they really thought it out this time.