Diesel Heater For A Van Question.

[Escape Goat]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has any idea how much a plumed in diesel heater would be at all? I’m struggling to find out how much it would be.

Any help would be great.

Much thanks.

[sean_iow]

Is it for a Caddy? There's a Caddy Campers FB group who I'm sure would know.

[Lazarus]

As in what to buy, to fit or to run?

Buy eberspacher about 1k a no brand ebay one a few hundred[ depends on ducting needed.
Fit - assume £2-300 as its probably a days work [though i did it myself so depends how much skill you have and how confident you are with electricity , fuel and exhaust]
Run - no idea but I bet you can find the litres per hour and work it out [ probably a few quid a day is my best guess ]

[slarge]

I bought a MV Airo diesel heater from Kiravans about 4 years ago- cost about £600 - they have a sale every so often and they can be under £600.
I fitted it myself, and it's fine if you take your time ' took me a day. You need to drop the fuel tank but that was straightforward, just run the fuel level very low in preparation.

It consumes about 0.25 litres per hour, but you will never have it on for an hour - 20 mins is all it takes to warm the van through. I'd be more worried about the electrical drain - can be about 4 amps @12v so your battery will run down quicker.

If you stay on sites with hookup then a small mains heater is quicker, cheaper, quieter and easier.

The diesel heater has made our van much more pleasant to wake up in and if you get back cold and wet from a ride then it really makes warming up a lot easier. I wouldn't be without it now, but it was a big outlay that I wouldn't have made if I wasn't keeping our van for lots of years.

[Keith74]

Depends on what kind you want.

One of the Chinese ones from eBay can be picked up and installed relatively cheaply. If you don’t want to start drilling into tanks then a separate tank is also a good idea.

Have used various heaters in vans over the years and have to say the Chinese ones do the job just grand. They are pretty easy to fit if you don’t mind drilling holes in your vans floor and bodywork.

[burty]

we have a relation who fits out welfare vans for a job and maintains welfare cabins on site , where he works they brought a cheaper chinese one to strip down and look at just at and compare parts etc ,
their conclusion was no difference at all ,basically the same thing as the more expensive ones they have used for years ,
he did say as long as they are installed correctly / no short cuts , they should be fine .

[yourguitarhero]

Aye, cheap Chinese ones work fine. Pals and I been using them for a few years now.

My tips:
Buy two. Keep one for spare parts. Sometimes you need to wait for spare parts to come from China which can take too long.
Make sure and get a very good seal between the base of the heater and your van - i.e not over the ribs in the floor. That way, if there is an exhaust issue then it shouldn't come in to the van.
Also, make sure you have a CO monitor in the van - very important if you are running it while asleep!
Those second two tips are the same for the expensive heaters too

[Taylor]

Got this message back from planar Pete, he’s a mobile fitter, does Solar as well, lives Heathrow way but I’ve seen him down in Devon direction.

For a 2kw Autoterm air heater would work out £1175.00 supplied and fitted. Includes travel to you.

That includes the new 2021 comfort controller and silent fuel pump.

You then have the option of the modem to control the heater via your phone. That’s an optional extra £110.00

Prices are plus VAT

3 years warranty, 24/7 support for my customers. Fitted at your location

[substandard]

The cheap Chinese ones are fine if fitted properly. That’s what I have in my current van. Prices are around £150.

Fitting no idea as have always fitted myself, have had eberspachers in the past and too, always use a co2 alarm

Run wise the 10 litre tank lasts ages as vans are such small spaces, have done many weekends and over nighters off the same 10litres, mwb crafter

[Rockbus]

I had a chinese version but it never worked consistently, although I think that was as much due to the installation as the kit. That's part of the problem, if you choose a Chinese version then the fitters tend to be less reputable and there is more of a risk. If you have skills to fit yourself then probably not an issue.

After those issues I went with an eberspacher fitted by a guy who is highly respected in the VW world and been fitting them for years (linked to above point he refuses to fit the Chinese versions). In all that cost me about £800 but worth it for the piece of mind and has worked brilliantly (was aways in Van for the coldest weekend of the year just before Xmas).
PM me if you want details of guy who fitted mine.

[JohnClimber]

This guy from Wrexham fitted mine while I waited for the afternoon around 5 years ago.
https://planarheaters.co.uk/
Pop around I'll show you it

[Escape Goat]

Thank you all. I forgot to subscribe to this topic so apologies for the late reply.

I forgot to mention that I’ve changed vans now, so I have a medium sized van these days.

I’d certainly not want to fit one myself on the drive - I’ve not got the confidence to do this, plus I’d want it done right from the start. I know I’d only take 5 times longer than it should and encounter hurdles that I wouldn’t be able to get over without going insane. I haven’t even bothered fitting my sub and better speakers yet because of the faff.

Thanks for the offer John, I wouldn’t know what I’m looking at but the link you sent has loads of parts on and heaters or parts of for £600 which I assume is the full kit plus fitting.

I think I should budget for £800-1300 depending on what one I choose based on all the info above, does that sound fair?

Thanks again.