T-Van diesel heater

[Gumb]

Sorry Phil, I've only just seen your previous post

I run the duct in from the flap under the bed and the heater sits out of the weather in that space too. Be careful of the long leads you get with it, making sure one isn't touching the exhaust pipe which will melt the insulation around the cable if it's touching.

[Phil W]

Thanks Gumb. I thought that looked to me like the obvious thing to do also. The pipe I got was a fairly stiff one and I was wondering if there was a more flexible option??? Also the guy from DHA advised me to trim what cables were too long. Great heater though...
Cheers, Phil

[Gumb]

Yes, the cables are miles too big but I wasn't sure if I could trim them. Thanks for the info, I'll look in to that. One thing I did which made things a bit easier was to tape them together where I could, just using some electrical tape. 

The exhaust gets so hot that I doubt there's any flex cable you could use but it stores OK in the triangle hatch near the RHS front box so I don't worry about it. I put the air hose in there too, which I did cut to length. I doesn't like being bent though.

[Redfin]

A series a install vids on the Chinese heaters for those interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwmU_CcmGI

[Faraway]

Hi Ian and Sylvia, we met you at the Bay of Fires a few weeks ago.  I can vouch for the set up you have, certainly taught us newbies a few things.  The heater Ian has installed is impressive.  As are the rest of his gadgets and set up.  Cheers, Fiona and Peter

[Mal.W]

I bought a Snugger a few months ago in Tassie ( No fires makes it cold at night )
Since returning to Melbourne i have shortened the wires and mounted the temp senser and controls inside the camper on top of power box. There is a total of 7 small gauge wires for the 2 units.
I used a trailer 7 pin flat plug mounted on the outside of the Tvan and passed the 7 wires through a hole I drilled.
The other end of the 7 pin plug is attached to the Snugger. Now all I have to do is plug it in the 12 volt and attach the 7 pin plug. Much neater and easier to set up pack up.

Cheers
Mal

[Gumb]

Sounds interesting Mal, can we see a couple of pics ? I might look at doing something similar now that I've fixed the problem of mine not lowering the heat output when the van reached the set temperature.

[Gumb]

The pipe I got was a fairly stiff one and I was wondering if there was a more flexible option??? 

Yes there is. I got this one on ebay and it's far better than the ducting which comes with the heater. Really flexible and doesn't break when bent.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/60MM-Heater-Duct-Hot-Cold-Air-Ducting-398497-For-Diesel-Heater-Webasto-Dometic/113650690482?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

I also got one of these air filters which I'm told will make it run quieter.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25mm-Air-Intake-Filter-Silencer-2-Clips-For-Diesel-Heater-Webasto-Eberspacher/202609603344?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

[Gumb]

So I followed Mal's advice and did the Snugger remote mod today. It's so much easier to set up now and I don't have miles of wires to tuck away.

Once set up, the heater sits out of the weather under the van and the duct runs in to the cabin via the flap in the canvas under the bed.

More pics below (can only add one per post if they are to be a decent size....(time for an update on the forum software I think)

[Gumb]

7 pin trailer plug fitted to back panel.
 
You need to dril a hole for the 7 wires, and ideally fit a grommet (available from Clark Rubber) as in the picture. I added some silicone as well, just to make sure it's all waterproof.

[Gumb]

Control unit is attached with double sided tape to the inside control panel. A hole needs to be drilled for the wires to go through the back.

[Gumb]

and the sensor unit is run up inside the same cover as the lighting wires and then along the top so it's in a good location to detect the temperature but still well out of the way.

[Phil W]

Hi Gumb & Mal.W, Thanks for the updates on your installations. I have ordered the pipe and silencer thanks Gumb and I like the 7pin connection to the inside. Hope to see you at DHI, Mal, in August.  Cheers, Phil

[Gumb]

No worries, just make sure that the hatch clears the 7 pin plug when it's shut before you screw it on. Mine seemed to work better sideways. 

You'll find that new pipe really good but I haven't tried the silencer yet. It's only a few bucks so worth a go.

[Ian.S.Norton]

Hi fellow T-van lovers

We are currently Outback NSW and I have to say the nights have been reasonable; however on occasion the temperature has dropped to the point where we have had to turn on our diesel heater. We have the heater outlet positioned at foot height next to the lower air flap inside the canvas annex and it warms from the ground up. Because of the efficiency, the temperature of the 5KV heater get pretty comfortable in a short time so we turn it down to idle. The result is 2 jerrycans of fuel lasted 5 months, which is the best economy we could ever have expected running for 2-3 hours a night. (This usage was measured last year when the heater was on most nights.)

The positioning of the heater outside and under the back attached to the end of the platform has worked a treat and not taken valuable space. We have now been running the heater on and off over the last couple of years, both here in the outback and at home in Tasmania, even camping in winter and it hasn't failed us to date.

Most of our trekking is in remote Australia and in places where it's not appropriate to tow the T-van, warmth I have installed another heater under our Toyota Workmate tray so that I can pipe warmth into our awning tent, so we have more options for comfortable remote trekking. You might like to follow our blog:

https://www.facebook.com/nortons.journal/

I will post some photos of our setup and perhaps it inspire you should you wish to instal a diesel heater in your T-van.

Safe travels and stay cosy.........Ian and Sylvia Norton