Quote:
Originally Posted by Drizzt
Geez, just when I settled on the D2 I see this. Have you had problems with the carbon buildup others have mentioned when the temps don’t warrant high heat? What kind of temps are you using it in? Insulation in the van?
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Our van is a Cargo with limited windows, pretty well insulated on floor and walls, and inner surface of the fiberglass top. The top is CCV w/ insulated "canvas", but keep in mind a thin layer of foam is sandwiched in between two layers of canvas. When the top is down, heat retention is actually very good. Top up nearly doubles the cubic feet of the interior and creates a sizable less insulated surface along the sides. One of these days I will get an infrared thermometer and get some readings. The test and results have been done by others in the past.
Our experience the last two years have included two six week plus "sleeping in the van" winter ski trips with temps down to just below zero, sleeping with top up. Many nights in the high 20's to low 30's in the Sierras during the shoulder months.
Greg at Lubrication Specialists in Indiana is a very knowledgeable seller of Espar units, among other things. I spent quite some time speaking with him about our usage before making the decision on what to go with. We discussed D2, D4, and even D5 with heat exchanger for hot water and heat. Greg recommended the D2 based on our rig with Pop Top and normal usage. His points were the unit will run and cycle more often on medium and will run "cleaner". His feeling was we should be good down to around zero or so.
I mulled it over and to go with the D4 (w High Altitude Kit) based on better safe than sorry for more heat, the unit running on a lower fan setting not making as much noise, quicker more distributed heating of the interior. Part of this decision was our experience using an Olympia Wave 3 Catalytic Heater (3k btus rating) for three or so years in our stock roof 15 passenger van. It was a moderately insulated van and the heater would bring the temp up to around 65 deg, but it would take 30 minutes, and without a fan, the heat did not distribute well. We liked the Wave 3 heater for what it was, but would not run it while sleeping. My logic was doubling the 3k btus to a D2's 6.5k btus and doubling the cu feet to heat and introducing a canvas heat loss area had me concerned the D2 was not going to be enough. I think this was also around the time that Bbasso installed his heater and he was really happy with his. And I chatted with a couple of owners who had D4's and were in far northern states to get a feel of their personal experience. (I would recommend speaking to Greg about the Gasoline versions of these heaters. This latest info re Gas units carbonizing up is contrary to what I was told)
In hindsight what would I do now that we have the experience? First, I do not have experience with a D2 in a rig like ours. I do not "know" if it would be enough. The D4 has performed really well and my wife and I have no hesitation of going camping no matter how cold it is going to be. We pop the top, turn the heater on, enjoy the comfort and sleep well with the heater enabled all night. We set it at around 70 while awake and around 62 while sleeping.
The only issue we had was in the second winter season. The first season I was diligent about running the heater on high before turning it off plus we did not have a built in water system to be concerned about freezing. The second season I slacked off on this practice. and because we added a water tank inside, we also left the heater on a low 45 degree setting while we were staying in a Condo for a few days. What happened was the unit never reached full operating temp with such a low setting and it carboned up enough that it would not start. I disassemble the chamber and cleaned it out. Reassembled it and got it to fire up. Ran it on high for quite a while and all is okay for now. I have added a spare glow plug and fuel screen to the back up kit.
I think we would be happy with a D2 but would have to accept a fan running at a bit higher speed and taking a bit longer to heat up the cabin. On the other hand, I am very happy with the D4, I just have to make sure I am diligent about running it on high for 5 to 10 minutes before shut down.
Beatrice
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