Gas Webasto Airtop 2000 install

[zugg]

Nice work Jeff.
I am still on the fence about that furnace. I know it is great.
Just need to see where the money will be used-heating or tele skiing.
I have awesome insulation, so in the snow, or cold climates,
I will not need much of a heating device.
Considering a small portable cabin heater from west marine.
I believe it can run off a 12 volt system, or an inverter could take care of that.
A good test run would be a Mammoth mountain for a weekend tele trip.
Hey WannaSMB-how did you do with a portable heater in your van, in cold climates?



Peace,

Zugg

[WVvan]

UPDATE: I have deleted all information from the previous post because it is no longer operative.
I'll spare you my tale of woe.
Suffice it to say that you should avoid TSI WESTERN STAR of North Jackson, Ohio at all costs.
My dealings with them turned into a total cluster****.
Everything was returned but I still got stuck with the freight costs.
UPDATE 2:
Disputed the freight costs with my credit card company. After about a month they agreed with me and refunded the charges.

[jeff@work]

How funny... when i bought my heater i went with the webasto cause it was a few hundred cheaper than the espar!

If you didn't get it something else to order would be the fuel filter, the webasto install kit didn't include it but the webasto tech guys recommend using one... maybe the espar install kit has one.

I should also update the page to reflect that i moved the fuel pump, it's still mounted on the frame rail but i moved it in front of the gas tank so it's easy to remove now. If you ever have to send the heater in to have it checked out they'll want the fuel pump as well.

[LenS]

Jeff,

You got the 2000 model, I believe that is a 2000 watt model. You wrote that that had adequate heat output for your SMB. Does your SMB have the penthouse top and do you have it deployed in cold weather?

We have only a electric heater at this time and its max rating is 1500 watts. It works OK at freezing temperatures with the top up but I don't think I have much reserve heating capacity at those temperatures unless I leave the unisulated top down.

Can you adjust the heater yourself for altitude changes? We would normally operate it at 1000 feet or below. The few trips we take to higher elevations though I would not want it stop working.

Do you have a wall mounted thermostat and if you do was it part of the package you bought??

[jeff@work]

Hi Len,

Yes, webasto puts that heater as cycling between 900 - 2000 watts of heat.

I virtually always sleep with the top up, but in cold weather i always put up curtains that i made out of "warm window" fabric http://www.warmcompany.com/wwpage.html I really couldn't imagine sleeping up there without it... those penthouse tops just do nothing for keeping out the cold, especially if the wind is blowing! The warm windows fabric makes a tremendous difference in keeping the top warm and basically just keeping the temperature throughout the van fairly even. They also work great for keeping the heat from the sun out in warmer weather. I also put reflectix in all the windows. I'm very comfortable in freezing temps setup like that and have even spent a few days where the lows were around zero and i was fine... but at zero it sure is easy to find if there's any drafts in your van!

Supposedly there is a way to adjust it yourself, but it's not really an exact way of doing it, webasto recommends not doing it, and after having taken the heater apart i still didn't see how you're supposed to do it. So basically no, you need to have it adjusted by a webasto dealer as they do it through the computer interface. With how mine was came from the factory i ran it for i think it was about 2 weeks at between 6500-7000 feet before it clogged up, stopped working and needed to be cleaned.

I have the basic rheostat which... either came with the heater or the install kit, can't remember which package it was in. I didn't wall mount it, i left it loose so i can take it up into the penthouse with me in case i feel like changing the temp while i'm sleeping... yeah yeah i'm lazy

[LenS]

Thanks Jeff

[cellularSTEVE]

Originally Posted by LenS

Jeff,


We have only a electric heater at this time and its max rating is 1500 watts.

Hey LenS,
How long does your electric heater last before draining the battery? I have a very small one that drains the battery in 30 minutes!
steve

[billwilson]

Not to be stupid or funny
but what is wrong with the suburban propane heater?

ran mine at the central cal meet and other than having to reset it a few times
(which IS a pain in the ass)

keep Wilson toasty and did not drain batteries
(althought i do have 400 amp hours)

did not suck up much propane either

[jeff@work]

I did look into installing a suburban propane heater in my van but these were my reasons for going with the webasto:

I liked the idea of the van and heater using the same fuel.
The webasto is smaller and fit in my van better than the suburban.
The webasto does use a bit less electricity.
I had read people complaining about the noise of some of the propane furnaces... i have never heard one of them running in a van myself but my webasto, except when running on high is very quiet.
I didn't have to cut vent holes in the side of the van for the webasto.
I like that the webasto cycles through different power settings as opposed to an all or nothing (i know some higher end propane heaters do this but most of the ones i was looking at didn't)

So all that said i don't think theres anything wrong with a suburban furnace, i just felt the webasto was a better choice for me personally.

[LenS]

Steve,

Never tried using electric 800w/1500w heater off of batteries. Just not enough power there. I think at best my house batteries would last less than one hour, probably 30 minutes. 115ah x 12v = 1380 watts with a 50% battery drain. Heater is only used when shore power is available. Indeed I have it wired so that the batteries and my 1000w inverter CAN'T run it even in 800w power mode. It can ONLY get power from a shore (or generator) connection.

I also tend to dislike the Suburban heaters because of there size and requirement for an additional fuel. On the other hand if the above does not bother you I believe the price is about half.