Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-21-2019, 06:20 PM   #31
Senior Member
 
LenS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,220
Will surely post pictures. My plan is to install it under the sink in the restroom. I has stuff stored there that I have not used in 18 years. Time to get it out of there and make room for the heater. I am hoping I will clear the frame. With the heater and air return there the cabinet and the water tanks should be warmer. A plus I think. I am going back and forth on having the 10L fuel tank (will use K-1 kersene) mounted inside or outside the rear door. Inside easier, outside safer in a rear end crash.
Attached Thumbnails
VAN LAYOUT 20160413.jpg  

__________________
Len & Joanne

The Green TARDIS
LenS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2019, 06:54 PM   #32
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Huntington Beach
Posts: 153
I bought the same heater, so far so good!

There is a facebook group if you need support (mine didn't come with instructions and the seller wasn't able to provide)

Here is a youtube video that shows how to operate the thermostat:

__________________
2008 E350 RB 6.0 - Bullet Proofed, MG 4x4 Conversion
2009 E350 RB 5.4 - Camburg Kit (Sold)
Fork-N-Road is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2019, 10:48 PM   #33
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by gnty View Post
We have the Planar heaters here and am faced with the same dilemma, diesel heater in a gas van. I certainly agree with what has been discussed, both the pros and cons. There is really no clear answer but personal choice based on comfort level of having fuel inside or outside of a van.
The Planars come with a fuel tank and Planar said that people have been mounting this inside vans and running the heater off of kerosene, what are the thoughts on this? Safer? More peace of mind?
I put a Planar diesel furnace in my gas Ford Transit and it was amazing. I recently sold the van but it was one of my favorite mods. Amazing output in a tiny footprint. Also, 7 liters of diesel ($5, give or take) would heat the van for days on end.

No need to use kerosene. Why would you? I filled up the 7 liter diesel tank of my Planar right at the pump while pumping gas many times. My tank was just inside the rear doors. As long as fill carefully and don't spill it there is no odor or problem. Same goes for kerosene.

86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2019, 11:05 PM   #34
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Huntington Beach
Posts: 153
Quote:
Originally Posted by 86Scotty View Post
No need to use kerosene. Why would you?
I have read that Kerosene burns cleaner at altitude vs. diesel. Supposed to be less likely to foul the glow plug when running at altitude, etc.

I have also read that the controller shown above might be programmable for dealing with altitude (slows the pump to lean the afr back out).
__________________
2008 E350 RB 6.0 - Bullet Proofed, MG 4x4 Conversion
2009 E350 RB 5.4 - Camburg Kit (Sold)
Fork-N-Road is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2019, 11:23 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
MadScience's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Peninsula
Posts: 809
So far I'm holing out on installing a heater. Are there any budget gasoline options out there?

(I may be willing to spend more money a couple months from now, but right now I'm clamping down again.)
__________________

'99 EB ex ENG KSWB news van, low rent 4x4 conversion (mostly fixed by now), home built interior.
MadScience is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2019, 01:17 PM   #36
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fork-N-Road View Post
I have read that Kerosene burns cleaner at altitude vs. diesel. Supposed to be less likely to foul the glow plug when running at altitude, etc.

I have also read that the controller shown above might be programmable for dealing with altitude (slows the pump to lean the afr back out).
That I did not know. I know some use it for a cleaner burn but if you use only diesel and use it regularly, remembering to crank it up to full blast for 5 minutes or so before shutdown now and then, you'll have few issues. At least I never have. I do not live at high altitude but have camped at altitude several times with no trouble.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MadScience View Post
So far I'm holing out on installing a heater. Are there any budget gasoline options out there?

(I may be willing to spend more money a couple months from now, but right now I'm clamping down again.)
There are no budget options for anything on this forum. Espar/Webasto do make gasoline units. Michael (MGMetalworks) put one in his Transit and loves it so far. *They are NOT cheap. Propane is cheap.
86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2019, 03:35 PM   #37
Senior Member
 
E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Sacramento Delta, CA
Posts: 1,024
Fork-N-Road: Thank you for the video. So far, by reading this thread, I think the Chinese units are smaller and possibly electrically more reliable than my Webasto -- and certainly cheaper! I think I could fit both an air heater/furnace and an engine coolant heater under the Engel Fridge Freezer in my van (well insulated of course). Amazing to see this kind of progress.

Question: Would some of you brainyacks please do a BTU output comparison of Propane to Diesel?

Why?
1. It would help some people decide on Propane v. Diesel for their vans; and
2. It would help me decide if I should run a propane gas line from the tank to my shop in the snow or just buy one of these and stick a small diesel tank on the outside of the shop.
__________________
2002 E350 ext.; 160K; 7.3L; 4R100 (w/4x4 deep pan & filter); 4x4 conv. w/2007 F250/F350 coil frnt axle (oppos. dual Bilstein press. shocks cured DW) diff chg from 3.55 to 3.73 (bad!); BW1356 t.c. (bad!); LT265/70R17/E Michelin LTX M/S2; Engel MT60 Combi Fridge-Freezer; 4 BP 380J pv panels; Auragen 5kw AC gen. in top alt. position; Webasto Dual-Top; Voyager top. 1995 5.8L EB Bronco, bone stock.
E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2019, 03:37 PM   #38
Senior Member
 
Flux's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 1,420
Paid an arm and a leg for my Espar B4. It cranks.



Had the van down to 5 degrees F. No worries.


tell you what though, if that 150 dollar chinese unit works that's a hell of a deal. If breaks just buy another. Might even be made in the same factory as espar or webasto.


For that money I would have done what Scotty did and put a diesel fuel tank in the van.



Only issue I see if there is no altitude compensation. I regularly camp at 7-9000ft. Gotta have that heater working.
__________________
<br>
Tim - 2013 EB V10 Agile 4x4 SMB PH Ginger Army All Terrain Mobile HQ
Flux is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-21-2022, 09:39 AM   #39
Site Team
 
BroncoHauler's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southern New Mexico
Posts: 10,177
Quote:
Originally Posted by brp View Post
The Dickinson Newport heater is a nice option. It takes up space but is very nice looking and the visible flame gives a nice warmth/ambiance. It’s available in propane, diesel or wood fired.
Does anyone have any firsthand feedback on the Dickinson heater?


Thanks,
Herb
BroncoHauler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-21-2022, 04:50 PM   #40
Senior Member
 
arctictraveller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,234
Quote:
Originally Posted by BroncoHauler View Post
Does anyone have any firsthand feedback on the Dickinson heater?Thanks,Herb
Herb, sorry but I don't have any Dickson experience. I do have a lot of experience with a Chinese diesel heater though. On the plus side, they are ridiculously inexpensive, use minuscule amounts of fuel, come in a kit that includes EVERYTHING needed to install, they are very quiet, on low they draw less than 0.5 amps and they are small enough to allow numerous mounting options. In Jan I camped in below zero temps and was toasty warm.

On the minus side, they almost all run on diesel so if you have a gas van you need to mount the included fuel tank, the 5kw can be a bit much in temps over say 35f to 40f, but cracking a window is an easy solution, there is a bit of a learning curve but there are easy answers to every question or issue on Facebook and other sites.

All in all, the $140 I spent on it is by far the best bargain improvement I ever made to the van. I actually bought two and stripped on for spare parts, but so far I've had zero failures in two seasons.............
__________________
Arctic Traveller
KC6TNI
2001 GTRV
Advanced 4wd
Agile Ride improvement package
arctictraveller is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Sportsmobile Registry

(No name yet)

Orv

Tatonka

gephoto
Add your Sportsmobile
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:02 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.