Guest peter goddard Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 When the time comes to replace the hot water / blown air system in our motorhome I would be very interested is using a diesel fuelled system. I have read several reports in MMM and many letters on the subject. However I have some concerns and would be grateful to hear various views. I am aware that the diesel fuelled systems in HGV’s are probably more powerful than those used in motor homes but they are excessively noisy and I would be concerned about noise level in our motorhome, especially as the unit would be under the (fixed) bed. Secondly I would object to burning fuel on which I had paid excise duty and VAT in a heater. Why do these units not use a separate tank for their fuel, it would then be possible to use red diesel, central heating fuel or even paraffin to fuel the unit and run it for about one third or less of the normal cost? Finally, I keep a close record of the vehicles fuel consumption and this gives me a very good idea of the condition and state of tune of the engine, if the fuel consumption suddenly increases I know there is something wrong. However if the unit draws its fuel from the main tank I would loose this information, how do others get around this problem. I sent a similar query to MMM and the basic reply was that it would be too costly and take up too much space and payload to fit a separate tank but with a MH already carrying tanks for fresh and used water, toilet water and waste and sometimes liquid gas I can't see any problems finding space for a 10 gallon diesel tank. Comments please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 We have an Ebber- whatsit -specher heater It is a bit noisy on start up then it is just when it clicks in (on thermostat control) Our circulating fan is under the bed just like the water pump Burner is under the floor outside by regulations Main advantages are the ability to Defrost the windscreen - pre heat the engine - Heat the living area when travelling The main problem with your GREAT IDEA of using a different fuel supply is the extra weight of the fuel & tank Most motorhomes are limited on the amount of goods and equipment they can carry - Some of the bigger MH's have less payload than the smaller ones 400kg - 600kg And from a post somewhere I understand that the ferry peole are starting to weigh all vehicles before loading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RonB Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 PeteC - I couldn't quite make out your second sentence - could you elaborate please? Out of interest , how long does a typical start-up last? How about the noise outside? Incidentally, for those interested in the subject there is a good web article on a DIY installation of a Webasto diesel heater, which details aspects of these type heaters, especially if retro-fitting, that I have never seen aired before. www.around-oz.com/diy_mh/diy_webasto_installation.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Peter: As a main selling-point for diesel vehicle heaters is the 'unlimited' supply of fuel, employing a dedicated fuel reservoir separate from the vehicle's own fuel tank might be considered a perverse choice. However, it's perfectly practical to have an installation of the type you are proposing. Smallish (40 to 50 litres) plastic fuel tanks are widely advertised in Continental European accessory catalogues for use with leisure-vehicle on-board generator systems. The tanks themselves are priced at £60 to £80, though you'd also need to budget for a level-gauge, fittings, etc. and (obviously) installation costs. I've no idea if such tanks are available in the UK, but Caravan Accessories(CAK) Ltd could probably tell you. Nobody likes paying taxes, but it strikes me that the additional complexity, extra weight and significant cost of opting for a dedicated heater tank would constitute a heavy penalty just to save on diesel excise duty. There also seems to be a Catch-22 situation where the only apparent way to defray the cost of the installation would be for you to use large quantities of 'tax free' diesel, but (assuming you are travelling around as motorcaravanners usually do) where would you obtain this cheap fuel once your original 10 gallons ran out? Personally, I'm doubtful that meticulous fuel consumption recording can provide useful advance warning of engine-related faults that aren't already evident from 'mechanical' symptoms like patently sluggish performance, rough running, exhaust smoking or fuel leakage. It would have been useful to know what make/model of heating system you have in mind. I'm unsure whether "the unit would be under the (fixed) bed" means that the heater would be located directly beneath the mattress (as Truma Combi heaters tend to be) or beneath the chassis below the bed area. You definitely don't want the burner component of a diesel-fuelled heater within the motorhome's living space if you can possibly avoid it. The diesel heaters used in HGVs and motorhomes will be the same and, because a motorhome's interior volume is likely to be greater than that of a lorry cab, I wouldn't have thought an HGV heater would need to be any more powerful (unless you are thinking about buses of course!) As Petec says, diesel heaters are noisiest at start-up, but this noise can be reduced by a properly designed installation or by choosing an encapsulated design like Eberspacher's Combitronic. There have been several articles in French motorhome magazines about diesel- and gas-fuelled heaters, comparing their relative merits. Besides the obvious pros and cons of each type, it would seem that retro-fitting a diesel heater is potentially more problematical than retro-fitting a gas one. Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter goddard Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Thank you all and especially Derek, the most complete answer I have yet received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Derek From our use of fuel in the heater a 10 gallon tank would last for months We have travelled down through Belgium, France, in snow & freezing conditions where we have had the heater on all night (actually ran out of frost south of Barcelona that year) And returned from N Italy (5 weeks travel)using the heater every night for various length of time On neither journey did we notice an increase in the use of fuel For the question on how long it takes to warm up HOW LONG is apiece of string If you have been travelling you already have a tank of hot water that reduces the start up time Also it depends on the outside temperature Altitude is supposed to make a diffeerence but we have not noticed any Outside well we did appologise to some Dutch people for the noise - The next day they thanked us but said that they would not have noticed the noise had we not said anything - they said it made less noise than the blower on their gas sstem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Foxy Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 stayed on a CL the other weekend and could not work what the noise was that kept me awake early hours. then I realised that the motohome next door had a deisel heater. Too noisy by far in the still of the night Foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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