duetto owner Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 our ford AS duetto has blown air heating which up untill the cold spell was excellent, but during the last cold spell it could not keep us warm, took the edge off the cold but could not get that warmth we wanted, had we been on hook up i presume its just a case of plugging in one/two electric fan heaters to support it but with no hook up what tips can you offer other than wear extra layers of clothing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Assuming it will not annoy your neighbours you can always run the van engine and use the cab heater to assist for a while? Block off all the draughts round doors, windows, fridge etc and maybe seal off the skylights to prevent the warm air rising out into the sky? Thick curtains that overlap in the middle and are tight against the frame at the edge - particularly cab windows - also help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Try one of the small portable gas heaters thatntake the long thin cylinders. They are available at Go outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I would not advocate the use of any non flued gas appliance in such a confined space as there is unlikely to be enough oxygen for prolonged heating and the cost can be very high if combustion is not correct - your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeePee Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 We have a Duetto. I bought a roll of Thermal Insulation Foil from Wicks and cut it out to the shape of the windscreen and non double glazed windows and attached them with suckers. I also put a piece across the roof lights. It holds the heat during the winter and keeps the van cooler in the summer ! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Tracker - 2010-01-23 4:21 PM I would not advocate the use of any non flued gas appliance in such a confined space as there is unlikely to be enough oxygen for prolonged heating and the cost can be very high if combustion is not correct - your life. Obviously it would make sense to have the roof vent open slightly and surely no one would run a gas fire when asleep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Do you use Butane (blue bottles) or Propane ( red) gas? Also what is your pressure regulator setting? If on Butane, change to Propane. (your gas is getting too cold to maintain pressure) If on Propane, see if you can change your reguator to 37 mBar and specifications for heater allow this pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 You don't say what heating unit you have it would help for us to know, the Duetto website doesn't give the info but a 4kw one should be adequate in a small van. Also are you using external cab screen as these make a tremendous difference to heat loss in this weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 thanks all for the useful tips got a few to consider now. weather back up to 8c so hopefully thats it gone now to next winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 So, are you running on Butane or Propane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 Isn't it a diesel heater in the Duetto? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 Latest ones are but have no idea about older ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted January 24, 2010 Author Share Posted January 24, 2010 heated by diesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 Unfortuately with thw diesel powered heater all the air being heated in the combustion chamber is being draw from outside. So as temp drops it has a most work to do just raising the cold air up. So not a lot you can do about the heat output except make sure it is regularly serviced etc. So apart from other suggestions to improve insulation not a lot you can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 Brambles, the air being heated should be drawn from the interior of the van and re-cycled as it's only getting it's heat via a heat exchanger. The combustion air should be drawn from and exhausted to outside. At least that's the way it is on my boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 Ahhhh! I am maybe, no, I am indeed making assumptions here based on a model I know about and also thought was the one used in the latest Duetto. I maybe should just shut up and not miss lead. As they say a little knowledge compared to no knowledge is dangerous. Edit - just checked installation manuals... for marine indeed the air is recyled, but for Motorhome it shows air being drawn in from outside on one application I have, I assumed it had to be, but of course does not make sense. I suppose then what I should have said is check where the air intake for heater is and if it is external look at feasibility of changing to an internal air intake vent so does not have to heat externally drawn air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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