jgk Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Hello, we are looking to extend our touring season and already have a 240v oil filled electric radiator for when we are on hookup. However we would like to know about other options for when we are not on hookup. I guess the options are gas or diesel powered or possibly 12v? Which are suited to a Reimo T5 SWB Camper with raising roof? We already have gas on board and a leisure battery. How much can we expect to pay? Any advice gratefully received... John. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 A lot depends on your camping style and personal preferances. I would look carefully if you have space for a conventional Carver/Truma gas heater. It will require a hole in the floor and a vent to somewhere above. A lot depends on the layout of your van if it can acomodate it as its not small. It is totally quiet which for me is very important. They also consume zero battery current when running. A few milliamps if electric start when lighting the pilot lamp only. If you are pushed for space and are tolerant of some noise then there is the Propex blown air heater. These also require a hole in the floor for a balanced flue but can be hidden in a cupboard or under a bed. They have a fan that is running all the time and makes a noise. They consume a couple of amps from the battery all the time when running. Remotron is another name for gas powered blown air heaters. (Aqua Marine manufacturing Company in Southampton used to sell them) Or you can fit a diesel heater, even if you don,t have a diesel engine it is not unknown to fit a small diesel tank just for the heater. Eberspacher are probably the best known but Smiths/Webasto do something similar. Same fitting requirements as the Propex but the Eberspatcher will take lots of amps during the starting phase as it has a glow plug to light the diesel. For me these are too noisy - but I am fussy. Why not go to your local Motorhome outlet and ask them for specific advice when looking at your van. You don,t have to let them do any work but you can get the benefit of theit thoughts. Good luck. Let the forum know what you decide - and why. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 1. Forget 12V heating... 2. The cheapest (and simplest to install) gas-fuelled heater would be a catalytic type. See Caravan Accessories (CAK) Ltd catalogue (advert in MMM) for examples. Cost £120 - £150 plus fitting. 3. Space constraints in your vehicle make it unlikely that fitting a 'normal' convector gas-fuelled heater (eg Truma S3002) would be practical, but a compact gas-powered blown-air heater would be suitable. CAK market the Heatsource 1800 at around £500 (see also Propex Heatsource advert in MMM) and Truma (www.trumauk.com) offer the more powerful E2400 for about £650. Fitting would, of course, add significantly to the cost and you would also need to consider whether the capacity of your present gas bottle(s) would be adequate. 4. Probably the best bet would be a small diesel-fuelled (presumably your T5 is diesel engined) blown-air heater - either a Webasto Air Top 2000 (www.webasto.co.uk) or Eberspacher Airtronic D2 (www.eberspacher.com). MMM January 2006 (page 193) carried an article on fitting an Air Top 2000 to a T5 and an overall price of £795 was quoted. As Clive says, you'll need a substantial leisure battery and noise on heater start-up may be a problem. particularly when the appliance is installed inside the vehicle. 5.Certain T5 models have a diesel-fuelled heater as standard for cab heating while the vehicle is being driven. In such cases it is possible to obtain a kit that permits the heater to be used when the vehicle's motor is switched off. Might be worth checking with a VW dealer whether this is the case with your 'van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 Some of the diesel heaters sound like a Jumbo jet (well almost) from the outside of the vehicle. Suggest you try to listen to the diesel heaters running and assess the noise level from your point of view (inside) and your neighbours (outside) They tend to be as irritating as a generator. From my experience gas appears to be quieter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 Hello Derek! Where've you been??? We've been having to manage with just good old Clive for a while and I think he's getting a bit tired!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Been motorcaravanning in France for fortnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgk Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 Thanks for the advice - I think we will check out how noisey the webasto ones are first. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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