Eberspatcher overnight ?

[ips]

If I leave diesel eberspatcher on low all night is it likely to drain the battery's (2x 110a) prob going away for 2 nights at the weekend with no hook up and if the weather stays the same its gonna be a bit nippy. Never left it all night before so no idea how much eleccy its likely to use, does anyone have any experience of this and can confirm.

[Mel B]

It is an Eberspacher you numpty!!! *-) ;-) :D

 

I've had a look at the Eberspacher site and found this:

 

http://www.eberspacher.com/downloads/applications/22374_motorhome_heaters_%28web%29.pdf

 

On page 10 it shows the following:

 

 

 

[Guest Tracker]

The biggest hit on current is on boiler start up when it takes a brief surge of around 15/20 amps to fire it followed by a much lower drain when in use.

 

It therefore follows that the more often it fires up the sooner the batteries become unable to provide that surge.

 

Everything depends on two things - firstly, on the outside to inside temperature differential and the colder the outside and the higher your stat inside the more often it will fire, and secondly on how good your batteries are and how fully charged they are.

 

Let's assume that your batteries are sound and that you drive far enough to fully charge them or you might want to put the van on hook up at home the night before you leave to be sure, and let's assume that you settle for a sensible thermostat setting of say about 14 C, and then let's assume that the outside temperature stays above freezing.

 

On that basis I would expect two good 110 ah batteries to easily cope with a weekend away and all that it entails for 12v use. They ought to be able to cope with three or four days of that sort of use.

 

If you have any doubts or if the battery voltage drops alarmingly after one night you can always start and run the engine on tickover for a while to ensure a good second night - but you should not have to unless you have a suspect battery.

 

Have a good weekend!

[Mel B]

... so if you only had the heater on the low setting overnight, it would be:

 

watts / volts = amps

8 watts / 12v = 0.66 amps

 

Therefore over say an 8 hour period you would use approximately 5.28 amps, to be safe say around 7 or 8 to allow for start up and you not getting out of bed in the morning to turn it off!!! (lol)

 

I know you didn't ask this, but the fuel consumption would be around .8 of a litre, so say a litre to be on the safe side.

 

 

[HWO]

Hi

 

if you keep your socks and fleeces on, and snuggle up to Mrs Ips. You should keep warm.

 

On a more serious point, It an't too cold yet. We are up at Keswick at the moment, and although it is blowing a gale and absolutely bucketing it down, it is fairly warm rain and wind.

 

Bit of heat in the morning whilst the first brew in on is realy enough.

 

My Co-pilot is a complete hot house plant and she has not mentioned overnight heating yet

 

Have a good weekend

HWO

[ips]

Thanks for the info everyone, sounds like it shouldnt be a problem then. Been away for 5 days without hook up a few times with no probs but never needed the heating. Will defo consider snuggling up to mrs ips :-D

Weather report for weekend looks pretty bleek so not sure yet were we are going, so far we cant book anywere that we wanted that was within walking distance of a town for shopping and for an evening out so yet another evening spent trawling through the web sites.

 

HWO

Is keswick busy this week ?

[HWO]

hi ips

 

Town seems busy as usual.

 

Down here by the Lake is fairly quiet, very few on the grass, or should that be the marsh land being used

 

Lake nearly up to the first row of hardstandings, and on flood watch earlier in the week.

 

Still giving the Gortex a good test.

 

they tell us it's going to get better for a few days

 

we live in hope

 

HWO

[ips]

ooh sounds fun, may end up there ourselves at weekend. :-D