crinklystarfish Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Hi all, without getting into complicated and dull explanations, I have a simple question. Are there any blown air heaters - LPG or diesel fuelled - out there that do not sound like a jet turbine spooling up. I'm specifically looking for a blown air (not convection) heater that will provide low-level heat during the night, hence quietness being desirable. I don't use hook-up so no ac powered solutions ta, and hot water is taken care of by other means so I'm not interested in any kind of combination heater this time round.I have first-hand experience of an LPG Propex Heatsource heater and an old diesel Eberspächer, neither of which are remotely quiet. My experience of current Truma combis is that on a low setting the blown air aspect is tolerable noise-wise, so are there any pure blown air heaters out there that anyone can vouch for being able to match, or better, the good old combi's performance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 We have a diesel Webasto dualtop which is far quieter than the Eberspacher that we used to have. Once it has reached the chosen temperature and goes to tickover you have to listen for it though at night the pump can be heard though this could be to do with how it is mounted on the chassis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ris Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 The Alde heating system, found on a number of modern vans, is based on a radiator system and does not use blown air. System can be set by point 5 degrees and is totally silent at all times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ris Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 The Alde heating system, found on a number of modern vans, is based on a radiator system and does not use blown air. System can be set by point 5 degrees and is totally silent at all times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 We have a Truma Combi Boiler that heats water and the m/h. It is quite quiet when on electric but not overly effective. When it is really cold we need to use Gas, but like you it keeps us awake at nights because of the fan cutting in and out. When its cold we tend to put thick quilts on the bed and turn the heating off overnight but this is not ideal as when I get up in the night or in the morning it is very, very cold but we find this preferable to the noise at night. I wish m/hs had gas fires like our old caravan, that form of heating was soundless!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 tugga - 2011-10-03 4:06 PM We have a Truma Combi Boiler that heats water and the m/h. It is quite quiet when on electric but not overly effective. When it is really cold we need to use Gas, but like you it keeps us awake at nights because of the fan cutting in and out. ! Funny you should say that, our last Combi 4 fitted in a 57 PVC gave us the same problem but now we have a Combi 4 in a 08 coach built and it is so quiet I often have to check that it's still running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Since my last post I have been giving some thought to why my two previous combi 4 heaters should perform so differently with respect to noise and have a theory that the routing of the hot air ducts may have more to do with it than the actual heater. In the noisy case the heater was situated in the centre of the van and being a PVC the duct runs were very short. In fact the shortest was probably less than 0.5 meters while on my current coach build the shortest run is probably in excess of 3, may even be 4 meters and contains a number of tight bends. In the case of the PVC the runs were not only short but straighter. The longer twistier runs may act as a silencer while the direct and short runs act to transfer the fan noise direct into the living space. I know you said you didn't want to get into in depth discussions but I felt an explanation would help support my theory that the length and run of the ducts is probably more important than the choice of actual heater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 My bad, I meant I didn't want to have to bore you all by explaining my current situation, I'm quite happy for anyone responding to explain in as much detail as they see fit. Sorry for the confusion; entirely my fault. I suspect that you have a very valid point with the energy dissipating through longer/ branched pipe runs. All good stuff. I appreciate the responses so far and hope others can contribute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Hate to pour cold water over the length of the ducting theory but our boiler is at the back of our motorhome in a cupboard under the wardrobe. We have ducting of about 0.5 of a meter going left into the bathroom and right for the kitchen area. We then have ducting that twists and turns and goes to the front, including the cab area and also down between the two floors to keep our water tanks free from freezing. Motorhome is 6.5 metres long. Working on your theory it should be quiet, but as said before, it isn't. The noise is definitely from the boiler. It is so bad that I am thinking of taking a convector heater away when we are on EHU so we can be warm in the mornings! OH says that will mean removing something to keep the weight down!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Hi Tugga. Our Truma Combi boiler is under our wardrome and runs very quietly. I wonder if there is somthing wrong with the fan in yours. Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Likewise our Combi C6 once up to temperature it is so quiet I have to put my hand in front of a vent to check it's running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 thebishbus - 2011-10-03 11:55 PM Hi Tugga. Our Truma Combi boiler is under our wardrome and runs very quietly. I wonder if there is somthing wrong with the fan in yours. Brian B. That is a very good point Brian as I am sure Truma intend for their heaters to be used 24 hours a day when it is very cold. I may give them a call to discuss and see what they have to say. It may mean the fan needs lubricating or even replacing. We will see. Cheryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks for the experiences. Though they are desirable, I discounted wet systems some time ago because of relative expense and complexity. A Webasto sounds like it might be worth a try though. Is anyone out there using a Truma Trumatic 'E' LPG blown air unit?I'm actually going to be fitting both diesel and LPG blown air heaters to give me a choice of fuels and backup in case of lack of fuel / failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi, We have an Eberspacher system in our van which also has an electric element (for when we are on hook ups) apart from when it is first switched on,( when it is noisy) we find it quite quiet, through the night, and keeps the van very 'toasty'. After standing outside near the exhaust, though i must admit i wouldn't want to be in a tent any closer than about 10 metres. We hav'nt suffered from the rapid battery discharge (supposedly) associated with the Eberspacher either ? is our exceptional ? or are there a lot of badly installed ones 'out there' ? We have never used a fan heater in any of our vans, but before this van, we did use an oiled filled radiator when on hook-up, as they are far safer and quieter. I suppose it all depends on how 'deep' a sleeper you are. Ray ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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