Airspace Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Hi there to all. I'am a newbie on this forum as I'am a newbie to the motorhome world . Look forward to being part of the group. The last time i had anything to do with Campervans was in 1982 when I swapped a mini cooper for a1970 Ford Transit Dorma with the popout roof and canvas bunks. The canvas on the bunks was that rotten when i first set em up and leapt in, it just ripped and i fell through!:)). If i remember correctly I had new Canvas made and instead of two thin kid size bunks I changed the fittings for the poles and made one mansize kind of Hammock. So many years on i have purchased a Fiat Ducato Burstner A747-2. Its a 2003 Model with less than 40k on the clock. After Driving it the 55 miles home from where I bought it I new there were certain things wrong with it. Lack of power, Black smoke billowing from the pipe, and this strange feeling that the brakes were coming on by themselves and then my wife phoning me as she was following behind, saying I think there's smoke coming from two of the wheels, she was rightbthe handbrake was binding the brakes on the tag axle ,, they were real hot . Any how since purchase have changed all filters and belts including the Cam , had a new clutch put in, all the braking system aligned and releasing,, wow, its a different vehicle, and for such a big thing the 2.8 engine does it proud. I love nearly all things about it. I suffer from a weird nerve problem that occured after an accident, strangely my body feels the cold more easily than most folk to the point that when it happens my extremities , ie , arms, legs, hands, fingers etc start to seize up! Well thats easy to deal with at home but out in the van in the winter even though the Burstner has a pretty good heating system, its not instant and if I' been out fishing or kayaking, I come back cold I need instant warmth. So I have bought a Diesel hot air Cab heater which i intend to run alongside the Burstners heating system hopefully it will be a bit more instant heat . What i would like to know is if I can configure this to work with my Two 130ah AGM leisure batts that are connected to Solar panels on the roof of my MH? I know this probably sounds a bit of a dim Newb question and the simple answer will be a yes or a no . I just dont want to feck things up and make a prob for myself. Cheers folks, Regards Airspace . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayc Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 11 hours ago, Airspace said: What i would like to know is if I can configure this to work with my Two 130ah AGM leisure batts that are connected to Solar panels on the roof of my MH?Airspace . Your diesel heater must be connected to a power source now, either the cab or leisure batteries. If connected to the cab battery you could change it to be wired to the leisure battery. Does your solar also charge the cab battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 12 hours ago, Airspace said: What i would like to know is if I can configure this to work with my Two 130ah AGM leisure batts that are connected to Solar panels on the roof of my MH? I know this probably sounds a bit of a dim Newb question and the simple answer will be a yes or a no . Yes. Am I correct in reading your post as you have yet to install the diesel heater? If so then it should be a simple matter to wire from your leisure batteries rather than your starter battery. Question, why can you not leave the existing heating turned on while you are out so the MH is warm when you return? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave S Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 There is no reason not to connect the heater to the leisure batteries. This is standard practice on boats although they usually have two 110 Amp/hour leisure batteries. The heater will probably draw about 2 Amps when it is running and over 20 Amps for about a minute when it fires up. You need to take this into consideration when calculating how much power you need to recharge your batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 However you wire it, make sure the power cannot be turned off remotely such as through the hab control circuit. These heaters must follow a set shut down procedure as when you turn it off at the heater control it must run for a while so the combustion chamber cools down. If the heater is stopped mid flow there is a chance of overheating or fuel left in the heat chamber. This will coke it up and shorten the life of the unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 Hi This is a very important point Weldted has made and must be adhered to as it has destroyed many a heater unit It must follow its proper shut down procedure as Weldted has pointed out to prevent overheating and thus prolonging the life of the unit If you are new to this and not sure , please get someone competent to install it for you ,for safety Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 Which brand/model? Eberspacher, Webasto, Russian or Chinese? Apart from those used to heat the engine (e.g. Webasto Thermotop) in a RV all are connected to the leisure battery. In addition to the electrical connection, use wires of adequate section in order to limit the voltage drop, you will then have to provide for the draft of the fuel from the tank. The pipe must not reach the bottom to avoid it consuming all the fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airspace Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 The brand is Eberspacher. The reason I need the extra heat is I suffer from nerve damage and cold to me is cold my hands and legs stop working properly so I just wanted instant extra heat and as I was given this unit for free, thought I would put it to use . Yes my Solar can charge both Leisure Bats and tops the starter Bat. I think what I may do is put another Solar panel on the roof and give the heater its own separate operating system to everything else? Thanks for your replies. Regards ASpace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 If putting an extra panel just link it into the existing leisure battery side. You then have greater storage capacity, batteries can then be topped up by solar, engine or ehu. The trouble with a separate system is you may need the heater more in the winter so less solar, you would need a means of charging it from both the engine or ehu. The current draw once powered up is not great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 On 2/2/2023 at 10:56 PM, Airspace said: Hi there to all. I'am a newbie on this forum as I'am a newbie to the motorhome world . Look forward to being part of the group. The last time i had anything to do with Campervans was in 1982 when I swapped a mini cooper for a1970 Ford Transit Dorma with the popout roof and canvas bunks. The canvas on the bunks was that rotten when i first set em up and leapt in, it just ripped and i fell through!:)). If i remember correctly I had new Canvas made and instead of two thin kid size bunks I changed the fittings for the poles and made one mansize kind of Hammock. So many years on i have purchased a Fiat Ducato Burstner A747-2. Its a 2003 Model with less than 40k on the clock. After Driving it the 55 miles home from where I bought it I new there were certain things wrong with it. Lack of power, Black smoke billowing from the pipe, and this strange feeling that the brakes were coming on by themselves and then my wife phoning me as she was following behind, saying I think there's smoke coming from two of the wheels, she was rightbthe handbrake was binding the brakes on the tag axle ,, they were real hot . Any how since purchase have changed all filters and belts including the Cam , had a new clutch put in, all the braking system aligned and releasing,, wow, its a different vehicle, and for such a big thing the 2.8 engine does it proud. I love nearly all things about it. I suffer from a weird nerve problem that occured after an accident, strangely my body feels the cold more easily than most folk to the point that when it happens my extremities , ie , arms, legs, hands, fingers etc start to seize up! Well thats easy to deal with at home but out in the van in the winter even though the Burstner has a pretty good heating system, its not instant and if I' been out fishing or kayaking, I come back cold I need instant warmth. So I have bought a Diesel hot air Cab heater which i intend to run alongside the Burstners heating system hopefully it will be a bit more instant heat . What i would like to know is if I can configure this to work with my Two 130ah AGM leisure batts that are connected to Solar panels on the roof of my MH? I know this probably sounds a bit of a dim Newb question and the simple answer will be a yes or a no . I just dont want to feck things up and make a prob for myself. Cheers folks, Regards Airspace . No way your batts can cope whit that. If your agm are good combine them whit lithium. called smart battery system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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