Heating

Hi

Camper van but unlikely to have hookup so 12v and gas

How about a jenny and variable heat fan heater.
You don't need more than 1kw, and can charge 12v battery's at the same time.
Easy enough to build a sound deadening box to keep the noise down, and a fan to keep it cool.

I've looked into this a little.

Had the van since aug and plan to try a couple of trips in dec/jan so try it out. The first question is - how's the insulation, do you have any ? If not you're burning something and loosing a lot.

Second is, like sleeping bags, how many seasons do you want to use it, and how hardy are you ?

The LT I have has carpets on the walls, over ply but afaik little else inbetween.

It picks up some warmth from the fridge - there's a combustion vent to outside (*important* !) but the coils don't have external vents, so the heat from keeping the fridge cool goes into the internal space. Up till mid oct which was especially warm - a light sleeping bag was fine for me.

Right now, I only plan to hit campsites with electric over this winter. So I got a £21, 700W oil heater from asda. It's about 30cm high. And £17 for a morphy richards electric blanket.

Between the two (I need to test in 0-5 degrees weather) I think it'll be OK if not exactly toasty.

For off site, you have a choice of gas or diesel. From what I've read, a woodburner - even a small one - would put out too much heat and lack any chance to turn it down.

John Wickersham's books have 3-4 pages on the heating systems available. Basically Webasto (diesel) Truma and Alde propane + use 12v fans to warm air or small radiator circuits.

Blaenavon http://www.caravanbreakers.net recently had an Alde unit for about £350, around halfish of new price. Keep an eye on their site and similar.

They recover caravans and strip them for parts. For gas, you'd want a gas fitter and for diesel heating you'd be hooking into the tank or engine feed, which to me seems tricky (I am not a mechanic)

There's an article here worth a look : http://www.practicalmotorhome.com/advice/30452-heating-your-motorhome

Here's the eberspacher aitronic heater brochure
Water heating is often (but not always) separate

http://www.eberspacher.com/products/fuel-operated-heaters/air-heating/airtronic-d2.html?&eID=download&file=fileadmin/data/countrysites/EB_UK/pdf_files/info_pdf_ebuk/heating_pdf_ebuk/heater_range_commercial_uk_22387.pdf

Yup eber webasto or propex!

Fantastic bits of kit

I could run propex all night for weekend off a 110 leisure battery easily!

Brand new 110ah so should be good to go