69. Replacing my campervan propane heater with a diesel one (Part 1)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2022
- Continuing the recent series of videos where I dismantle much of what I built before and replace it with a completely different system, here's Part 1 of me taking out the Propex HS2000 LPG (propane) air heater and replacing it with an Autoterm (Planar) diesel unit. Be warned, I don't get very far and the keen-eyed viewer will spot I end up with it the wrong way around, which will be fixed later!
Here’s the link to my camper bits for sale:
vandemonium.co.uk/kit-for-sale/
If you liked the video and wish to leave me a tip, thank you!
www.ko-fi.com/davidjohns
Tools & Parts used for my campervan build
Autoterm diesel heater: geni.us/Van_Autoterm
Renogy 2kW inverter: geni.us/Van_RenogyInverter
Sink: geni.us/Van_NewSink
Induction hob: geni.us/Van_InductionHob
Portable toilet: geni.us/Van_Toilet
Fridge: geni.us/Van_CoolFreezeCDF26
Old sink unit: geni.us/Van_SinkHob
Old heater unit: geni.us/Van_PropexHS2000
Old Inverter: geni.us/Van_Inverter
Charger: geni.us/Van_MainsCharger
Solar Controller: geni.us/Van_SolarMPPT
Gas Alarm: geni.us/Van_GasAlarm
DeWalt jigsaw: geni.us/Van_DeWaltJigsaw
DeWalt drill: geni.us/Van_DeWaltDrill
DeWalt mitre saw: geni.us/Van_DeWaltMitreSaw
DeWalt circular saw: geni.us/Van_DeWaltCircSaw
Web www.vandemonium.co.uk
Twitter / vandemoniumuk
Instagram: / vandemoniumuk
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If anyone knows of a pun contest, I suggest submitting David's contributions from the last few years. 😀 Gold standard for sure. A man with a sense of humour is a good thing.
Haha thank you
He deserves a degree from Oxford....well from the Oxford Canal at least.
@@whitcwa I couldn't agree more. He has a real gift for "puns"and "tongue in cheek" comments. I've made this comment several times. "Coal Finger" was one of my favourites. Do you think he knows we're talking about him? LOL
You may "think" you're inept but you have never-ending patience and really "think" your projects through. Some might say you "overthink" them, but I don't think so. There's too little thinking on too many projects I’m afraid, which leads to problems. So think away, David. It serves you well. I'd love to have coffee with you sometime, but that's not likely as I live in Canada and you live in the U.K. Besides, you'd probably make me drink tea. I have nothing against tea and even have a cuppa now and then, but I'm afraid it takes a back seat to a good coffee. Sorry! Tea at breakfast is not possible for me.
WoW I agree with James A . No way would I call you "hopelessly inept". The people that get good at DYI-ing are people who bravely tackle things they have never done. Mistakes are a given but that's how you learn. You are Brave! Good on ya !
Haha thank you
👍
Beat me to it, seconded
Your the only person I would watch doing this sort of thing.
I know exacyly what you mean, Janis,
I would certainly not call you "hopelessly enept". You obviously have the skills to pay the bills and start and complete, quite nicely I might add, some pretty complex projects. A fine job sir! 👍
Thank you!
Epic 👍 (it was clearly time for a cheese sandwich and cup of tea at the end, you earned it 🙂)
My proposal for your next DIY project: extend your campervan to lets say 72 feet, make it swimmable and put it on the canal.i would love that!! Love your videos!!!
The project after that should be putting wheels and what else is needed on the narrowboat so you can drive it on land.
I could watch you work all day.
I throughly enjoy watching you fiddle around with your van. Keep it up!
Excellent progress. Well done. 👏👏👍😀
Nice work-arounds, David! This conversion will serve you well, no doubt. Your skill grows more powerful, young Jedi. Cheers.
Thank you for the explanation and good luck flogging your stuff 😎
Very nice work, David.
Looking forward to the next episode.
What a clever guy you are . enjoy your chat as toy work away. Well done
Thanks for the video. We always enjoy watching your adventures. So interesting to watch how you know how to build/rebuild so many things!
Many thanks David! Hope you're doing well.
Hi David, I love watching your projects. I appreciate your problem solving thought process. Keep safe keep well, Gloria 🐂
Loving watching you take so long doing things, Dave. Makes me look like Speedy Gonzales!!!
keeping a video record of exactly what you've fitted, how and why, is a useful record for next time you need to alter anything
Like you, I haven't been online much recently, as I've been building a hearth on my boat, to install a wood burner. However, my old eberspacher diesel heater onboard also needs replacing. So, this video is great for me, as it shows a good alternative heater, and shows details re the exhaust, which I'll keep in mind when I'm looking at mine.
As for your DIY skills, I think it's clear to see how far you've come and improved - gained confidence? - since the first days on your boat.
Your videos have always been interesting, sometimes funny and whether you've done something well or had to make adjustments, always informative.
Quite simply, always a must watch 👍
Memories...takes me back to my dad and his projects also my son who is an enthusiastic DYer!
Back to a previous vlog I bought the personal Christmas cards today and finally to and yours;
All the best for the festive season - stay well - safe. I look forward to the finishing of the van refit and future vlogs in 23. Jan Adelaide
Thank you
Have mercy! You are not DIY inept by any stretch of the imagination. You never cease to amaze me with your various skill sets. Choice between Latvia and China doesn't deserve a second thought. You - as always - made the correct choice. Bless you! Thanks, Becky
Built me a new sprinter motor home. Diesel water/space heater was my answer. Diesel Heat in Tasmania where mine was made. German furnace. Stainless tank for the glycol and heater head. Tapped straight in the vans fuel tank for the diesel. Love it.
Enjoying the DIY, as an incorrigible tinkerer myself. I have, of course, heard of the engineer's maxim, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but I do enjoy a bit of fiddling if I feel there are ways it could be done better.
Good Job David. Looking forward to part 2/3 👍
2, 3 ... and 4, 5, 6!!!
@@Vandemonium 🤣😂 Even better.
ooh I have hankered after one of those jigsaws. But I cant justify the price as I dont use a jigsaw often enough. I have the drill for years, brilliant drill. We had one of the saws In my old job, and it is brilliant. A very borrowed tool it was too!
Your right.. Incidentally, I had fitted a while ago I was recommended by a marine engineer to replace my aged Mikuni on my boat with a Russian made in Lativia. Not only it was half the price but solid as a rock as well as coming with understandable English Language manual!
It doesn't matter what your reasons are for doing the work, but it is nice and interesting to know what they are. Propane is highly explosive in the correct mix and in a small space it can soon get to that mix. If the bottle gets a fire under it one can get a massive explosion that can wreck anything near. And of course hobbies are something many of us need and enjoy without needing to justify them. Like watching others do stuff on TH-cam, it maybe illogical and a waste of time, but peasant anyway. I do enjoy your stories and narrations thank you.
I knew diesel will be a good one to watch. Always good.
The propane fittings mostly release over tine from cooling to heating to cooling cycles. The leaks accelerate when bouncing along the trails. Needs an annual wrenching and a modest refit tightening .... for safety.
Loving it, DIY reality
I believe The Fixx covered this a decade or so ago but well done, old man!
David, thanks for making me laugh, before I even watched the video; the title cracked me up!
Many boats have oil burners on the stove top too. They also work well in an RV. They need preheating to get a good blue flame.
The multi-tool makes yet another appearance! You really need to come up with a nickname for it so that it can appear in the credits properly. 🙂 A polling video perhaps?
Looking great
Hi I have diesel heater in my sailing boat and it works/provides a lower heat source then LPG - the boat is just warmer. Need to have a good heat circulation method to keep the four corners warm
I too bought a Planar unit for the same reasons you did. So happy to hear that they are actually made in Latvia. I installed mine a week before the Russians invaded Ukraine.
Planar are good, have one on my boat, and no issues over several years. But I do run it mainly on cleaner-burning kerosene, sometimes mixed with diesel. Running it flat out also reduces soot build up in the burner. In any case, if you must run it in on low, give it 10 minutes or so on high before turning it off, to burn off any soot.
When you press the OFF button thees heaters initially go into HOT mode, after a short period they then cool off for several minutes with glow plug and pump OFF; my much maligned, cheap CDH certainly does this.
The idea behind this is to clean out the system if the heater has been running on LOW for an extended period. I also would be tempted to run the heat exchanger exhaust pipe out of the vehicle in the shortest, downward pointing leg as possible.
My Vevor 5Kw system is fitted in the garage/ workshop and the exhaust pipe gets very hot on the visible section before it exits out through he wall.
David, you may have felt that you were "hopelessly inept" at DIY, but you were not. You just needed confidence. Every time I start a new project I feel inept, but I know that I will prevail.
Hi David, the heater should be fitted directly to the metal floor of the van with no plywood in between, the pump is really loud so needs to be outside of the van, also you can fit the diesel pick up pipe through the sender on the top of your tank through the inspection plate inside the van, good luck.
Hi. Yes, ideally I'd fit it to the floor but it's not feasible. When I originally fitted the Propex unit, there were all kinds of things underneath the van that got in the way, I outlined them in a much earlier video. However, I have not one but two CO alarms in the van and do not intend ever to run it while asleep. The joint around the pipe will also be sealed with a substantial amount of exhaust paste.
It was definitely not interminable, David. I really enjoy your videos! 🚐
David, oh noooo, you don't wanna do it like that!!🤣Everyone's an expert, strangely!🙄I personally think projects like this are trial and error, you will find the best solution ultimately!
Hi David you can run hot, water system of you diesel heater and also underfloor heating if you want to go real posh as you can get all the kit for your heater keep. Up the good work I have just ordered my heater for my house I getting a 5 kW for the utility room strike workshop
Cheers, it would be a really huge re-fit if I was to do underfloor heating so that won't be happening.
hi David . just a heads up .. 350 dec on the exit pipe. !!! hot stuff.. we put it though a copper and brass radiator 5 bar got it down to 50dec. kept heat in the garage .. its all good hope you have fun ... but do not use any other oils.. sump cooking so on they do not work without a lot of work to keep it going cheers tone uk
Cheers Tone, good info. I will be lagging the exhaust extensively to avoid heat issues
Went spiffingly what .. jolly good carryon pip pips 😁
I mounted my diesel heater on the floor of the van as I didn't like the possibility of exhaust fumes coming into the van if there was a leak. Personal preference 👍
Yes, ideally I'd do that but it's not feasible. When I originally fitted the Propex unit, there were all kinds of things underneath the van that got in the way, I outlined them in a much earlier video. However, I have not one but two CO alarms in the van and do not intend ever to run it while asleep. The joint around the pipe will also be sealed with a substantial amount of exhaust paste.
Ah, dinner and watching someone else do physical labor... perfect!
You should get some support from DeWalt for the product placement 🙂
Haha I wish!
Hi David, glad to see you working on the van again and making some good progress. You are wise to take an interest in the camper specific entrails (or bits), especially getting dirty and doing the upgrade yourself is a great teacher. Now that you have had to take apart your past work, try and integrate in some increased serviceability if your time and patience will allow.
With the Lithium battery power unit you were planning to install for cooking, I assumed you would try to run a small cabin heater as well from the same unit, thus eliminating flame/carbon monoxide altogether. Electric resistance heat is very inefficient at 3.4 BTUs per watt but, you have such a small area to heat, you could probably get by with a few hundred watts. The TH-camr: Adz Adventures ran a test on small heaters made for the home/office in his camper van a month ago, running from his Lithium power unit, which you may find interesting. -Cheerio!
Yes, the battery is for cooking and all the internal DC power. I've seen Adz's videos but I'm not convinced it would work for me - even he chooses to run it from a portable power bank so he can take it away and recharge after each night. Electric heaters just use too much power.
@@Vandemonium Agreed, all resistance heating (for the kitchen and for space heating) is very inefficient. I just mentioned it as a possibility if it wasn't that cold and for backup purposes.
I'll be curious to run my own test with the smallest oil-filled electric radiator I can find (ie not a fan heater)
@@Vandemonium That would be my first choice as well. No super hot heating elements, completely silent, and the high thermal mass would continue to give off heat for the next half hour or so. The drawback is it also takes 30 minute to warm up.
I'm an avid DIY-er, and "hopelessly inept" you are not. You do a pretty decent job with what you have available (these "DIY-ers" with huge workshops and every tool known to man inside it do not impress) and I'd say you're well above average, considering the limitations of ad-hoc localities and basic tooling.
Thank you
Hi Dave : Yea, he is good, and entrainment for the dark winter hours
good vid on channel thanks lee
I know your youtube name, you subbed to Tony North Easterns youtube channel? Maybe a few others too?
Thank you
Cheers
Hi, consider the noise of the ICE heater over the gas, hence the exhaust silencer included in the kit. Just some thing to think about 👍
Yes, I shall try to install the exhaust
Actually, I thought you were doing good teach 😂 Thanks m8, keep up the good work Eh!
Interesting video; I enjoyed it. I am however a little worried that you are not using the correct exhaust for the heater with it. Eberspacher certainly state that that a different exhaust should not be used with their heaters, and since the one that came new has a silencer, and your old one hasn’t, the new one would probably create more back pressure, which in turn would affect the combustion. It may run hotter than it should for instance.
Hi, cheers but worry not I am now going to use the included exhaust
Diesel is safer and maybe cheaper as well. Just saw a 8kW diesel model reviewed by Joshua De Lisle (much larger unit than you need in the van)...all good stuff !
There is jo such thing as 8kw. Its just marketing
Propane is heavier than air, so if there was a vent in the compartment then it should dissipate outside. But I agree that any leak is undesirable and expensive. I think I'm going to put a diesel heater in my Airstream coach.
I know it's too late but a trick is to tape the connectors one after the other so they are no wider than the insulation
"Interminable." Right! Fitting stuff is challenging enough; re-fitting...well: could've, should've, and so on.
I bet after all those cheese sandwiches there is still the problem of gas David!🤣
🤣🤣
As I was still puzzling over how the old heater thermostat cable was installed in such a way as you couldn't get it back out without cutting the cable, I had to search your back catalogue. The answer was found in Vlog 18.
You had installed the cable and then covered it up with the trim panel making it impossible to remove without either a) cutting the wires or b) removing the trim panel. At last I know why!
Ah haha thanks for finding it, I'll go back and have a watch!
I was going to mention that the silicone hose didn't stand a chance but I see someone beat me to it :-) I have one of the (allegedly) 8 Kw chinese heaters for the garage and it's still going strong after 4 years. Spare burners and controllers are ridiculously cheap for the Chinese heaters and a rebuild takes around half an hour should I ever need to do one so I'm not worried.
One thing I did with mine - I found the plywood I mounted the plate onto was getting uncomfortably hot so I added a couple of washers between the plate and the plywood for each mounting bolt to isolate the ply from the heat of the plate.
I have to say I'm not that keen on the idea of a really hot exhaust running in a plywood box in a van. I'd be tempted to drop the entire heater down to floor level to keep the nasty hot burnie bits outside where they can't cause any mischief.
Ah, I'm interested to hear that as I was pondering if that would be an issue. What type of washers did you use? The ply isn't really a box, more of a frame. I can't put the heater on the floor, I'd have done that originally if it were feasible but the chassis members run directly underneath and the spare tyre takes up space across the back! In the video where I installed the Propex I went through the various issues but I can't recall which video that was now.
@@Vandemonium Just 2 or 3 bog standard steel washers between the plate and the ply at each screw hole. It gives me around 5mm of separation and seems to keep the wood much cooler. I had to go and look at your propex install to remind myself but I see what you mean. I'd also suggest wrapping your pump in as much sound deadening as you can find and stuffing it in a deep dark corner if possible as the tick tick from it can be bloody irritating in the dead of night. Some are quieter than others. Have you looked at any of David McLuckie's videos? He's done pretty much everything it's possible to do with these heaters.
Be careful! The diesel heater has much hotter exhaust gas temperatures than the propex. It might burn the silicone elbow from the inside out.
Thank you! Yes, I've since found that the Propex things are rated to 260C and the diesel exhaust can get up to 500C so I've ordered some marine-grade insulation rated to 540C and will double-wrap the pipe as I did before. I will have to do without the convenience of the L-shaped silicone bit.
@@Vandemonium Some rubbers/plastics can emit very toxic fumes when overheated, so do your homework concerning the exhaust plumbing.
I’m not a twit I don’t Twitter
Birds tweet.
Great Video
By the way, I like the title!!😂
Of course we're really interested in what's on the other side of that brick wall, aren't we?
Mind you, i wouldn't want to expose my own house on youtube! But then i only have 6 fans and they see my house all the time, but they only turn on when the weather's hot.
cheese sandwich and tea :)
You say that you are ‘inept’. I am not sure what that makes me, catatonic I think.
Maybe I’m missing something but why couldn’t you just remove that top screw, pull that 1x2 support out a bit and pull the wire through. It looks to me that it’s not a hole through the strut but the one side is cut out and notched to go over the wires. Also you can pull those individual wires through one by one instead of trying to pull all of them through at once.
There are more screws below and as I recall, I also used glue. There wasn't access to the wires to be able to pull them individually.
I can't help thinking that your van is land based narrow-boat replacement with all the fun and none of the water.
What do you prefer? As looking at buying the propex hs2000
The Propex was quieter (no ticking from a fuel pump) but propane makes me nervous whereas diesel is very hard to ignite so is safer to have around. Also easier to refill diesel. So on balance, I prefer the diesel heater.
You should have sliced back the black cove on the wires and then pulled the individual wires through for the future
Unfortunately, there wouldn't be a way to strip the black as it was inaccessible due to the wooden strut. I couldn't get to the end to strip it back.
You must have more money than sense David, although saying that you will be impressed with the fuel consumption of the diesel heaters, I can get 10hrs use per liter of fuel running at half power, 1.5kw in simple terms.
That's good info to know as I look for a fuel tank, thank you
That upright strut that was trapping the old electrical control wire - looked as though you had notched it, not drilled through, so if you'd removed the top screw, it might have given you enough room to remove said wires! It's too late, now, though, you used the armstrong method - cut it off!
Ha, maybe. I don't think it would though as there was another screw further down and I tended to use glue as well.
Cheerio!
Too late now, of course, but a desperation alternative to cutting that cable would have been to strip the outer jacket off a few inches, so that you could have pulled the wires through one by one.
Unfortunately, there wouldn't be a way to strip the black as it was inaccessible due to the wooden strut. I couldn't get to the end to strip it back.
Hi great vid, I’m going the Diesel heater route too, I’ve left an email for the gas bottle,
Cheers
Hi, any luck on the gas bottle?
Hi, I left you a reply? You mentioned wanting the underslung bottle but it's not underslung just a standard bottle.
I’ll have it
I'll send you an email
OK, I have to ask.... Doesn't the gas in the UK smell? I know that the actual 'gas' is odorless and colorless. But here in the states, they put an additive into the gas to give it an unmistakable odor, even with the slightest leak. Do they not do something similar over there across the pond?
Yes, absolutely, but the leak was so tiny (and disappeared straight down out of the drop vents I'd put in the floor precisely for that purpose) that I never smelled it.
@@Vandemonium Ah, ok. That makes sense. I guess I am just surprised from the number of comments from people here that also have a certain amount of 'gasphobia'. Here in the states, almost everyone has and uses it. And we really have no concerns or fears about it. (Unless you smell it, of course.) Accidents DO occasionally happen, and usually in dramatic fashion. But considering our size, they are extremely infrequent, and often could have been easily prevented. Like "don't turn on the light switch" kind of preventable.
To be fair, gas explosions are rare here too and most houses are heated with it, I'd say the majority use it for cooking too. But ... that little leak was enough to spook me and as the van is more liable to vibration than a house (earthquakes are exceedingly rare in the UK and usually so small as to be unnoticeable), I thought I'd just be extra careful.
Have you got your new sink yet?
Not yet, that'll be last on the list I think.
Those are nice but the pumps are loud in a small space
Foresty forest has years of research on sorting out noisey pumps
Apparently the latest Planar models come with a quieter pump, so we shall see...
David soak blue connect tube in hot water might slide on pipe have fun?
Cheers, it's the wrong size for the pipes and I've since found it's not rated for the diesel exhaust temperature so I won't be using it.
@@Vandemonium To bad see you see you soon
what's the link for the lady who came form New Zealnd and camped around the UK a few years ago???
Traveling K - RV & Homestead
Just a little comment to help you with the youtube algorithms...Thank you.
16:26 If a job is worth doing, it is worth forcing someone to do it for you...
Words to live by.
Riveting, with no rivets used.
All electric and diesel heaters for the house too?
The house is gas-heated as I'd say most are in the UK. Not an easy or cheap option to change it and with all the houses around also gas, no safer.
@@Vandemonium Poor you, I would not like gas as a heat-source (neither for cooking)...it's IMHO simply too dangerous (I've seen some "nice" photos of what a gas-main-explosion looks like...yeah, I am keeping well away from that stuff, except for the small camping-gas-cartridges, which I have for a camping-stove)
@@Vandemonium yes, I see what you mean.
@@dreamingflurry2729 not sure a cartridge is any safer, if one of those decides to vent you're still in trouble. At least with an installed system in a gas locker, there are drop-vents and alarms to mitigate the risk somewhat.
@@dreamingflurry2729 a large proportion of house gas explosions are caused by residents tampering with the pipework, a recent one though the utility co is being investigated...
I understood gas as flatulence....
to get a clump of connectors through a small hole you must "stagger" them this will reduce the diameter of the clump
There is no way to stagger them since there is no access to them at the point where they need to go through the hole.
@@Vandemonium If you cut back the insulation on the flex and then pulled the wires through individually, rather than trying to pull them all through as one.
Totes. A tiny slit in the casing perhaps to allow for wiggle room. Ah, but it's all academic now. Following the dis-mantling of the heating system, controller, insulating pipes, lagging with interest
Completely off subject….. How has the change gone? From living in what was ostensibly a mobile floating corridor to a land locked square where you could possibly swing a cat. I’m moving onboard slowly to a Widebeam (Which if you remember is your fault 😂) so far just weekends at the mo. I live near the M25 and can hear it roaring away… Up in Devizes the resident owl hooting and waking up with just the ducks quacking and having their drama’s is just heavenly compared to the commute and drone of the motorway.
It's OK, I'm very comfortable switching accommodation; wherever I lay my hat and all that!
The reliability of diesel heaters goes down as price goes up. Happy you did not buy Webasto or Ebesbacher. Mind you, Wallas is the exception to that rule, but that is made like a work of art that can also heat your home. I am now on my 3rd Ali Express heater, and they are very easy to work on. I combined the best software, best motor with the best body. Really happy with it. No matter what the brand, they all like good diesel. Normal Road diesel with FAME is Honorable for a diesel heater. It makes the additives to prevent clogging in winter less effective, and coats everything in a white Vaseline like substance. All problems went away when I stared using 2rd generation bio diesel with HVO instead of FAME.
Cheers
🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗
WOW so now your a deisel fitter most I know hang out in the ladys department
yelling diesel fit her diesel fit her 🙃
All the time you were doing that no tea or cheese sandwich was mentioned, obviously you were to engrossed in your work.
:)
I did some calculations, and I think you could heat a house for half the price of gas using diesel heaters…red diesel of course 😀
So ,removing the propane tank from the vehicle, which is dangerous, to replace it with a LiIon battery, which is ... dangerous ... 🤔
No, replacing it with a LiFEPO4 battery which is extremely safe. You are confusing your Lithium battery types!
Nothing like a good old wrack your brain, stretch your body, DIY activity. This is like a reversed face lift. I wonder where the hairline is now? Pity I don't live in the UK. I'd be tempted to acquire that Hob and Sink unit. Better made in Russian than China.- Just as well you have an interacting audience, David. It wouldn't appear healthy just talking to yourself.
Aah a clone heater. Mounting on that box may make it noisy.
They're noisy anyway 🤣
I would advise you to research the possibility of tapping into your vehicle diesel tank, you do not want a diesel tank in your vehicle the smell and the effort to keep topping up a small internal tank is odious. This will make a good video. Regards AJ
Cheers but that's not going to happen, I'm definitely not going to be undertaking lowering my tank to get into it. The diesel for the heater will be in a separate tank inside the old gas locker so it will be contained.
If you have the money, and want to do the projects, I don't know why people care so much. You ain't blowing your money on escorts and meth, so the haters need to pipe down.
I LOVE my induction cook top. Rarely use my electric stove top anymore. It's great.
Hopelessly inept?? Surely you jest.