CHINESE DIESEL HEATER + ARCTIC WINTER Campervan TIPS and TRICKS how to SURVIVE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- I get many questions about my Arctic adventures and trips to the North in Norway, Sweden and Finland for a winter of snow camping and fun in my campervan ( or Motorhome ) . Which is no surprise its cold and many people to know how I and many different parts keep warm and working in Sub zero temperatures. The main one of my Chinese Diesel heater with afterburner. But with that there is a Webasto liquid / pre heater to keep the engine warm. There are many other things, batteries to warm, what if it breaks and more.
I don’t talk about how I have insulated the van but there is a whole build series which how that.
This is my experience with a British vehicles which by default are no suitable for such winter. Diesel in the Nordic is pre treated at pump
#livingthevanlife #wintervanlife #chinesedieselheater
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Clean the door seals, then give them a good spraydown with a silicone spray. That helps tremendously against doors freezing shut.
Yeah I have hear this one a lot. I didn’t personally run into issues with my door seals doing this but this is good advice.
Silicone paste may be a better choice. Thicker film by far. The silicone sprays are very diluted. Dow Corning makes a few types.
@@wallacegrommet9343 It doesn't have to be thick. It just has to stop water from settling in the pores and imperfections of the rubber. A spray is much easier to apply, and therefore less likely to be delayed or ignored when you do winter maintenance.
this does work i use this for my frameless windows and if i don’t used silicone spray the window will freeze
I use Fairy/water spray before winter to clean all dirt from the door seals, so the rubber seal can work how it`s ment to work.
When I was a young man, I was a firefighter in Mass. USA. Some the fire trucks that we had had louvers in front of the radiator that would close when it was cold , and a servo would open them as the engine got warm. Ingenious. Mike from Mass.
Yeah, I could definitely see bigger industrial use vehicles having a built-in version for those occasions. Sounds like a useful option.
I live in Norway. Your video is SO TRUE!!!! Lots of tourists drive here in the winter totally unprepared for the cold conditions. It hits them way so hard
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Well I hope that means I got something right!. I’m not surprised many don’t prepar enough or at all. I just take some extra work to figure out what’s needed and be comfortable up there, like the locals are
Always stay close to the locals as the old saying goes.
Brilliant video about the cold and staying warm,mate!
Am I going to the artic in a van? No
Do I even own a van. No
Did I enjoy this video. Yes I did
Thank you very much. Glad it was enjoyed, many of my viewer don’t have a interest in going or a van but like to watch the silly trips I do
I want one of they transits with the twin wheel at the back they are 🔥🔥
The duallys do allow more weight for sure, but have a longer rear overhang. which reduces your takeoff angle and makes parking a bit more hard. In the UK as well, you need a different higher end license ( C1 ) to drive them as they rated over 3500kg
@@MispronouncedAdventures explains why you always see the older blokes driving them, with those unlocked car licenses 😂 great video btw mate! 🥶👊
Yeah! to be fair I’d like to get my C1. As I could then up plate my van from 3500kg to 3850kg with just paper work
@@MispronouncedAdventures mate that would be perfect, especially for these winter adventures!
Great idea. Ordering a complete unit as a replacement
People often just bring the common spares like a glow plug or fuel pump. Which is fine in the uk where you can just order new parts with ease. But 2 winters ago another British van had there whole burn chamber fail. Luckily, I was nearby and able to swap them out a burn chamber from my spare. They continue their trip.
It's always great when youtube recommends videos you actually want to watch lol. This was super interesting!
Thank you very much. I’m glad that you found this interesting video
Excellent info on cold weather survival for both you and your vehicle!
Glad you found the information helpful
I wish I could be there I love the snow what a beautiful view.
It’s definitely a lovely place!
It looks nice but you definitely don't want to live here lol.
Snow gets boring real quick, and you're stuck with it for a good 5 months of the year.
Wow, I've found the Canpervan Yoda ,,,so much techie info, amazing !!
Glad you found me I am
Thanks for the excellent video. I will use it to prepare to a Canadian trip.
Glad it was helpful. I hope to one day to make it to Canada with a vehicle for the winter.
Great video! I live in Sweden in the more southern parts so we usually only get -20°C as coldest. However, as I drive an old Land Rover Defender Diesel I need to use an electric block-heater and cabin heater, or a diesel-heater, to get going in the morning. The car will start even if I dont use any heating option but the ride is not so plesant because it takes a long time to heat up the cabin.
One very very important thing driving in cold weather is to use proper tires. They don't need to be studded but they need to have a winter specification rubber mixture keeping them soft even in cold conditions. And remember it's the law in Sweden during the winter months to have winter-tires! Also bring a ice-scraper and brush to remove snow and ice that accumulate on the windows and lights 🙂
Thank you for your comment. I experienced an issue in my first year aware I couldn’t have the engine preheater working one of the mornings and cold started the engine. It started in -25 but sounded horrendous. So best not to cold start every day as you’ve said.
As for the tyres, I try not to mention them too much as it just upsets people, or everyone’s got strong opinions. And especially as different vehicles with different weights and drive styles we will be a get vasty different performance from different tyre models, But definitely important to check they meet the legal requirement.
I personally found the BFG KO2 I use still remains soft, even in the coldest conditions I’ve experienced so far. So I’m happy with it coldweather performance, but you are very correct. Rubber compounds are very different. It might meet legal requirements but might not perform well.
I forgot to mention my big long ice scraper and brush. I have one of those in the van, very useful .
This is a brilliant video! You have a lovely van too . Hope you enjoy your travels 👍🏻
Thank you very much for watching and I’m glad you like the van too!
Valuable advice on trips like yours
Thank you very much, I hope you found some of it helpful
I saw a Diesel heater DIY project heating a helicopter in the arctic two months ago. We had three 1500w space heaters and were popping breakers left and right. the other company had a chinese diesel heater inside an aluminum cage that sat ontop of a fuel drum. it had a warm air recirculator section and diverter section that fed two 3" hoses. It was a well thought out design. It just ticked away at -40c (real -40c not some fake compensated -40c). It had a 20L jerry can and that lasted several days and just ran on JetA . I was very surprised it would run at that temp.
Makes sense to me. All sorts and types of engines are going to need a bit of helping hand starting in -40c.
As for diesel heaters running in -40c it’s outside there official spec rating. But I’ve had no issue starting mine in -30c
These diesel heaters have a glow plug inside the tiny precombustion chamber, and a fan driven draft main burner with variable speed. It’s well designed.
They are simple but great bits of kits. Generally easy to problem solve and repair if need be
@@MispronouncedAdventures There are special arctic diesel and special additives that make it withstand -60...
@@MispronouncedAdventures Where the fuel first freezes is in the filters and lines if you have the wrong quality! I think there should be some kind of development there! Trucks air brakes are no fun if they lock up at intersections either, had a stingy boss once whose spares taught me how to skid through an intersection that luckily had no traffic! The next day antifreeze was applied after what I said what to do if it happened again….
Incredible
So many things to know to survive the arctic
Thank you, hopefully it’s will help other to understand a little bit about how much preparation there can be for up here
Great vid, thanks for sharing man! Here in the Mighty Alberta - Canada, we know well about brutally cold and extreme weather. I am waiting for my first diesel heater to arrive, super looking forward to try it out!!!
Definitely North America, you get your share of the bitter cold! Hopefully your diesel heater arrives soon!
……I’m always Alberta bound ❤️💪🇬🇧
I have a Chinese diesel heater in my Chinese electric/solarpowered Tuk tuk and it works so I can drive it when its cold too . Buy sleeping mats for camping (liggunderlag) to keep you warm when sleeping or sitting down when its cold. Works even on snow and it also works as an insulator for things like your battery/ies if you put it under it.
I’ve not heard of a solar powered TuK TuK. That should pretty fun. added a CDH would be a good way to keep it warm
Really excellent video with great information. Have a great Christmas wherever you are!
Thank you very much glad you found it informative. Christmas in southern England this year before the drive out to the Arctic.
That rig is mint! Utterly impressive build.
Thank you very much! I can’t wait of build another similar one!
As an military in northen europe we use a flaming torch at the oil sump and connect to the coolant,as it is -40c.And we sleep in tent.But Im older now..Thanks for great videos..
Yeah, I’ve seen videos of fires under the sumps! I’d be worried With Modern vehicles and engines have way too many plastic parts and cables on the under side!
@@MispronouncedAdventures Haha it was real volvosteel from the 50th.😂👍
A very thorough, scientific like approach to what you do. Thumbs up, as always! 👍
Thank you very much, I hope the information is helpful
@@MispronouncedAdventures It is indeed 👍
Thank you, very enjoyable and inform-able. Your extreme environment is fascinating.
Thank you very much. I’m getting ready for winter number 3 now
I learned more in this video about cold weather van life than all the video ive watched so far.
The separation between the cab and the rest of the van is a interesting conundrum. Lose space or face freezing.
But then..why not adapt the build so that a separation panel can be installed only during the winter (hidden away during the rest of the year), leaving the space available during the warmer seasons 🤔?
Having you cake and eating it too 😂!
Glad you have found the video helpful.
As for the cab, I personally prefer the solid bulkhead with sliding door in it. I don’t loose any real useful space in my van due to my layout ( not easy to see in this video ). Right behind of drivers seat is the shower room / drying room and behind part of the passenger seat in used for hanging up jackets. I didn’t have an interest in having swivel chairs so it’s not really a loose of space. I also like the added privacy.
The summer it’s still a great addition as well, it stops the heat from the sunlight through the window in the cab heating up the back of the van, or when I’m actually driving I can have the door closed and it allows the Aircon to just cool down the cab area.
@@MispronouncedAdventures interesting food for thoughts. I'll keep it in mind.
I'm thinking of building a van, but I have yet to solidify what kind of layout I will aim for, so I'll definitely take a closer look at yours.
So far, the general idea is the same kind of van as yours (the behemoths I've seen are way too big/expensive to my minimalist taste), drive somewhere and then take off and explore the area on my electric unicycle (which I use both in urban settings and in trails).
Van would double as a "insurance" if/when coming down on hard times.
I'll likely start on a solid base and build up the setup of the van over time.
@mattca353 sounds like a good place, I also prefer this size of van and some of the larger one. Get under 6 meters fits most places for me.
Great video - alot taken from watching this, many thanks - subscribed!
Glad it was been helpful
This was super helpful! Planning the same trip this winter with the same van, and i'm starting to reconsider now.
Well I’ll be back in the Nordics from January to March. So if you spot me say hello! Hope your preparation goes well.
I need to make this a Goal. Camper Van travel in the Artic sounds fun! 💯👍
Arctic is definitely a lot of fun
Brilliant video
Thank you for watching
Insulation provides more insulation than air, per unit thickness. It’s why we put insulation in things vs just leaving voids. That said not placing a battery directly against even an insulted wall means conditioned (heated) cabin air can circulate around the battery, which will keep it much warmer. This works great if your cabin heater runs regularly. But if the cabin gets down to very cold temps at times it may be better to have an electric heating pad applied directly to the battery with the whole assembly mounted inside a foam box.
The engine has a coolant thermostat valve.. This closes when the engine temperature is below the normal operating temperature - 95C or so. This is great even in relatively low temperatures.. But in arctic temperatures, even with the thermostat closed, there’s enough cold air coming through the radiator opening to directly cool the engine. And that’s why the front cover makes everything work better - it reduces the amount of direct cooling the engine experiences, making more heat available for itself and for the cabin.
Regardless of insulation for a battery or no insulation, breaking the cold bridge between the bottom of the insulated box / or battery base. far improves the temperature control for batteries.
My previous set of batteries, I had built thermostatically controlled heat pads for the base which worked fantastic, they were in a insulated battery box was still sat on the floor. When I lifted the batteries off the floor, the heat pad never had to turn on about 90% as much. My system also ble ambient air into the gap later on.
these particular batteries I’m using a cold temperature lithium and don’t require heating as they can be charged with a cell temperature far below zeros.
And you are correct about thermostatic valves in engines for the radiators. on this model of transit I find below around -20 is the point when the grille cover needs to go on as you start losing an engine temperature
Cables can snap in the cold up there. Everything goes brittle. Love your videos by the way, very inspirational.
Indeed they do! As I found out with my hook up cable
Indeed they do! As I found out with my hook up cable
Great video, It explains What it's like in the real world 🌎 😉
Thanks for the info and the true facts about the colder climates and Chinese made heaters, I'll buy two please.
Thanks again
You enjoyed the video, I wanted to make it useful information using for my professional background and my personal experience in these environments.
On the heater front, regardless of which brand of primary, have a second
jeez it is beautifull,,,I would say I wish I was there but not!!!!!!!! I love to sit on my couch watching it....good luck.....
It’s wonderful up here! But a wee bit chilly! Stay warm!
@@MispronouncedAdventures I am freezing my nickers just watching you,,,,,lucky I am off to bed.....and it is warm!!!!!!!
@@MispronouncedAdventures be good,,,have fun and for god sake.....DONT FREEZE,,,
Thanks man, also I've got myself an rvs tanks, and welded a pipe true it Wich let's the exhaust fumes of my heater go true and heat the tank with excess heat. A nice little touch.
As in like water tanks?
Fantastic video thanks 👍👍👍👍👍👏🏴
Thank you! Glad it was enjoyed!
Great video. All these notes will come in handy when I am finally able to make a winter trip. 🫡🚚
Glad you found it helpful
New to the channel, your E bike adventure is epic, well done. Fantastic
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it
I’ve got a diesel heaters and a 1to4 pipe connection was going to add 2 outlets to the back of the van 1 to the cab and 1 in the engine bay
Some have mentioned before about ducting into the engine bay. I imagine it would to a degree help, but nowhere near as much an engine preheater. After all it’s only be 1kw worth of heat ( 4/5kw unit divided by four vents ) blowing on the outer part of a small section of the engine block. Whilst coolant is 80° and forced throughout the internals of the block.
Although with the engine bay / hood closed, you would end up, trapping some hot air inside the bay, eventually, heating up other parts of the engines
But definitely having one going to the cab to keep it a bit warmer would be a great idea
Great video Alex 👍
Cheers for watching!
I love your channel! I've found the Vevor diesel heater seems to be the best cheap ones in my humble opinion
Glad you’re enjoying the channel. Not tried a vevor model yet but it’s a name I recognise a lot
We use hydronic heaters to our cars in sweden . Is perfect for camper to hot water warm engine
Rare and almost everyone in the uk would have no idea what they are. so I had to install my own one in the van
Super informative. That seals my decision... I'll be staying down south.
Glad it was informative for what ever direction you choose!
You can put the exhaust end against the Carter with the oil in it, if it's metal. Heats the oils with excess heat
Logistically, I’ll be very difficult to run any of the exhaust for the diesel heaters anywhere near the engine. Additionally it would likely negatively affect the diesel heated themselves running it longer exhaust like that.
Although heating oil in the sump is not really needed. my van is Euro6 so the oil was extremely thin anyway
Fantastic video thanks for posting
Thank you very much for watching!
Awesome video . Very well done.
Thank you very much I can’t wait to get up there for my third winter
Great video, loved it! I learned so much throughout it. Greatly appreciate the trouble you go to in producing them. Looking forward to more. Stay safe 🙏🏻
Amazing video! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just started watching, loving the artic series. Looking forward to going through your back catalog. What is Joel’s channel
Too, need to know how he got on with his van 😂
I love all the different beanies. Lol
I am a man of many hats, Many more than just feature in this video
Preparation is the key and lord knows you’ve done it all 👍
Definitely Preparation is definitely key! I would hate to have my trip cut short but I didn’t plan for something
Awesome video & info. Good man.
Glad you enjoyed!
Fantastic channel -subbed! Cannot believe i've not found you until now.. (I found having spares for the diesel heater was a golden move, a good tip for most artic type trips - spares!)
Glad you found me. about a month before I head out for the Arctic Winter round three! And yes spares are vitally important!
@@MispronouncedAdventures Dude! tech and nature in the artic.. sign me up! Nice one. I'm currently on a auxbeam rabbit hole of JOY. Look forward to some winter viewing take care of yourself and that spares box ;)
@WiLLiAMOnline don’t you normal combination, but I love it that’s for sure!
wow, great video, if i would have a van i would defo do all these
Glad you liked it. Good luck with your van! Do you plan to use it in some cold places?
Yes, not as cold as in your case but i really like the engine heater idea, i think that should be on every car when temp drops under 0
@laffiny I still use mine in the UK. It’s a nice little added luxury.
Very purpose built. I like it.
I would actually say I built it for Scottish winter and living in and then modified it for Arctic
Great video - cheers🍺👌🏻🏴
Cheers for watching!
Very epic van-technology! :)
Thank you, I do my tech
Very interesting. Please keep in mind your engine is running a wet belt which is prone to premature failure in the relative warm climate of the uk.
Indeed it’s is. I had mine swapped at 111K miles, that being said it’s the Ford transit Mk8 with the 2.0 ecoblue is still a popular van in Nordics.
Loving your channel, I just noticed that you are going to camp quirky this year, looking forward to your talk and saying hi.
Thank you much! Indeed I’ll be quirky doing a talk on sub zero travel and how I built the van for it
Fabulous vid 👍 very interesting and with such a professional presenting quality. New subscriber here straight away.
Thank you very much I’m glad you enjoyed the style! Season three of the Winter trip is about to begin!
Rab slippers help cold feet in my camper 🔥 best buy ever, if you haven’t already got some invest bro 😎
Hut slippers are definitely rather good!
Nice setup. Good info. Thx
Thank you very much hope you found it helpful
Many years ago there used to be adverts in the Sunday papers for paraffin heaters that you placed under your sump to keep the engine warm all night, would be ok with my T5 that doesn’t have under trays (commercial version doesn’t have them) but no good if you do have them.
Definitely works, as well as embers and fires. But unfortunately, many modern vehicles have too much plastic and wiring on the underside of the engine, my van as a great example.
But definitely a back up to have if all else fails
@@MispronouncedAdventures another tip in emergency situations is to spray deodorant into the air inlet for the engine this acts as an easy stat as the propellant is butane gas, I didn’t believe this until I witnessed it !
Great video man! Really enjoyed it. We went to the arctic last year in the summer and we loved it....must go back in the winter. We're off to the Baltics this winter for a month though so that'll be fun!
Glad you enjoyed! my first trip in the van was Nordics in September and October it was great to see them in there not winter as well!
Definitely incredible to go in the winter, just as you’ve seen a few extra bits of preparation to take care of! Enjoy the Baltics!
Really enjoyed this video and photography 👍💜☮️💙cheers
Thank you very much!
Very helpful video, thank you
Thank you very much for watching!
Great video, no tips I could imagine to give ya. Your in good hands ( being your own hands ) 😂
Thank you glad you thought they were good tips and back up again this winter
Your videos just get better Alex 👍👍
Cheers
I'm not a cold weather camper as such but as a likely one-off I'm heading to the Alps this winter in my van (VW T4) to spend a week on my own skiing before the rest of the family arrives for week 2 and we all move into a chalet.
I'll be staying at 2,300m and average lows will be -10c and electic hook-up is not available. Stuff I've taken care of so far aside from legal stuff like snowchains etc:
My antifreeze mix should be good down to -30c.
My washer fluid is ok down to -20c.
I will leave my fresh and waste water tanks empty and in the open position.
I'm not going to run my fridge all week when camped will instead make sure it is very cold when I arrive after the long drive and will then run it as coolbox for the week.
I have a 100W non-mounted solar panel that I plan to use to keep the leisure battery topped up to ensure my Webasto diesel heater will fire up each evening. I won't be in the van at all during the day if I can help it. I plan to be on the slopes or in a bar eating and drinking - nothing in between!
One of my main concerns is that ultimately my van will be parked up for 2 weeks in an environment where it might get warm in the Alpine spring sun during the day but could still get down to -15c at night depending on the weather. So my question is whether I should start and run the engine on idle for a time whilst I'm parked up during the week to make sure the engine battery remains charged? And if I do this, how long should I idle the engine for?
Sounds like you’ve got it planned out. Your vehicle should probably just be fine sat for a few weeks although if potentially needed a bit more power back in your battery you could turn it on every couple days. bit helped warm the inside up, warm the engine up and get some power back in the battery.
Absolutely amazing video really enjoyed it 💯💯
Thank you very much, hope it was helpful
Thank you very much, hope it was helpful
Apple wood burner or winnerwell stove be great and heated floors running of excess solar be awesome and a rain capture filter system on the roof be fully off grid just need fuel and food
I’m personally not keen on wood burners in vans. Almost no Uk insurance companies want to insurance and a lot less convenient. Not saying they are bad just not my preference in a mobile option, 100% if a off grid house.
Isn’t any rain or excess solar in the Arctic Winter, but I have looked into heated floor before
@@MispronouncedAdventures winnerwell stove is portable so you could have it as a backup with a chimney adjustable when needed and can cook on it and get hot water and free fuel . Really like your recirculating system and excess solar heat water tanks very cool you know I haven't seen anyone do a high level rain capture filter system which would be very cool.
Really interesting and informative, I hadn’t thought about slightly lifting the battery from the floor to help prevent a thermal bridge, fantastic tip. Great to learn about engine heaters too.
All the best, David 👍
Thanks, it’s become more important in recent years with lithium becomes popular. So way more important
Rubber mat under the battery helps a lot
@martinmilligan4521 insulation definitely help, even better an air gap
A piece of sleepingmat under it is cheap and works really good to cause of the airpockets in the sleepingmat
My old BMW 520d touring had one of those auto open close radiator grills very useful as cabin stayed much warmer in cold temperatures. Don’t think it was aftermarket, just must have been an optional extra, never seen them on other models.
That’s a pretty cool feature. I could see that being stock on higher up touring cars
Great knowledge and experience love these informative vlogs
Thank you, I try and share what I’ve learnt and share my mistakes so others don’t have to make them
Hello, on engine pre heaters. A long time ago, my grandfather used to take the burning embers from the wood stove, put them in a shallow pan and slide them underneath the car. You do have to be very careful not to take them while too hot. They warm up the engine block in about 10 to 15 minutes when temperatures are around -25. This will work well for people that have wood stoves in their vans.
Yep, definitely heard of this method that it works. Well I think the problem with modern engines is there so much plastic trim and wires around you could potentially melt from stuff
@@MispronouncedAdventures Yes that is true. That has to be considered. On my grandfather's old Edsel, that wasn't much of a problem though. Lol.
I've done this near Alamosa CO during the winter of 2011-12.
night time temps were falling to -45c
it over an hour to get the engine and battery to warm up enough to even think of starting
My mom's truck, the clutch fluid (hydraulic clutch) froze for a week, she couldn't put it in gear.
since then, I've kept a bit of wood on hand for the purpose
Aye, maybe other engine or drivetrain lubricants, clutch, gearbox, duff are not heated by a engine preheater. -45c is pretty darn cold!
Thank you
Thank you for watching
Hey Alex nice and informative video.
Thank you very much
Yeah, I live in the frozen hellhole of northern Sweden
One thing camper videos never talk about is how big of a dieselheater you need, I would guess 4kw, but all I see is 2kw models mounted, I can live with it beeing a bit cold inside the coldest nights, but I don't want things to freeze.
I might even go for 2 dieselheaters of 2kw to have redundancy if one doesnt work.
I would however drain the watersystem and have water and grey water jugs for the winter, so that they are quick and easy to drain that night the diesel heater breaks.
I like the frozen north of Sweden. To be fair, I may not have specifically mentioned it was the 5 kW model I was holding ( which is 4kw design )
On a van of my size, I definitely wouldn’t go for a 2 kW one of my friends was up last winter in the same model of van as I and they only had 2kW. They had some cold nights
I would say in UK conditions, you could get away with the 2 kW, but definitely not for the Nordic and a vehicle of my size.
When you say all you see is 2 kW fitted. What do you mean? Are you saying it’s standard in the Nordic for the 2kW units to be used?
Having two installed definitely would be a work. for me personally found my heater has almost 4000 run hours now as has been very reliable. But I would carry full spare as a just in case. I fitted quite a few of them so I could swap a unit over reasonably fast and if need be I would have the engine running for the preheater to heat the vehicle whilst doing that.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I guess most vanlifers I see on the Internetz is central european or from the US southern parts and don't have the need for more then a 2kw heater, if they are reliable the need to have 2 for redundancy might not motivate the hazzle, I could carry a MrBuddy and a tube or run the genenerator and an electric heater over night.
15:02 was that clip from oulu? Looks lot like it. Glad to see you visit here. Good videos. You got a new subscriber. Sorry the bad english 😂
Great spot! It was. Are you local to the area?
Another awesome video 💯 very interesting and useful, thanks for sharing 🤗
Thank you for watching! You know well about the cold as well!
Thank you for watching! You know well about the cold as well!
Another incredible video mate, really enjoy these! ✌
Cheers guys! Thank you very much for watching
Great info :)
Thank you
Great prep video. Could you show how you build the sliding bulk head door. It looked super lite
Glad it was enjoyed. If you look back on the van build series I did a video on how I made it
He’s a clever lad. They don’t make many like him
Thank you very much!
It is very interesting that you so well can tolerate the cold winter. For me living in the northern city Oulu in Finland 3 months would be enough for a winter.
I love it up there in the winter. The colder it my preferred
I love it up there in the winter. The colder is my preferred
@@MispronouncedAdventures 💪
I recommend LPG heater. No problem with what temperatute outside with gas heating. both diesel and gasoline become solid but LPG is not
I’m not sure I’d personally wouldn’t recommend LPG heaters for the arctic. LPG has is own issues, it’s far harder to find in the Nordics country ( easier some and harder other ) and in extreme cold you burn though it so much after quicker.
Gelling isn’t really an issue in the Nordic’s as all fuel is pre treated at the pump
I still prefer diesel, easier to source and heaters easier to fix.
Put the heighted shield under your van to keep the floor warm
Not entirely sure what you mean
Thank you
Cheers
I have to wonder if adding electric heating to the Floor would be the best idea when building a van for Polar Arctic weather. That or some SERIOUS insulation. The whole idea of a Modern Car / Van being good in arctic weather just scares the crap out of me!
You would need a large battery bank to support a electric heated floor. Even with 50mm insulation the cold creeps in.
Nothing wrong with moderns vans and cars up there. It’s normal weather for the people in the nordics
Nice video! But i think i'll drive south.😂
Many of my friends have the far smarter idea to drive south for winter sun!
Hi. I found your video very interesting... I learned a lot, and I want to thank you. It is great what you are doing
I have one question, I was looking in your videos, but I didn't find the termostat what you used to shut off your diesel heater.
Can you tell as one link about that termostat, please 🙏
I got 8 kw diesel heater on my tiny van, and on lower speed, I am boiling inside.
Sorry if I missed this from your videos.... but I didn't find it...
Thank you very much
Glad you found it interesting. The controller I use is called an “afterburner” you can find a Facebook group or website about it via Google. If you search “afterburner controller for Chinese diesel heaters”
If you split the heating load with two heaters you will be safer. Feed off your fuel tank. Design as each heater can overlap. Redundancy’s is all important putting your life in a van. Michigan 🇺🇸🇨🇦🤗
No point running to heater simultaneously, especially if there are 5 kW, fuel and power consumption would go well up and you’ll turn the inside in the van to an oven. My heaters are already fed off the main fuel tank ( air heater and engine free heater ). alongside a complete spare heater, which I could probably replacing less than an hour, the engine could also be running and that heats up the van
I would agree with that we're done to see it's a very important thing when you're in the Arctic. Lived in Yellowknife 9 yeas.... The Arctic forgives no one
Is one solid Peace
Hi ,great looking ,functional,secure and toasty your van looks and feels. Would you recommend upgrading to a 3500 over a 2500 van?
bigger van the better for me. I definitely prefer having the space
great vid, nice one
Thank you
As usual Amazing knowledgable content Alex and presentation gets better each video, I always learn something from your content and I’d forgotten your tip on keeping batteries off the van floor, I’ll implement that in my ongoing build, if you do happen to read this… how does your Bobil flap diverter mechanism work please? Be interested to see how you did this , many thanks Neil
Glad you have found the helpful. Lifting batteries off the floor is definitely one of the small and easily forgettable points.
As for the bobilvans diverter. It’s a wire pulls, pull or push the cable controller moves the diverter flab one way or the other.
Great content! I was wondering if condensation leading to mold is an inevitable thing in the winter full time in a van? Apparently the cold metal behind walls would create an issue? Any ideas on this ? 🎉
Mold won’t be an issue in the arctic, there is no moisture in the air below -15c. It’s completely dry.
As for condensation and mold in winter in the uk it’s definitely possible. Personally I think letting the wall breathe to a degree is most important. It’s pretty easy to make a vapour barrier internally to stop most of the moisture. But I have gaps in the top and bottom to allow a small amount of air flow , the outside of vans are filled with holes body panel trim clips, breather vents and so on so water always gets in. You need a way to let trap moisture out.
@@MispronouncedAdventures thanks that’s a great explanation. I live in Canada so we do have some moisture. I will have to look into it a bit more but this is great insight to help me research further. Safe travels!!!🙏
Thanx for content really well done then some maybe one day 4 me .could u recommend a chinese heater and controller please its a minified out there if u wouldnt mind and i could take your advise please then make a better informed judgement thanx keep up the clips thanx
Thanks for watching.
Lavaner probably make the best Chinese diesel heaters and come with the best accessories, but you do pay a bit more. Hcalory have some great units as well.
13:23 if there's enough space, just get 3D printed louvers and use a wax motor to activate them on/off.
First winter using a Chinese diesel heater. Also have a wood stove which I never use bc that thing runs like a champ. Only been 2-3 months running about 6 hours a day so hope it last me through the winter but so far super happy
I’m very happy with mine it’s now on around 4000 run hours and never been an issue after I replaced the bearings at the 2000 hour mark
Very informative
Thank you
You can use EGR on the exhaust of the diesel heater to warm your water
Those do works for warm water. But no practical in sub-zero temps. The EGR would have to be external and a EGR are meant to have coolant running through them which doesn’t freeze at zero. Running water thought it would risk cracking and destroying it at any time the diesel heater was turned off ( which is often during the day when the engine is running )
You could run a coolant loop through it to get it inside the van and then another heat exchanger to convert the hot coolant into hot water but that becoming pretty complicated and taking up a lot of space.
I find my bobilvan hot waters heater works well for hot water when I needed it. That works on of the hot air from the heater inside and only takes 15 minutes to heat my shower tank