what @Adventurous said, Espar or Webasto. I have the Espar diesel and it works perfect. If you are on propane, a cheaper alternative is a Propex heater.
Campers
- Thread starter johnbryanpeters
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I have been looking at the diesel heater option, I am just not keen on using my truck fuel for a heater in the event of that situation the other night.
My fear is I would burn up my truck fuel and be cold AND stuck.
Yes, I need to fix my gas gauge. But maybe a small "spare" tank might work.
@Adventurous and @Jozz , do you think the 8kw diesel would be enough? It's only about 700cuft and once the bathroom is framed out, I will have a thermal curtain to wall off the cab. Looking at about $200 on Amazon.
Besides freezing, the other concern was condensation. It might be from the temp change, but every roof cross brace was dripping. It dripped and froze on the toilet seat. There was a small puddle on the dash from the windshield.
As @Jozz said, we are talking small fractions of a gallon (Espar claims .16 gal/hr) meaning you could run the thing all day and night if you wanted, and you'd only burn a couple of gallons. Assuming your vehicle tank is of a decent size, it should never leave you stranded unless you are negligent about watching the fuel gauge.
As to condensation, all RV instruction manuals say you need to crack a window or vent during winter usage to prevent condensation buildup. We would do that, plus had a couple of chemical dehumidifiers around to help cut down on accumulation, and we never had any real problems.
Any and all insulation will be your friend. Blackout curtains to isolate the cab will help, as will Reflectix window inserts, and any other insulation you can affix to the walls, floor, and ceiling of the vehicle.
The lizurds are clearly stalking this thread and me when I see this on the front page of the you tubes.
I have the window shades I build to cover the windows, but they aren't high speed. They are more to keep the light out. I still need to tint the back and side windows, too.
I need to install my new gas (and all other) gauges. It was stuck on empty until I filled it, now its stuck just past full. I have a pimp ass gauge set along with a billet dash insert I need to get done this winter. I think the diesel heater will be a good option and is pretty straight forward based on a few youtube videos I just watched.
The long term goal is the heat pump, but it needs shore power and this would work in the driveway where we were Thanksgiving. I ordered another roll of heat/sound deadener to finish out the cab.
The Espar is $650, the Chinese knockoff is $150. I might bite the bullet and go name brand, ugh.
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Overkill fans. I might not run them, but I now have them.
Ace gave me some "pet screen" that seems pretty sturdy so I secured it with a bead of silicone. I will also cover the bottom of my fridge fan.
Ace gave me some "pet screen" that seems pretty sturdy so I secured it with a bead of silicone. I will also cover the bottom of my fridge fan.
Just chiming in with another vote for the Espar diesel heater, running off your tank. They really work great and don't use much fuel at all. Kept us toasty when it was into the single digits in Moab last month. But yeah, also insulation in the walls, and if your cab is not sealed off, think about insulated window covers as well.
Yeah, looking like the diesel heater is likely. It will take about a month to get the last roll of deadener and that will finish out the interior. Might buy a sewing machine to fab up some thinsulate window covers, too.
Insulating the floor is still kinda up in the air, too. I might end up doing a sub floor.
Insulating the floor is still kinda up in the air, too. I might end up doing a sub floor.
So it seems a dude in Australia has developed a bad ass aftermarket controller for certain Chinese diesel heaters that does full control via thermostat (turn on when cold, auto off once warm). I might go this route if I can get set up for sub $250 with full control.
hackaday.com
Intelligent Control For That Cheap Diesel Heater
If you own a caravan or a boat, you’ll know that keeping it warm can present something of a struggle. Open-flame gas heaters carry a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, while solid fuel stoves…
hackaday.com
Two Years Of Vanlife: A Retrospective | FarOutRide
This is our most EPIC post to date: two years of vanlife condensed into one article! Tales from the road, van talk, lessons learned, etc. MUST READ!
faroutride.com
aand they missed the most remote parts of Idaho, some of the most beautiful spots in the US.Two Years Of Vanlife: A Retrospective | FarOutRide
This is our most EPIC post to date: two years of vanlife condensed into one article! Tales from the road, van talk, lessons learned, etc. MUST READ!
Picked up the shower tub and bathroom door yesterday. The shower is 24x32 so I can make the bathroom slightly smaller, but it still feels good.
It is really surprising how much more room 4" feels. And now my battery drawer doesn't hit where my wall will be.
I am strongly considering doing a sub floor now, too. 3/4" with 3/8" plywood top with 1/2" foam board and 1/4" sound deadener under. Added insulation and a better surface to mount the vinyl flooring to. It still leaves me with enough headroom, so I think it would be totally worth it.
Also got my second battery installed and wired up the inverter. I have AC power now. Shore inlet shows up tomorrow, I will have shore power next weekend.
The wife gets made because I spend a large part of my weekend working on Frita. She is inside watching crap and that's fine. She was surprised at how far along she was over Thanksgiving, but freezing didn't help.
The reality is this bitch isn't too far off. It's less than $2k left to get. I will order my tank and water pump on Friday ($200). Once I figure the supply part out, the propane tank and water heater is next ($650). Only thing left after that are the fans ($400).
So maybe another $100 in the subfloor, $400 in piping, gray water tanks, and add the diesel heater $200.
Then it's just upgrades like the heat pump, the couch, the overdrive transmission. We will hopefully be spending 2 weekends a month 10 months out of the year outside the house.
The reality is this bitch isn't too far off. It's less than $2k left to get. I will order my tank and water pump on Friday ($200). Once I figure the supply part out, the propane tank and water heater is next ($650). Only thing left after that are the fans ($400).
So maybe another $100 in the subfloor, $400 in piping, gray water tanks, and add the diesel heater $200.
Then it's just upgrades like the heat pump, the couch, the overdrive transmission. We will hopefully be spending 2 weekends a month 10 months out of the year outside the house.
I should have just bought this for $106k. Still has a year of factory warranty left.
www.businessinsider.com
This Mercedes-Benz Sprinter was turned into a tiny home and kitchen that can sleep 4, and now it's on sale for $106,000
This Moving House created the Culinatour, a tiny home and kitchen built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, for a travel itinerary planning company.
www.businessinsider.com
Where was the ad for that last year, I would have bought that instead of the tent I am still making payments on.I should have just bought this for $106k. Still has a year of factory warranty left.
This Mercedes-Benz Sprinter was turned into a tiny home and kitchen that can sleep 4, and now it's on sale for $106,000
This Moving House created the Culinatour, a tiny home and kitchen built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, for a travel itinerary planning company.
If you are going to do a subfloor underlay it with some pink foam board for insulation and sound proofing. Its cheap and easy to work with Lowes and Home Depot carry it
I used the 1" RMax foam board on the walls and ceiling. I got some 1/2" to do the inside of the fridge cabinet. I thought that plus the rubber deadener I have should work out well.
I just ordered my fresh water tank. Since I have 2 weeks off, I might working getting that in and plumbed.
Room with a view!
Room with a ‘pee-yoo’
a nice blank slate.....is it 20 or 25 years to ship a euro vehicle over?
It is close, but it isn't bad. I am doing a big ass exhaust fan in there. It's only slightly smaller than the shitter in the Mini WInnie I stole the design idea from.
with this sink likely, might mount it on the inside wall.
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Where did you find that sink? I am le interested.It is close, but it isn't bad. I am doing a big ass exhaust fan in there. It's only slightly smaller than the shitter in the Mini WInnie I stole the design idea from.
with this sink likely, might mount it on the inside wall.
Is the toilet going to be a cartridge, or will you have a black water tank?
I have an 18.5 gallon black
We've been using it as a pisser for a few trips now, works awesome. Once I have the supply side done, we'll be in business.
I have an 18.5 gallon black tank installed already.
We've been using it as a pisser for a few trips now, works awesome. Once I have the supply side done, we'll be in business.
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Good work.
I thought that was for brewing your moonshine.
I thought that was for brewing your moonshine.
The toilet is a Dometic 320 ceramic with a hand sprayer. That bitch is nicer that what we have in the house. 
Did you also find good spots for the fresh and grey tanks?
The fresh tank fits between the frame right behind the fuel tank. I found a 25 gallon that fits perfectly. The shower has room to fit the same 18.5 as the toilet and I can run a Y gate for a single dump. But I am still playing with the showerloop idea because I think it would be so pimp.
The sink in the kitchen gray water will fit on the passenger side inside the frame. Not centered like the fresh, but it will be small, like 10 gallons.
Rocket Inspired Atomic Camper For The Astronaut In All Of Us
Sidelined by surgery, he spent two years crafting this magnificent homemade camper.
www.doityourselfrv.com
