Espar heater in VandaBlue

cedarsanctum

re: Member
I just returned from 2 weeks living in the van with the new Espar heater i installed just before leaving on this trip. The install went well, with the usual problem of finding parts to tap into the factory fuel system. Mine was easier because it has the auxiliary hydronic heater and the attendant fuel lines to the tank, and because i have already installed a Wallas diesel stove tap into that line. The only other problem with the install (delayed me for one night because of rain and too tired to drive) was getting fuel to the unit so it would run. Gave up the last night, tried again in the morning after a refreshing sleep and it worked perfectly.

The first photo shows the flooring cut down to the asphalt pad under it. This was a nice square cut because the Espar install kit has a mounting plate that screws down with a heavy gasket and has all the proper holes pre-drilled.
cutfloor.jpg

The second shows the holes cut through the steel. I made 2 holes and cut out the middle with a jig saw to make it an oval hole.
cutholes.jpg

The third Has the mounting plate, gasket and heater laid out to check the fit. Some shimming of the ridges in the floor were required to close up the opening with the gasket, and here i used pieces of the removed asphalt pad to close the little gaps underneath. I also filled in the gaps with heat resistant RTV silicone.
checkfit.jpg

The 4th photo shows the heater ready to screw down to the floor.
readytomnt.jpg
 
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cedarsanctum

re: Member
The most difficult part for me is always the underneath work. In this case i was fighting our typical wet Portland weather.

First photo shows the heater connections from below and the hole it comes through. After cutting the hole, the fresh cut was de-burred and painted liberally with Hammerite rust stopping paint. After setting for 2 days the paint was ready for the heater install. The combustion air intake hose was pushed into a frame member above the rear axle. That is how the factory deals with the hydronic heater, and it is a dry, relatively dust free place to collect that air.
connected.jpg

The second photo shows the fuel line connections above the auxiliary heater, as well as the earlier fuel line to the Wallas stove. Seen on the left is the rubber boot under the drivers seat that all of my underneath-to-inside lines have passed through, so far. Simply cut the zip tie, feed whatever through the boot, and install a new zip tie. Couldn't be easier.
fuelconnect.jpg

Third photo shows the overall underneath installation. The muffler was an extra option, and though i didn't hear it run without, it was very quiet. The fuel line was pushed inside a length of 3/8" poly tubing that i had laying around instead of the usual corrugated loom material, thinking it would give more protection. The straight pipe on the right is the exhaust from the Wallas stove, something i had to build for this application.
installed.jpg

The fourth photo shows the dosing pump installed near the fuel tank. This unit has a fancy rubber clamp that does a good job of isolating the pump ticking sound, bringing it down to the volume of a cheap alarm clock ticking on the inside.
IMG_9837.jpg
 
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cedarsanctum

re: Member
The finish work inside went quickly after the underneath work. Most of my interior work is unfinished until i get all the systems up and running properly.
The air intake hose for the heater (not the combustion intake) is routed to the rear, and the heater outlet points toward the front. It actually does a good job of circulating the air on the cabin that way. The photo shows the location of the heater under the Waeco fridge unit, with the directional outlet pointing forward. The thermostat on the forward facing cabinet is easy to reach from the whole cabin, and is affected slightly by the refrigerator coming on because the outlet for that air is directly underneath.
finishinside.jpg
finshthermo.jpg
Overall, i am impressed and very happy with the performance and functioning of this heater. It worked perfectly for 2 weeks, keeping the van at a constant 70F degrees for 3 of those days. I usually turned the thermostat down at night when i was alone, and off during the day to save fuel, but had a guest part of the time that required more heat. The fuel consumption during that whole time is hard to measure, but it looked like it used less than 1/8th of a tank for the whole time.

I did have one disturbing discovering while writing this up, and will show that in the next posting.
 
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cedarsanctum

re: Member
Espar heater in VandaBlue, near disaster

After coming home from my 2 week shakedown trip with this heater, i noticed something odd in one of the photos. There appeared to be drips coming down the fuel line and exhaust pipe from the new heater. Closer inspection found that the fuel line somehow moved itself right into the exhaust pipe and partially melted, causing a leak. Strange thing is, the heater never stopped working. And luckily the fuel never got hot enough to ignite, which i know could never have been said of gasoline.
yikes.jpg
Is it luck, or is diesel just inherently safer as a fuel?
 
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mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
Yes and yes!

Unlikely it would've ignited even warm diesel without a flame.

A suggestion: the installation manual recommends careful exhaust routing in order to avoid condensation traps. Hard to say from your pic but might be relevant?

Isn't it surprising how quickly one becomes accustomed to auxiliary heat? I think even at max output mine consumes only something like 0.12 of a litre per hour.
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
The picture doesn't show the angle of the exhaust pipe (hard to photo things while standing on your head). It's slopes down to the muffler, and then down to the outlet. I did think about that when installing, though don't remember reading about it. Very good point. Thanks.
Jef
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
Thought you had it covered Jef.

I like the air intake location. I was thinking of making a cover panel for underneath the van to allow airflow but prevent easy access to the heater service connections. The air intake is one way lowlives use to introduce narcotic gases into vehicles to anaesthetise sleeping occupants before breaking in.

Nice work anyway.
 

miki

Member
Excellent Write up Jef!

I almost completely wrote off the heater option saying the expense and difficulty was too much but just the idea of keeping my van at 70 if need me has me singing a different tune. Two questions if I may. Any idea as to the electrical demands during a day of heating? Did your unit come supplied with all the fittings for connecting to the fuel system? It seems that the most daunting to me would be tapping that fuel line. but I would be more comforted knowing that I had the right fittings for the job.
Thanks

Miki

Have fun in warm heat land :thumbup: you deserve it!
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
Simon,
The air intake under the van is only for combustion and does not enter the van at all. There would be no way to introduce gasses inside through that intake.

Miki,
The electrical demands when running are very low. It uses most when starting the cycle for the glow plug to ignite the fuel, which shuts down after ignition, and during shut down it comes on again. I had it running only on the battery, and the only charging source for the battery besides the very low input from the solar panel (practically nothing from solar) was a 1.5 amp battery maintainer plugged into shore power. That easily kept up with everything i used (lights, stereo, heater).
The fuel fittings were another matter. You need to find the smallest barbed tee you can find and small bits of rubber hose that goes over both the factory auxiliary fuel line and the tee and your new line, and good clamps to tighten it all down. I heard of another member who didn't have the auxiliary heater installed like mine does that had the fitting in the tank and just needed to tap into the line coming out of the tank and hanging down near the filler neck on the tank.

My fuel line is now repaired, and i'm breathing a little easier. Since i discovered the melted and leaking fuel line, i've been imagining all sorts of nasty scenarios involving burning fuel under the van. Extra precautions have now been taken to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Hope this helps
Jef
 

tekcomp

Live life to the fullest!
Off topic(Dont mean to highjack the thread): I'm here looking at your write up and thinking I am glad I dont have to worry much about heat, where I am from South Florida. But on the contratry cold A/C is a necessity not an option almost all year round. I am sure folks are getting ready for the cold months, I could imagine "literally" the sprinter becoming an Icebox during the cold months. I take it Espar is the way to go for additional heating purposes. Thanks for the write-up and illustration.:thumbup:
 

miki

Member
Thanks Jef!
I guess it's always an adventure when doing work on the van. Good to have knowledgeable people from the forum to help out:cheers:
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
Off topic(Dont mean to highjack the thread): I'm here looking at your write up and thinking I am glad I dont have to worry much about heat, where I am from South Florida. But on the contratry cold A/C is a necessity not an option almost all year round. I am sure folks are getting ready for the cold months, I could imagine "literally" the sprinter becoming an Icebox during the cold months. I take it Espar is the way to go for additional heating purposes. Thanks for the write-up and illustration.:thumbup:
Yes, after just 2 weeks living with this Espar, i am convinced. All other methods i've tried have been inadequate, unable to do the job of providing constant heat. I was constantly surprised by how well it held the temperature, and how little fuel it used.
Another thing we found that works well is to use the front passenger door to get in and out. Once you're used to the climb through it takes to get in, it's easy, and all that nice warm air stays put in the cabin.
Personally, i prefer to have to heat sometimes than to cool all the time. That sounds expensive, energy-wise.
Jef
 

tekcomp

Live life to the fullest!
Another thing we found that works well is to use the front passenger door to get in and out. Once you're used to the climb through it takes to get in, it's easy, and all that nice warm air stays put in the cabin.
Good Point :thumbup:, Using the sliding door is probably the less efficient way of keeping the cabin cold or warm for that matter. Not to mention the factory rubber flooring in the front helps keep the cabin clean.

Thanks again,
Al
 

mwills

Member
i suppose i'm being dense, but in the picture below, what lines are running through the 'boot' up into the van?

The second photo shows the fuel line connections above the auxiliary heater, as well as the earlier fuel line to the Wallas stove. Seen on the left is the rubber boot under the drivers seat that all of my underneath-to-inside lines have passed through, so far. Simply cut the zip tie, feed whatever through the boot, and install a new zip tie. Couldn't be easier.
View attachment 27899
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
i suppose i'm being dense, but in the picture below, what lines are running through the 'boot' up into the van?
In addition to the factory wiring looms i have added a 110V power cord to a power strip mounted just behind the drivers seat (my only source of shore power, used very little actually), the power lead to the dosing pump for the Espar (the black corrugated line), and the fuel line going to the Wallas stove inside.

Jef
 

Gidler

New member
Thanks for a great write-up! I am waiting for my Espar D2, and plan on installing it in my 2006 Winnebago View which currently has LP forced air system. Hoping I can do it! Noticed you are in Portland. I live in the Gorge near Hood River. Wish me luck:drool:
 

hein

Van Guru
Thanks for a great write-up! I am waiting for my Espar D2, and plan on installing it in my 2006 Winnebago View which currently has LP forced air system. Hoping I can do it! Noticed you are in Portland. I live in the Gorge near Hood River. Wish me luck:drool:
I'm in HR and getting ready to install a D2 in a 2010 van. PM me if you want to share notes. -Hein
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
It's been a few years since this was written, and i haven't been on the Forum at all for one of those years. I moved to Breitenbush Hot Springs full time and got housing here, so haven't needed the van for a house here, and got very busy with life here, so the Sprinter has sat mostly unused.

I would like to add to my earlier comments about the reliability and functioning of the D2 heater. I continued using that heater in the van for 2 winter seasons here in the mountains, and it worked most of the time. I had trouble with the burner screen getting excessive carbon build up, making it very hard to start. It would produce a huge amount of smoke trying, and eventually it would just refuse to try. Changing the screen wasn't so easy on mine because of where i put it, it required removing the fridge and some cabinetry. It happened twice, and the last time i didn't change it because i no longer needed it.
In doing research on this issue, the suggested causes were the fuel lines being tapped into the lines to the other devices and running off just one pickup in the tank. I was told they are very sensitive to this. I even tried connecting it to a separate tank and ran it on kerosene (which worked quite well), but eventually even that clogged up.
My thoughts are that in running it nearly 24/7 for weeks on end, always at a low speed, it would not run hot enough often enough to clear it out. I believe it would be better to turn it off during the day and force it to run hot to warm up the van, which usually only took about 30 minutes at freezing temps.

I still think the D2 is a good solution to heat in the van. I look forward to the day mine is put back together and i'm traveling in it again.
Jef
 

Gidler

New member
Nice looking install! I'm installing a Espar D2 in a 2006 Winnebago View RV where the Propane system used to be. Mt exhaust and combustion air tubes will be routed from the bottom of the espar and then sweep above the unit to the outlets that where used for exhaust and combustion air for the old LP system. Does anyone think I will have problems with my exhaust routing above the D2? Is moisture going to accumulate in the exhaust and cause problems? Thanks in advance.
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
Nice looking install! I'm installing a Espar D2 in a 2006 Winnebago View RV where the Propane system used to be. Mt exhaust and combustion air tubes will be routed from the bottom of the espar and then sweep above the unit to the outlets that where used for exhaust and combustion air for the old LP system. Does anyone think I will have problems with my exhaust routing above the D2? Is moisture going to accumulate in the exhaust and cause problems? Thanks in advance.
Yes. Moisture in the exhaust will be a problem. The exhaust should go down through the floor, or at least be minimally sloped downwards out the side.
Also, the pipe gets pretty hot. Be sure to provide for that.
Is there room underneath to install it through the floor with the exhaust left outside completely, and abandon the old furnace stuff? That seems so much simpler to me.
Hope this helps
Jef
 

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