Heater options for gasoline Sprinter

[JFDGO]

I have a 2021 144 high roof with gas engine. I am interested in installing a heater under the passenger seat eventually (the build is not really close to that stage yet) but have been trying to identify my options.

1. Gasoline webasto/espar/etc - tapped into fuel tank
2. Diesel heater (same brands) - using separate fuel cell
3. Heater Buddy
4. Shiver

I want to avoid 4 and 3 is until I figure out what to do. Seriously considering the Diesel idea because I am not thrilled about the ideal of having to drop the gas tank, put a siphon into it and then re-installing the tank.

So, speculating on the diesel fuel cell idea some more, I don't really like the idea I have seen - plastic can of diesel in the engine compartment. I wondered if anyone has installed a fuel cell directly under the passenger seat - kinda in the area where the vehicle jack is located in the footwell of the passenger side? The jack is stored in foam, and the surrounding compartment feels almost like plastic - with frame rails below it and a gap that seems available for a small fuel cell to be located. Theoretically, a filler tube could be added to the access door for the current jack - allowing the cell to be filled with diesel and the fuel line from it to heater location would only be a foot or two. Am I crazy about this idea or is it perhaps a good idea?

Please tell me a better option - I don't think I want it in the engine compartment at all, but I do want to figure out an easy way to fill it.
Thanks

 

[JackJHammer]

For $100‐$200, depending on size, you can purchase an aluminum auxially fuel tank and mount it under the van. These are used in racing. You'll have to figure out routing to fill it. Much safer than a random plastic tank inside.

 

[Kajtek1]

Even having diesel tank in Sprinter, I still used the 10l tank that come with CDH and loved the idea. I could control the consumption easy and liked the idea of possible use of cheaper, red diesel in it. Placement close to the heater and on the same level made priming much easier.
Mind I had good space for it, in the rear, where heater was installed and could fill the tank with pump nozzle, when I opened the rear door.
The tank placement on front might take more thinking.

 

[Shawn182]

Diesel heater hands down.

The gas heaters are way too expensive IMO and while the Heater Buddys are great as backup or emergency heat they churn through those portable propane tanks which can get costly, you should not run them while sleeping, and the byproduct of burning propane is a lot of moisture inside the van.

I have helped a few buddies put in the Chinese diesel heaters with external 2gal diesel tanks in cabinet accessible from rear door and they have been working great. The heaters really sip fuel. Only thing with the cheapie heaters is that you often have to buy better fuel lines as the ones they ship with are too flimsy and prone to kinks and collapse. There are also now diesel heaters with the tank integrated in to the unit then you vent outside like normal.

 

[250912a]

Reliable, high altitude, super long service intervals, no additional fuel source, quality parts, good support: Espar gas. Buy it once, and don't worry about it again.

Espar Airtronic AS3 B2L 12V 2kW Gas Air Heater - Free Shipping!

Stay Warm Anywhere with the Espar Airtronic AS3 B2L 12V Gas Air Heater from Nomadic Supply Company®.

nomadicsupply.com

You spent all the $ buying a nice modern van, why go with a cheap copy of the heater (Chinesium heaters are a copy of Espar) and then still have to get better lines, better ducting, and still have an older version with poor quality electronics and need to come up with another tank / fuel source to run it?

 

[JFDGO]

Reliable, high altitude, super long service intervals, no additional fuel source, quality parts, good support: Espar gas. Buy it once, and don't worry about it again.

Espar Airtronic AS3 B2L 12V 2kW Gas Air Heater - Free Shipping!

Stay Warm Anywhere with the Espar Airtronic AS3 B2L 12V Gas Air Heater from Nomadic Supply Company®.

nomadicsupply.com

"If connected to an existing fuel line, no extra installation equipment is needed."

The only place I have read/seen discussed for installtion is putting a siphon into the top of the gas tank (which requires dropping it). I am not thrilled about that. Tapping into a fuel line seems sketch to me - especially if the heater is pulling fuel (pressure on the fuel line ) while the engine is off. Am I wrong or is that a recipe for creating issues with the vehicle fuel system?

 

[JFDGO]

Diesel heater hands down.

The gas heaters are way too expensive IMO and while the Heater Buddys are great as backup or emergency heat they churn through those portable propane tanks which can get costly, you should not run them while sleeping, and the byproduct of burning propane is a lot of moisture inside the van.

I have helped a few buddies put in the Chinese diesel heaters with external 2gal diesel tanks in cabinet accessible from rear door and they have been working great. The heaters really sip fuel. Only thing with the cheapie heaters is that you often have to buy better fuel lines as the ones they ship with are too flimsy and prone to kinks and collapse. There are also now diesel heaters with the tank integrated in to the unit then you vent outside like normal.

I hadn't considered a location on the rear (such as an accessory mount). At the moment, I am not planning external attachments but I guess a box would be beneficial for vehicle related tools, straps, treads, etc) and a tank could also be located there and relatively easy to fill.

 

[JFDGO]

For $100‐$200, depending on size, you can purchase an aluminum auxially fuel tank and mount it under the van. These are used in racing. You'll have to figure out routing to fill it. Much safer than a random plastic tank inside.

exactly what I was thinking - the filler bit is what I think would need to be creatively figured out.

 

[borabora]

Having a diesel tank anywhere inside the van is not a good idea, in my opinion. You will not be able to avoid smelling diesel inside of the van no matter how careful you are filling the tank.

 

[mercedesstern]

Reliable, high altitude, super long service intervals, no additional fuel source, quality parts, good support: Espar gas. Buy it once, and don't worry about it again.

Espar Airtronic AS3 B2L 12V 2kW Gas Air Heater - Free Shipping!

Stay Warm Anywhere with the Espar Airtronic AS3 B2L 12V Gas Air Heater from Nomadic Supply Company®.

nomadicsupply.com

+ no issues with diesel gelling at freezing temperatures. Gas or diesel versions are more or less the same from price if you get a Webasto or Espar. Make sure to use a thin (1.5mm ID) fuel line (should be included in a complete kit) otherwise you get bubbles in it. If your Sprinter has the aux fuel sending unit (KL1), then it makes the fuel connection very easy. Otherwise you need to drop the fuel tank.

 

[RVBarry]

Heater Buddy

Unsafe while asleep, and if it's cold, the fuel cans only last a few hours.

 

[Philip53]

There are a few of us that installed gas heaters on our gas vans. Makes complete sense, just one fuel source, one tank. Dropping the tank, installing a pick up tube and re-installing it was pretty much a non issue. I have a build thread that covers this, as does @blutow.

 

[Shawn182]

Having a diesel tank anywhere inside the van is not a good idea, in my opinion. You will not be able to avoid smelling diesel inside of the van no matter how careful you are filling the tank.

I can confirm in at least two builds that I know of that is a non issue having the tank inside. YMMV.

 

[marklg]

I encourage everyone to read NFPA 1192 which you can view for free at:

NFPA 1192 Standard Development

Stay informed and participate in the standards development process for NFPA 1192

www.nfpa.org

While it has no force of law for DIYers, it is still a good reference for safe builds. It does not allow fuel tanks inside, except in the case of a Propane locker with specific venting and an airtight seal to the inside.

Just because there have been no issues does not make it a safe practice. For over 100 years the NFPA has gotten together insurance and fire professionals and studied numerous incidents that were fatal or caused serious injury and came up with recommendations to avoid unsafe practices. I am in the aviation world, where they aim to get the probability of a catastrophic event to be 1 X 10^-9 per flight hour. That is one in a billion! I expect the safety numbers for fires are in a similar range.

So, just because something terrible has not happened for 1 or 10 or 100 or 1,000 or 10,000 does not make it a safe practice. We are talking more than one in a million to billion here.

Fire is a horrible way to die and even if you survive, the recovery from severe burns is extremely painful, debilitating and disfiguring.

Please consider the above when you do your builds.

Regards,

Mark

 

[MyOtherCar]

Diesel heater hands down.

The gas heaters are way too expensive IMO and while the Heater Buddys are great as backup or emergency heat they churn through those portable propane tanks which can get costly, you should not run them while sleeping, and the byproduct of burning propane is a lot of moisture inside the van.

I have helped a few buddies put in the Chinese diesel heaters with external 2gal diesel tanks in cabinet accessible from rear door and they have been working great. The heaters really sip fuel. Only thing with the cheapie heaters is that you often have to buy better fuel lines as the ones they ship with are too flimsy and prone to kinks and collapse. There are also now diesel heaters with the tank integrated in to the unit then you vent outside like normal.

When I had a Eurovan I installed a gasoline fired Espar. We used it every year for over 25 yrs, not a single failure no maintenance either. I never even heard of cleaning a heater till I joined this forum. Maybe I was an exception, but I don’t think the gas versions of these ever need cleaning.

 

[mercedesstern]

I did an

There are a few of us that installed gas heaters on our gas vans. Makes complete sense, just one fuel source, one tank. Dropping the tank, installing a pick up tube and re-installing it was pretty much a non issue. I have a build thread that covers this, as does @blutow.

In order to avoid to drill into the tank for the pick up tube, you can drill a hole into the fuel pump cover and install the tube in the pump assembly. If you mess it up ... a fuel pump is cheaper than a tank. I did that for a Land Rover build, because the fuel pump is accessible from the trunk, so I didn't have to drop the tank.

 

[Philip53]

Yes, the pickup tube is inserted into the fuel pump 'cover' assembly. Some caution is required, but not terribly difficult. As in most projects, the hardest part is just getting started.

 

[T town]

If you choose to go gas heater another option is Velit. It’s a Chinese copy of the old Espar imported by a U.S. company.
It’s $600 I think.

 

[EBS-P]

If gasoline is an option that’s what I would choose. I would T in with a pressure regulator (if there is such a thing) as I wouldn’t want a pressure increase if I turned on/started the van. Could you T on the return line? (Does it have one?)

 

[mercedesstern]

I would T in with a pressure regulator (if there is such a thing) as I wouldn’t want a pressure increase if I turned on/started the van.

That sounds dangerous to me. Use the return line only. If you don't have it, you have to install a pick up tube.