[Tomcr1981]

Hello

I've just bought a VWt5 which I'm looking to convert. I'm thinking about heating in the back. I'm going to fit a leisure battery/hook up etc.

I really like the idea of having some sort of electric air heating. I'm only thinking along the lines of giving it an hours blast before I go to bet etc.

Does anyone know if this is possible ?

Thanks in advance

Tom

 

[alan.surry]

I made up a unit to fit behind the front seats which houses a 500w skirting radiator and a fan heater. I took the fan heater apart and noted that it has it's own thermal fuse rated at 117 degrees, so i measured the temperature on it's lowest (1.2KW) setting which was 85 degrees. I fitted a 90 degrees thermal cutout switch in front of the heater and disabled the higher (2.4kw) setting. We now have a 500w radiator we can leave on all night and a 1200w fan heater that we use to heat the van up for 5 or 10 minutes. The pictures below show it in varying states of prep & finish.

 

[J-T5]

Argos £15 heater plugged into a hookup. Leisure battery won't supply enough power to run a heater that would produce any significant heat. If no hookup than a diesel heater or gas is your only real option.

 

[alan.surry]

Argos £15 heater plugged into a hookup. Leisure battery won't supply enough power to run a heater that would produce any significant heat. If no hookup than a diesel heater or gas is your only real option.

Good point. I forgot to mention this works on mains hookup only. You will never get this sort of heat off of a leisure battery.

 

[Tomcr1981]

Hi, thanks for your reply and information .

Looks like I'm going to have to go down the fuel road to get what I want.

Can anyone recommend the best type of heating system ?

I'm on a bit of a budget.

Thanks again

Tom

 

[CUMBRIA LAD]

we fitted a basic propex ourselves (assume you will have gas), c£400, risky buying s/h if any probs
find it good to take the chill off
many prefer diesel but installation more awkward & more expensive to buy

 

[Tomcr1981]

I'm thinking about just having an electric heater that runs of the hook up. Don't think I will need heating any other time..

Thanks for your advice

 

[mark freer]

How about a plinth heater that fits in the kick panel of kitchen units it is along the lines of the first post but an all in one unit so to speak

 

[alan.surry]

Electric is best on a budget, but only good if you're on a campsite with a hook up. Gas or Diesel air heaters are independent, but you won't see much change out of £500 at the best, whereas mine cost about £70 in materials. The radiator & fan heater are not designed to be enclosed, so I took my time building & testing it to ensure it doesn't overheat before putting it in the van so not ideal if you want a quick fix.

J-T5 is spot on with the fan heater idea. Other people have put small oil filled radiators in the passenger footwell for low heat all night.

 

[alan.surry]

How about a plinth heater that fits in the kick panel of kitchen units it is along the lines of the first post but an all in one unit so to speak

I looked everywhere for something like a slimline plinth heater, but they're not very small and would have used up a chunk of cupboard space which is in short supply in my van.

 

[Tomcr1981]

Hi,

It looks great, what you have done.

There is so much to take in.

Thanks again

 

[basscamp67]

I use a low-wattage domestic fan heater when on hook-up (get one with a thermostat - you'll only need it on low settings). Simple, straightforward and cheap to run if the hook-up's metered A:.
Other times (no hook-up) it's an Eberspacher independent diesel heater under the floor.