Wabasco or espar diesel heaters

jimh425 wrote:
I haven't read of someone doing it for TC. You might try a broad search across all RV types.

Yes, I have been looking and agree there doesn't seem to be anyone using one in a TC. I think it would be great to tie it into the trucks fuel tank to not only have a larger fuel source, but also not need to have a smaller fuel tank on the TC itself. Logistically though, I think thats a tall order and if they are as efficient as I am hearing they are, a 5 gallon fuel tank on the TC itself should be enough.

One thing I don't know is how readily available diesel fuel is as you venture up into canada and alaska. One of the trips we are planning to take is of course up to Alaska and I want to create a large buffer of fuel. I'm sure more reading on here and combing thru the milepost will answer those questions.

bristles wrote:
I've been in trucking for 33 years and have installed both units in OTR trucks. Both are very nice systems. Very fuel efficient with low battery draw. It's like 1 gallon of fuel per 8 hours run time depending on temp settings, and no more battery drain than leaving parking lights on. I like the espar unit better because of the digital temp control. The wabasto unit has a round dial with no numbers. You just have to guess where you want to set the temp and readjust if it's to hot or cold. Both have had zero failures in the 5 years since they were installed. I think it would be an easy conversion. Good Luck

Thats great to hear some first hand, long term feedback on their performance. Thank you for your reply.

These are very frequently used on yachts, though the yacht versions come from their European truck roots. There are no more or less moisture issues with them than a propane furnace - both produce moisture as a byproduct but both vent the moisture outside. Since the circulating fan is the major consumer of electrical power, they are similar on that as well as both have circulating fans. On fuel consumption, they are also similar, since all hydrocarbon fuels have about the same energy/lb. On economy, a bit better since diesel costs less/lb than propane usually. I have a diesel fired ITR hydronic system on the boat, you find these also in larger RVs.

There is no reason you could not replace the existing gas furnace with a diesel hot air one like the Webasto or Espar. If you are headed that direction, I might be tempted to use a hydronic system instead (which both Webasto and Espar also make) as you could also replace your propane fired water heater. The system I have on the boat heats both the living area and the domestic hot water. That eliminates most of the heavy draws on propane. On the boat I can go about 8 weeks on a 10 lb propane cylinder, since cooking is all that it is used for. In a camper with a propane fridge, a bit less but still a long time. If I built a custom camper I'd do just that. I'd have a gravity feed diesel header tank that I'd fill at the pump, or by transferring fuel from the truck when necessary.

In a replacement scenario, it will be far simpler to use a hot air diesel heater as the ducting etc. already exists.

They are used in boats. That is where people go boating in
cold weather!

Here's a similar heater from Fisheries Supply in Seattle:


https://www.fisheriessupply.com/reformtech-heating-2-kw-calaer-diesel-forced-hot-air-cabin-heater


Mike

I haven't read of someone doing it for TC. You might try a broad search across all RV types.

I've been in trucking for 33 years and have installed both units in OTR trucks. Both are very nice systems. Very fuel efficient with low battery draw. It's like 1 gallon of fuel per 8 hours run time depending on temp settings, and no more battery drain than leaving parking lights on. I like the espar unit better because of the digital temp control. The wabasto unit has a round dial with no numbers. You just have to guess where you want to set the temp and readjust if it's to hot or cold. Both have had zero failures in the 5 years since they were installed. I think it would be an easy conversion. Good Luck