> This is news to me. What is this "gas fired water heater" system you're
> describing?
> It IS possible that I'm thinking along the lines of other smart people that
> already made a product. I'd prefer to learn from their mistakes, not
> mine...(and save my energy for my own, unique ones...;-)

Over here in Yoorp, we have 2 main manufacturers of gas (or diesel) fired water
heater systems: Webasto and Ebersp�cher. Both are German. Ebersp�chers hot air
heaters have come with VWs for a long time; they are a relic from the air cooled
era when the engines didn't produce enough heat to heat the interior under all
conditions. (Bulley: did I phrase that carefully enough?)

Webasto is the main manufacturer of gas fired water heaters, although
Ebersp�cher also makes them. These are typically installed on passenger cars as
an aftermarket add-on. They consist of a combustion chamber/heat exchanger unit
installed somewhere under the hood, various plumbery to link to the coolant
system, an electric fuel pump, sometimes an electric water pump for better
circulation and a dash-mounted control unit. Some systems link into the car's
standard heating system, and e.g. set the defroster fan to 'max' when the
coolant has heated up sufficiently. Upmarket versions come with a timer and/or a
radio remote to be able to switch on the heater from the comfort of your own
home...

Cost of a medium range Webasto system, installed: approx USD 1500. Advantages:
drive off with warm engine (less wear), clean emissions almost immediately, nice
and warm interior, no ice on windows.

The Westfalias in Europe have always had the factory option of an Ebersp�cher
hot air heater for heating the interior. It comes in a package with an auxiliary
battery, is mounted underfloor with its own exhaust pipe, burns gasoline or
diesel oil taken from the main fuel tank by its own little electric pump, and
through a heat exchanger heats air which is blown into the interior by a fan.
They don't come cheap: approx USD2000 for the whole package. These heaters have
great output and use little fuel: I can heat my Westy to a comfortable 22
degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit?) when outside it's around the freezing point,
with the poptop raised! Consumption is around 0.25 litres of diesel per hour. On
my Westy, there's a digital timer with 3 memories to make the heater switch on
at different times. Nice for a cold morning, but as soon as you start driving,
the heat blows away through the vents, and the engine remains as cold as ever.
Ebersp�cher also sells these units for ambulances, military vehicles etc.

HTH,
Robin / the Netherlands
'90 Vanagon Atlantic TD (with Ebersp�cher)
'84 Westy Joker D (also with Ebersp�cher, just as powerful, but no timer)