There are some automotive designed water jacket
heaters made by Ebespacher and Webasto that use
the existing engine cooling system to produce
heat .

Since running the vehicle's engine wastes energy,
a more efficient way is to add one of these
heaters .

The Webasto version is called the BBW 46 and was
fitted to Canadian and European versions.

Gary Lee has some pictures and info here:

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/rack/bbw46/BBW46.htm

The Bentley Shop manual shows this alos on page
82.20-23.

The Eberspacher (Espar) versions are called
Hydronic :

http://www.espar.com/htm/Specs/water/wterheat.htm

Robert

1982 Westfalia

--- Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET> wrote:

> 1.5 amps at 120 volts will need at least 15
> amps at 12. 1.5 amps X 120 volts is 180 watts.
> This will give you about 565 BTU's/hour of
> heat. Why?
>
> Dennis
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jake de Villiers
> Date: Friday, March 2, 2007 3:25 pm
> Subject: Re: Alternative Vanagon heaters -
> Zodi's, Tankless Water Heaters
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
> > I just spent the morning laying out and
> connecting a Watts Sun
> > Touch heat
> > mat.
> >
> > This is very low amperage radiant in-floor
> heating. I'm putting
> > it under
> > tile, but it is spec'd for engineered
> flooring too.
> > I see that the 4'0" x 2'6" 120 volt mat draws
> only 1.5 amps.
> >
> > Would that be low enough to work off an
> inverter?
> >
> > Jake
> >
> > On 3/2/07, Tom Buese wrote:
> > >
> > > On Mar 2, 2007, at 11:17 AM, John Rodgers
> wrote:
> > >
> > > > The tankless hotwater heater thread
> prompted my thoughts on
> > > > alternative
> > > > heat for the inside of the van when
> camping etc.
> > > >
> > > > Would not a circulating fan mounted
> behind a finned heat coil
> > > > INSIDE the
> > > > van - supplied with hot water from a
> source OUTSIDE the van -
> > when
> > > > camping eliminate a lot of problems
> related to other than
> > under the
> > > > seat
> > > > gas or diesel fired heaters? No fumes, no
> CO, no CO2, no water
> > > > vapor to
> > > > condense inside, etc. Just dry heat
> coming off the coil.
> > >
> > > Hmmm, or radiant heat thru heat fin tubes
> or continuous tubes
> > in the
> > > floor of the vanagon? grin
> > > >
> > > > The tankless water heater thread reminded
> me of having seen
> > something> > like what I described mounted in
> a school bus in
> > Alaska up near
> > > > Fairbanks that had been converted into a
> camper. It worked mighty
> > > > slick.
> > > > The owner of the bus had plumbed it with
> copper tubing,
> > installed heat
> > > > coils and thermostatically controlled
> fans, DC circulating
> > pumps, and
> > > > shutoff valves and quick disconnects at
> the point where the
> > plumbing> > entered and left the bus. System
> was filled with
> > water and antifreeze.
> > > > Outside was a drum fitted with a coil of
> copper tubing down
> > inside and
> > > > the drum was filled with water with some
> antifreeze in it.
> > The drum
> > > > was
> > > > up on a steel frame with a half-drum wood
> stove underneath.
> > Wood of
> > > > course was the fuel for this contraption.
> It worked well.
> > Was not
> > > > extremely portable, but it could be
> broken down and moved if
> > needed.> >
> > > > Would not the principles applied in the
> school bus camper
> > be a viable
> > > > and safe-for-sleeping-in-cold-weather
> alternative to the underseat
> > > > heaters, catalytic heaters, etc, that are
> often used in the
> > Vanagons?>
> > > I have a building under construction now
> that is using ground source
> > > heat pumps connected to 2 large wells (240'
> each deep)in the ground
> > > that extract the water from 1 well, run it
> thru the heat pumps to
> > > heat or cool heat coils/exchangers which
> provide heated or cooled
> > > air, then the water is injected back into
> the ground w/ the
> > 2nd well.
> > > Very energy efficient. Not cheap on the
> front end, but pays for
> > > itself over 5-8 years+-. My explanation
> might be a little
> > > simplistic, as I am only the architect, & I
> rely on my mechanical
> > > engineers to actually make these things
> work, but you are
> > going to
> > > see more & more of these alternative
> systems.
> > >
> > > Now if you can just bring this whole system
> along w/ you,
> > voila, your
> > > have nice AC?
> > >
> > > Tom B.
> > > >
> > > > Opinions, ideas, and suggestions,
> anyone???
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > >
> > > > John Rodgers
> > > > 88 GL Driver
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Jake
> > 1984 Vanagon GL
> > 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
> > www.crescentbeachguitar.com
> >
>

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