I used the rear heater in my 86 when I lived north of Chicago
and  Michigan, but sub zero temps were never the norm there. I had
sold the Vanagon before I moved to northern Minnesota (sub zero for
weeks on end) and now I'm back in western WA (it was a 13 yr vacation
in the upper mid-west).
I find the rear heater a great thing to have but I never have to deal
with sub zero temps here... God bless the Pacific ocean and it's
currents as I'm within a minute of the latitude of where I lived in
Minnesota,  I just moved 1400 miles west.

Do you close off the rear of the van to keep the front warmer?

Rob
becida@comcast.net

  At  8/28/2010 06:14 PM, mcneely4@cox.net wrote:
>Rob, I don't know where "out here" is, but in my neck o' the
>prairie, it gets down to around 0 F on occasion, and regularly to
>around 10 F in winter.
>
>I found the rear heater to be more a space hog than a help with
>interior temperature.  Like I said, I dress warmly in winter.  DMc
>
>---- Rob <becida@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
> > I use my rear heater every winter, out here it gets down to the low
> > 20's on occasion and the rear heater is great! By the time I've gone
> > 4 miles the rear heater has warmed up the whole van.
> > The only time I use the front blower is for defrost if I need it done
> > before I start driving.
> >
> > Rob
> > becida@comcast.net
> >
> > At  8/28/2010 03:32 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
> > >---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
> > >
> > > > there are several things in vanagons that some vanagon owners
> don't know
> > > > about.
> > > > the oil filler extension is one.
> > > > rear heater valve is another.
> > >
> > >Well, I know about the rear heater valve in mine -- or more
> > >accurately, I know that there isn't one -- rear heater that is.  I
> > >took it out, and ran the coolant hoses right past it, though I did
> > >use barbs so that a future owner, if any, would be set up to refit
> > >the heater.  I guess If I camped in brutal winter conditions, I'd
> > >want heat back there going and coming, but heat up front is enough
> > >for me -- I dress warmly in winter, anyway.
> > >
> > >DMc
>
>--
>David McNeely
>
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