California Dreamin wrote:Back to good old PROPEX (or similar) ........they are the only sensible way of 'independantly' heating the van 'without' hookup.
Or
The anti-social way (and I have one myself) is a generator but this presents it's own issues ie: size/weight/noise/and useable output (needs to be at least 2KW to be of any use to power a heater) 1200 - 1600 watt oil filled radiator (with blower is good if you can find one at this wattage).
There is only one way to go in my experience, you can try everything else going but the only thing that works long term over winter with an operation style of always having heating just by turning a switch for as long as you like with no other effort involved. Thats an Eberspacher drawing the same fuel that is in your fuel tank, twin leisure batteries and an alternator to battery sterling charger.
You can try all the other combination of things but its just not the same as having a 100% heating system that is permanently on tap 24hours a day 365 days a week for as long as you like.
left on 8 hours a day and in the winter a 20 liter tank of gas lasts 4 days, and as an added bonus you cant use your cooker or your fridge. Then if for example you are in Llangollan in Wales for the new year for a few days you will have to sacrifice one full day of your holiday and £20 worth of fuel looking for an LPG station to fill your underslung tank up. Or after two days go on the look out for somewhere that is open during the holiday season that is open that if luck would have it sells gas bottles in the size you have. If you are in Europe in the winter (like many are) if you cant find a local LPG station that is open in the range of 100km of where you are away from a motor way and you run out of gas and need to change your bottle for cooking and fridge as well as your heating, they dont sell UK spec gas bottles so you will then need to not only sacrifice more or your holiday days looking for a new regulator to fit the new bottles bit find a jig saw and garage space to work so you can hack the units of your camper to fit the bigger EU spec as bottle etc...
I had a newly refurbished Propex and I sold it in favor of the set up I have now. I always have fuel in my tank (70 liters) I have enough storage power and the means to recharge the storage power in 40 minutes of running my engine.
Also when its cold butane gas (lots use it) freezes at 4*c so wont fire up a propex as it isnt gas any more its sold. We have camped out in the UK lots in the winter and it isnt unusual for it to drop below -9 so if you have a propex your going to freeze using butane gas. Propane would be a better option but you have the short life span of it on anything longer than a couple of days of course. Of course Diesel can freeze at -9.5 but you usually find that the fuel garages serve up a winter mix in the colder months that doesnt effect anything below -46*c
Jed....you're not wrong....a system running off the 'main' fuel supply, beit petrol or diesel, is the most versatile.
Having said this, as an addon 'after market' retrofit, propex, under most cirumstances and for most users, will work out just fine. Yes....definately less convenient because of the seperate fuel source but adequate in terms of convenience for all but the most hardened of campers like yourself.
I've only had the butane 'freeze' a couple of times but that was when it was fiercy cold - like Dubfreeze '07 when it dropped to -9C.
I will (eventually) get round to an LPG tank when funds allow because it's a property of butane I do not appreciate although I can, and have, used the van cab heater to warm the bottle enough to get the system running but it's a bit of a PITA to say the least.
When our van comes back from it's restoration one of the next things I will be doing is fitting a Propex heater.
I know as Jed says the Ebers do have certain advantages but as only "occasional" campers in the cold season, plus to the fact that most / all the Ebers I have heard are quite noisy, (esp when it is spoiling the "sound" of a quiet woody sleep over at 4 a.m. etc) I reckon a Propex jobby will be OK for us. I am right in thinking that Propex are very quiet, yes ?
I think I know the answer is "NO !", but, can you use a Propex heater whilst on the move ?
I use mine and propex said it was ok as long as the flue outlet was not scooping air and pointing straight down
ebbers are used on the move too, richnewton used to run his in the winter as a demister
kevtherev wrote:I use mine and propex said it was ok as long as the flue outlet was not scooping air and pointing straight down
Ah that's worth knowing
When I get mine I am going to have it on a timer so the van is toasty warm when I have to get into it at 8 a.m. to drive to work (Oh and perhaps I won't bother getting the dash out then to fix the heater blower )
Our (not in any way properly checked) is that the money spent extra for hook up balances out the cost of gas for heating. So we have a small 'leccy fan heater that keeps the van warm. It's a bit noisy so in retrospect we might have liiked at a small halogen heater.
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(Oh and perhaps I won't bother getting the dash out then to fix the heater blower 
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