Club 80-90 Forums

So, it's getting chilly and I'm thinking about heating. On a petrol engine, so it has to be propex.

I don't want to use up any more space than is necessary so I'm hoping the 1600 compact will be sufficient.

How do people find it? I'm thinking British winters here, say between zero and five degrees. Cosy? Tolerable? Still chilly?

-4 at Dubaid this year, we woke up and put the propex on, heated up the van no prob

Cool.

Barring any naysayers, sounds like the 1600 is my pick.

Next thing I'm pondering then...

Self install:
- How to deal with the exhaust? Am I cutting a panel/floor pan - or is there another way?
- I assume I can get some kind splitter to fit downstream of the regulator?
- Rubber gas hose ok, or should I use metal gas pipe?

paulo999 wrote:- How to deal with the exhaust? Am I cutting a panel/floor pan - or is there another way?
- I assume I can get some kind splitter to fit downstream of the regulator?
- Rubber gas hose ok, or should I use metal gas pipe?

With my 1600 compact the air intake and exhaust pipes exit the van through the floor. The bottom of the propex unit has two protruding spouts so they more or less have to. Flexible metal pipes on the ends of the spouts bent to face away from each other.
Don't know about splitter etc but I'd imagine a tee piece would be available - preferably with a shut off valve on it like the two in the bottom LHS of this picture.



Mines done in metal. Only rubber on my system is from gas regulator to first metal section to allow bottle to be taken out of the cupboard and unscrewed from regulator.

Remember that butane has trouble evaporating in really low temperatures - I had to warm my gas bottle up using the vans cab heater at 'Dubfreeze' in 2007 when the temperature dropped to -9C I believe.

Just use a petrol Eberspacher or Webasto. It doesn't have to be LPG.

Propane or an LPG leisure tank fed one would be fine too. I've only had to warm the butane up once......

As said. Propane is better than Butane at low temperatures. Just make sure you have the correct regulator.

Thanks for the replies.

I'm sticking with Gas... liquid fuel solutions (e.g. Eber petrol) sound like a more complicated install, and more expensive to buy & maintain.

Reckon I'll chance it with Butane initially. (Although on an Aircooled, if it does actually get too cold, I'll have to go for a drive to warm it up )

Thinking about it, yep, metal piping all round and thanks for tips and photos 1664.

Now my options are:

£250 - 1600 used, and self fit.
£400 - 1600 used, pay GasSure to fit.
£600 - 2000 new and fitted by GasSure.

Hmm. £150 for fitting seems like reasonable value, given that I'm time-poor at the mo, and it'll get the job done quickly, properly and without wastage on mistakes when doing self-fit of something for the first time.

Fitting a propex is easy. Drill 2 holes in the floor and connect 2 wires. Job done. Plus I can't see any benefit of running on Butane in winter and risking it freezing up when you can get a propane regulator for well under a tenner.

I'd swap to propane if I could fit the damn bottle in my gas cupboard

Like I said though - I've only had to warm the butane bottle once.......just I'd prefer being guaranteed not having to ever again

1664 wrote:I'd swap to propane if I could fit the damn bottle in my gas cupboard

Like I said though - I've only had to warm the butane bottle once.......just I'd prefer being guaranteed not having to ever again

Ah I see. Can you not get Propane in those little dumpy bottles then? Mine's bigger than that.

72BUG wrote:

1664 wrote:I'd swap to propane if I could fit the damn bottle in my gas cupboard

Like I said though - I've only had to warm the butane bottle once.......just I'd prefer being guaranteed not having to ever again

Ah I see. Can you not get Propane in those little dumpy bottles then? Mine's bigger than that.

Calor site seems to suggest that you can get 3.9kg Propane in same size as 4.5kg Butane.

My niggle is that I can't get the bottle refund on one, possibly both of my Butanes. Still, I could just sacrifice the £60 and swap.

I got the 3.9 Propane and traded an empty 4.5 Butane for it no problems.

72BUG wrote:I got the 3.9 Propane and traded an empty 4.5 Butane for it no problems.

Ah ok... so to complete it all, I just need a different regulator then.

paulo999 wrote:

72BUG wrote:I got the 3.9 Propane and traded an empty 4.5 Butane for it no problems.

Ah ok... so to complete it all, I just need a different regulator then.

Yeah. I think mine was £8.50 and that was from my local heavily price inflated coastal camping shop.