[Nick_Thompson]

Who's running one of these setups and what is your opinion?

Nick

[concept]

Have a look at Grippatank.

[KS Cleaning]

Who's running one of these setups and what is your opinion?

Nick

I have one of these. At the moment I heat the water a little overnight using a portable immersion, I then put the diesel heater on for around an hour in the morning and re-circulate the water back into the tank to give me 650 litres of nice hot water, if I was doing this without using the immersion it would prob take 2 hours to heat the water if the ambient water temp was cold. If you are planning to heat water on demand I don't think diesel heaters are the answer due to all the stopping and starting, using it this way causes the heater to 'coke up' and also drains the batteries quicker.

[Richard Shepherd]

Nick
[/quote]I have one of these. At the moment I heat the water a little overnight using a portable immersion, I then put the diesel heater on for around an hour in the morning and re-circulate the water back into the tank to give me 650 litres of nice hot water, if I was doing this without using the immersion it would prob take 2 hours to heat the water if the ambient water temp was cold. If you are planning to heat water on demand I don't think diesel heaters are the answer due to all the stopping and starting, using it this way causes the heater to 'coke up' and also drains the batteries quicker.
[/quote]

Is the coking up something you have found through experience and use or just something you have heard.

I have been considering a diesel heater and you may have just put me off.

[Nick_Thompson]

Who's running one of these setups and what is your opinion?

Nick

I have one of these. At the moment I heat the water a little overnight using a portable immersion, I then put the diesel heater on for around an hour in the morning and re-circulate the water back into the tank to give me 650 litres of nice hot water, if I was doing this without using the immersion it would prob take 2 hours to heat the water if the ambient water temp was cold. If you are planning to heat water on demand I don't think diesel heaters are the answer due to all the stopping and starting, using it this way causes the heater to 'coke up' and also drains the batteries quicker.

Hi KS!

Thanks for the insight.

Would you not achieve the same result, then, by just leaving the immersion on longer?

Are there any advantages in finishing the heating process with the diesel heater?

Nick

[KS Cleaning]

Nick

I have one of these. At the moment I heat the water a little overnight using a portable immersion, I then put the diesel heater on for around an hour in the morning and re-circulate the water back into the tank to give me 650 litres of nice hot water, if I was doing this without using the immersion it would prob take 2 hours to heat the water if the ambient water temp was cold. If you are planning to heat water on demand I don't think diesel heaters are the answer due to all the stopping and starting, using it this way causes the heater to 'coke up' and also drains the batteries quicker.
[/quote]

Is the coking up something you have found through experience and use or just something you have heard.

I have been considering a diesel heater and you may have just put me off.
[/quote]It was brought up on this forum a while back, it doesn't really affect me as I have the heater on continuous to re-circulate the hot water back into tank.

[niceandclean]

Switch the heater on at the first job, then switch it off at the last job. If you keep switching on and off, it does burn the burner out quicker, and you use more diesel. If your stopping for lunch or something, then obviously switch it off. I go through 2 batteries every 6 - 8 months, but it's not a big deal. Great bit of kit, we'll worth the money. If you have already got a system, speak to a local webasto dealer/boat yard to add one, you will find you may get it cheaper. I remember a while back while searching google, there was a guy, not sure where he was from, but a fully trained webasto engineer working from his van, supplying and installing night heaters ect.

[KS Cleaning]

Who's running one of these setups and what is your opinion?

Nick

I have one of these. At the moment I heat the water a little overnight using a portable immersion, I then put the diesel heater on for around an hour in the morning and re-circulate the water back into the tank to give me 650 litres of nice hot water, if I was doing this without using the immersion it would prob take 2 hours to heat the water if the ambient water temp was cold. If you are planning to heat water on demand I don't think diesel heaters are the answer due to all the stopping and starting, using it this way causes the heater to 'coke up' and also drains the batteries quicker.

Hi KS!

Thanks for the insight.

Would you not achieve the same result, then, by just leaving the immersion on longer?

Are there any advantages in finishing the heating process with the diesel heater?

Nick

I used to use two 2kw portable immersion heaters on separate ext leads  and the water would be warm in the morning. I melted the plug on one of these heaters the other week so only have the one in overnight now which only makes the water lukewarm, so I then put the diesel heater on in the morning to get the water hot.

[Nick_Thompson]

So guys, just out of interest, what kind of temperature are you maintaining throughout the day and at what cost?

Thanks Nick

[sunshine windows]

I wouldn't get another one. Burner went just outside of the warranty of 2 years. (It actually went before but I didn't realise what the problem was) and Purefreedom weren't interested. It had only had a few weeks of usage through very cold wether.

[KS Cleaning]

So guys, just out of interest, what kind of temperature are you maintaining throughout the day and at what cost?

Thanks Nick

I heat a tank of water to around 35 degrees. I would guesstimate I use about £1 in electric and £2 in diesel

[dd]

I have the Isothermal 1 from PF. Big waste of money. It knackers the battery and the water would only come out warm, not hot so did not make much difference on conny roofs. Isothermal 2 would get water hotter but too expensive IMO to be worth it.

[Pure Glass]

Nick

Below is a link to a feed that highlighted some of the problems I've had, but all sorted now. I've got the 9kw. Works great for me but I'm only using during really cold weather am done offs. Been through 3 batteries and a burner, costing about £1000 in 3yrs plus diesel

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=166665.msg1400718#msg1400718

Steve

[Pure Glass]

Another post that might help

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=164542.msg1380059#msg1380059

[Nick_Thompson]

Thanks Steve!

Nice of you to take the trouble.

Nick

[niceandclean]

Nick

Below is a link to a feed that highlighted some of the problems I've had, but all sorted now. I've got the 9kw. Works great for me but I'm only using during really cold weather am done offs. Been through 3 batteries and a burner, costing about £1000 in 3yrs plus diesel

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=166665.msg1400718#msg1400718

Steve

£1000? For 3 batteries and a new burner??

[dazmond]

Each to their own but I think your crazy to spend all that money to heat up your water when you can do the same for a fraction of the price.

[Spruce]

Each to their own but I think your crazy to spend all that money to heat up your water when you can do the same for a fraction of the price.

In theory you are right.

These items are marketed at businesses that have employees, and diesel heating is safer. Gas has the potential to be hazard in the wrong hands.

I once watched an employee from a large window cleaning company with vans throughout the North East. He stood inside the van and threw his hose reel out onto the road. I couldn't believe it. Now I ask myself if I would trust someone with a mental caliber of that level with a gas heater.

There were drawbacks with the earlier gas heaters in the winter. You had to make sure the van remained frost free or the heater drained to avoid damage. Without a roof vent you couldn't automatically fire up an L5 heater.

But with the cheap Meny heaters from China and a roof vent, fitting a Froststat from Spring and coupling the hose reel into the tank will ensure your heater is automatically activated if the temps drop to below 2 degrees C.

So gas heaters are becoming more attractive. The Meny heaters are also 16kw which is nearly twice the heat output of the 9kw Webasto used in the 2 man systems.

[Lee Pryor]

Hi nick. I strongly suggest you pop over my yard and see our gas heaters. £200 per van for hot water. These diesel methods are so expensive. I will be at the yard today if you want a look