Diesel Heat and Water Options?

[Essco]

Hi all. Just stumbled across this forum and am greatly enjoying it! Thank you for all the posts its been really helpful. I wanted to ask some of you who run pop ups about what you do for heat and hot water? I am building out my 01 F350 7.3. Its been extensively modified with an 05 coil front end and 4 link as well as rear full airbag suspension and 4 link. Front and rear lockers and a few engine upgrades to keep it as reliable as it was originally. Mild 100hp upgrade and some internal upgrades etc. My question is about heating in the camper. I have installed a Planar coolant heater for preheating the engine and am seriously wanting to turf the propane system in the camper. my builder says I can integrate the Planar to use for heat and hot water but I can just not see a way to do it clean. Id really like to have a way to heat the air and water but also have some leftover heat to heat the tank in the camper and under the tray as well as integrate my engine heat to make hot water while driving. Has anyone come up with a clever solution? Every time I think I have something I find a bug with it. Is a manifold system really the way to do it? Ive seen some Youtube stuff using electric valves etc but it looks like a spaceship control panel and I will be in extremely remote (and cold) areas. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Trestle]

Check out Timberline Heaters. They use a planar coolant heater, combine it with liquid to air radiators and fans for cabin heat, wet to wet plate exchanges for making hot water, etc. (look up beer wort cooling and you'll get the idea) I can tell you that they are an expensive option. Think $4500 for their full kit if you're not a company they work with.

I had a meet with them a year or two ago. The only thing they figured out, that I didn't at the time, was the electronics to control it all. They winked at me and said, "that's why we're charging what we do".

Come to think of it, I still have the Webasto coolant heater sitting new in a box in storage that I should put up for sale...and the plate exchanger...and the coolant overflow parts. We sold the van that we ended up not putting a shower into and I forgot I had all these parts still.