Rear heat in your van ??

[partsflyin]

Hope to really dig into the interior of my Quigley soon. When I bought the van it was equipped with a small rear heater utilizing a small heater core and two small fans.
Pic.

Im trying to decide if Its going to worthwhile to try and reuse it. Its not huge but it will certainly take up some space.
Will be worth my while to re-use?



please discuss

 

[spencyg]

The thought of coolant lines running along the length of the frame to feed the heater core makes me squirm. I don't have rear heat off the engine (propane cabin furnace instead) and when the heat up front is blasting away I don't find any need for rear heat. I like to keep things simple (OK, I like it, but I'm not good at it), and when it comes to the engine, the fewer chances for failure the better.

Just my $0.02.

 

[Desert Dan]

It would only provide heat with the engine running. Maybe it would be good for a passenger van but for a camping rig I doubt it.

I also don't like any additional hoses running back to the heater etc.

 

[Topher Walters]

I think you would be better off thinking of the van as two seperate units. The vehicle while driving can use the front heat but it would be very difficult to use the setup you have as interior heat while camping (the camper unit). You have several options: A stand alone unit (usually propane fueled) like Mr. Buddy(?) or coleman make several units. Or you could go with a small RV style propane built in unit (there are many out there). If you plan on having a stove and hot water heater then a built in propane system is probably best. Last is an Espar unit (usually diesel) but a gas fueled unit is out there I believe. Even if you got that unit running I think the 12 volt power draw would be alot.

 

[dsw4x4]

You do not say where you live? I have rear heat in my van and would not own one with out it. These vans are hugh and the front heat will keep it warm it just takes a long time to heat it up. Here in CO we camp and wheel when it is cold a lot and right before i shut off the van to camp I will blast the rear heat warm up the entire van then turn on the furnace and the interior never drops below 70 on on 10 degree nights. In the morning it also works great to dry up any window condensation in hurry. If your in a warm climate or do not wheel/slash camp in the cold I would not be to concerned about it, like everyone else said the front will keep you plenty warm for driving.
Derek

 

[partsflyin]

The thought of coolant lines running along the length of the frame to feed the heater core makes me squirm. I don't have rear heat off the engine (propane cabin furnace instead) and when the heat up front is blasting away I don't find any need for rear heat. I like to keep things simple (OK, I like it, but I'm not good at it), and when it comes to the engine, the fewer chances for failure the better.

Just my $0.02.

It would only provide heat with the engine running. Maybe it would be good for a passenger van but for a camping rig I doubt it.

I also don't like any additional hoses running back to the heater etc.

This was one of the more major concerns I had (the hoses running all the way to the rear of the van.)

I think you would be better off thinking of the van as two seperate units. The vehicle while driving can use the front heat but it would be very difficult to use the setup you have as interior heat while camping (the camper unit). You have several options: A stand alone unit (usually propane fueled) like Mr. Buddy(?) or coleman make several units. Or you could go with a small RV style propane built in unit (there are many out there). If you plan on having a stove and hot water heater then a built in propane system is probably best. Last is an Espar unit (usually diesel) but a gas fueled unit is out there I believe. Even if you got that unit running I think the 12 volt power draw would be alot.

You do not say where you live? I have rear heat in my van and would not own one with out it. These vans are hugh and the front heat will keep it warm it just takes a long time to heat it up. Here in CO we camp and wheel when it is cold a lot and right before i shut off the van to camp I will blast the rear heat warm up the entire van then turn on the furnace and the interior never drops below 70 on on 10 degree nights. In the morning it also works great to dry up any window condensation in hurry. If your in a warm climate or do not wheel/slash camp in the cold I would not be to concerned about it, like everyone else said the front will keep you plenty warm for driving.
Derek

Living in VA, It doesn't get that cold here , that often. Obviously it will only heat with the vehicle running, so current draw is not an issue. The few instances I ever forsee using it would be the type scenarios that dsw had described.
Seems it would be really handy at those times. Just not sure how often that will be.
I think I'm starting to talk my self out of it. For the space it will take up as well as the constant worry over the coolant lines. I just don't know if its worth it.

 

[Harald Hansen]

I had a similar setup in my old LR Series III. It ruptured one day and dumped coolant all over the road. It was a simple repair, of course, but could be a real problem depending on the circumstances.

 

[Keyblazer]

I am planning a rear heater or two using engine coolant for BigB...
My 35' Airstream has one in addition to the 2 propane furnaces, and it works well. Many Vans came with one from the factory, so easy to find at the junkyard if you dont have one. If you do, then just the simple use of distilled water/ antifreeze and replace older hoses like you should do for your engine will keep things reliable.
A couple of points...
A supply of hot coolant from the engine is free... and a good propane furnace or other system is not... in fact a calorifier can cost $2000 or more.
If installing a new system I suggest..
Coolant supply should come from a manual bypass valve installed on the original heater supply pipe. That way when the engine is running the larger rear area gets the hot coolant first, allowing a faster warm up. Also it will give you the option to turn of the system when not needed or if you do have a leak!
Use hard pipes for the long runs. They should be protected, insulated and supported correctly. Also minimise the flexible hoses in the system, and use Silicon that is longer lived.
People sitting in the rear of you van will enjoy the benefit of a coolant based heating system and maybe they can control the fan output to keep them cozy.
Remember, you should not use a propane system when traveling...

An additional benefit and an old trick will be the option to switch on the system in extreme climbs or traffic on hot days... the will add a huge amount of coolant and heat dissapatiion capacity to you cooling system and most of the time, save you from an overheat situation.
I do this on my Airstream and you would be surprised how much difference it made... On a 90f day recently I blasted up and over the continental divide in NM... 9000'+ and my BBC started to get warmer, and close to the 220F mark pulling the 16500lb beast up in 2nd gear at 30mph.. I put on the heater and opened a window or two... and the temp came down to the normal 200F and stayed down..
Dont dismiss the simplicity, costs and benefits!