Date:         Thu, 9 Nov 2006 20:44:48 -0500
Reply-To:     Phil Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Phil Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Subject:      Re: popup camper furnace (12v) in a Westy

On Thu, 9 Nov 2006 12:31:32 -0800, Mike Rouby <mikerouby@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>Anyone place a popup camper furnace (12v) (20,000 btus) into a Westy?  Would fit in the sliding
door side where the bed frame resides.  Cheaper alternative than a Propex.
>

Mike,

The Suburban furnaces have been put in a few Westies but as previous posts suggest,
they take up more space than most are willing to sacrifice.  Sure, one can make it fit but can you
live with it taking up most of the under-seat storage space?

Two other points to consider. The BTU capacity at 20,000 will literally cook you out of the Van in a
few minutes of running.  The furnace will be cycling on & off/on & off, dependent on what you set
at the thermostat. The Van will be either too hot then too cold before the thermostat will cycle the
furnace again. The figure I was given by a Van Conversion guy was for the size of the Vanagon,
limit the max BTU output to no more than 10,000 BTU's.

The second issue is the amp draw. At 2.8 amps the Suburban is a bit of an battery hog.
The propex is less than half of this I recall.  A Propex user will chime in and correct me here.
FYI... I have a Espar Airtronic diesel furnace. On a low setting the amp draw is 0.7 amps.
Surprising how much battery capacity is needed to run a 2.8 amp draw for a day or two.

FWIW... For the money though, that Suburban will give you lots of heat.
The fan that circulates the hot air is pretty noisy and will blast you out the door!
They are a set-up made for a much larger unit than the Westie... travel trailers and tent campers.

regards

Phil Zimmerman
Campbell River, BC