Date:         Tue, 15 Nov 94 18:59:41 gmt
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         A.C.Erskine@lut.ac.uk (Andy Erskine)
Subject:      Re: My thoughts on heat.


>d) water cooled heater boxes -
>upside - may be the most efficient and maintenance free; 
>downside - unknown cost and availability; installation;
>     
>     This has to be the coolest (or rather hottest) idea, I thought about
>     it last Winter. I figure you would have to get hold of stainless-steel 
>     J-pipes to replace the old heater boxes. Then get some larger diameter 
>     s/s tube about 2 inches? make some discs to go on the end and MIG/TIG 
>     it all up - then fit inlet and outlet tubes. Check below:
>     
>             __|
>            / _| <- s/s exhaust pipe
>          / /  |                               /  <<<< water in pipe
>         | |   ______________________________/ /     
>         | \  |   o          o       o       /
>          \ \_|_________o_________o______o___|_____
>           \_______________________________________
>              |   o         o        o       |
>             / _______o_________o__________o_| <- s/s end caps 
>     hot   / /                  \
>     <<<<<<                       \
>     water out pipe               larger s/s tube
>     
>     
>     ( Do you like the bubbles ? )
>     
>     Ok then you'd have to pump the water round with a small water pump off
>     some suitable car, I reckon driven, by belt, from an extra pulley 
>     attached to the generator pulley. Plumb in some rubber hoses upto the
>     front of the bus where your all-in-one heater radiator and fan could
>     be situated. I had a FIAT 127 and the heater rad and blower all came 
>     in one unit under the bonnet - I think the Yugo 311 or 45 use the
>     same idea (they are FIATs really). Bingo - big time heat at the flick
>     of a switch.
>     
>     Problems:  What would happen if the water in the new heater tubes got
>                too hot ? 
>     
>                Would cooling the exhaust pipes so close to the exhaust     
>                ports cause running problems ?
>     
>                You couldn't turn the water cirulation coz the water would  
>                boil in the heater tubes.

Nice drawing Lee :-) but you want the cold water going in at the bottom and 
out at the top. Wizard sell these things (complete with plans) so you 
wouldn't have to bother making your own, although the stainless steel is a 
nice idea. I think they are about 50 quid. You could use a low powered 
electric pump but if the heater matrix is at a higher level than the heat 
exchanger (and it will be if you put it behind the dash) the water will 
circulate by itself. At lest this is true of domestic heating systems as 
long as you get all the plumbing going in the right direction. So there's no 
need for a pump but you will need an expansion/top-up tank.

Andy E.

A.C.Erskine@lut.ac.uk