Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 11:52:57 +0000
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Christopher P. Gibbs L.B.I.P.P." <cpgibbs@ptialaska.net>
Subject: Readable Propex Heater Post!
Greetings from rainy Ketchikan Version 2 (sorry about the last attempt),
Firstly, let me thank you all for the advice about a replacement P/S
Rack for my 88 Westy, I already have half a dozen good sources after
only two days (it takes longer than that to get through to VW Parts
anyway)!
PROPANE HEATERS FOR VOLKSWAGEN¹S:
I picked up my heater about 3 years ago from PROPEX (UK) Ltd. after
seeing them fitted in just about EVERY VW Camper conversion in Europe.
First please let me apologize, like a DIVVY I cannot find the original
information so I cannot answer such questions as BTU output exactly,
sorry!
THE HEATER:
The heater is a ³PROPEX COMPACT 1600² it measures a mere 14 inches long,
6inches wide and 4.5 inches deep. It fits beautifully underneath the
rear bench seat in a Westy and is a snap to install. The heater itself
costs around $500 and comes complete with all you need (other than the
copper pipe to link up with the propane bottle), ONE WORD OF WARNING
before I forget, make sure when you order the heater to ask for an 8mm
down to quarter inch adaptor! It seems that the standard European pipe
size to and from the propane tank is 8mm and I couldn¹t find it anywhere
in the US, (its all quarter inch only here it seems). The heater comes
complete with a thermostat (real snazzy) that sits on the wardrobe of a
Westy at around head height (supplied plenty of cable to go elsewhere if
you so desire), it is just like a household unit but smaller and in a
high tech black case. On the thermostat itself there is also a small
rocker type switch that switches the heater on/off manually, or switches
on the fan only for cooling or leaves the unit on controlled by the
thermostat. The heater also has a control box that sits under the seat
that monitors the vehicle battery condition as well as the actual burner
unit in the heater. The control box will switch off the heater when
either the flame goes out (or the battery becomes sufficiently
discharged) shutting off the propane supply and putting the heater in
standby mode! Output of the heater is about equivalent to a good fan
heater and is plenty warm enough to heat a Westy (even with the top up
in Alaska). The real beauty of the unit is it is incredibly miserly on
propane I wish the fridge was half as good. Dont waste your time with
extra propane bottles for the heater you will not need them, a better
investment is a twin battery conversion so you can leave the heater on
all the time when its really cold. The fan in the unit is quite
powerful and will circulate the heat around the van real well, I opted
for a second battery conversion and put all my camping gear directly to
it and it works out great for the heater.
FITTING THE HEATER:
As I said the heater is 14 inches long, 6 inches wide and four and a
half inches deep. If you look at it from the top on one end you have
the propane inlet connection (0.25 inche copper pipe - via 8mm adaptor)
and at the other end of the heater you have two large (2.75 inch) air
inlet and hot air outlets. On the bottom of the unit you have two
(1inch) exhaust inlet and outlet pipes. My heater is fitted so that
when viewed from above it is sitting length ways under the rear seat of
the Westy (with the hot air outlet to the center of the vehicle). The
heater comes with a length of (2.75inch) black plastic heater pipe and
two black plastic circular rotating grills that you can mount in the
wood under the rear seat.
The two exhaust outlets require you to drill through the floor of the
vehicle, the outlets are of sufficient length as to pass through both
the wooden base of the seat as well as the floor of the vehicle. Once
you have drilled the floor of the vehicle and placed the heater in the
seat well the heater exhausts will pertrude though the underside of the
vehicle at least an inch, this makes the job of sealing the holes and
connecting the flexible exhaust pipes a snap! There are two exhaust
pipes to fit to the underside, one outlet and one inlet, and CAUTION is
advised here. Once you identify the EXHAUST OUTLET you must route it to
the outside of the vehicle (many do not!), there are plenty of places to
anchor it near the jacking points at the rear of the van. The air
intake is OK mounted anywhere away from the exhaust .
NOTE:
When you order the unit see if you can get a little Mushroom cover for
the exhaust outlet, it saves the exhaust outlet getting full of snow and
mud etc.
Well, that's basically it, feel free to give me a call with any
questions at (907) 225- 5057 if I can help I will!
Heres the address for PROPEX (UK):
PROPEX (UK) LTD
CAMPION HOUSE
LINCOLN ROAD
LEADENHAM
LINCOLN, LN5 OPE
ENGLAND
Tel. 011-44 (0400) 72100
Fax. 011-44 (0400) 73416
I know the phone codes have changed in the past year, the address is
still good!
Regards,
Chris Gibbs,