Hot water,plenty and cheap! (1 Viewer)

[Vlad The Impaler]

I was researching possibly putting a heater in my water tank and came across this,http://www.thefreeheater.co.uk/
Seems it would be ideal for periods spent wilding,especially when trying to keep a family clean.I realise it would not stop a water tank freezing,however was wondering what the more technically minded of you thought about it.Just imagine switching on your van to charge batteries via b2b charger and making hot water for free! could be just the ticket after a day on the piste!

 

[jonandshell]

An interesting concept Vlad. Its always good when people think outside the box!

I am not sure how long it would take to get the 'free' hot water. Modern diesels are very thermally efficient and would take a while running at tickover to warm up and heat the domestic water. I would say it would come into its own during the journey to your destination.
For use when skiing, it would offer no benefit because we leave our diesel combi heater/boiler on constantly to avoid feezing.

It might have use in helping to keep your kids warm in the back!:thumb:

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

I get it I suppose your thinking along the lines of an adapted wet or dry suit some rubber hose and a thermoefficient hook up,

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[jonandshell]

How about plumbed-in hot water bottles!

 

[Minxy]

Interesting item, I have tried to watch the videos but the chap who's made them has done such a bad job I just couldn't stick it any more!:Sad:

 

[SuperMike]

Our RV has something similar fitted at manufacture. Extract from instruction book ................

MOTORAID WATER HEATER​

–If Equipped​

The motoraid uses heat from the chassis
engine cooling system to heat water in the water
heater while driving. Hoses are routed from the
engine to a heat exchanger surrounding the water
heater tank.
Under normal conditions, the entire contents
of the water heater can be heated in about two
hours or 100 miles of driving. This means you
can have hot water at the faucets immediately
upon arriving at a site.
The motoraid also increases the capacity of
the engine cooling system.​

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[FULL TIMER]

I can see the logic behind the idea but I would be scepticle of warm up times suggested, besides there are perfectly good systems already out there where your engine heats up a tank of water whilst driving, just a couple of pipes from your engine cooling system to a calorifier, the calorifier can also be fitted with an imersion heater for when on site and a duel coil one can be plumbed upto a diesel heater such as the eberspacher hydronic, Aldi also do a similar set up but instead of the diesel heater you use gas.

 

[simsy56]

My Ex Winnebago had the Motoraid system fitted, it worked a treat. After a run, instant hot water.

Craig

 

[Terry]

Hi Vlad in my first van we simply piped up from the engine/rad to rear of van and fitted a 5 gallon water container(on it's side and insulated ) under the bed,we simply coiled copper tube into the container and back out through the screw top hole.I boxed the filling hole in a funel shape and lined it with cusionfloor type matts so got no spillage and it made filling easy This gave you 5 gallons of pipeing hot water which would last about 10 hours or so :thumb: We had 3 containers in total 2 fresh cold water and the 1 hot water.I got a £10 submercible pump and simply filled the hot tank up from one of the cold tanks brfore setting off anywhere giving us another 5 gall of hot water :thumb:About 30 min drive would get you the 5 galls of hot water :thumb:
terry

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[knokinonabit]

Having hired boats on the Norfolk Broads in the past I am sure that is how most of the hot water was generated on them.

I also tried watching the videos but the guy nearly put me to sleep, so I gave up.

 

[mitzimad]

trouble with this system is its instantaneous so no storage and you only get hot water when the enghine is running and a very short while after ok for wild campers but running the engine every time you wash a cup is A not free and B A pain

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Your missing the point there is no trouble with this system ,I like my camping wild. If I'm at a campsite I can get plenty of hot water ,there is a toilet block with showers and washing up points, If I need a little bit for something else I will boil a kettle and hey presto I've got hot water.
However if I'm wild camping and All 4of us need a wash, Or we have washing to do be it clothes or plates,all I'd have to do is run my van for 35 mins or so potentially charging my batts via a b2b charger (Paul ,happy birthday by the way) I'd have hot water to the amount in my water tank as opposed to a boiler full!
Not that ill end up fitting one but i can see the benefits ,at that cost I'd include it in my self build if it ever happens

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[Popeye]

A very similar system that is fitted to my boat except of course that the boat stores about 3.5 gallons, enough for a couple of showers. :thumb:

 

[1948]

seems a good concept doubt in my mind is that how long the heat exchange would last, would scales cog up the unit eventually ??

 

[aba]

the Alde combi boiler has a heat exchanger from the engine which heats the rear of the van and gives hot water and if the extra pump is fitted it will heat your engine from the heating system for easier starting when in extreme cold.

although to get a decent temperature off the coolant system on a x250 fiat it needs to have been driven a few miles so a few minutes at tick over is very optimistic to say the least.

also LPG from the fuel station is half the price of diesel per litre so i think ill stick to gas.

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[Terry]

The point is I fitted a 5 gallon tank and insulation thus giving 5 gallon of piping hot water which lasted all day :thumb: With a bigger tank and modern insulation you could improve on this fairly easy all at virtuality no cost.No £400 for a boiler or gas costs, just free hot water.Ok if you stay put and don't move you don't get hot water but there's nothing stopping you rigging it into your system so that you feed your boiler from the free hot tank :thumb: of course this would mean a separate cold tank but it would save on gas by only heating hot water not cold

Terry