Keeping warm in winter (1 Viewer)

[Teddy Edward]

I have spent quite a bit of time reading about insulation a converted van. However, I still have a question. How effective is the insulation? I wish to use the van throughout the UK winter and I do tend to feel the cold.

Also, how do I heat my van? I sometimes sleep with electric heating on in my caravan when it gets very cold in the winter. But, it looks like I will have to use my motor home off grid. So how do I keep warm?
Thank you for your help.

 

[BigClick]

Today? of all days when Im melting and I see post about how to insulate a van!

Phew:thumb:

 

[JJ]

A correctly fitted and regularly checked gas heater will keep you as snug as a bug in a rug...

Much easier to warm up a motorhome than a house.

And I don't like the blown air type heating as you need two types of fuel (gas and 12 volts) to make it work.

JJ :Cool:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[FULL TIMER]

Insulation can be pretty good these days depending on build quality etc, as for heating depends what you have, we mostly stay in our works yard during the winter so have electric, a selection of low wattage tubular heaters built into the conversion keep a nice background heat supplemented with a couple of 400watt wall hung heaters for when really cold. if off hook up we also have an Eberspacher blown air heater which would take some beating. if you have a conversion with one of the truma room heaters like those in most caravans that run on gas and /or electric or one of the truma combi heaters then it is perfectly safe to use the gas even whilst sleeping as the combustion is totally sealed from the van interior.On another forum I use there are some people using home made bio ethanol heaters, there is also the Propex heatsource range using gas and 12v

 

[MichelleRyall]

I must say, a strange post when I have been sunbathing in 30 degrees

 

[Teddy Edward]

Yah, I know Bg Click and MichelleTyall, I am sat roasting in my caravan, with the pressing need to have some mobile accommodation.

JJ I found it much easier to heat my caravan than my house in the winter. I suspect that a motor home would be the same, once I have worked out how. I have a blown air type in my caravan and not found it very effective. I tend to use an oil filled radiator backed up with a fan heater for instant heat when I come in very cold.

Thank you very much Fulltimer for your comprehensive replay. I have never heard of the different things you have mentioned so I will spend some time looking in to them.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

We have Webasto diesel heating . When we eventually do our van conversion we will make sure we have it in that. Can't beat it IMO.:thumb:

 

[Teddy Edward]

Ralph n Bev – Love your tag line about Dementia. I saw it when I was looking at other posts and it caught my eye. I have added your heating source to my list of things to look into. Thanks

 

[motorhomelover]

Find a sexy woman. She should produce all the heat you'll ever need in a motor home oh:
No wonder I froze me bollox off last winter

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[FULL TIMER]

Yah, I know Bg Click and MichelleTyall, I am sat roasting in my caravan, with the pressing need to have some mobile accommodation.

JJ I found it much easier to heat my caravan than my house in the winter. I suspect that a motor home would be the same, once I have worked out how. I have a blown air type in my caravan and not found it very effective. I tend to use an oil filled radiator backed up with a fan heater for instant heat when I come in very cold.

Thank you very much Fulltimer for your comprehensive replay. I have never heard of the different things you have mentioned so I will spend some time looking in to them.

there are plenty of diesel heaters to choose from as well as Eberspachers there are Webasto as already mentioned also Mikuni and MV Airo, I work on Eberspachers and Mikuni heaters a lot , the MV seems to be new on the market just had a leaflet through from Grass Routes leisure, they also stock the various Propex heaters

 

[MichelleRyall]

On a serious note, we have an Eberspacher diesel heater. Very effective, a little noisy to start with but when turned down to maintain the heat it is hardly noticeable. We were camping in -2 and were toasty.

 

[Ed Excel]

I have spent quite a bit of time reading about insulation a converted van. However, I still have a question. How effective is the insulation? I wish to use the van throughout the UK winter and I do tend to feel the cold.

Also, how do I heat my van? I sometimes sleep with electric heating on in my caravan when it gets very cold in the winter. But, it looks like I will have to use my motor home off grid. So how do I keep warm?
Thank you for your help.

Get this British Standard for insulation and heating requirements in motorhomes.
Broken Link Removed

As an example, Class 3 insulation, currently being offered in coachbuilts by the big manufacturers, will keep you warm at 20C when it's -15C outside. Not sure they can achieve it with a PVC though. There'd be no space left for you!

With a typical sized PVC, with at least Class 2 insulation, you'd need something like 1500W to get the space up to comfortable, in a reasonable amount of time.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gromett]

I have a self build PVC and insulated it myself using two part poly urethane foam spray. Most effective insulation I have ever seen and way better than the insulation board I have seen as it bonds solidly to the surface of the van. -20C no problems :thumb:

 

[mitzimad]

the more insulation you put in the less heat youll need to keep warm