Connecting webasto diesel heater to Alde?

[Armytwowheels]

Thinking of installing a webasto diesel heater (we have space in the engine bay) and would like to connect it to the heat exchanger and therefore the Alde system. Has anyone done this that can advise of the success (or not!).

I am not sure the investment is worth it but with the difficulty in getting LPG it just might be. What say you?

 

[EuroTrotters]

Thinking of installing a webasto diesel heater (we have space in the engine bay) and would like to connect it to the heat exchanger and therefore the Alde system. Has anyone done this that can advise of the success (or not!).

I am not sure the investment is worth it but with the difficulty in getting LPG it just might be. What say you?

Yes, I did it with a heat exchanger . I will try to find my posts

 

[DBK]

I think you would need a pump to circulate the hot water. I guess you might get it to work by convection but the pipes for the water would have to be very carefully laid.

I suggest making the Alde system redundant and just use the Webasto's blown air heating.

 

[CazPaul]

I think you would need a pump to circulate the hot water. I guess you might get it to work by convection but the pipes for the water would have to be very carefully laid.

I suggest making the Alde system redundant and just use the Webasto's blown air heating.

Surely not, the Alde system original fit will have been designed to distribute heat to all areas, exterior lockers, double floor if it has one, etc. It will be nigh on impossible to retrofit a heating system to do this.

 

[DBK]

Surely not, the Alde system original fit will have been designed to distribute heat to all areas, exterior lockers, double floor if it has one, etc. It will be nigh on impossible to retrofit a heating system to do this.

"Redundant" is probably the wrong word! Just use the Webasto as a backup if no gas available. I think the hot water for taps from each system could be connected together.

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[Armytwowheels]

Surely not, the Alde system original fit will have been designed to distribute heat to all areas, exterior lockers, double floor if it has one, etc. It will be nigh on impossible to retrofit a heating system to do this.

I think you would need a pump to circulate the hot water. I guess you might get it to work by convection but the pipes for the water would have to be very carefully laid.

I suggest making the Alde system redundant and just use the Webasto's blown air heating.

Sorry, messed up the quotes then.


Our thinking is we are effectively connecting it to the engine cooling system and will heat the van via the Alde heat exchanger. No need to lay anyother pipes.

Colin is thinking that the flow will go to the Alde heat exchanger first and then back to the engine cooling system. This should have the advantage of heating the front of the hab area via the van heater matrix and heat the domestic water by the heat exchanger. It should also pre heat the engine in ski resorts etc.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Colin is thinking that the flow will go to the Alde heat exchanger first and then back to the engine cooling system. This should have the advantage of heating the front of the hab area via the van heater matrix and heat the domestic water by the heat exchanger. It should also pre heat the engine in ski resorts etc.

We have similar on out Merc based Rapido.

Only used to heat the engine up quicker, apparently for North American markets

 

[MisterB]

Have you considered a stand alone Chinese diesel heater? They are becoming very popular and i suspect that tend will continue ..

 

[mitzimad]

i think there was a problem with keeping engines warm when not running ,causing the bores to dry out so no lubrication on start up. Pre heaters work for minutes not hours

 

[mitzimad]

it would possibly work if you just fitted it inline on the existing alde circuit but configuring controls could be a problem

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[EuroTrotters]

I can’t find my post in here.

We had a frankia with Alde on a Mercedes’ Chassis with the factory fit diesel boost heater

The diesel heater fitted by Mercedes’ was only programmed to work with the engine running.

So I replaced the single heat switch with the Mercedes double heat switch and fed a single additional wire through to the dosel heater in the loom.

Next step. I took the van to euro commercials in Bridgend wales. They connected my wiring from the new Mercedes’ switch into the heater. Then went online to Mercedes and programmed the ECU. This meant I could now use the chassis fit heater without the engine e running.

This was then stored into Mercedes’ database. So, if it went into Mercedes’ for service or recalls, the program would not be wiped.

I could now use the manual Mercedes’ heater switch. Or program a time into the vehicles information display on the dash using the steering wheel controls (can also be done with dash buttons if you do not have the steering wheel buttons).

Then, I installed an Alde heat exchanger between the engine / diesel heater and the Alde boiler.

This meant, I could switch on the pump on the Alde. Using the waste heat from the engine, we could heat the space and the hot water on the move.

Arrive at an aire and we were already toasty warm with hot water to boot.

A lot of Mercedes owners don’t realise they may have this diesel heater already fitted in the factory. If you don’t have one, you can add one.

Ive done these diesel upgrades 3 times now.

2001 sprinter 416cdi (no need for Mercedes’ visit)

2007 sprinter 518cdi (Frankia with heat exchanger I added into the Alde system)

2009 318cdi sprinter

 

[Armytwowheels]

Have you considered a stand alone Chinese diesel heater? They are becoming very popular and i suspect that tend will continue ..

We have looked at those but want to heat the water too if possible.

 

[MisterB]

We have looked at those but want to heat the water too if possible.

you could get a Bobil heat exchanger ??

Product Page | Bobil Vans

www.bobilvans.co.uk

 

[DBK]

Sorry, messed up the quotes then.


Our thinking is we are effectively connecting it to the engine cooling system and will heat the van via the Alde heat exchanger. No need to lay anyother pipes.

Colin is thinking that the flow will go to the Alde heat exchanger first and then back to the engine cooling system. This should have the advantage of heating the front of the hab area via the van heater matrix and heat the domestic water by the heat exchanger. It should also pre heat the engine in ski resorts etc.

I'm probably coming across as a bit negative, but given the cost of a Webasto unit you need to be really sure this is going to work before going down this route.

One issue may be the very small bore of the pipes going in and out of the Webasto. They are 10mm I think and this is very small for any effective heat transfer by natural convection. You would also have to install a header tank to keep the system topped up.

 

[Armytwowheels]

I'm probably coming across as a bit negative, but given the cost of a Webasto unit you need to be really sure this is going to work before going down this route.

One issue may be the very small bore of the pipes going in and out of the Webasto. They are 10mm I think and this is very small for any effective heat transfer by natural convection. You would also have to install a header tank to keep the system topped up.

It will not need a header tank as the diesel heater will feed through the heat exchanger, that is already contacted in to the alde system. Or at least thats what we think.

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[Silver-Fox]

A lot of Mercedes owners don’t realise they may have this diesel heater already fitted in the factory. If you don’t have one, you can add one.

I didn’t realise I had one until I started investigating switches in the Moho.

Then it didn’t work along with the hab heat exchanger under the fridge.
My mate who knows his way around this kind of stuff fixed it