Diesel Hob Vs Gas Hob.

S

Stewby

Nurse
T6 Guru
Hello.

I was not sure whether to resurrect the old diesel hob thread from 2016/2017 but I am sure it can be merged it needed.

We are currently looking at converting our van. One of the examples we were shown had a WALLAS diesel hob/heater which looked quite good.
Have read up on them but a lot of forum people were looking at them but hadn't given their reviews. I am particularly interested in people who have had gas hobs/diesel heaters previously and now have a diesel hob so that I can have a comparison.

My husband wants gas (because that is what we are used to) and it is a tried and tested thing. My dad thinks a diesel hob looks better because no gas is a bonus and we will always have diesel.
I am stuck with the deciding vote and have no idea which way to go.

Any advice (other than always side with your husband/dad) would be good. Has anyone had both?? Has anyone got regrets from having a diesel system over the gas?? Or vice versa.
:)

P.S: We do like to slow it down when camping but the idea of 13-18 minutes for a cup of coffee is maybe pushing it a bit. So we already have con number 1.
:p
 
I’ve being using a Wallas XC Duo for 14 months and I simply can’t fault it as a hob or a heater.
No gas filling or installation cost.
You will always have fuel otherwise you’re not driving anywhere anyway.
Low running cost, very low Diesel consumption.
Low electrical power consumption.
No explosion risk.
No carbon monoxide inside the van.
Almost no fire risk.
No condensation from gas combustion so no need to ventilate van - huge bonus in bad weather.
Child safe with the heater hood.
No maintenance.
No external noise and minimal internal noise when it has reached set point operating temperature.
Easy to clean.
Established manufacturer with comprehensive parts availability.

The only issue I’ve had is a few screws on the hood coming loose on rough Portuguese roads, simply tighten them up when you install.
Initial outlay is not cheap but it won’t take long to realise it’s a massive bonus over gas.
 
I saw an installed wallas for the first time last month and was more impress with the look of it than I thought I would be.

The diesel vs gas argument, ie. single fuel source using the van’s supply, so no need to carry gas, is a good one, but this will come down to whether you will be doing most of the cooking in or out of the van - for us it’s the latter so we would still need to carry gas or some other alternative fuel source.
 
I have a webasto diesel hob and agree with all the above comments regarding the advantages of not having to carry gas. It does take a bit longer to boil kettles that is true. If I am in a real hurry or the scenery is no good I carry a Jetboil Flash which is small and will boil a litre in about 90-120 seconds... Otherwise I just sit back and day dream :cool:
 
So general consensus seems to be to go for the diesel hob/heater all-in-one then??

How have people found the noise??
 
We have had our van and Wallas for about 12mths, our main requirement was to free up space not having to carry gas and not requiring another heater somewhere. I second everything @DXX says above but our screws have stayed in :) and it has surprised us how effective the heater function is. The only minor downside is initial warm up time so it takes a little longer to boil the kettle but we just plan accordingly. We have cooked with gas in our caravan and now we understand the Wallas it is no difference really.
The noise has never been intrusive and don’t notice it anymore.
 
I have a wallas diesel hob, yes it does take longer than gas to boil a kettle, but I prefer the look, one fuel option and the heating side of it is brilliant.
 
Personally i’d go gas.
Cost of diesel is higher than auto gas.
Not too sure about the no carbon monoxide comment as CO is produced by any flame. Or does the diesel job not have a naked flame?
 
Don't think diesel hobs have a naked flame as such? Very non technical: The diesel is sprayed (in a 'mist') into a sealed chamber and combusted by a glow plug in much the same way heaters do...
 
How is the heater functionality? Can you specify a target temperature and then just leave it overnight to fire up if it gets cold enough like a dedicated diesel heater?
 
Had a Wallas XC Duo for nearly a year, on getting van converted I didn't want gas, once you get used to it cooking is easy. Regarding your question about target temperature the Wallas has a thermostat knob which you can set to required temperature and doesn't make that much noise and no condensation overnight.
 
One of the motorhome mags had a cost analysis recently, the diesel hobs came out cheaper than bottle gas but more expensive than refillable, though this was for heating only.
 
I guess the references to condensation from gas means leaving a gas ring burning to heat the van as the Webasto gas heater exhaust is always outside of the van so not an issue?

Gas here with a strict policy of "KISS" !
 
Not induction, that's electric. Diesel hobs use thermal conduction - the same way a sheet of glass over a gas hob would transfer heat. Just replace the gas flame with a diesel combustion chamber...
 
So... I can keep the pan set we have??
Excellent news as my next question was about keeping our ridgemonkey.

Thanks for the replies.
:)
 
Stay Frosty said:
I guess the references to condensation from gas means leaving a gas ring burning to heat the van as the Webasto gas heater exhaust is always outside of the van so not an issue?

Gas here with a strict policy of "KISS" !
Click to expand...

KISS? Uh? Apart from the obvious, what’s that?
 
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