Not had it fitted yet. Not sure why you would need it on the move with the normal van heater available? but I see no reason it wouldn't be possible as it just needs the power to fire up and diesel to run but i may be mistaken.
Diesel Hob
- Thread starter VanBlanc
- Start date
I've decided to go with these units collecting on Friday ready for installation I'm convinced it's the way to go for me personally
I think it would be useful to have some additional heat in the back for the kids during day to day use. It takes a while for the heaters in the front to filter through to the back. I also like the option of the timer/ remote option on the stand alone heaters for warming the van in the morning.
You can’t get away from the bonus of no gas if you go with the Wallas though. Decisions, decisions
There’s not that much info out there on the Wallas but what I’ve seen people seem to like it. Those that knock it haven’t had one so not best placed to comment.
I’m a few weeks off my final decision so if anyone gets there’s in and wants to give a review I’d be grateful. Thanks
You can’t get away from the bonus of no gas if you go with the Wallas though. Decisions, decisions
There’s not that much info out there on the Wallas but what I’ve seen people seem to like it. Those that knock it haven’t had one so not best placed to comment.
I’m a few weeks off my final decision so if anyone gets there’s in and wants to give a review I’d be grateful. Thanks
The “bonus of no gas” is only relevant if you intend to do all of your cooking inside the van - 90% of ours is done outside, hence, whilst I like the idea of the Wallas, it would be no use to us as we'd still have to carry just as much gas.
Another consideration, watching the excellent video posted above, is the amount of space that, together with the fuel and power lines, the air intake and exhaust seem to take up between the cooker and the outside - quite a lot of the cupboard (or whatever) below the cooker looks like it gets taken up with theses, negating much, if not all, of the space freed up by not having gas. Even if you can position them to get them a bit neater than in the video I suspect the heat from the exhaust will restrict what you can do with the space?
Another consideration, watching the excellent video posted above, is the amount of space that, together with the fuel and power lines, the air intake and exhaust seem to take up between the cooker and the outside - quite a lot of the cupboard (or whatever) below the cooker looks like it gets taken up with theses, negating much, if not all, of the space freed up by not having gas. Even if you can position them to get them a bit neater than in the video I suspect the heat from the exhaust will restrict what you can do with the space?
Some fair points raised Davenjo.
I guess as with most things in life there has to be a compromise. I’m just trying to work out what would suit my needs best. I think if the Wallas had the ability to function as a heater from a timer/ remote or similar it would be a no brainer for me. As it is I’m wondering whether that’s a function that I’ll wish I had if I go with the Wallas. I’m not so worried about the cooking as we won’t do much of that either in or out of the van!!!
I guess as with most things in life there has to be a compromise. I’m just trying to work out what would suit my needs best. I think if the Wallas had the ability to function as a heater from a timer/ remote or similar it would be a no brainer for me. As it is I’m wondering whether that’s a function that I’ll wish I had if I go with the Wallas. I’m not so worried about the cooking as we won’t do much of that either in or out of the van!!!
Sounds like you are well on the way to going with a Wallas - if it helps, we haven't got the timer function and/or remote start on our Eberspacher either and we don't miss it - when camping we can get the van up to a comfortable temperature within a few minutes so not an issue.
If safety and convenience of not having gas is the main concern then fine but one of the biggest arguments I see for a diesel heater/hob is the space and weight savings - for me this doesn't add up as the space requirement and weight of the Wallas seems to be roughly comparable to a 907 gas bottle, hob and Eberspacher D2 (neatly fitted under drivers seat alongside my leisure battery).
Also, I wouldn't want to wait 30 minutes for my cup of coffee in the morning (12 minutes to get the Wallas up to temp and 18 minutes to boil compared to instant heat on a gas hob and around 13 minutes to boil).
The main advantage for me (if I wanted to cook inside the van
), aside from removing my running out of gas anxiety, would be the flexibility of the cooking surface meaning that you can move the pans around and so get more on - try doing that with a 2 burner gas hob. You would also remove the condensation created when burning gas.Ultimately, the people that have them seem to like them but they will not suit everyone.
Good to know
@Thehawks , if the remote is a must have, I found this on the Wallas/Kuranda website. Not cheap but it may be worth asking if is compatible with the hob/heater: Wallas Remote Control- Wallas Remote Control allows you to heat up your boat remote
I think the DVLA issue has been raised and covered before. As Sjacko20 said there doesn’t seem to be an issue.
I like the look of the remote for the Wallas, not so much the price though
I tend to agree with Davenjo that the weight and space saving is a floored argument. For me I just like the idea of no gas. No worries of it running out, no gas cert required, no added condensation, no naked flame etc.
On the flip side....30 mins for a coffee?!! I’ll have to wake my wife even earlier to get that sorted!!!
I also agree that it doesn’t look as sleek in the van and that the exhaust is a bit of an eyesore, although it may be a good excuse for some side bars!!
I like the look of the remote for the Wallas, not so much the price though
I tend to agree with Davenjo that the weight and space saving is a floored argument. For me I just like the idea of no gas. No worries of it running out, no gas cert required, no added condensation, no naked flame etc.
On the flip side....30 mins for a coffee?!! I’ll have to wake my wife even earlier to get that sorted!!!
I also agree that it doesn’t look as sleek in the van and that the exhaust is a bit of an eyesore, although it may be a good excuse for some side bars!!
Thanks andys,
That’s a good little video. It’s answered some questions but raised some new ones for me!
I’m now a little concerned by the noise. He mentions it and it sounds quite loud on the video. It doesn’t bother me for in the day time but it could drive me mad at night! I know other deisel heaters make some noise as well, just wondering how the two compare.
That’s a good little video. It’s answered some questions but raised some new ones for me!
I’m now a little concerned by the noise. He mentions it and it sounds quite loud on the video. It doesn’t bother me for in the day time but it could drive me mad at night! I know other deisel heaters make some noise as well, just wondering how the two compare.
He's actually put up a very short video addressing the issue of outside noise too. It's not very clear how much noise it makes inside as he's speeded it up, but what makes this a complete nono for me is the unbelievably slow boiling time. I suspect, compared to Eber etc that the start up noise for the Wallas is lower, but the noise when up to temperature is higher. I'm glad I've seen these videos because now I know that gas is absolutely the right choice for me.
It would be interesting to hear what it sounds like inside and outside once its up to temperature. Our Eberspacher makes a comparable, possibly higher, level of noise to what comes over on the video when you initially start it up but this quickly backs off to the point that, aside from being nice and warm, we are not even aware of it running most of the time (overnight we try to maintain a temperature of around 16c which means in winter we keep the heater running all night with controller set to 14c ).
One thing that comes over in the video for me is the aesthetics - I initially thought the Wallas was pig ugly but seeing it in use with the top up I now think it actually looks quite smart!!
One thing that comes over in the video for me is the aesthetics - I initially thought the Wallas was pig ugly but seeing it in use with the top up I now think it actually looks quite smart!!
Mine should be up and running around middle of December so I will post a video then
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I checked with kuranda but no remote is available at present
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