Which night-heater?
- Thread starter Mark Woodhouse
- Start date
Yes you can smell the fumes if you are outside but usually just as it starts up when it’s running I would say its not really noticeable, you will hear the pump clicking, obviously you don’t get that on a gas heater but you will need a good gas supply, maintenance wise I don’t think we keep these or work them hard enough to have to maintain either
Our Webasto has a brief smell of diesel outside, but startup only, no odour once it gets going.
If you can smell diesel it means that the heater isn't set up correctly and you have unburnt fuel passing through in the exhaust gases. I note that you say fitter not approved and trained installer.
He is an approved fitter for gas, and as far as I know there is no formal approval for fitting diesel. I believe he is competent, he fits for Sussex police. I think with smell, it's subjective and so it's helpful to cast the net for opinions.
Webasto have their own training for their approved installers.
I’m guessing your “local fitter” sells Propex & not diesel heaters. We have a Webasto & it works perfectly, no smell on the inside (if there is, there’s a problem). The big plus with Diesel heaters is that they.... err, run on diesel. So no extra tanks involved. On full chat in the Alps in -20C it’s using around 1/4litre/hour. I don’t have to worry about running out of gas or finding an LPG pump, which are becoming scarce. If you run the Propex on bottled gas, it’ll be cheaper having a log burner & burning bundles of tenners.
All just my opinion of course
Thanks for your viewpoint, the fact the diesel is fuelled from the virtually bottomless main tank is attractive. The fitter has said he'll happily install gas or diesel, he's just expressed a preference for the Propex. I'm leaning towards diesel, I can cope with a faint smell of diesel on start-up that some have described.
IF you get fumes in the cab, it’s most likely that they have been drawn in through a vent or unsealed opening in the body. The heaters are room sealed & heat is transferred via a heat exchanger. You may get a slight “hot” smell when it first fires up, this will be dust on the room side of the heat exchanger getting hot, a bit like when a fan heater first kicks up. Apart from that, if you are getting persistent fumes in the cab, summat’s wrong.
not always been the case, I retrofitted a webasto heater to a Motorhome that had been missed off the original build spec, webasto contacted me and arranged for me to fit it, I’ve had no formal training before or after , this was about eight years ago fitted loads since
So have I. I repair and sell Webasto air heaters but I am not a Webasto trained and approved installer nor do I claim to be, my statement was and still is " Webasto have their own training for their approved installers" - I don't see the point of your post.
I'm looking at buying the planar 2D, Autoterm UK supply it with a 'silent' fuel pump, but I can source elsewhere for a much better price a 2D with the regular TH7 pump. I'm aiming to have the heater mounted externally, can anyone who has the 'noisy' fuel pump fitted externally comment on how intrusive the noise is.
My Wallas XC Duo has a fuel pump that sync’s in with my heart beat, it’s very relaxing. Just hope it doesn’t shutdown
I installed a Panar 2D yo my van last year (mounted externally), and I used it extensively throughout the snowy winter we have just had. Worked excellently, the panel is very basic and the fuel pump ticking is barely noticeable over the fan noise. Can't say it sounds any different to other off the shelf diesel heaters; the only silent one I've ever had have been on a Neisman and Bischof camper I had many moons back!
I have the noisy pump and don't even notice it, only time was when I installed it and was listening for it all the time.
Be careful buying cheaper heaters as they may not be a genuine planar as many sellers list Chinese heaters as planar.
Seems to have become a generic term.
Be careful buying cheaper heaters as they may not be a genuine planar as many sellers list Chinese heaters as planar.
Seems to have become a generic term.
I’ve got a Webasto and I’ve not noticed any smell except for a min or so when it was turned on
I believe they are genuine, the retailer is heaters4you.com, but I didn't factor in import VAT, do the deal is not so great. When I factor in Autoterm UK offering a 3 year warranty and the quieter fuel pump, it tips the scales in favour of buying from Autoterm.
I don't know anything about 'silent pump types' but I can tell you that my wife finds our Planar fairly unobtrusive and certainly no obstacle to sleep. I can't comment for myself as I'm partially deaf and routinely wear earplugs in bed for near total silence!
