Hey y’all, I’m hoping to install and Webasto or Espar heater in my gas Nissan NV2500-- I’ve heard a lot about the diesel versions but never the gas versions. Does anyone have any experience? I want this solution because it’s permanent and doesn’t come with the issues that the propane heaters come with. Any experience on this type of heater-- price, quality, pros/cons? Thanks!!
Darn it, you may have just changed my mind and made me start looking at gasoline fueled instead of diesel. No I have no experience with these but I am going to go with the ebay chinese knock off. Reviews are good and for the price ($175US) it’s just hard to justify not getting the chinese one.
In my opinion these heaters have 2 problems. Dumb looking flex exhasust pipe dangling from somewhere under the van and the loud “CLICK-CLICK” of the pump. My solution (unproven) is to T into the van exhaust and flow right out the side like the engine does. The pump quieting idea is to put the pump in a cord lock (keeps extension cords from pulling apart) after shrink wrapping it and fill with expanding foam to deaden sound. The shrink wrap should allow it to split open should you need to troubleshoot it. Less amblitious version of this is to stick it in a beer koozie.
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Greetings!
After trying just about every type of heater and furnace available, I’m the happiest with portable wick type kerosene heaters. They’re totally silent, require no power, there’s practically nothing to go wrong with them, and it’s a dry heat. Oh yeah, they’re also safe to run while you’re sleeping.
The only down side is mine don’t have a thermostat. You adjust your ventilation to hold the desired temperature.
Cheers!
"Smiles are contagious, pass them on!" ~ Van_Dweller
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Thanks for your feedback. $175 is so cheap, that looks like a red flag to me-- aren’t they normally around $1,000 for the heater itself? Let me know if you give it a go! Thanks!
Thanks @Van_Dweller! What brand do you have? My desire to go with the gas Webasto or Espar is because it seems like a more permanent and convenient solution that would work well in true freezing cold winter. What do you not like about those heaters-- gas or diesel version? Thanks!
Hey Lisa,
I installed the Webasto Airtop 2000 in my Sprinter last November 2018 and I am super happy with it. However, this unit is diesel, but I imagine similar quality to a gasoline powered unit. I chose this specific model since it was listed for $650 new on ebay with a standard year warranty from seller WebastoUSA. I’ve seen Webasto heaters in vintage 60’s VWs so I figured they’ve been around and wanted to mitigate risks by choosing an established brand when it comes to combustibles. I did some posts on IG peacelovenvanlife and it is a highlight story as well. Hope this might help, and good luck with your research and install. Stay cozy, Jaime
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Greetings!
I’ve actually got quite a collection of them because I am sometimes in really cold weather. My biggest heater is a 23k BTU Sears heater, my smaller one is a Bunsen Sports heater/cooker, then I have two single burner butterfly brand sock wick stoves to cook on. I also have 2 Walmart kerosene lanterns ($6.95 ea.) that I also love.
Except for the Walmart lanterns, I bought all of them used and cheap. For most people the big heater on the left would be over kill, but it has hit -57f up here this year, and I like staying warm. I actually run the small one to maintain the temperature once it get’s comfortable inside, but it takes a very long time to warm it up if it’s really cold, and that’s where the bigger heater comes into play, it will raise the temperature much faster.
On a chilly summer night when campfires are banned, or I just don’t want to mess with a fire, I can take the big one outside and it will nicely warm the area I’m sitting in. I have an EZ-UP type awning with the tent attachment, that I sometimes set up if I’m boondocking, and since everything is portable, I can move my whole kitchen, heating and/or cooling, lights, and everything out into the tent, and totally self sufficient with no power needed. My power system is also portable though, so I can have power whenever and wherever I want it. If the need arises, my entire camper interior is portable and can be moved into the tent with room to spare. (I sometimes do this if somebody needs help moving or something…)
Here’s some pictures of my kerosene heaters, cookers, and lanterns.
Cheers!
"Smiles are contagious, pass them on!" ~ Van_Dweller
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Thank you @Peacelovenvanlife! I’m hoping that the gas version is as reliable and high-quality as the diesel one everyone talks about. Thanks!
@Van_Dweller I don’t recall hearing anyone else using kerosene. My first thought is that kerosene has a strong, unpleasant odor. Can you smell the kerosene while using your heaters?
Greetings!
Just a hint of odor similar to blowing out a candle when you turn it off. Absolutely none while it’s running.
Cheers!
"Smiles are contagious, pass them on!" ~ Van_Dweller
Check out what @faroutride did with their gasoline Webasto…
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Thanks @yaz_420!! @faroutride are soooo informative and awesome, I randomly met them on the beach in San Diego this fall 
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There’s a guy in Florida on YouTube that loves his Wabasto. I like the idea of it but I get squeamish about cutting into the gas tank. I heard they’re not the quietest things and that folks outside would hear it if you use it at night. The last thing I’d want to do is draw any attention.
Personally, I’d love a tiny wood burning stove but, even then, the smoke and fireplace aroma that it gives is enough to draw attention to a vehicle, too.
I don’t know what my heating choice is going to be yet, but @Van_Dweller has me seriously looking at kerosene options.
I have the gas Espar heater in my Promaster. Works awesome!! Probably the best part of my build. It wasn’t cheap but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Love that it has a thermostat, super efficient on fuel and it definitely is not loud. Do it!
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On the “not loud” point… did you do anything special to make it “not loud” or is the standard install acceptably quiet for you?
I’m heading down this path, myself. Not sure how much I care about a little noise, but maybe I don’t have enough experience to judge this point properly.
I did not do any modifications to my heater install. I have seen people talking about different brands . models being so noisy that it bothered them while sleeping - which refers to the “not loud” comment. It is not completely stealth, I’m assuming if someone was walking by the exterior while the heater was running they may notice it - especially when it kicks on.
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Do you have a hard time finding kerosene throughout the country?
What the gas espar the B5? Everywhere Im looking thats what I find and its roughly $1500. I was under the impression the deisel espar version D2 was around $700. Did you pay around $1500?
Greetings & Welcome!
One of the beauties of wick type kerosene appliances is that they run on multiple fuels, kerosene, diesel, vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil, lamp oil, etc. etc. Anything you can use a wick type burner with. Because of this, you can find cheap fuel almost anywhere in the world.
Cheers!
"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller
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Greetings!
I hear a lot of complaints about the powered heaters being too noisy. While I prefer silent non vented wick type heaters that require no power, there are a lot of cheap diesel and propane powered heaters available on Amazon or Ebay. Use the search term “parking heater”.
Cheers!
"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller