We are using the bus every weekend now for camping and it's pretty chilly in the mornings. We bought a propex heatsource 2000and set about deciding where to put it. This is our equivalent of the cupboard under the stairs I'm halfway through making a curved drawer and panel to box all the mess out of sight. I had to move the sink drain pipe further forward to give space for the propex and then, luckily, it fits with a good space all around it. Lots and lots of measuring and checking and measuring again to decide if the holes for the intake and exhaust will emerge under the van in a suitable place. I decided to drill a tiny pilot hole first and see where that came out. All good under the van with the holes inbetween two chassis members. I took advice from a local boat yard about the gas installation and got some 8mm copper pipe and a pipe bender. I have fitted an isolation valve just after the gas bottle to make it easier to turn the gas on and off when we're using the van. After drilling and enlarging the holes for the intake and exhaust I slathered waxoyl around all the cut edges. I then fitted the stainless exhaust and plastic intake pipes. The instructions say you need to seal them with silicone tape or sealant. I phoned propex for confirmation and they said yes it's the same silicone sealant that you use in the bathroom. The next thing was a leak check of the gas pipes. I just used a spray bottle with soapy water and sparyed each joint. No leaks. I have fitted two gas dropout valves into the gas compartment. As the gas is heavier than air this will ensure that the gas can escape safely if ever there is a leak. I didn't want to loose any useable space so I made a shelf to fit above the propex giving me somewhere to store the water container and any other junk we can cram in there. I still need to have access to the heater for servicing and stuff so I mounted the shelf on a hinge so it swings up out of the way. The little arches I cut into the side make it lighter but more importantly allow a free flow of air to the heater air inlet. I'd fitted the new drawer and estimated the height of the shelf before I started to see if the gas bottle could still be fitted and removed when it's empty. It's all nice and snug with no wasted space but yes the gas bottle can be fitted. It's a bit of a squeeze mind. That's as far as I've got today so I took the shelf back out to paint it and I'll start on the electrics tomorrow.
Looks good - nice use of space. Still trying to work out a better place than under the rock'n'roll on mine
pkrboo under the propex are two tubes, intake and exhaust for the fire. They say seal them to prevent any possibility of combustion fumes entering the van.
good job! same idea as i did, i didn't want mine under the bed either, so i did mine in the westy wheel cupboard and put a shelf over it too.
