Has anyone redone the heater tubes rear to front?

I`ve got a engine with j tubes but like the idea of re-instating proper heating - ive a deisel heater but it takes ages to warm up/demist the screen.

the tubes i have running rear to front are shot. so i`m after some ideas of what i can use to reinstate the tubes under the van that`ll convey heat to the cab!

any pics apprecitated!

(ive got some heat exchangers and the cable for the flaps is also there - i think!)

 

Yes I redid mine in Auto Silicone hose. If I remember correctly there are 3 sizes, 60, 70 & 90 mm. Their end of line stuff on ebay is way cheaper than their website.

 

thanks! what did you use for the junction? did you cut out the old piece?

i can see you can get insulated flexihose which might be easy?

 

Every year seems to be different and as the years went by more flexi plastic and less steel parts apart from the Y piece at the back and the diverter bit behind the front axle.
I replaced my last two buses main part under the cargo floor with twin wall insulated flexi hose from ebay but luckily the other steel bits were serviceable.

 

What's the best product to wrap around the existing pipework to insulate it?

 

Sealing the leaks (and any leaking doors) makes a big difference. I thought my Westy was all sealed then found massive holes in the pipe hidden from view inside the crossmembers fore and aft of the cargo floor. Pretty much all the hot air was getting out. When I fixed those I was treated to fountains of rust flakes from the front vents.

 

Yep my main tube is completly shot at one end. i expect the flat y tube is also shot but i`ve not needed to investigate as yet - hence the j-tubes installed prior to my ownership. I`m not expecting high heat. just enough to demist would be nice - i have the diesel heater for actual heat!

I`ve, (at least one!), original heat exchanger - the weight difference is bonkers!

 

I also have J tubes and have no centre pipe. I piped my diesel heater into the front section to utilise the totem pole and it works a treat.

I installed the heater under the van with the supply air being drawn from under the rock n roll bed, so recirculating rather than drawing in the cold air from outside.

With some garden shed technology I have managed to utilise the previously redundant red levers to operate the up / down flap as the bus predates the heater flap cable addition.

It works a treat and clears the screen, and levers mid point gives screen and feet a great supply of warm air We have the rotary controller for the diesel heater and it very rarely gets turned up above mid point otherwise I’d fall asleep at the wheel


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Main tube is easy to replace with new one . If flat Y pipe is rotten find a decent replacement and it can be cut , sleeved and welded back in position , otherwise I remember reading there was a company making replacement plastic two piece ones .Where are you in the UK as if local to RG9 you are more than welcome to come and get some pics and ideas off my bus . It's permanently on a four poster ramp so no struggling underneath.

 

I`ve done this also but i find the diesel heater takes a while to warm-up and demist.

my heater is a 2kw and isnt that hot. (or maybe my van is a bit well ventilated!!)

 

Yeah think mine’s 5kw, are you drawing the air from inside the van too? Initially I wasn’t and this made a massive difference.

The heater has to push that hot air some distance from under the van so I guess 5kw is necessary as a minimum.

Those heat exchangers must do some grafting


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5KW? - you have to be kidding.
I had a 5KW diesel heating running a 60ft narrowboat central heating system with 5 double rads and heating the water cylinder. It was too powerful.
I have a 1.6KW Eber in the van - too much!

 

A 2kw heater should be more than enough to heat a bus, but there will be a delay in getting all the pipework up to temperature, even with insulation on the outside of the pipes you still have to warm up stuff with the air, before the air coming out gets hot.
On my 24 foot boat (about 5 cubic metres, fresh air from outside) it takes several minutes to get really warm air with about 2 metres of insulated air hose from the heater to the outlet from a 2kw Webasto.
I think my 300w direct 12 volt heated windscreen beats that time..

In princlple there is maybe 5-17kW of heat available from two cylinders worth of exhaust through heat exchangers at the back.

 

Probably why the controller never goes above 1/2 way when it’s on


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I have a cheap Chinese diesel heater (5kw) in my garage. Takes the chill off, but I imagine it would be too much in the van.

 

When it gets too hot we either strip off or introduce cool air via the front vents the latter being the safer option

These heaters do have start sequence warm up period so it’s never gonna be instantaneous but a game changer for us on our travels in the winter months


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Last winter I was using mine as my 2 car and occasionally commuting 20 miles to work. and still haven't fitted my webaso
I fitted new heat exchangers (only because mine was originally usa spec) fabricated some plain steel elbows instead of the leaky heat exchanger pods, fitted a new steel tube from Alan s instead of the silly cardboard tube (and removed the fwd box junction which leaked like mad) then wrapped the lot in fiberglass woven exhaust wrap and sealed that with High speed tape.
it now burns your fingers if you leave them too long over the vents!
currently adding a fan to pull the heat thru and blow on the windscreen