If you buy one, expect at least one part to be missing and another part not to be working. Apart from that, they are good value.

Col
 
I'd be inclined to go for the built in version, fitted under the floor with ducts into the passenger / living space. The picture doesn't deal with the air intake and exhaust. The exhaust will have to be routed outside and sealed to the bodywork. it also has to be away from gaps and not under the floor as there is a real risk of CO poisoning. This is not a show stopper but I think it would be hard to move the unit from one vehicle to another. I don't like having the fuel in the sleeping area. We have a smoke alarm and a CO alarm. You can get a small fuel tank to go in the engine compartment. I have a Webasto and we use it camping, its the water type because I wanted to option to heat the engine, I'm not sure about my choice as the air type heaters probably warm up faster. Don't underestimate the noise, you really don't want any of these heaters near you if you want to sleep. The water Webasto makes a decent racket but its under the bonnet so its survivable. The Chinese built in air type get a lot of good reviews on the narrow boat forums. They use a lot of Webastos and Eberspeachers but at £1000 a go these Chinese ones have really taken over. If you want cheap and don''t mind a bit of work get a Thermotop off a Rover 75, they switch of 12v and don't need a controller, that's what I did, but they can fail and parts are ridiculous so I just get another. I also have one of the cheap 240v heaters (about £20 inc post), its good and has its own pump. This means you can preheat the engine off an extension lead.
My advice is go and look at a few installations, see how they have done it and check the noise level.
 
Tbh that's another reason to get the self contained unit, hoping it will all be there....

Ive got a self contained unit was 115 quid delivered works a treat, my old man installed one in his camper as well.
The only thing id do is replace the fuel line with proper stuff instead of the clear pipe it comes with.

I had mine running in less than 10mins from unpacking, also I got the one with the single outlet so I could use
a single pipe & route it where I wanted. :)
 
Whisper quiet mine. The tick from the fuel pump is louder than the air but you do get a silencer for the exhaust with some kits. Well worth it.
 
Must be with mine being under the seat.
I can hardly hear it. Much quieter than a standard car blower on high. Not full either, just high.
 
I looked at some of the reviews and prices. It really shows up how much Eberspearcher and Webasto have been ripping us off. Parts prices were about 1/5 for the Chinese ones and many looked interchageable. My Webasto is noisey - jet engine plus clicking pump, but I wear ear plugs and sleep well. My problem is the current drain is more than webasto claim - A fully charged 100ah lesiure battery gives around 8 hours heat. The problem is the unit is cutting in and out on the thermostat so it uses the glow plug a lot. Also in my set up I'm running the Webasto water pump and intake air fan plus a small heater fan in the cab.
One thing I'd like to know is whether you can set the min voltage. The Webastos are set to leave enough charge for an engine cold start, but if you get the marine ones they have a lower voltage as they are designed to run off a deepcycle battery. Webasto will not tell you how to make the change, only sell you a new unit at £1000.
 
I looked at some of the reviews and prices. It really shows up how much Eberspearcher and Webasto have been ripping us off. Parts prices were about 1/5 for the Chinese ones and many looked interchageable. My Webasto is noisey - jet engine plus clicking pump, but I wear ear plugs and sleep well. My problem is the current drain is more than webasto claim - A fully charged 100ah lesiure battery gives around 8 hours heat. The problem is the unit is cutting in and out on the thermostat so it uses the glow plug a lot. Also in my set up I'm running the Webasto water pump and intake air fan plus a small heater fan in the cab.
One thing I'd like to know is whether you can set the min voltage. The Webastos are set to leave enough charge for an engine cold start, but if you get the marine ones they have a lower voltage as they are designed to run off a deepcycle battery. Webasto will not tell you how to make the change, only sell you a new unit at £1000.
Eberspachers are quite noisy too. Not deafening, but enough to upset near neighbours.
 
I looked at some of the reviews and prices. It really shows up how much Eberspearcher and Webasto have been ripping us off. Parts prices were about 1/5 for the Chinese ones and many looked interchageable. My Webasto is noisey - jet engine plus clicking pump, but I wear ear plugs and sleep well. My problem is the current drain is more than webasto claim - A fully charged 100ah lesiure battery gives around 8 hours heat. The problem is the unit is cutting in and out on the thermostat so it uses the glow plug a lot. Also in my set up I'm running the Webasto water pump and intake air fan plus a small heater fan in the cab.
One thing I'd like to know is whether you can set the min voltage. The Webastos are set to leave enough charge for an engine cold start, but if you get the marine ones they have a lower voltage as they are designed to run off a deepcycle battery. Webasto will not tell you how to make the change, only sell you a new unit at £1000.
The one I have uses a rheostat so it simply runs at lower power rather than on and off. Plenty of voltage sensitive circuit boards or relays to add into the feed fora cut out.
 

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