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Faster heater anyone?

StarCruiser said:
Two things you have to think about. Scalding by hot water and legionella growth by tepid (less than 60 degrees) water.
Click to expand...

Yep got that. The water bladder has only been used for cold water to date and is bleached between uses. If I can get away with the temperature control as mentioned earlier by switchable glow plugs, I might get away with it? The plugs take a few seconds to warm so hopefully won't get an impromptu sun tan and come out looking like a lobster :icon-biggrin:

Regards

Dave
 
IRLGW said:
I really like this idea I think a bench test is in order first...Dave you started it so off you go.
Click to expand...

Just bought a secondhand Vivaro unit, should be here next week sometime?

My 80 has some essential bits and pieces removed at the moment needed to have the engine running, but nothing that will stop me connecting the aux battery and trying out the shower without alternator voltage, for 33 odd quid inc postage its worth a try.

Regards

Dave
 
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my webasto unit is 2kw as a reference, this does look interesting. lots of other vehicles have them too.
 
At 1.6 kw Ian that's a superb idea. :clap: Thanks for posting. I wasn't aware that was what it was or how it worked but if it could be retrofitted then it could well work. Of course cost is going to be higher and fitting more complex but if the engine has to be running anyway then this would give more output quicker.
 
I'm not 100% sure but a 100 block must be very similar to an 80 block so mounting points and brackets should be doable. According to the Rough Trax document the heaters are on 90's, 100's and 120's so there is a good chance the actual heater will be available from breakers.

As you say the installation will get fiddly with pulleys etc but it might be a better solution than drawing large current from the electrical system.
 
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I wonder what output it has? Might work well for an instant shower. I do think some of the solar tube ones that sit on the roof rack are worth a look. Could potentially be easy to make from a length of black soil pipe and some bungs. :think:
 
So everyhing about testing the heater this week went wrong!

It supposedly arrived Thursday evening, I got notification the courior had tried to deliver at 19.10. I use a friends language classroom which is open 9 to 9 bar the Siesta 2 to 4. Apparently he did not see any lights on, or the teacher, or the 6 students, and even managed to miss the 1/2 metre long notice board pointing out that in the unlikely event the class was closed he could deliver the parcel to the shop opposite, which is open 24 hours!

Nope he missed it all, nothing to do with finishing off early to get the carnival so not bothering with finishing his deliveries, I mean, carnival only lasts three weeks! :angry-screaming:

OK rant off, it arrived yesterday and was collected today. As is often the case with parts from breakers it was a bit rough, the usual grease and crud, rust on the heater elements, calcified deposits around the connections ect. So I popped in the hardware store and picked up abottle of 'aqua furte' or strong water, it is an acid used for cleaning drains, brickwork and of course grease and calcium, and does not bother plastics or metals, when I got home I started to clean the heater up.

It was coming up a treat, really nice almost like new. The inside had a bit of crud, so what the hell I dropped the whole caboodle in the solution and went in for a cuppa, I wandered back outside about ten minutes later to see a serious amount of smoke coming out of the bowl, the water frothing away, this along with sickening fumes gave me just a little hint that something was not quite right. :o

I grabbed a pair of pliers and lifted out the smouldering metal, my once nice shiny heater had started to dissolve and now had the nastiest metal rash you have ever seen, magnesium alloy methinks, ah well make that 'does not bother MOST metals'! :eusa-doh:

The heater body looking a little thin and porous in places however, as this is not for use in my engine I was not too concerned if it leaked a little. So a bit behind with the test, so bear with me, waiting on parts for customers cars so a bit of spare time this week to do the test.:icon-biggrin:

Regards

Dave
 
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:doh:oops!!

I’ve done similar before cleaning steel with brick acid. The smell is horrendous.
 
Yeah...what a div eh?

I mean it would have helped if the heater came with a note such as:

'Test cleaning products in a discrete area before use', I mean, where's was the health and safety document? Last week I got 11 pages of H & E with a roll of solder!

Incidentally, I did get the electronics board constructed, this will convert a variable PWM signal, to talk to my dashboard engjne cooling fan speed indicator, so not a completely wasted week.

Regards

Dave
 
If its any use, our Previa has one of these fitted and it doesn't appear to be of any use.

The landcruiser 80 already has one and its called a rad blanket!
 
IRLGW said:
The landcruiser 80 already has one and its called a rad blanket!
Click to expand...

IMO it makes little difference if at all to the heater warming up. Start the engine from cold, the thermostat will be closed and there is just the bypass running water around the heater matrix through a lump of cold cast iron and back again, and eventually the water heats up. Diesels run fairly cold until worked, so if you pull straight into traffic it is going to take awhile for the heater to get going.

The rad blanket is listed to aid engine warming (thanks Frank), again the thermostat is still closed, the blanket only of assistance once the thermostat has opened for the first time (now the heater is hot anyway) and then closed again as the cold water from the rad hits it for the first time. The blanket now reducing the cold air flowing through the now warm radiator, this would mean the next for want of a better word 'batch' of cold water to flow over the thermostat (which will close again) is not as cold as it would be without the blanket, so I agree I see how it would aid warming the engine, but alas too late to help the heater.

This heater device is in the inlet line just a few inches before the heater matrix, so the heater plugs are starting to heat the water within a few seconds, and within a minute or so you have hot water.

Regards

Dave
 
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Looks great, space is a consideration along with a propane bottle and pump.

My water storage is in the right rear quarter panel, takes up no space.

Regards

Dave
 
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