Need help with heater removal

Wandering Websters · 06-11-2015, 02:02 AM

what's the best way to remove the heaters from the inside of the bus?
Also where and how do I cap the lines?

Is some leakage normal when trying to remove the heaters?

Thanks

RHOMBUS · 06-11-2015, 02:38 AM

There is a LOT of coolant in those lines and in the the heaters as well. The lines may also feed the heat/defroster in the front. Not sure how universal these systems are when comparing front-engine to rear-engine. On my rear-engine Thomas, I had to close 2 valves in the engine compartment to keep the coolant from flowing. Then, I disconnected the lines at the heater/defroster unit at the very front since it was the lowest point and drained it all into buckets and the shop floor. I'm sure there's an easier way. As for capping the lines, I used rubber corks with screws in them. Once those valves are closed, even if you trip the water pump switch, nothing will flow. Kepp in mind that if the system is connected to your defroster, that will not be in service any longer.

I will be rigging up my own defroster system, so I never planned on keep anything. Some of the hoses had to be cut off the connectors and I still havent removed all of the rest of the system yet. If you see a wire following those coolant lines, it most likely goes to the pump.

EastCoastCB · 06-11-2015, 04:17 AM

Keep em. They provide 50k+ btu's each and can act as an emergency radiator of sorts.
I'm putting two of them in the drivers area and one in the restroom.

I drove my bus home with icicles literally hanging from the ceiling. Road heat is essential!

family wagon · 06-11-2015, 10:13 AM

In case you want to remove some and keep others, you can re-close the coolant circuit with a pipe fitting. I found a 1 inch barbed coupler in the irrigation poly pipe section at Lowe's. They had them in plastic and galvanized steel... pay a few cents extra for the steel, obviously! This fit my coolant hoses nicely. I also noticed my heaters appeared to have copper elbows sweated onto them, so you may find that copper 3/4 inch fittings can work too.

If you're going to abandon the line, I'd suggest disconnecting it at the valve and draining it rather than capping and leaving it filled. No particular reason; it just seems wrong to leave a dead-end pipe filled with fluid and shut off at the valve. Capping after draining might be good to keep dirt and critters away.

nat_ster · 06-11-2015, 11:20 AM

I have even used a few on farm equipment to help cool the unit while stopped. I mounted one of them under the 3 ton tree spade truck.

Works great.

Nat

Wandering Websters · 06-13-2015, 09:37 AM

Thanks everyone

doctressjulia · 07-23-2016, 03:58 AM

There's 2, they have filters on them that are nasty. Pics here:

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/member...albums968.html

Any help appreciated, thx

cadillackid · 07-23-2016, 07:19 AM

are you talking about only the rear / mid units or also your front heating systems? you can move them wherever you like... or you can replace them with compoletely different units if you want something that will physically fit better or want new because the old one has too many things wrong with it...

I recently completely rebuilt the driver heater console with 2 new heater cores and even a Dashboard A/C..

Jegs and ProAir make some nice smalkler heaters that you can simply install in place of the bus heaters.. you just need 12 volts for the fan and the coolant lines..

the coolant lines in a school bus are typically 1 inch. if you use automotive heaters they will be 5/8". you can get adapters.. (I ordered them online).. be sure to close off the valves before you disconnect the lines to remove or move a heater... even so you WILL GET LOTS! of coolant on the bus floor...

-Christopher

doctressjulia · 07-23-2016, 01:33 PM

just the rear ones.

BusFiend · 07-23-2016, 01:43 PM

A lot of leakage is normal...

If the driver's heat is on the same line as the two rear units, you have to cut both hoses in front of the first exchanger and connect the two hoses with a union and clamps. You still need the hot collant flow for the driver's unit. If they're using separate runs, turn off the valves feeding the rear exhangers, disconnect the hoses at the valves and remove the exchangers and hoses.

Good luck!

PurpleSageMama · 07-31-2016, 01:10 PM

What if you want to temporarily move the box heater so you can get that one last piece of rubber floor and clean under it... Than put it back....
Is there a simple way to do that?
Thanks!

Jolly Roger · 07-31-2016, 01:23 PM

If you have enough hose on the heater then you should be able to leave the hoses hooked up take it loose however it is mounted and tie wire/zip tie, or some string to hold it out of the way. Do your thing and put it back. If you need to disconnect the hoses then there are several ways that have been discussed but as a refresher if you would post a pic of your specific heater then we can give problem specific ideas/opinions.

doctressjulia · 08-27-2016, 03:11 AM

Big heater's out. Cut the hoses and wires shorter but keeping the smaller heater; I want to put it under my table for foot warming purposes (like a kotatsu kinda thing). It's out of the way right now and the hoses connected w copper elbow... de-rusting the floor now. I have like 4 box fans I dumpstered 3 months ago, I had plans on using them! lol

New2Skool · 08-27-2016, 06:54 PM

I removed every heater from my bus.
The coolant lines lead from the engine into the cab through the firewall.
First to the primary heater and pump, looped through the door heater, then back around the driver to the front, mid ship and rear heater.
My lines have valves built in and I just closed them and cut the lines.
Pulled all of the heaters and didn't have hardly any leakage.
I stood the rear heater up on end, cut the lines and bungee corded the lines to the top of the windows keeping all of the coolant in.
I carried the heaters out and drained into a bucket.
I used a shop vac and sucked the coolant out of the lines.
Then removed the mid ship heater and so on until I got the main heater out.
There was 5-6 gallons of coolant removed along with the heaters.
I gave the heaters to a buddy that hooked them up on his semi truck trailer.
So, that was my experience.

cadillackid · 08-28-2016, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2Skool

I removed every heater from my bus.
The coolant lines lead from the engine into the cab through the firewall.
First to the primary heater and pump, looped through the door heater, then back around the driver to the front, mid ship and rear heater.
My lines have valves built in and I just closed them and cut the lines.
Pulled all of the heaters and didn't have hardly any leakage.
I stood the rear heater up on end, cut the lines and bungee corded the lines to the top of the windows keeping all of the coolant in.
I carried the heaters out and drained into a bucket.
I used a shop vac and sucked the coolant out of the lines.
Then removed the mid ship heater and so on until I got the main heater out.
There was 5-6 gallons of coolant removed along with the heaters.
I gave the heaters to a buddy that hooked them up on his semi truck trailer.
So, that was my experience.

what do you do for road heat and defrosters? put in new units?

I replaced the guts out of my driver console heaters but re-used the cabinet.. they were totally nasty and shot... seems no one ever cleans the coils in the bus heaters...

I first took a line off under the hood and drained a lot of the oolant into a bucket then used the booster pump to pump a lot of the lines dry before I took the units out. my rear heater i kept but disassembled so I did as suggested and picked it up on end before I yanked the lines...

-Christopher

milkmania · 08-28-2016, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I replaced the guts out of my driver console heaters but re-used the cabinet.. they were totally nasty and shot... seems no one ever cleans the coils in the bus heaters...

-Christopher

Can you imagine all the viruses, snot bubbles, and farts that have passed through that things while in service?!?!

I'd wager my toilet is cleaner!!!

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