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12-11-2003, 02:40 PM
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#1
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Central Iowa
Posts: 1,839
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Bus engine as a water heater
I was thinking of getting hot water into the sink in the bathroom just by running a long length of hose near the radiator in the rear heater of the bus. Then by running the engine it will heat up that water.
Is this not the cheapest way to get hot water? Right now I don't care about running the engine a little to get the hot water, its a good way to give the batteries a little charging anyways.
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12-11-2003, 02:41 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Central Iowa
Posts: 1,839
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I suppose the the hose could also just be run into a small insulated box with a space heater blowing into. Makin it really hot inside the box and if the hose inside is long enough it should have time to heat the water before it comes out.
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12-13-2003, 04:55 PM
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#3
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: near flint michigan
Posts: 2,657
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i think you're on the right track.............but i'm certian that hte heat exchanger idea you have is not nearly efficient enough to heat a usable amount of water in a timely fashion.
Tap into the cooling system, and run rubber hoses to the tank you want to use for hot water........inside the tank either needs to have a heater core or just a good length of flexible copper tubing that is submerged in the water. This is the method i use to heat the water in my hot tub. The only problem with this idea is that the hot water tank can't easily be presurized.....but if you are using the tank to feed your pump, that should work fine. Use any clean watertight container, even a heavy duty rubbermaid bin from the local wall mart would work.
__________________
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who will watch the watchmen?)
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02-23-2004, 01:32 PM
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#4
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 448
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Water heat
I have seen the wabasto or proheat heaters on ebay for cheap (as far as they go) on occasion. If you live in a really cold location you could use it also to heat your engine.
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02-23-2004, 06:24 PM
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#5
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: near flint michigan
Posts: 2,657
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i'd like to have a webasto or similar diesel furnace, but i'm too cheap !
I did build a unit that utilizes a five hundred thousand BTU propane burner to heat the jacuzzi water when the bus is stationary. water from the garden hose comes out of the contraption at just above 100 degrees.
__________________
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who will watch the watchmen?)
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02-23-2004, 06:30 PM
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#6
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Central Iowa
Posts: 1,839
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You have to post a picture of that!
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02-23-2004, 07:13 PM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Whidbey Island, Washington (USA)
Posts: 465
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Hi Steve,
I purchased a 3-way water heater for my bus; it uses propane, 110-volts shore power or engine heat (internal coil) to heat its 6-gallons of water.
But I looked at this nifty device before I went that way and it's more along the lines of what you were thinking. They have a couple of different models depending on your use.
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02-24-2004, 03:38 PM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 448
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Webasto and propane heaters
For a while I saw some gillig phantoms on ebay that had webasto heaters in them. If I had the money I would buy the whole bus take the heater out and resell. Of course having money makes all the difference. Have you thought about one of those old hot tub/pool heaters? I was at a building material thrift store a few months ago and they had one that was said to work for $20. It was natural gas but I bet it could be converted. It may use a lot of fuel though. Another option is those tankle$$ water heaters. The cheapest one I have seen is like $350 but they are supposed to be very efficent. I would love to build a water heater that burns WVO. That would be much cheaper than using propane or diesel to heat.
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02-24-2004, 09:53 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: near flint michigan
Posts: 2,657
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I worked quite a few hours on a wvo heater. Actually, i planned to use waste motor oil. Mother Earth News has a good place to start. http://www.journeytoforever.org/biofuel ... h/me4.html but i was unable to get it to work properly. Using the above design, A steady rate of waste oil dripping on to a fire and a little air from a blow dryer makes an intense furnace. It's a cool idea, but prob not the best thing for skoolies.
If i stumble upon a fuel oil furnace for cheap, i'm gonna salvage the fuel delivery system off from it. I think that could easily be converted to burn waste oil.
If not, it would certianly burn diesel fuel.....i'm not sure if there's much difference between diesel and fuel oil if it's being used in a furnace. (don't think fuel oil would make a good motor fuel) Kerosine has been used extensively in diesel engines in countries where road tax makes diesel unafordable. I woulnd't really recomend this here in the US. Especially since kerosine is way more expensive.
Any mechanics out there know what kerosine would do to an engine after a lot of use?? I'll be the first to admit i know nothing about diesel engines (even though i have on in my bus)
__________________
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who will watch the watchmen?)
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02-24-2004, 10:53 PM
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#10
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 448
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As I understand the only difference between heating (fuel oil) and diesel fuel is fuel oil is dyed red. They add the dye so if the cops check the color they know you did not pay the road tax. The fuel oil also may have more sulfur since it does not have to meet the emission standards as road fuel. Farmers use fuel oil all the time since there is not road tax. I remember hearing on the news a few years ago about a guy who owned a construction company locally and he got busted for filling all his fleet trucks with fuel oil for his off road trucks. He had to pay a big fine. Since a private motorhome does not have to stop at weigh stations it would be very unlikely that we would ever have our fuel checked. I am not that big of a risk taker though. My friend had some old tranny fulid that he dumped in his fuel tank and his diesel was red for a long time. He was freakin out because he was a trucker and did not want to get hassled. I just wish I could buy off road gasoline for my yard equipment. I hate paying the road tax to mow my lawn .
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02-25-2004, 08:07 AM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Grundy, Virginia
Posts: 632
Year: 1985
Coachwork: ThomasBuilt
Chassis: International Harvester S-1700
Engine: 9L IHC V-8 Diesel 180HP
Rated Cap: 60
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Waste oil burner plans
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03-24-2004, 06:25 PM
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#12
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 6
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http://www.zodi.com I have read reviews of all of their heaters. They make one of the type that uses the Engine's coolant system to heat up water, and also propane ones that are clear down to the backpacker level. All of the reviews of Zodi products are very good. People like them.
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03-23-2005, 03:51 PM
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#13
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posts: 31
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water heaters
David (previous post) mentioned the Zodi water heater. I have one and it is very effective if you use it right. First of all, for those who are not familiar with it, the Zodi is: A coiled copper tube setting above a propane burner. Included is a small, 12 volt pump with a tube for delivering the water. We felt that the Zodi didn't heat the water sufficiently on the first pass. We put a "T" fitting in and a valve so we could recirculate the water in a five gallon bucket. It doesn't take long until the water is very comfortable for showering or whatever. Then we changed the flow of the water so it no longer recirculated and went to the shower head instead. Four of us used it on the RAGBRAI last year and felt that we had a pretty good deal. It paid for itself just on that trip.
I'm in the process of skoolie-izing a Blue Bird flat-nose. I haven't got to the water system yet, but hope to include the Zodi in the system.
Herb in Utah--1990 tc/2000
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03-24-2005, 01:26 AM
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#14
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Almost There
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Land of Oz
Posts: 75
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Try this web site GO2MARINE.com They have a huge number of oil coolers that could easly be used to heat water that are already made to work with an engines cooling system and well under $100.
__________________
"I'm a man of means by no means King of the road"
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03-24-2005, 01:38 AM
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#15
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Grundy, Virginia
Posts: 632
Year: 1985
Coachwork: ThomasBuilt
Chassis: International Harvester S-1700
Engine: 9L IHC V-8 Diesel 180HP
Rated Cap: 60
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Marine Water Heater
I have a 5 or 6 gallon marine 110VAC water heater that I inherited. It looks like a regular house kind of water heater, only it's the size of a 5 gallon bucket. It has a 110VAC heater element (maybe two) and two fittings for connection to a boat engine coolant system. I was going to hook it up to the bus rear heater and use it in conjunction with the propane water heater that I'm going to get.
But...I don't plan to run the engine *that* much, and it seems like an awfully inefficient thing to crank up a 9 liter engine to heat 5 gallons of water.
Instead I am going to first try building a solar heating panel to attach to the water heater. If I can use a small 12VDC water pump like this one http://www.lightheat.com/Pumps%20SID.htm , that draws (5watts/12VDC=) 0.3 amps to pump 1.7 gallons per minute. I would put the marine heater inline before the hot water pump, so that it would feed hot water to the propane heater, thus (potentially) reducing propane usage. I'd probably need a recirculation line between the two tanks to keep the water in each one warm, now that I think of it, or else the propane heater would lose heat and come on.
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03-25-2005, 11:22 PM
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#16
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Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Plymouth MA
Posts: 197
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other water heater ideas
Three heaters I'm familiar with here:
There is a water heater/storage tank available that uses a house boiler for the heat source, with a small pump that treats the storage tank just like another heating zone in a house.
This could instead be plumbed into the heating system from the engine, and used for heating water when the engine is running....very inefficient, tho.
Another possibility is a small Bosch/Aquastar propane demand-type heater. They only heat water when needed, are very economical, and I've even seen them used to supply forced-hot-water baseboard heat.
Some Bosch units are built to take solar heated water inputs, if you have a collector.
And the pilots are either constant, battery-spark ignition, and I believe there's even a new unit now that uses the water running thru the pipe to spin a turbine and create it's own spark.
Units can be direct-vented, I believe, tho not sure.
A third alternative is a wood-fired water heater I've seen for rustic/camp setups.
Sorry, can't remember the sources of this info (Bosch units available through Home Depot, etc.), Google it for more details.
__________________
The tool storage is nice, but where do I put the bed?
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03-26-2005, 06:04 AM
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#17
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: near flint michigan
Posts: 2,657
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when you're driving, using engine heat to make hot water is by far the most efficient method. It's free heat that is otherwise just vented to the atmosphere.
if you camp for long periods of time, then this setup wouldn't necessarily be the most efficient. Running the engine just to make hot water is prob not the most efficient method although this system has it's advantages. If you needed to run the engine to keep your batteries charged or for any other reason, you'd again be making "free" hot water. This system is also cheap to build.
the best system if you have the money to spend on the initial investment would prob be one that incorporates three different heating systems. Engine heat, propane, electric. When at a camp ground, electricity is free.. Propane is a good alternative when boondocking since you won't have to run your engine to make heat. I still believe that using engine heat is still the simplest and possibly the safest method.
__________________
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who will watch the watchmen?)
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03-27-2005, 03:48 PM
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#18
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New Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 5
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[quote="Les Lampman"]Hi Steve,
I purchased a 3-way water heater for my bus; it uses propane, 110-volts shore power or engine heat (internal coil) to heat its 6-gallons of water.
Less
What is the Brand and Model of this unit and do you have a link to it? Thanks.
Garry
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04-08-2005, 03:33 PM
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#19
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New Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 9
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I do plan on installign an engine heat exchanger for how water usage....
i already have a water heater, and the exchanger will be outside of the tank.
what i'm stuck on is, i'll have plenty of scolding water while the engine is running, but just by putting the heat echanger in-line i'll basically have a tankless heater..
i want to heat the stored water in my (somewhat) insulated tank. i s'pose a closed loop (which would all be 'downstream' of teh demand pump) would work somewhat just by the circulation of the hot water, and a small 12V circulating pump would help..
thoughts?
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07-07-2006, 12:29 PM
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#20
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Almost There
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Piedmont, NC
Posts: 88
Year: 1981
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: 345
Rated Cap: 69
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I realize this is an old thread, but I just bought one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FF ... e&n=284507
For $110 delivered, I can't go wrong.
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