Looking for an substitute Windshield Defroster

[IWC Bus]

Good Morning All;

I had to remove the interior heater in the rear of the bus and the Driver’s little heater. The interior heater hoses were first moved around and then finally cut. The heater hoses are rerouted beneath the bus by the engine just near the radiator.

Now my friend is telling me, he hopes I am full of hot air, so I can clear those two (2) massive windows called windshields in the winter. Because those hoses also supplied the defroster.

Has anyone else eliminated the interior heaters? If so what are you using to heat those thirty-six feet plus buses? Especially, what are you guys and Gals using to clear the windshields?

[cadillackid]

itss simple, hook the heater hoses back up and run them back to the front of the bus and reconnect that central defroster. even those have a tough time clearing the windows.. esp if you are going to be making any moisture in the bus while its driving... ie a crock-pot with your dinner in it simmering away in the kitchen sink.. or hot coffee brewing.. in dry cold days you wont have huge issues other than you yourself will simply freeze without good heat up front in an RE bus..

those bus heaters are typically rated at 70,000 - 100,000 BTU, and while you will be insulated in your conversion you'll still need more than a little automotive based heater can give..

in my carpenter bus i rebuilt the driver heater console (which has my Left windshield defroster).. I used a separate high output but compact rear van heater for the Left defroster, and then a heat / cool unit which is my driver A/C and has a good heater too.. my right windshield defrost and right door-well heater are still factory.. I just tore them apart and cleaned them up..

my Lef defroster is Medoiocre.. the original one (too damaged to re-use) was much more powerful in its day and did a better job.. my only solace is the fact in rain and moisture I can refrigerate the driver compartment air which helps immensely with defog.. but driving in snow last winter was still a tad challenging


did you remove the whole front defrost system or just the heater hoses to it? if its just the hoses, hook em back up.. if it was the whole frint defrost system, sounds like its time to either spend some real $$ or find a bus Junkyard and harvest parts out and rebuild it..
-Christopher

[IWC Bus]

Thanks Christopher,

I just removed the rear and driver's heater. I made sure I cut and cap off the wires to the heat pump booster also. I was figuring I would have to put those hoses back at a later time. However I am going to see if there is a way to run them under the bus .

Sent from my VS835 using Tapatalk

[cadillackid]

you can definitely run them under the bus... I would probably case them in something a plastic sleeve tubine of some sort just for added protection agaist road debris and such. maybe flexible wire harness tubing or such.. heater hoses are usually pretty resilient but if you bust one things get bad quick.. thus why id sleeve them. they should be standard 1 inch heater hoses.. if you have your defroster fully functional and your door heater you may not even need to put the driver heater back in unless it was an all in one type thing for the defrost.. the door area is where i get the most cold air in..
-Christopher