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Old 08-10-2018, 09:35 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 64
Year: 1995
Engine: 12 valve 8.3L Cummins
Heat While Driving

Looking for some advice here...

I removed the stock Heater from the front of the bus as well as the two main coolant lines running from the back where the engine is (I did this almost immediately in the renovation)

Now,I'm wishing I left those in and had heat while driving!

I have found "Kickspace" or "Toe-Kick" heaters as a potential option but am not sure if I could run new lines tapped into the coolant system.

If there are better or more obvious options I'd love to hear them.

When the bus is parked we will have a Dometic Ac/Heat Pump in the middle of the bus as well as two MaxxFan's in the ceiling. Plan is stay where temps are mild but I'm currently in Maryland and potentially heading South this January. Seems like the cold is something I need to plan for

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Old 08-10-2018, 11:30 PM   #2
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My little bus never had a heater so I used a trans cooler and a few computer fans to make up a slim line heater that tucks nicely into the toe board between the driver's and passenger's seat. I put an electric solenoid valve in the heater line to allow me to turn off the flow of hot coolant to the core. Little darling blows out a LOT of heat. Jack

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Old 08-10-2018, 11:42 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ol trunt View Post
My little bus never had a heater so I used a trans cooler and a few computer fans to make up a slim line heater that tucks nicely into the toe board between the driver's and passenger's seat.
THAT is pretty damn neat.
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Old 08-11-2018, 12:29 AM   #4
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just reconnect the original bus heater / defrost.. thats the best and cheapest way to kjeep that biog windshield clear too.. if you threw away the original bus defrost system.. shame on you but hit ab us junkyard and replace it for cheap... if tyou are crusing in the winter you need defrost / defog as well as heat.. that computer fan is neat for a small bus but not gonna defrost the windshield esp when the snow gets on the wipers.. Bus heaters are rather large BTU.. driving into the wind is chilly in an RE where you dont have the engine heat in front of you..



if you want the fancy expensive stuff proair llc makes osme nice heaters and also heater, A/C combos that work well.. I used these in my DEV bus as I wanted dashboard A/C, i kept the original right-side bus heaters but gutted and rebuilt my driver heat box.. I stay OK warm in the winter, but i'll be hooking up another heater for this winter as even with 50,000 BTU of heat in near zero temps I was chilled..
-Christopher
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Old 08-11-2018, 08:15 AM   #5
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Haha, yes, shame on me!

I think a Salvage yard may be a decent way to go to. If that proves difficult based on where I'm at I may have to go a different route.

After market defrost option???

Any thoughts on Diesel Heat System?
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Old 08-11-2018, 08:27 AM   #6
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you can use multiple units and deidcate them to purpose.. a single hot rod heater like a summit or jegs heater can be used for each purpose.. a ducted heater for each side of thew windshield and then one for driver heat.. 3 smaller consumer style units can work.. just make sure when you hide them to look nice that you make it so the ycan still be serviced.. to clean the coils, replace the motor ,etc..



something like this can be mounted center for your defrosters..



https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70602K/10002/-1


other options here..



https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Hot...97917/10002/-1


install electric solenoid 3/4" valves at the rear of the bus in the engine bay..

run 1 inch lines up to the front... use 1 inch to 5/8" T fittings to each heater.
run your heaters in PARALLEL.



this should giuve you great heat up front.. the blower CFM is a little low for a bg windshield but with directable vents it can be made to clear the parts you need.. installing heated wiper blades is a big help if you plan to drive in the snow and ice at all

-Christopher
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Old 08-11-2018, 12:13 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
you can use multiple units and deidcate them to purpose.. a single hot rod heater like a summit or jegs heater can be used for each purpose.. a ducted heater for each side of thew windshield and then one for driver heat.. 3 smaller consumer style units can work.. just make sure when you hide them to look nice that you make it so the ycan still be serviced.. to clean the coils, replace the motor ,etc..



something like this can be mounted center for your defrosters..



https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70602K/10002/-1


other options here..



https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Hot...97917/10002/-1


install electric solenoid 3/4" valves at the rear of the bus in the engine bay..

run 1 inch lines up to the front... use 1 inch to 5/8" T fittings to each heater.
run your heaters in PARALLEL.



this should giuve you great heat up front.. the blower CFM is a little low for a bg windshield but with directable vents it can be made to clear the parts you need.. installing heated wiper blades is a big help if you plan to drive in the snow and ice at all

-Christopher
The original heater had probably NEVER had the coils cleaned and had an opening from the outside into the box and no air filter at all. I don't even know if it works for sure, but I have cleaned it up. I can seal the opening to the outside (it's a crack where the edges of the side wasn't lined up properly before being screwed together). I don't really understand where the air intake is on it. I hate to pay $400 for a new driver heater. Does anyone have pictures of an old one that has been cleaned up and modified a bit to have an air filter and be cleanable?
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Old 08-11-2018, 12:35 PM   #8
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Join Date: May 2009
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in process and finished product for a driver heater box gutted and rebuilt for Heat, Defrost, Chilled Defog, and Driver A/C..


Click image for larger version

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-Christopher
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Old 08-20-2018, 08:24 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ol trunt View Post
My little bus never had a heater so I used a trans cooler and a few computer fans to make up a slim line heater that tucks nicely into the toe board between the driver's and passenger's seat. I put an electric solenoid valve in the heater line to allow me to turn off the flow of hot coolant to the core. Little darling blows out a LOT of heat. Jack

.

.
That is a slick idea!
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Old 08-20-2018, 09:16 PM   #10
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
you can use multiple units and deidcate them to purpose.. a single hot rod heater like a summit or jegs heater can be used for each purpose.. a ducted heater for each side of thew windshield and then one for driver heat.. 3 smaller consumer style units can work.. just make sure when you hide them to look nice that you make it so the ycan still be serviced.. to clean the coils, replace the motor ,etc..



something like this can be mounted center for your defrosters..



https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70602K/10002/-1


other options here..



https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Hot...97917/10002/-1


install electric solenoid 3/4" valves at the rear of the bus in the engine bay..

run 1 inch lines up to the front... use 1 inch to 5/8" T fittings to each heater.
run your heaters in PARALLEL.



this should giuve you great heat up front.. the blower CFM is a little low for a bg windshield but with directable vents it can be made to clear the parts you need.. installing heated wiper blades is a big help if you plan to drive in the snow and ice at all

-Christopher
Excellent advice hear! Thx so much
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Old 10-22-2018, 07:31 PM   #11
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1995
Engine: 12 valve 8.3L Cummins
Heaters have been ordered! Now i'm second guessing the plan haha...

Hoping to get some insight into if these will work....

I ordered two heater units from Jegs...
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70601/10002/-1
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70602/10002/-1

One for the front and one for the back.

Plan was to reduce the 1" heater hose lines I looped together in the rear (after removing existing coolant hose and heater in the front) to the specified 5/8".

Will this work or create problems? I could also run 3/4" or 1" hose to each heater and reduce at the connection point. Possibly better?

I don't need this to be perfect as it's just emergency heat for driving in cold temps. But I don't want to compromise the coolant system by making a mistake.

Thanks for the knowledge
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Old 10-23-2018, 06:42 AM   #12
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use the 40,000 BTU heater up front and you'll do fine in the driver seat, your passengers will probably still have to bundle up, you very much can reduce the heater hose sizes without harm to the cooling system. I set the system up in my carpenter bus as multi-core parallel flow.. I kept the 1 inch feeders. but i also have a bus full of heaters.. (this boy wants to be short sleeves in -10 degrees driving...). I found some 1 into to 5/8 T;s. and parallel each heater core off of the main 1 inch feeders that go throughout the bus. I have electric valves for each heater core so I can pick and choose which ones I put water in. (I also have A/C coils in 2 of my heaters).. with a good water pump (8.3 I rthink has a good pump), you can feed both heaters with a 5/8 line. if you want both to get water and then just control heat with the fans, then run a 5/8 line from the back to the front heater first, then come out of the front heater.. and back to the rear heater, into the rear heater, out of the rear heater and back to the the engine..



this puts both heaters in series with the front getting the hottest water.. the cooling system in the bus is designed so that these heater lines get completely valved off in the summer so they arent part of the engine cooling..



just take your time in bleeding all of the air out of the lines when you install the heaters..



in a stock school bus 1 inch lines are used because you are typically pushing out 200,000 btu or more of heat from all the units combined.. you will be pushing out 60,000. 5/8 will easily handle that.
-Christopher
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Old 10-24-2018, 08:02 AM   #13
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Engine: 12 valve 8.3L Cummins
Thanks for that incredibly helpful reply!

Now I just need to find 1” to 5/8th brass barb reducers. They don’t appear to be a thing. Perhaps I’ll need to go from 1” to 3/4 and then down to 5/8”?
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Old 10-24-2018, 08:13 AM   #14
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here is one.
https://www.universalpartsinc.com/sh...x?i=751353&c=0


here is another
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...s/KH28109.html


I got mine from ebay.. mine are T fittings since i did a parallel flow system.

-Christopher
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Old 10-24-2018, 12:31 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brightond View Post
Looking for some advice here...

I removed the stock Heater from the front of the bus as well as the two main coolant lines running from the back where the engine is (I did this almost immediately in the renovation)

Now,I'm wishing I left those in and had heat while driving!

I have found "Kickspace" or "Toe-Kick" heaters as a potential option but am not sure if I could run new lines tapped into the coolant system.

If there are better or more obvious options I'd love to hear them.

When the bus is parked we will have a Dometic Ac/Heat Pump in the middle of the bus as well as two MaxxFan's in the ceiling. Plan is stay where temps are mild but I'm currently in Maryland and potentially heading South this January. Seems like the cold is something I need to plan for

I removed mine as well. If you put a battery backup... like you would for solar in place you can have your alternator help charge the grid and simply run a propane heater with next to no draw on the grid for the rest of the bus. I believe they even make them that require no electrical attachment at all.
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Old 10-24-2018, 12:41 PM   #16
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Propane heaters are great for occasional use but if the combustion is happening inside the bus it will be adding moisture to the air, and in a bus environment will probably be contributing to carbon monoxide as well. You should have a carbon monoxide detector already anyway but it's extremely foolish to try to run any combustion appliance without one. We keep a buddy heater and use it when necessary but you have to know the limitations.
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Old 10-24-2018, 02:29 PM   #17
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Propane heaters are great for occasional use but if the combustion is happening inside the bus it will be adding moisture to the air, and in a bus environment will probably be contributing to carbon monoxide as well. You should have a carbon monoxide detector already anyway but it's extremely foolish to try to run any combustion appliance without one. We keep a buddy heater and use it when necessary but you have to know the limitations.

**THIS**




if you are driving your bus with an open flame propane heater in cold weather - good luck keeping the windshield fro mbeing a fogged up mess..



for driving go ahead and re-install your bus heaters or alternates that can blow warmed air on you and your windshield..
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Old 11-25-2018, 09:12 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
something like this can be mounted center for your defrosters..
I have those exact heaters. Three of the three port, one of the two port.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
run 1 inch lines up to the front... use 1 inch to 5/8" T fittings to each heater.
run your heaters in PARALLEL
Hmm. I ran 5/8" lines instead, much easier to work with. I also ran my heaters in SERIES. My tests had the entire cabin hot as a sauna in short order this way.

One thing I did deliberately was run the line to so that the defroster had first-shot at the heat. I have:
  • One three portblower for the defroster
  • A three port blower in the center of the bus for the hallway
  • A short blower for the bathroom
  • A three port blower in the rear

Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
this should giuve you great heat up front.. the blower CFM is a little low for a bg windshield but with directable vents it can be made to clear the parts you need..
Wha..? All of these blowers are three speed and I wish they had lower settings than they do. At high they're moving quite a bit of air. I'm hooking my front up to the original defroster distribution manifold and have no doubts whatsoever its going to move the air that's needed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
installing heated wiper blades is a big help if you plan to drive in the snow and ice at all
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Old 11-26-2018, 09:33 AM   #19
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"Heated wiper blades..."


Being a coastal, southern boy...at first I thought you were pullin' our legs. HEATED wiper blades??? Really? Never heard of such a thing.


Danged if they aren't real!


Just wish I could find the Tropical version..."Air Conditioned Wiper Blades".
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