Modify stock heating system or seak alt heating?

[phillbus914]

I've been wondering what to do about heat for my bus.

I still have the stock heater core thing with the 2 fans and the coolant lines running to the back of the bus. With all the seats removed I have boxed in the coolent hoses with 2x4's running on the floor and 2x4's screwed into the seat rail along the drivers side of the bus back to the heater.



I'm thinking of using a squirrel cage blower to force air into this boxed in aera & use it as a "duct" and put a coupple of vents in it.

My question is, is it worth all the troubble to modify the heater system in this manor, or does it make more since to seak alt. heating methods? I see the downside being that this heater would only work with the engine running.

I also wonder how long it would stay warm if you could circulate the coolant using an electric 12v water pump, with the engine shut off. I'm not worried about running the battery dead since I have a trickle charger running all the time when its parked. Has anyone used this type of heating meathod?

[Kirbystud]

I too have been thinking about heat for my bus. I was thinking about using all the heaters in the bus. And when the motor is shut off I would close off the water going to the motor. (Because if it was cold out side the motor would use up all the heat) Then I would turn on a eletric water heater that would heat the water for the heaters. Plus if you wanted the warm up the bus before you go some where you could turn the motor back on the system and use the eletric water heater to warm up the bus and the motor. I was thinking of using a the biggest block heater I could find to make my eletric water heater. Or a small house water heater. Thats my plan go ahead and tell me what I missing...............

[Steve]

I still have mine connected and I use it to get the bus heated up initially. Unless you have propane there is no quicker way of heating the bus. Once it is up to temp I use electric space heaters.

[phillbus914]

I never even thought of the block heater. My bus has one too, if I ran that with a 12V water pump and a blower over the rear heater core, I wonder how well that would work.

I'm thinking of replaceing 1 or both blade type fans from that rear heater unit with one of the squirral cage blowers, then ducting air into that cavity I've build that runs along the floor with some vents in it. - see pic in the first post.

[busone]

If you are in a really cold climate I doubt an electric water heater or block heater will keep you warm. You might want to consider a diesel fired heater. They are not cheap but they put out huge amounts of heat. Sometimes you can find a used Webasto or Proheat unit. The cheapest way to get one is buy a transit bus up north and remove the Webasto the put the bus on Ebay for what you bought it for. They are cheap at auctions.