webasto diesel hydronic heater worth it?

[jeremywilliams]

i am looking at buying a diesel water heater and was going to add heat exchacnges to heat the coach and the hot water. my question is this. the one i found is 24 volts, can i fix up a unit like a boat has and charge my two 12 volt batterys when traveling? will it be worth it over propane? any advice input is appreciated. thanks

 

[r_w]

Webastos are nice but man can they be pricey. If you have a really good deal, then go for it. Make sure it does OK at altitude (maybe not something they worried about with the boat version)

I love propane for cooking but don't like it for heat--you burn through it too fast unless you hang a 100 gallon tank underneath. It is just too limiting trying to find propane refills some times.

 

[opus-SKO]

You wont get any better heat than a Webasto. Know this though, you need to be OCD about maintenance if you are going to have one.

 

[jeremywilliams]

lol ocd about maintenance. Is anyone really in love with anything that much? I have a brick house with a concrete drive because I hate maintenance. I have centipede grass in my lawn because if I don't wanna mow it wont get any higher than 4 maybe 5 inches. So I guess I should avoid anything that requires a lot of maintenance

 

[opus-SKO]

Its really not that bad. Change the nozzle once a year, run it for 30 mins every month, fuel filter every year. I run mine only on an Iota power supply that changes 110v to 12v. You need a strong 12v [or 24v] for them to run well. I am feeding mine 13.5v and it purrs.

 

[Ilexis]

For those using diesel boilers, I'm wondering, how is the smell? Do you notice any exhaust?

 

[opus-SKO]

None. I have a 3' tailpipe on mine.