Gotta love the diesel heater!

[kurienp]

Some years ago I had a transit van with a eberspacher water and cab heater.
It used to break down a lot and would require decoking often.
By comparison how reliable are these in the California would you say.

7 years. No issues. As of now been running at setting 3 for the last 10 days continuously due to the cold snap. No problems at all. Earlier last year the exhaust from the heater was smelling. As per advice from the forum, blasted the heater at 10 setting for about 10 hours, and since then has been good. These heaters are reliable and to think the number of times mine has taken a dunk in deep water ...

 

[pluc99]

When you set a programme, my default is 2 hours and I wondered if this why the key fob limit is the same. Out of interest, what’s your default when you set a new programme?

I have never set a program as I don't use the van regularly. I use the remote fob before I drive off on cold days with "heat immediately" mode set to use the Wabasto for 20mins at a time. On especially cold days I may trip it a second time. It not only defrosts the windows and heats the van but also the coolant, so I get warm air coming out of the engine heater immediately upon starting the van. According to some on this forum, this option isn't possible in the UK, which I find odd and unfortunate, because I find it really useful.

 

[pchmlk]

I have never set a program as I don't use the van regularly. I use the remote fob before I drive off on cold days with "heat immediately" mode set to use the Wabasto for 20mins at a time. On especially cold days I may trip it a second time. It not only defrosts the windows and heats the van but also the coolant, so I get warm air coming out of the engine heater immediately upon starting the van. According to some on this forum, this option isn't possible in the UK, which I find odd and unfortunate, because I find it really useful.

Interesting. So does it circulate the coolant too? Intrigued how it might work.

 

[pluc99]

Interesting. So does it circulate the coolant too? Intrigued how it might work.

I'm not sure but I doubt it. I would expect the faster moving molecules at the heat source to find their way towards the slower moving ones until it's all balanced, but that's only a supposition. The fan certainly blasts a lot of hot air to the windshield.

 

[Drpps]

I have never set a program as I don't use the van regularly. I use the remote fob before I drive off on cold days with "heat immediately" mode set to use the Wabasto for 20mins at a time. On especially cold days I may trip it a second time. It not only defrosts the windows and heats the van but also the coolant, so I get warm air coming out of the engine heater immediately upon starting the van. According to some on this forum, this option isn't possible in the UK, which I find odd and unfortunate, because I find it really useful.

There are 2 versions of the parking heater on the T5/6.
The Webasto is an engine coolant heater that normally comes on automatically to heat the coolant when air temperature is below 5 degrees and improve emissions on start up. There is an factory option to have that run manually or via remote for 120 minutes.
The Eberspacher is the air, rear cabin camping "programmable parking heater".

It is spectacularly confusingly worded in the old Options Brochure.
There used to be:
Auxillary heater - I think this is an electric heater to get hot air when you first start, like a fan heater.
Auxillary coolant heater
Auxillary coolant heater with timer and remote control
Programmable parking heater with remote
Programmable parking heater with auxillary heater
Programmable parking heater with auxillary heater and remote control (standard on the SE/Ocean/T5/T6 although i think the 'auxillary' heater in this case is the automatic coolant heater....as there was an option to have the auxillary heater as a cost option on the SE/Ocean?! )

clear as mud.

It sounds like you have "auxillary coolant heater with timer and remote control"! according to VW SSP-416 the coolant pump is also activated.(edit i notice you have a T6.1)

I use the parking heater all the time to defrost the windscreen and warm up the cabin while I am still in the house on frosty mornings but need to make sure it is on about 5. When any of us are actually in it I only use it on 1. I have to 'double lock' the van to disable the interior sensors when defrosting though as I have had the alarm go off a couple of times early in the morning when it is running, upsetting the neighbours!

Is that why there is a difference between the 'heat Immediately' (with a 2 hour limit) and the 'heat continuously' on the T6.1? Are they actually activating the 2 different heaters, hence the time limit on the heat immediately is coolant running off the engine battery rather than heat continuously which is air on the leisure batteries?

 

[pluc99]

Is that why there is a difference between the 'heat Immediately' (with a 2 hour limit) and the 'heat continuously' on the T6.1? Are they actually activating the 2 different heaters, hence the time limit on the heat immediately is coolant running off the engine battery rather than heat continuously which is air on the leisure batteries?

On my T6.1 you can configure either the Wabasto or the Eberspacher (or just ventilate) to be used with "heat immediately". The configuration is via the overhead control unit.

When you set it to the Wabasto, there is a risk of running down the starter battery since it uses the vehicle fan at full blast, so a time limit does make sense. Another reason for the time limit could be to limit the length of time the heater can be running in an enclosed space when started remotely.