Heater recommendations.

[Sonas]

I have ordered a new VW California Beach. I didn't opt for the diesel heater because of financial restrictions. I do realise how great this heater would be, but I couldn't stretch that far. Can anyone recommend a good alternative heater, that would work without draining the leisure battery when not hooked up to the mains.

Cheers

Sonas

 

[kave]

To get it warm if no hookup you need something similar. Its more or less the same sans the prety installation and a higher price. Talk to a Ebersprächer or Webasto dealer and they surely can help you.
Its better to buy epensive once than to buy twice.

 

[Hotel California]

No heater limits the usage of any campervan .
When staying on campsites with 220v hook-up you can carry a small electric divice.
Lots to read on those in existing topics on the forum.
No ideal situation having no aux.heater in a Cali , it is stays a tent on tent on top of a car .

 

[MattBW]

Gas heaters (the portable kind) in such a small space are dangerous because of carbon monoxide so I would not recommend using any of those. They're ok for taking the edge off for ten mins but can never be left on in enclosed spaces for too long.

My webasto was fitted afterwards in the region of £1200 fitted (slidepods) is that cheaper than the factory price? Getting the factory vents would cost several hundred more.

Propex heaters are used in our older vans much cheaper than webasto or eber but they use a lot of gas and you need to have the gas somewhere. I wouldn't fancy fitting one on a Cali.

You can get 12v ceramic heaters but they're power hungry and not very effective.

We have used a 12v electric blanket once or twice but again power hungry off grid.


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[WelshGas]

I have ordered a new VW California Beach. I didn't opt for the diesel heater because of financial restrictions. I do realise how great this heater would be, but I couldn't stretch that far. Can anyone recommend a good alternative heater, that would work without draining the leisure battery when not hooked up to the mains.

Cheers

Sonas

Unfortunately there is no real, cost effective, alternative to the Diesel powered heater for off-grid use.
Relatively speaking you could fit one yourself. It would not be exactly the same as the VW offering and wouldn't be coded to the vehicle and would have to be switched on manually etc:
A Forum member has posted about this.

 

[Lewis]

I couldn't imagine our Cali without the heater. It just wouldn't be a year round vehicle. We've even had to use it for brief stints in the summer months this year. Maybe someone else without the heater will come along and reassure you but my advice would be find a way to make it work.

You say you've 'ordered' - assuming that's brand new? Did you consider a second hand T6 or T5 to include a heater? I'd rather have a T5 with a heater than a T6 without.

Could you cancel your order for a few more months / a year until you're in a position to add the heater? If you intend to keep the Cali for a long time you wouldn't regret it.

Alternatively, will it be a daily driver? If not, could you sell an existing vehicle to make the Cali your everyday.

All just thoughts and they might not work for you but I'd say that the heater would be first option on my list and would cut every other corner necessary to have it.

Hope you can make something work!

 

[MattBW]

You can buy a kit for the webasto thermo top coolant heater (if it has one) for a few hundred that can enable heating for 30mins via the dash but it runs from the engine battery so limited use /restricted.

We managed without for a long time but now we have one we wouldn't go back. Hookup and radiator is a good option.

 

[hirsty]

There is no effective heater that’ll work offgrid without gas or diesel/petrol & they’re all £1000 / €1000 plus. On campsite hookup there are lots of options for cheap mains electric heaters.

I retrofitted a dual-fuel gas & electric heater into my (Ocean style) previous T5 van, but I already had a permanent gas bottle onboard for the hob & grill. Same money as a diesel heater in the end & little advantage.

Had a Webasto diesel heater added to my ex-demo T6 Beach which had been spec’d without one. Essential in northern Europe IMO. If you can’t stretch to one right now, or cancel/amend your order, then start saving up & find someone to retrofit as Job #1.

 

[T6Beach]

I would try and change your spec and get the heater fitted, you can go for aftermarket but the price is similar, also when you come to sell it will be much more desirable as majority of purchasers will want the heater.

 

[Jay20cali]

I have ordered a new VW California Beach. I didn't opt for the diesel heater because of financial restrictions. I do realise how great this heater would be, but I couldn't stretch that far. Can anyone recommend a good alternative heater, that would work without draining the leisure battery when not hooked up to the mains.

Cheers

Sonas

Propex do a gas heater that is safe and plumbed in ie not removable it runs off your 907 bottle, we had one in our t4 reimo works perfectly but I think even that is around £400 or more fitted ???
the alternative is webasto/erb they are prob around 800to a grand fitted and run off your diesel tank....I would scrape together the funds,,beg steal and borrow for a factory one, in the end the van will be harder to sell without heating when the time comes around

 

[Daren_Chambers]

https://www.pfjones.co.uk/eberspacher-airtronic-vw-t5-d2-digital-controller-kit.html

I fitted one of these - no complaints here. The same performance as the standard vw factory fitted option and can look very tidy when fitted with care.

Get someone else to do it if you don't feel confident (it's not hard, but does involve dropping the fuel tank)

 

[Teejay]

Propex do a gas heater that is safe and plumbed in ie not removable it runs off your 907 bottle, we had one in our t4 reimo works perfectly but I think even that is around £400 or more fitted ???
the alternative is webasto/erb they are prob around 800to a grand fitted and run off your diesel tank....I would scrape together the funds,,beg steal and borrow for a factory one, in the end the van will be harder to sell without heating when the time comes around

Propane/butane heaters put out lots of condensation? Was there a solution in place for that or ...?

 

[MattBW]

A Propex has an external exhaust so we never had a condensation problem in our T25 with one. Most of our condensation was from us breathing.

 

[Jay20cali]

Propane/butane heaters put out lots of condensation? Was there a solution in place for that or ...?

Ours never did ?

 

[Sonas]

Thank you all for your very helpful replies. It was a choice between the heater or DSG 150. We chose the latter because my wife also will drive, and having tested the manual gear option she just couldn't live with it, so the DSG won out over the heater. We simply just can't afford to go the extra mile for the heater. We will mostly use campsites with hook up, and will not use the van for winter camping. It will also be an everyday car.

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you all for your very helpful replies. It was a choice between the heater or DSG 150. We chose the latter because my wife also will drive, and having tested the manual gear option she just couldn't live with it, so the DSG won out over the heater. We simply just can't afford to go the extra mile for the heater. We will mostly use campsites with hook up, and will not use the van for winter camping. It will also be an everyday car.

That's fine and I'm sure you'll cope but it is something to consider for the future and you will more than recoup the cost when selling, even with a retrofit heater. You never know as time goes by you might start camping in winter.

 

[Sonas]

That's fine and I'm sure you'll cope but it is something to consider for the future and you will more than recoup the cost when selling, even with a retrofit heater. You never know as time goes by you might start camping in winter.

Hi Welsh Gas
Is it possible to retro fit a factory VW heater. Would a VW dealer do this job?

 

[WelshGas]

Hi Welsh Gas
Is it possible to retro fit a factory VW heater. Would a VW dealer do this job?

Possibly, but knowing VW probably much more expensive. An Espabacher agent would be more cost effective or a recommended Campervan Converter.

 

[MattBW]

Incidentally if you ever get a Webasto fitted aftermarket spend the extra 30quid on an external temperature sensor installed in the rear cab area.

I have the thermostatic programmable control panel which is brilliant. However the temperature sensor is in the air intake which in a Cali is usually in the foot well. This is the coldest part of the beach and gets the least amount of the warm air. This means setting the thermostat to 15c gets about 21c. The external temp sensor will sort that (if you are bothered) I am going to retrofit one soon but its a valuable lesson learnt if you care about how accurate the thermostat is.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Thank you all for your very helpful replies. It was a choice between the heater or DSG 150. We chose the latter because my wife also will drive, and having tested the manual gear option she just couldn't live with it, so the DSG won out over the heater. We simply just can't afford to go the extra mile for the heater. We will mostly use campsites with hook up, and will not use the van for winter camping. It will also be an everyday car.

I would have to go diesel heater every time. DSG is a nice option, but not enough over factory fit programmable parking heater...

 

[Sonas]

I would have to go diesel heater every time. DSG is a nice option, but not enough over factory fit programmable parking heater...

I will probably retro fit in a few years. But for now its DSG because it our daily driver.

 

[flying banana]

I have beach with aux heater Nd manual box. I have driven the dsg box and loved it. but I would pick the heater...we are all used to manual gearbox anyway. get the heater mate. pull up. oh it's cold...press a button and you can sit naked in your van drinking cold beers all night

 

[2into1]

I have a mate with a rather rustic LDV van conversion,who fitted a Russian made diesel parking heater for £400. He's very chuffed with it.

 

[Sonas]

Thank all
As I say I really would love the heater but we have stretched our finances to the limit. So it has to be a retro fit unfortunately.

 

[MattBW]

I think you will use the DSG every day the heater only occasionally when it is cold. You can always fit one when you have the funds I wouldnt worry, we used our beach for a year without one and my T25 never had a heater at all.