Webasto install

[buswarrior]

sleadhead,

When the buses went past you headed for Timmins back in the day...

Gray Coach ordered their MC9 with single pane glass and bifold doors... some accountant thought he was saving money...

The ONR pool drivers hated them.

Loaded, 8V71, auto tranny, everyone was wearing their coats...

So, it isn't just a busnut thing, the seated coaches struggle to stay warm under the right conditions too!

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Jim Blackwood]

Seems to me the Eiberspacher brand of webasto used in the DL3 is over 80K btu. I'm thinking they didn't go that big because they didn't think they'd ever need it.

Jim

[Utahclaimjumper]

According to JCs post,, he has 17000 BTUs /hr  to use,, and six points to heat.. That would be the same as having an 830 WATT light bulb at each point PER HOUR!!.>>>Dan

[buswarrior]

Not to heat, to keep warm.

And once it settles in, it will run steady, no cycling on and off to wake you up, like a big one does.

Sometimes, less is more.

This is hilarious, a pair of Canadians telling y'all you don't need that much heat.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[lostagain]

Working on my basement heating project... A lot of work...

I took the Honda EV6010 generator out of it's enclosure in the bus. The only place I could've tied in to heat the coolant would've been on the rad hoses. It would have only heated the rad, not the block, because the thermostat is closed. I was also concerned about the difference in rad cap pressure between the genny and the bus engine.

Good thing I removed the genny, because I found that the exhaust pipe out the bottom of it was quite rusty, and would've fallen off any time. So I will be building a new exhaust when I put it back in... One thing leads to an other...

So instead, I am installing a heat exchanger inside the genny enclosure. It will draw air out the baggage tank, heat the genny, and push it out back out into the bay. Then an other heat exchanger in the other baggage tank.

I should be done in another day or two.

I'll post about the results...

JC

[lostagain]

And I can also confirm from my bench testing that the Webasto will not stay running as long as there is air in the lines. It knows there is no water, and shuts off. Mine is mounted on the floor of the engine compartment, so I think it will have gravity water to it when I fill the system, and be able to push it up the line to purge the air out.

JC

[lostagain]

Got done today, other than some finishing touches I'll get to tomorrow.

It took some doing to purge the air out of the lines: the Webasto alone would not do it. I started and ran the Detroit on fast idle for a while until it got hot enough to open the thermostats, and coolant started flowing up and down the lines to the front. ( I had drained all the coolant out of the bus). I still had 3 to 4 gallons of coolant that wouldn't fit in, and the one heater behind the driver's seat with not heat, evidently with an air bubble. The Webasto was working intermittently; it doesn't like air bubbles... Left it overnight, and this morning it had purged itself as it cooled off apparently: good thing. I ran the Webasto for an hour. It would speed up and slow down at first, because of some remaining air bubbles, but soon got steady as they were pushed out, and I was topping up at the surge tank above the squirrel cages. Remember the Webasto Thermo Top C is only 17,000 BTU. It got the whole system to 90F, measured at the thermostat housings. Not really hot, but hot enough for my purpose. The engine is warm to the touch, the generator enclosure is super warm, the baggage tanks are warm enough to protect the plumbing from freezing, and the defrosters and the heater behind the driver's seat are toasty. I think it will work for me as intended. Remember I have a propane furnace to heat the cabin upstairs (40,000 BTU). To heat the whole bus, you would need a bigger Webasto, like a 45,000 BTU. I might want to get to that some day, and remove the furnace, which is physically 5 to 10 times as big as a Webasto in the bay. Would be nice to free up the space. The 2020 heater I had for a while with the Detroit S60 would have everything up to 180F in half an hour.

So anyway, it was a fun project, albeit long and arduous, but I feel great about it. I think I am well prepared now to travel in the middle of winter without worrying about freezing sh*t up, and knowing that the generator will start when I need it. Now I can't wait to boondock in a truck stop at 20 below with a North wind. Well, not really...

JC

[chessie4905]

I wonder if anyone has contemplated running a copper loop through the air distribution box on a Suburban propane furnace for hot water or generator preheat.

[sledhead]

glad it worked out and I hope when I travel south this winter you get all the cold weather you need to test the system so I get the warm weather

dave

[Jim Blackwood]

Might be better to make that copper loop out of stainless but it should work if the water circulates.

Jim

[chessie4905]

Could probably add a mini circulation pump to operate when furnace comes on, as long as it didn't restrict flow when off. Maybe add a temp sensor on output side of loop.