Engine Coolant Heating Questions

[pickpaul]

I'm still learning lots from the various posts and needed some clarification on heating systems I hoped to get some shared wisdom on.

If using radiant heat or heat exchangers with a Webasto or similar, do you use/expand the engines coolant system and therefore get warm engine starts in cold weather or is it typically a separate closed system?

Could you also plumb in the generator coolant?

Could you also plumb in an electrical heater?

I love the idea of heating the bus while driving down the road with engine heat, while running the generator with it's coolant heat, while plugged in to shore power or with a Webasto. Does that make the system too complicated? How would you go about controlling all these systems from inside the bus? What would be the best form of electric coolant heating?

All that hot coolant would be great for the veggie oil system too.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

Paul.

[buswarrior]

Yup.

Integrated, with the ability to isolate and run independently under various failure/leak conditions.

Ability to isolate for efficiency, (wasting heat on the engine block when no driving planned today)

Remember, however, just about everyone else will be pissed off if it doesn't work as simply and straight forward as flick the switch like at home....

Yes, you and the busnuts are doomed.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[pickpaul]

Good point about the engine block. Could it all be controlled from within the bus via a control panel and solenoids without spending a fortune?

[scanzel]

The more things you tie in or integrate together the more chance you have for a complete system failure. Loose coolant and you could loose engine or generator coolant, this could make you totally immobile either on the road or at a site. Diesel generators like to run with a load and fairly hot to prevent carbon build up on the pistons so you don't want to cool it down too much. The more complex you build the system the more it will cost to set it up and maintain. When your out on the road you don't want to have to be looking for any specialty parts in the event of a failure. You also might look at what type of rving you will be doing, on the road/dry camping or at a rv park connected to power most of the time. I am trying to keep it simple, gas stove, home style refrigerator, large battery bank, solar panels for dry camping to recharge batteries, 9kw diesel generator as backup when needed, two roof top 13,500 btu air conditioners with heat pump, Proheat system for heat and hot water etc, etc.

[Gary '79 5C]

PP,
If you check out Wrico site they provided a heat exchanger to isolate the engine coolant from the Webasto "coolant". This would prevent a small hose failure in a bay or cabin from draining the engine of coolant. My PO has installed the system just this way.

BW, Things are soooo simple after the light goes on, Why I never thought of simple 1/4 turn ball valves for isolation in the case of a cabin/bay hose failure. I do not think for me solenoid valves would be necessary as they would be employed so infrequently.

Thanks so much as I will install these, and be able to get rolling albiet after I loose coolant. The last I priced the heat exchanger it was stainless steel and about $ 500 or so, several years back.
I do "guard" the engine temp guage in my scan often.

Thanks,

Gary

[TomC]

Personally- I believe in simplicity in systems.  For hot water I use two 10 gal elec water heaters from Home Depot ($250 ea) that are plumbed one into the next with the final one wired through the inverter for how water going down the road.  For heat, I have three roof airs with heat strips (and yes they work-just have to give them some time to work), elec space heaters, 35,000btu propane furnace, and engine coolant heater.  For block heating, I have an electric imersion (1500 watt) block heater.  No hydronic, no Diesel fired furnaces, and in 13 years since I started using the systems during and after conversion process, zero problems with them.  And I know they are working now, since I was just out at my bus working on the truck, had the propane furnace running, and both water heaters for my clean up shower.  Good Luck, TomC

[JohnEd]

About what Scanzel said.  I don't agree that you must limit or control the air throughput to the gen compartment.  Within reason get all the air you can.  Let the thermostat regulate the temp of the coolant and the engine.  Carbon build up is primarily caused by running the gen at little or no load.  I would suggest that you wrap the exhaust inside the gen box to reduce the heat you are trying to deal with unless you have provided for a lot of air flow.  At any rate you will be evaluating the performance after you complete the job and can decide later if you need the wrap.  It is expensive.

Everything else Scan said....couldn't agree more.

This might be a good time to plan for the gen exhaust plumbing to vent the exhaust at the roof level.  That will prove important to you and your neighbors sooner or later.

John