Over the road heating...

Iver · October 07, 2007, 12:32:01 AM

I would like to know what others have done to heat their coach IF they have removed the original coach heater core? I still have the driver's heat and defrosters but I would like to use the engine to heat the coach while driving.

How many heaters should I add into the coolant system to give sufficient heat? I was thinking of after market heaters with 12v fans.

I have a diesel furnace for when camped.
thanks, Iver

JohnEd · October 07, 2007, 01:03:08 AM

Iver,

Your decision is based on the BTU rating of the heaters you are going to install. How many BTU's you need is a function of how well your coach is insulated and how cold the temp is that you are trying to survive. During the day you will occupy the living room and kit/bath areas. A heater amidship and one in the living area would keep the occupied spaces cozy and the bedroom could chill a little. At night the mid again and the bedroom with the living room off. Connect a thremostat control to each of the fans in all three heaters and you will have "zone" heating like the grown-ups. I am anticipating an Espar type boiler for mine when I get one so my over the road and parked heater will be one and the same.

Hope some of this applys to your case,

John

tekebird · October 07, 2007, 04:49:18 AM

Iver,

Curious if it was you who removed the coach heat in your unit?

And why did you if you wanted to use free engine heat while enroute?

Stan · October 07, 2007, 04:58:56 AM

If your diesel furnace is a water heater, use the same heaters for over the road heat. A common coolant system is what most use, but some prefer a heat exchanger between the house and engine system.

DrivingMissLazy · October 07, 2007, 06:56:47 AM

If you do any traveling in cold country, you may find that the engine heat will not be sufficient to keep the coach warm, depending on several factors. The suggestion to combine the over the road heat with the diesel furnace is a great one. I found that in weather below 40 degrees, I usually had to supplement the engine heat with the furnace.
Richard

Busted Knuckle · October 07, 2007, 09:42:43 AM

Quote from: DrivingMissLazy on October 07, 2007, 06:56:47 AM
If you do any traveling in cold country, you may find that the engine heat will not be sufficient to keep the coach warm, depending on several factors. The suggestion to combine the over the road heat with the diesel furnace is a great one. I found that in weather below 40 degrees, I usually had to supplement the engine heat with the furnace.
Richard

Richard I don't wanna argue with you, but I have a hard time picturing any coach not being able to provide enough engine heat at 40*! The one problem WE (meaning commercial coach operators) almost never have is heat! It's almost always too hot for the passengers (even when the driver is freezing!), so if you/your family are the only occupants I can't see why you couldn't just turn the heat up (where we can't because of passengers complaining)! Maybe I'm missing something here, but in my experiences the coach systems are well over designed, now if we could just hear the passengers in the summer saying it's too cold in here! LOL!

BK

TomC · October 07, 2007, 09:50:16 AM

Since I have a transit and needed the under area where the A/C and heat for the bus were, I removed it. But had the heater core (66" long x 20" high) pressure tested. I installed it going lengthwise under my closets in the hallway with 2-14" radiator fans just pushing the air into the hall with no ducting. I can turn it on and count to 10 and feel the heat in the front of the bus. I'm now thinking of removing the big core since I think it has run about 5 times total and buying two smaller heat exchangers with blowers, one for the hallway and one to be ducted halfway forward, then will have room left over to install a quiet 7,000btu basement air, with room left over for more storage. Will probably be my next winter project. Good Luck, TomC

prevost82 · October 07, 2007, 10:24:30 AM

Well we live up in BC with temp's that can get cool to cold... and maybe the OTR heat works well with a bus load of passengers but we have to run the Hydro-Hot with temps below 50 F in addition to the heat from the motor coolent to stay comforable up front while driving.... as Richard stated
Ron

gumpy · October 07, 2007, 10:41:19 AM

Well, I don't know what you guys are doing wrong, but my bus heat will run you out in temps below -10*!! In fact, because
of the current state of the air system, the control sensor doesn't do a very good job, and I have to regulate it by turning it
off periodically because my family is starting to have to shed clothing to stay comfortable. In the summer, I freeze them out
with the road air. In the winter I burn them out. They hate me. Someday, I'll get the controls working better.

DrivingMissLazy · October 07, 2007, 11:07:01 AM

When I replaced the 6V with an 8V, I had a lot of cooling problems in the summer. (80 Eagle) I finally removed the hydraulic controlled fan and installed a super fan that the boys in Oregon installed. Even then I had to add a mister for some of the big grades. An all new super large radiator, as well as new thermostats did not totally solve the overheating problem either.

My gen set was plumbed thru the engine coolant system and I had several toe kick heaters with fans. When using the Webasto, I had no heating problems. At temperatures below about 40 degrees, I had to place a throw rug up against the radiator core to try and bring the engine temperature up to close to normal operating temperature, so I never got enough engine heat under those conditions to keep the coach warm. I had to run the Webasto also going down the road. I guess I just did too much to try and solve the summer overheating problem to be able to generate enough heat in the winter.

Richard

johnjem · October 07, 2007, 11:13:44 AM

i have 4 under cab electric heaters,also the bus heat,and 4 webeso heaters,and 3 roof top heaters on my roof a/c and it is to much thats what i have i could live on just the electric 1s john 4905

tekebird · October 07, 2007, 02:36:01 PM

I'm with BK and Gumpy, I have never found a coach to be lacking in the ability to make heat.

If you have never had your heater core out it likely looks like what your radiator would after 20+ years of use.

My 04 Defroster would roast out the front half of the bus easily. and thats just a little core and fan.
the actual heater I would run for 10 minutes leave off for 50.

Perfectly good for temps well below freezing.

I suggest you do some diagnosis on your heating system as unless you or whoever converted your coach starting hacking it up should more than easily roast the inside of your bus.

DrivingMissLazy · October 07, 2007, 03:03:00 PM

Quote from: tekebird on October 07, 2007, 02:36:01 PM
I'm with BK and Gumpy, I have never found a coach to be lacking in the ability to make heat.

If you have never had your heater core out it likely looks like what your radiator would after 20+ years of use.

My 04 Defroster would roast out the front half of the bus easily. and thats just a little core and fan.
the actual heater I would run for 10 minutes leave off for 50.

Perfectly good for temps well below freezing.

I suggest you do some diagnosis on your heating system as unless you or whoever converted your coach starting hacking it up should more than easily roast the inside of your bus.

The temperature gauge would not get above about 120 degrees unless I put the throw rug in front of the radiator. Then it would climb up to 180 degrees and stay there until the outside temperature would start rising. Then the gauge would start climbing up toward 190 degrees and that was I knew when to remove the rug. I had plenty of heat as long as I covered the radiator. Took me awhile to learn to do that, so I supplemented the engine heat with the Webasto.

Richard

tekebird · October 07, 2007, 03:57:42 PM

I suspect some lazy prior owner took the radiator shutters off your bus or disabled them??

DavidInWilmNC · October 07, 2007, 05:01:49 PM

Quote from: gumpy on October 07, 2007, 10:41:19 AM
Well, I don't know what you guys are doing wrong, but my bus heat will run you out in temps below -10*!! In fact, because
of the current state of the air system, the control sensor doesn't do a very good job, and I have to regulate it by turning it
off periodically because my family is starting to have to shed clothing to stay comfortable. In the summer, I freeze them out
with the road air. In the winter I burn them out. They hate me. Someday, I'll get the controls working better.

That sounds like my situation. On a couple of trips this summer, I had to cycle the A/C with the switch, as something is wrong with the modulating control. I'm getting ready to tackle that problem. Once on the highway, in the mid 90's, it would get in the mid-upper 60's inside, and that's with my still needing to add some 134a. The way I found out that my control system is non-functional was easy. I opened the shut-off valve on the right side of the engine. Within minutes, it was incredibly hot inside, even with the A/C running. I pulled over as soon as I could, closed that valve, and we continued on our way, freezing, but at least not roasting!

David