| Author | Message | ||
| Chris Smith (Catfish)
Registered Member Username: Catfish Post Number: 5 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 165.247.2.27 Rating: N/A |
Ive got the interior stripped out and I'm now studying the ac compartment and the heating system is there anything I need too know before I remove those systems? | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1079 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.181.163.170 Rating: N/A |
Chris - Pay attention to the hot water coolant lines. Be sure to leave them in place so you'll still have a defroster. Also the circulating pump - helps when the defroster is turned on. Might also keep the freon lines going to the front, too. That way you could incorporate a small automotive compressor and radiator-mounted condensor to retain your driver's A/C. FWIW & HTH. . .  | ||
| Chris Smith (Catfish)
Registered Member Username: Catfish Post Number: 6 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 4.154.51.127 Rating: N/A |
I had planned on leaving the defrost in But I hadnt thought about the driver A/C I'll definetly check into that Thnanks | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Registered Member Username: Blue_velvet Post Number: 386 Registered: 6-2005 Posted From: 72.19.152.144 Rating: N/A |
I vote for leaving the coach heat and blower(s) intact. I've had a few busses now, and my latest one has coach heat and it works VERY well. Free heat, too, unlike burning propane or heating heat strips (or even Webasto) running down the road. It MIGHT require just a wee bit of maint. for the motor brushes (every few years), unlike the very maint.-intensive coach A/C. Just some food for thought. Brian Brown 4108-216 w/ V730 Longmont, CO | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1718 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
I have to disagree with Brian unless you are planning on spending a majority of your time on the road. In general, I suspect that very few people spend more than 10% of their time driving and the rest of the time is parked where the over the road heating is of no benefit. Also, it can not pre-heat the engine for those cold morning starts. In 40 or below weather I could not keep my Eagle engine warm enough to properly operate the defrosters and had to supplement the engine heat with Webasto operation for the bus heat and defroster. Richard | ||
| George M. Todd (George_mc6)
Registered Member Username: George_mc6 Post Number: 29 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 207.231.80.150 Rating: N/A |
My vote is to leave the coach heat intact. One drive somewhere in a "tomb" would make you wish you hadn't taken it out if you did. The output of the bus heater is much greater than a couple of furnaces. An idling Detroit won't do much for heat, but one being driven will. Also necessary, for two reasons, is a properly maintained cooling system! The thermostats, shutters, fan clutch, etc. must be in proper working order. Many tour companies don't maintain the engine temperature controls, and keep the shutters open and the radiator fan on all the time, in the false hope of avoiding hot engine alarms. This causes carbon buildup in the heads, and unburned fuel and water accumulate in the crankcase. All of this is hard on the engine, AND the heater/defroster won't work worth a darn. | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Registered Member Username: Captain_ron Post Number: 634 Registered: 1-2005 Posted From: 70.41.62.238 Rating: N/A |
well my vote is for keeping the heat also. I did not have bus heat in my 4905 and froze to death a few times. the forced air furnace didn't do the job going down the road. I have the bus heat in my mci and it will roast you out in a few seconds and as stated before it's free heat. a 1200 mile trip can use up a lot of propane that you could be sorry you used if you run out in the middle of the night. Captain Ron | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Registered Member Username: Blue_velvet Post Number: 387 Registered: 6-2005 Posted From: 72.19.152.144 Rating: N/A |
Yeah, my 4106 had two propane furnaces (and NO coach heat) and it just couldn't keep up. We froze, even in moderate weather when driving down the road. On our new bus, we just have to cycle the blower on a few minutes an hour and it's TOASTY warm. If Richard's Eagle wouldn't get warm when it was cold out, I suspect something else was up with the cooling system. A DD should stay at or near 180 deg. in almost any temp... and that's a LOT of free heat. I wouldn't dream of being without coach heat... but we use our bus to travel, lots of miles bewteen destinations, or go skiing, daytrips, whatever... through all seasons. Somebody that just parks a lot or lives in FL or AZ MIGHT get by with propane. If you remove it, just don't drive anywhere cold unless you spend the big buck$ on a Webasto. Again, just my $0.02... bb | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1719 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.82.163 Rating: N/A |
A properly installed Webasto diesel fired furnace will keep a coach warm down to 20 degrees i know. Mine was plumbed in with the engine coolant so that it added heat to the existing engine coolant so there was no waste of engine heat. Just could not keep that 8V92 warm in cold weather. All new thermostats along with the completely new radiator and other coolant items. I usually placed a small throw rug directly on the outside surface of the radiator (suction held it in place) anytime I was in weather below 35-40 degrees. As soon as the engine temperature guage would get up to 180 degrees I would stop and remove the throw rug. Richard | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 223 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 63.97.117.17 Rating: N/A |
At least keep the water heater connections if you remove the heat. That way you can add small bus type heaters later on. I'm in the process of doing this now. The old heater motor is huge and mine sounds on its last legs. My 4104 system puts out no heat so out it goes. I'm going to place the smaller heaters around the bus where needed. Easy to do if you leave the waterv connectionsand wiring in place. | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 103 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 72.80.31.224 Rating: N/A |
For sure leave the heating system in place.make sure you have shut off valves on the feed and return near the engine and check the hoses and copper lines and replace clamps as needed. Atleast until you can afford the Websato. That down the road heat is hard to beat and makes for extra cooling for the engine in the summertime when the gauge starts to climb. | ||
| Chris Smith (Catfish)
Registered Member Username: Catfish Post Number: 7 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 165.247.1.239 Rating: N/A |
We'll run aprox 2k miles a year in this rig the rest of the time she'll be plugged in some place warm (I'm heading to florida as soon as I get her road ready) | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Registered Member Username: Sffess Post Number: 658 Registered: 1-2002 Posted From: 67.142.130.41 Rating: N/A |
The Webasto type heating systems can be plumbed to work off engine heat when available and preheat the engine before start too. My system is 24 years old and uses the heat exchangers in the bus, 6 total, with a small pump using about 1/2 amp for each circuit. Heat from the engine heats the same coolant so it works on the Espar (Webasto) furnace or on engine heat. The original heater piping is used for the connection to the engine and defrost, driver heat. The engine produces plenty of heat for down to 20 degrees. I haven't used it in lower temps. I believe the key is the 6 separate heater zones with individual thermostats and pumps working from a common manifold / 20 gallon reservoir tank. | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 933 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 64.231.11.212 Rating: N/A |
And, you can keep the coach heat without keeping all the duct work. Pull the ducts, use the space, and just rig up something to direct the blast that comes up the feed hole. If you need it, it won't matter that it is a hurricane of hot air blowing the table top off, you'll be happy it is warm, and more importantly, so will she!!!! happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Registered Member Username: Blue_velvet Post Number: 388 Registered: 6-2005 Posted From: 12.226.31.244 Rating: N/A |
Good point, Buswarrior. Our coach heat was pulled into a single register mid-coach (under the dinette) and blasts the rig with heat. We're presently on the road, in the Midwest US, stopping for a few days in Iowa, then down to St. Louie and THEN down to TX for some warmth, hopefully. In mid-30s temps on the night out here (800 miles), the bus ran 175deg. all the way, and the coach heat and defroster did a great job of keeping us toasty. The kids would congregate under the dinette whenever the blower was on. They could only stand it for about 20 seconds every five minutes or so... "OK, now... TOO hot, Dad!" And the defroster stayed on low most of the time to combat those ever-present front air leaks on our bus. Have I mentioned that we LOVE our coach heat! *grin* Brian Brown 4108 w/ V730 Longmont, CO | ||
| Chris Smith (Catfish)
Registered Member Username: Catfish Post Number: 8 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 165.247.0.80 Rating: N/A |
I had considered leaving the heat in, might just do it, lol it'd be a lot less work There's a valve and a gauge(the name escapes me at the moment) sticking out of the return on the passenger side can they be removed or moved under the floor so i can close that return? |