Cabin Heat

This industrial photograph shows the top of the 24 gallon fuel tank which sits between the seats in the Promaster. 

The two kilowatt heater uses three amps of electricity and sips gasoline from the main tank and blows heat which we have missed from time to time in the Andes, in windy Patagonia  and on the cool foggy Pacific coast of Chile.  

It was installed yesterday by Adrián with its switch mounted in the sidewall next to the passenger seat. This is where Layne sits when we are in the van and she will control its seven levels of heat blowing on her feet. The fuel pump cover being screwed down  after the heater installation:

Our only source of heat other than the cabin blower off the engine was a space heater we plugged in to our 110 bolt system and it helped at vast cost in electricity, something like 60 amps. 

The advantages of this heater are that it gives us comfort in a wider range of temperatures (and we are from the Florida Keys), gasoline burns at high altitude where diesel heaters choke, it produces no soot and it uses the same fuel as the engine do we don’t have to carry a diesel tank around with us  

It comes with an optional long hose to direct the heat but we don’t be using that. Our van is well insulated and this single outlet will be fine to keep us warm on cold days and evenings. 

Adrián had to remove the heavy passenger seat to get it out but he is nothing if not careful and precise. It all worked out. 

The solar panels are charging and the direct charge from the engine is producing 50 amps for the house batteries which is excellent as we now have no need to listen to the second alternator protesting with its squealing belt anymore.

Up next: installing the 220 volt shorepower plug and then we await the arrival of the new 110 volt 3,000 watt inverter which is supposed to be in Uruguay from California on Friday. Maybe.