How To Install Webasto Diesel Heater

We've been using our gasoline Webasto heater (Air Top 2000 STC) since 2022. It plays a Critical role in our full-fourth dimension Winter Vanlife snowfall-chasing adventures (faroutride.com/winter-vanlife) and has kept the van warm in temperatures as depression as -31°C (-23F). This article contains everything you need to know to build your knowledge (1- Theory), install the heater in your van(two- Installation), and get a real-globe feedback(iii- Review). Fifty-fifty if you cull a different brand (Espar instead of Webasto), different fuel (diesel instead of gasoline), or unlike van (Sprinter, ProMaster instead of the Transit), this should get yous going. Follow the guide!

Table Of Content

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which ways that if yous click a production link and buy anything from the merchant (Amazon, eBay, etc.) we will receive a commission fee. The price y'all pay remains the aforementioned, affiliate link or not.

1- Theory

1.1- In a nutshell

Gasoline/diesel space heaters generate estrus by fuel combustion. The fuel is typically sourced from the vehicle'due south master tank, which is very user-friendly since there is no demand to monitor and refill an auxiliary tank. Then long every bit y'all accept gas in the tank, you'll never run out of heat. Squeamish! That being said, they also crave a little bit of electrical energy to ability the fuel pump, the "glow plug" (to ignite fuel during startup), the fan, and the controller. Here is the fuel and electric power consumption for the Webasto Air Elevation 2000 STC (7,000 BTU/ii kW):

Fuel Consumption

• Low: 0.03 gal/h (0.11 Fifty/h)
• Medium: 0.045 gal/h (0.17 L/h)
• Loftier: 0.06 gal/h (0.22 L/h)

Current Describe

• Low: i.25A
• Medium: i.7A
• High: two.45A
• Startup (nether 2 minutes): vii.5A

When looking at the numbers above, keep in mind that the heater doesn't run all day. In cool temperatures (5°C | 40F), yous might only need to run it an hour or 2 in the morning/evening. The colder it gets, the longer it has to run during the twenty-four hour period.

Note that y'all cannot cull betwixt low/medium/high settings; you lot select the room temperature, and the heater automatically toggles between off/low/med/high to reach or maintain the selected temperature. It's a bit similar a cruise controls on a vehicle: you select the desired speed and the vehicle command how hard the engine works.

One of the major benefits of the Webasto/Espar heaters is that they generate dry heat because they are vented heaters.

Vented Heater

In a vented heater, the air used for the combustion (exterior air) is completely isolated from the air used to heat the cabin (inside air). The heat is transferred from one to some other via a heat exchanger. As a result:

• Heating greatly lowers the relative humidity (RH) in the van.
• In that location is no risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Vented heater (Webasto, Espar, Propex, etc.)

Non-Vented Heater

In a non-vented heater, the air used for the combustion is the same air used to heat the cabin. Equally a result:

• Heating greatly increases the relative humidity (RH) in the van (water vapor is a production of propane combustion!).
• There is a high risk for carbon monoxide poisoning (a window or fan MUST be opened to vent the carbon monoxide)

Non-vented heater (Mr. Buddy and such)

Dry heat is a BIG DEAL because it helps foreclose mold issues, which could ruin your van and your health. Nosotros have a LOT to say about moisture and condensation direction, but that's out-of-scope of this current commodity… we highly recommend reading this after though:

Condensation and Moisture in a Van

Why it happens and how to control it

i.2- Choosing the right heater size (BTU)

Both Webasto and Espar offer a seven,000 BTU (2 kW) model or a 13,650 BTU (4 kW) model.

While you might naturally want to go for more BTU (more than heat is better, correct?), there is a catch: a more powerful heater will run on "Low" much more often. And when they run on "LOW" for extended periods of time, this type of heater (Webasto/Espar/Planar/Unbranded Amazon Knockoffs/etc.) tend to develop carbon buildup issues (very hard soot eolith) in the combustion chamber and that phenomenon gets worse equally you lot go up in altitude. Too much carbon buildup and the heater will stop working.That beingness said, you can operate your heater for years without carbon buildup issues by choosing the right size, by post-obit installation requirements, and by operating the heater correctly. To larn more about the problems nosotros had with carbon buildup and how nosotros successfully "fixed it", scroll downwardly to section: "Carbon Buildup/Sooting Issues".

We won't lie, it is difficult to come with specific guidelines for choosing the right heater size as it involves many variables:

Van Size

A larger van has more square feet to heat, then information technology requires more BTU.

Insulation Type

The heater must compensate for the heat loss. The more a van allows heat loss (poor insulation), the more the heater has to work.

Carbon Buildup Prevention

Oversizing your heater might sound like a skilful thought to make sure yous get plenty heat; unfortunately, this can pb to carbon buildup bug. This variable solitary makes our pick much more than complicated because getting the right size heater is disquisitional.

Insulated Window Covers

Windows are a MAJOR correspondent to estrus loss. Having proper insulated window covers is essential for winter vanlife; they minimize heat loss but likewise make the living surface area more than comfortable (otherwise it's very cold near the windows).

Location

We spent some time in the Arizona desert in winter, and, yes, it gets quite cold at night. We used our heater in the mornings and evenings. On the other hand, we spent an entire winter in Canada (and nigh the border of Alaska), and that is on a whole dissimilar level. It is not unusual to have -thirty°C (-22F) for days or weeks, day or night. Having a reliable source of heat is disquisitional for rubber when information technology's that cold!

Interior Layout

A van with a "garage" setup similar ours requires less BTU, because the garage is not heated every bit much. And with our living space being in front of the van, having the Webasto installed nether the passenger seat is ideal for the states. In addition, heat rises, so our "elevated" bedroom area is always prissy and warm. On the other manus, installing the heater nether the passenger seat might not exist ideal for a layout where the living space is in the back.

The combination of all the variables in a higher place makes it hard to provide clear guidelines… That beingness said, after spending 2 winters total-time in our van in the Us and Canada, here is our opinion on which size heater to get:

vii,000 BTU

(2 kW)

Best all-around solution for wintertime vanlife down to 10F (-12°C). It'll withal be plenty to maintain your van warm in colder temperatures, but it'll have longer to warm upwardly a completely frozen van (left alone without heating for a long time). That's what we have in our van and it kept us dainty, and warm in temperatures as cold every bit -22F (-31°C) during two full time winter vanlife adventures.

13,650 BTU

(4 kW)

It is worth because for a van layout without a permanent garage nether the bed (which means more infinite to heat). It is besides worth considering (for any van layout) if you expect frequently to be in temperatures below 10F (-12°C) because it has more power to warm up a completely frozen van (left lone without heating) faster.

Again, that's our opinion, and nosotros don't pretend that'southward the absolute truth. Inquire around and you will get all kinds of recommendations. When getting a recommendation from someone else, inquire how long they've been using their setup, in which conditions , and if they've had any issues. Most reviews come up from people that just finished their installation and are very excited to share information technology…

1.3- What brand/model of heater should I buy?

The two original players in the gasoline/diesel fuel heaters are Webasto and Espar. They both offer high-quality products backed by customer support via a network of dealers (Webasto Dealer Locator | Espar Dealer Locator). If you lot've been following us for a while, you know that nosotros invest in quality components; that's a philosophy we used for our entire build, and it has paid off. For this reason, we highly recommend 1 brand or the other.

Gasoline

7,000 BTU (two kW)

Webasto Air Meridian 2000 STC

Item	Buy Link
Universal kit with MultiControl HD	Amazon
Room Temperature Sensor	Amazon
Extra exhaust piping (22mm bore, 2m length)	Amazon
Extension harness for controller (3m)	Amazon

13,650 BTU (four kW)

Espar M2-B4L

Diesel

7,000 BTU (2 kW)

Espar S2-D2L

thirteen,650 BTU (4 kW)

Espar M2-D4L

As y'all can see, we at present recommend Espar almost all across the board, except for the 7,000 BTU gasoline model; we nevertheless prefer the Air Top 2000 STC over the older Espar B1LC. In 2022, Espar updated their lineup with the new S2 and M2 models: these are pre-wired (greatly simplifying the installation), they feature a built-in automatic altitude adjustment module (nice!), and they come with the EasyStart Pro controller (which has an integrated room temperature sensor). Looks like Espar listened to their customers!

Interesting fact: The footprint dimensions (floor cutouts) are yet for the Webasto Air Top 2000, Espar S2 or Espar M2; it's the dimensions of the heater itself that are slightly unlike:

Webasto Air Height 2000 Dimensions

Dimensions in mm. Click to overstate.

Espar S2-D2L Dimensions

Dimensions in mm. Click to enlarge.

Espar M2-D4L/B4L Dimensions

Dimensions in mm. Click to enlarge.

i.4- Where to install a Webasto/Espar in a van?

The location of the heater plays a function in heat distribution and hence, your comfort. The ideal placement of your Webasto/Espar depends on your interior layout.

Forward, under the passenger seat

In most vans (Transit, Sprinter, ProMaster), the passenger seat base has plenty of room for a heater (even if yous add together a swivel); therefore, information technology's the most mutual place to install a Webasto/Espar. Information technology works neat with the "raised bed/garage" interior layout because estrus distribution is quite uniform. That'due south exactly the setup we have in our van:

Common cold air is sucked in from the rider feet area (that's the coldest place in the van), warmed up, and then expelled at floor level towards the kitchen. Equally a consequence, the floor, the living room (swivel seats surface area), and the kitchen are prissy and warm:

Hot air rises, so the bedroom surface area is nice and warm as well. Shutting the curtain minimizes the heat transfer between the kitchen and the garage; in other words there'southward no need to heat the garage. Only when it'southward very cold outside (like below -15°C), heating the garage is necessary so it doesn't freeze and to control the relative humidity (prevent condensation). So we open the curtain every bit needed. Therefore, if you are building a winter van, we don't recommend completely endmost the garage in gild to allow some heat transfer.

Centered or at the back

Another popular layout features a galley that runs through the entire length of the van, with a table that tin convert to a bed in the back of the van. With this interior layout, there is more square feet to heat, and the heat distribution is not as uniform. So if the oestrus source is installed at one extremity (e.thou. nether the rider seat), the other extremity might not be comfortable. We would consider installing the heater in the center (with 2 hot outlets apart from each other, maybe?) if we had this layout.

1.v- Installation Requirements

The Webasto/Espar heaters are very sensitive to inadequate installation!

We. really. mean. it. Nosotros met many people downward the road that initially had issues with their heater (including the states); there's nothing more frustrating than having heater problems in the eye of the night when it'due south -thirty°C outside (truthful story). Nosotros initially developed a strong honey/detest relationship with our heater until we tweaked a few things from our installation (and how we operate the Webasto). Since then, we NEVER use our Propex (our fill-in heat source) as we much adopt the Webasto. We've been using our Webasto without whatever maintenance since October 2022; we love it.

Here is the hugger-mugger to an adequate installation: READ THE MANUAL. Information technology'southward a long, not-user-friendly, confusing read; so take your time and read it multiple times to ensure y'all fully meet the installation requirements. Nosotros're here to assist, and we like to retrieve you lot tin can learn from our mistakes, so below is an try at summarizing the installation requirements. It is Not a complete listing, so it does Non replace reading the manual; it'south more than like a list of the common mistakes:

Combustion Pipes Length

• The combustion intake + exhaust length should exist less than 2 meters.
• More length increases air restriction, which can result in carbon buildup issues.
• The manual mentions 5m without silencer, 2m with exhaust silencer. However, Tech Webasto still recommended we keep information technology below 2m, silencer or not.

Combustion Pipes Bending

• Smallest bending radius is 50mm and total bend is 270°.
• Each bend increases air restriction, so does a abrupt bend.
• In other words, a directly line is better!

Exhaust silencer

• A silencer adds quite a lot of air brake. Personally, we decided not to install an exhaust silencer. Just many people have them and they're fine...

Exhaust Dumping

• Frazzle must not be dumped nether the vehicle; the exhaust piping must end outside the vehicle edge.
• Carbon monoxide is lighter than air and will puddle under the floor, eventually making its way inside the van. Exhaust gas could likewise re-circulate into the intake and therefore create a rich gas/oxygen mixture, promoting carbon buildup.

Frazzle constant down gradient

• Try to route the exhaust in a constant downward gradient.
• Otherwise it creates low points where water can accumulate and increase air restriction.
• Water vapor is a product of combustion (run across adjacent requirement).

Exhaust bleed hole(s)

• Attempt to avoid depression points. If information technology cannot be avoided, drill a bleed hole (three/16") at each low indicate in the exhaust pipage.
• Otherwise water volition accumulate in each low point and increase air brake.
• H2o vapor is a production of combustion! Not convinced? Await at the photo we took later on a night of heating (around -20°C outside). Without drain holes, all this h2o would clog the pipe.

Fuel Pump Location

• Install the fuel pump as close equally possible to the fuel tank.
• To ensure the pump can prime the line and operate as it should.

Fuel Pump Orientation

• Install the fuel pump oriented per owner's transmission.
• The following picture is an extract of the Webasto manual, consult the Espar transmission if applicable.

Clamps for fuel line

• Utilise fuel hose clamps only.
• Worm gear clamps do not provide uniform sealing pressure, and equally a result air bubbles might form on the low-pressure side (between the fuel tank and the pump).

As we mentioned, this is not an exhaustive list. Please continue and read the manual! Don't have time to waste and read a manual? So you lot should reconsider installing the heater yourself (or building a van yourself) because requirements are critical for any system to piece of work properly and safely (electrical, plumbing, propane, etc.) 😉

ane.6- Dissonance Reduction

One of the downsides of the gasoline/diesel fuel heaters is the dissonance they make:

one- Fuel Pump Clicking (heard exterior & inside)

• Trouble: Webasto/Espar uses a diaphragm pump; each click sends a specific amount of fuel. The fuel dosage is controlled by increasing/reducing the click frequency. This clicking noise is transferred to the body of the van and tin be heard/felt inside the van.
• SOLUTION: The official recommendation is to install 2 x 90° elbow (Webasto Role Number: 65201A) at both sides of the pump. We personally tried that and didn't notice much deviation.
• HACK: Installing the pump with a Quick Fist (amzn.to/37gMBfE) reduces tremendously the clicking noise; after doing this, we stopped hearing the noise within the van.

2- Combustion Exhaust Dissonance (heard outside)

• Trouble: The fuel combustion generates noise; information technology's like a small jet taking off. This dissonance is heard generally exterior, not inside.
• SOLUTION: Installing an frazzle silencer (Webasto | Espar: included with the kit we suggest) reduces the noise quite a lot.
• NOTE: A exhaust silencer adds air restriction. Because we initially had carbon buildup issues, we removed the silencer, and we have not re-installed it to this day. That being said, we know enough of people with a silencer that don't have any issues.

three- Combustion Intake Noise (heard outside)

• Problem: Some of the dissonance from the combustion can too be heard from the intake.
• SOLUTION: Installing an intake silencer (included with Webasto kit) definitely helps reduce the noise. It also acts equally an air filter.
• NOTE: The intake silencer doesn't add much air restriction, and we personally have it installed in our Webasto system.

4- Cabin Fan (heard inside)

• PROBLEM: The motel fan is quite noisy.
• SOLUTION: Not much to practice here!
• NOTE: The cabin fan noise is constant (white dissonance) and fifty-fifty if information technology's quite loud, we honestly don't really mind it. This is the SOUND OF Oestrus, so you'll acquire to enjoy it 😉 The powerful fan expels the hot air with a lot of velocity, increasing air circulation in the van and drying your ski boots actually fast.

1.seven- Carbon Buildup/Sooting Issues

Any gasoline/diesel heater (Webasto, Espar, etc.) is subject to producing soot if the combustion conditions are non platonic. The soot can either exist a fine pulverisation or a super hard cloth that deposits on the surface of the combustion sleeping room (carbon buildup). As well much soot or carbon buildup will somewhen clog the heater, and it will stop working.

Air-fuel ratio is disquisitional for a complete combustion reaction. The perfect theoretical air-fuel ratio is referred to as the "stoichiometric combustion reaction" (Google it!), and in this condition all the fuel is burned completely, thus minimizing the rate at which secondary byproduct (soot) is produced. Merely nosotros don't live in a perfect theoretical earth, and then the actual combustion reaction will either exist lean (less fuel in the air-fuel mix) or rich (more fuel in the air-fuel mix).

Lean Burn

(lean air-fuel ratio = as well much oxygen)

• A lean combustion (not enough fuel in the air-fuel mix) happens when the heater is used at a lower altitude than it is programmed for.
• According to Tech Webasto, a lean combustion does not damage the heater, merely it results in slightly less heat.
• A lean burn is kind of hard to identify really, information technology'southward similar to a clean burn.

Clean Burn

(adequate air-fuel ratio)

• A clean combustion (perfect mix of air VS fuel) happens when the heater is used at the altitude information technology is programmed for.
• A make clean burn is the best compromise betwixt the amount of rut produced and the pollutants (soot) generated. A heater that burns cleanly requires less maintenance.
• A make clean burn produces a minimal amount of white fumes coming out of the frazzle.

Rich Fire

(rich air-fuel ratio = too much fuel)

• A rich combustion (besides much fuel in the air-fuel mix) happens when the heater is used at a higher altitude than it is programmed for. It tin can also happen when there is too much air brake in the exhaust (exhaust also long, no bleed holes, too many bends, silencer, etc).
• A rich combustion produces soot. The soot deposits in the combustion sleeping room and in the frazzle and tin become extremely hard (a.k.a. carbon buildup).
• A rich burn down produces dense, darker fumes coming out of the exhaust. A very rich burn down condition will sometimes produce small-scale explosions (that's the extra, unburned fuel suddenly igniting).

So a rich burn is the condition that promotes soot and carbon buildup. Okay, but how tin can we avoid it? This page contains all the information to prevent information technology, just here is a recap of the nearly common causes:

Installation

• Exhaust too long.
• No bleed holes on low signal.
• Sharp bend or too many bends.
• No constant downward slope.

Operation

• Heater fired up for less than x-15 minutes.
• Heater running on "Low" for also long.
• Frequent ON/OFF cycling (without running on Loftier).
• Before shut down, "boost" it for x minutes.

Altitude

• Accommodate your heater for high altitude and leave it in that location at all fourth dimension.
• If your heater has automatic distance compensation, you have no aligning to perform.
• At very high distance (let's say vii,000ft and upwards), try not to allow your heater run on "depression" (even if it's adjusted for high altitude).

So allow's be real. In most cases, carbon buildup issues could have been prevented.

When nosotros had issues, nosotros immediately sent our heater back saying information technology was problematic. After inspection, they plant no issues with it. How could that be? We re-installed the heater (subsequently information technology was completely cleaned by the Webasto crew), and the problems came back. It was hard to assimilate, but we were left with no other pick than thinking we might be responsible for this. So we completely revisited our installation and the way we operate that thing (keep reading!). Considering nosotros inverse many variables at once, we tin't tell exactly which one solved our issue. Only we can tell that our issues are definitely gone because of these changes. Nosotros learned the hard style, and hopefully y'all tin acquire from united states of america and forbid problems (instead of fixing them)!

If your heater of a sudden stops working for no reason or if it doesn't want to beginning, in that location is a pretty adept run a risk that information technology's clogged with soot or carbon buildup. There is no specific fault code for that; you'll get a bunch of different codes. At this point, you near likely take to change your burner assembly (combustion chamber). We did information technology in the past and nosotros documented it here:

1.viii- Effect of altitude (and how to mitigate it)

The concentration of oxygen lowers with distance. This has a huge result on combustion engines or annihilation that burns fuel really. Indeed, the right air-fuel ratio is critical for the combustion reaction to be complete (to burn all the fuel).

Gas/diesel fuel heaters are designed to work at sea level. At this distance, the air-fuel ratio is ideal and the heater burns "clean". Simply every bit soon every bit you become upward a loma with your van and gain altitude, the air-fuel ratio starts to alter: there is less oxygen and the heater burns "rich" in fuel (every bit described in section: "Carbon Buildup/Sooting Issues"). If you spend almost of your time at lower altitudes, the amount of pollutants generated is small, and the heater should exist able to "clean itself" when information technology runs very hot (HIGH). If you lot spend most of your time at college altitudes, the amount of pollutants is such that the heater can't clean itself, and it will somewhen clog with soot/carbon. As a full general rule, 1,500m (v,000ft) is considered high distance and you might have to take activeness if y'all spend an extended period (a few days) above that altitude:

• Santuario El Rosario, Mexico.
• x,000 anxiety.
• At this altitude, even in Mexico, it gets Cold. We had to start the heater that night...

Automatic Altitude Adjustment

The following heater models feature an automatic altitude adjustment (no action needed!):

• Webato Air Peak Evo 40: Upwardly to 2,200m (7,200ft)
• Espar S2/M2 (new model released in 2022) : Up to 3,000m (9,850ft)
• Espar D2/D4/B4: Up to 3,000m (9,850ft) with installation of High Altitude Kit

Manual Altitude Aligning

The following heater models must exist adjusted manually:

• Webato Air Height 2000 STC RV: The diesel "RV" version can exist adjusted on-the-fly with the High Altitude Switch
• Webasto Air Elevation 2000 ST/STC: Must be manually adjusted (come across procedure below)

Webasto Air Summit 2000 ST/STC Loftier Altitude Adjustment Procedure

The high-distance adjustment can be performed by a Webasto dealer; they have access to specialized tools that analyze the exhaust gas to validate that the air-fuel ratio is correct at the altitude where the adjustment is performed. Or you can actually perform the aligning yourself, similar nosotros did. To do then, you will need the rheostat controller:

Webasto Rheostat

Preps

• At this point, your heater should exist connected (electric, fuel, etc.) and ready to utilize. The rheostat should exist connected to the pigtail labeled as "User Potentiometer" (ours was located almost the heater itself). If you lot're using the MultiControl HD, disconnect information technology. OK let's practise this!

1- Connect the CO2 scale wire with the ground

• Using whatever electric wire, connect the CO2 scale wire to your arrangement footing. This can be, for example, your negative autobus bar.
• Depending on your heater/controller model, the CO2 calibration wire is either brown (wait for a 2-wire pigtail; there should be ane brown wire and one dark-green wire) or is either grey/blood-red (look for a pigtail with merely 1 wire; it's close to the "Diagnose/Thermocall/Telestart" pigtail). It should be located near the extremity of the harness (far from the heater unit itself).

two- Turn the command knob to 12:00

• Or turn it up to one:00 for very loftier altitude (around ten,000ft).
• This will burn upwardly the heater. Wait a few minutes. The LED on the rheostat will somewhen begin to flash. Go to the adjacent step.

3- Turn the command knob to nine:00

• Or 8:00 for very loftier altitude aligning (around 10,000ft).
• Keep the heater running for 3 minutes.

iv- While the heater is still running, disconnect the CO2 calibration wire from the ground

• The procedure is over! Let the heater run for an extra 10 minutes (this is only and so it reaches a loftier temperature and stays clean) then turn information technology off.

five- Did it actually work?

• At this signal, a Webasto dealer would analyze the exhaust gas to make sure the air-fuel ratio adjustment is correct... In our case, in that location is no way to tell if the procedure was successful or non. Gotta have faith! Fourth dimension volition tell!

6- Driving back to body of water level

• According to Tech Webasto, a lean combustion does non damage the heater, so there is no need to change the adjustment dorsum to body of water level. A lean combustion volition not damage the heater but will, however, reduce the estrus output past approximately 100-200 BTU/h which is almost negligible.
• We made the loftier distance aligning in 2022, and since and so we accept been running our heater adjusted for high altitude at all times (even at sea level). Nosotros didn't find the reduced output, and nosotros believe that a bacteria combustion actually helps preclude carbon buildup (as discussed with Tech Webasto).

high altitude adjustment is permanent

• It means that if the Webasto is unplugged, or if the main ability is turned off, the high distance adjustment is not lost.
• The high altitude adjustment remains until it is manually adjusted back to sea level altitude.

Adjusting the Webasto Air Top 2000 ST/STC dorsum to sea level altitude

1. Connect theCO2 scale wire to ground.
2. Turn the heater control knob to 9:00. Wait a few minutes.
3. When the LED on the rheostat begins to flash, plough the command to 12:00, and keep the heater running for 3 minutes.
4. While the heater is running, remove theCO2 calibration wire from ground.

1.nine- How to operate properly

Heating your van with a Webasto/Espar requires a fiddling scrap more proactivity than heating your business firm. In a house, you simply set the desired temperature, and you tin can forget nearly it. With the gasoline/diesel van heater, doing the same might eventually lead to carbon buildup problems in the long run.

True story: when we were initially rookies and naïve, we would prepare our Webasto to 20°C when in the van and to 5°C when going skiing all day. It didn't take too long for our heater to clog with soot and completely terminate working… (note that we also made little mistakes in our installation, equally described in "installation requirements" section above)

Lesson learned: If the heater is left at 5°C all day (to prevent the van from freezing) when information technology's not then cold outside (around 0°C and -10°C), the heater might run at LOW for an extended menstruum of time, and information technology might too wheel (ON/OFF) frequently (depending on the outside temperature). As we now know, this tin atomic number 82 to carbon buildup issues.

Cosmetic actions: To prevent carbon buildup, nosotros now operate our Webasto Air Top 2000 equally follows:

1. Instead of running it constantly all day/all dark, we accept reward of the Multicontrol HD timers, and we run the heater in curt bursts. For example, we ready a timer and then the heater stops an hour after nosotros go to bed, so runs for an hour in the middle of the night, and then starts again an hour before nosotros wake up. This minimizes the cycling and the duration that the heater spends on LOW.
   • Note that the bursts frequency/duration varya lot with the outside temperature; in that location is no secret recipe, experience will teach you.
   • Remember that higher meridian makes the carbon buildup trouble worse. So at 8,000 feet we would non let the Webasto run at Depression at all, while at ocean level we'll allow information technology run at Depression for a few hours without being concerned.
2. Before turning the heater OFF, we took the habit of running it at Loftier for about 10 minutes. The idea is to "clean" information technology before it cools down (in other words, to make clean it before soot hardens). Annotation that we sometime forget and we don't go crazy with this.
3. Exercise not use your heater for less than 15-20 minutes. This is to let the heater reach a high temperature and clean itself.

Conclusion: Operating a gasoline/diesel fuel heater equally described above might sound irritating, but for us information technology is function of the Vanlife; nosotros got used to it. And to be honest, the way we operate it might be a bit over the height… With a proper installation and at sea level, all of that might not be necessary. But nosotros haven't had whatever issues since 2022, and then maybe it has something to do with the way we operate it?

ane.10- Remote Room Temperature Sensor

The temperature sensor of the Webasto/Espar is located in the heater cold air intake, not in the controller (except for the Espar S2/M2 with EasyStart Pro controller)! This is important to know, as many people believe their heater is wayyyy out of adjustment when they first apply it.

Take the case where the heater is installed under the passenger seat: ambient air under the seat is much colder than ambient air in the living space. So setting the temperature of xx°C on the controller is equivalent to setting the temperature to 20°C under the seat; as a outcome, ambient air in the living space will be much college than 20°C! It's non a major event, merely it's a chip irritating.

Fortunately, in that location is a style around information technology. Information technology is possible to install a remote room temperature sensor. Once installed, the heater will apply this sensor instead of the built-in sensor at the cold air intake. We personally installed our remote room temperature sensor nigh the MultiControl Hd, approximately at shoulder height in the middle of the living space (farther away from the hot air exhaust). This manner, choosing twenty°C on the controller means the living space will really exist 20°C!

Temperature sensors are all-time located at shoulder pinnacle in a key location:

Remote Room Temperature Sensor for Webasto Air Top 2000 ST/STC

Remote Room Temperature Sensor for Webasto Air Top Evo 40

Remote Room Temperature Sensor for Espar AirTronics D2/D4/D5

EasyStart Pro Controller for (new) Espar S2/M2 models

The controller includes an integrated room temperature sensor. Nice!

i.11- How to actuate all timers on the Webasto MultiControl Hd

The MultiControl HD is advertised equally having 21 timers, and it does. Only there is a catch: only i timer can be active, meaning you can't actually pre-program your heater for multiple ON/OFF cycles. This is due to legal requirements for passenger vehicles.

Fortunately, there is a way to re-program the MultiControl Hard disk drive to unlock all 21 timers. After this process, you will be able to make all of them active simultaneously:

1- Remove the back cover of the MultiControl Hard disk

• Utilise a small flat flake to pry the dorsum of the MultiControl Hard disk away (pry all effectually).

2- Connect the brown wire to the second tab of the diagnostic access connector

• The MultiControl Hd volition reboot. Don't allow go! You have to go along the connection until the end of the procedure or you'll have to kickoff over (that'due south the hardest part!).

3- Select "Service" menu and choose the number of active timers

• Don't exist shy, select all 21 of them!

Note: The "Service" menu also has a bunch of other options

• So exist careful not to mess with them unless you know what you lot are doing!

• Alter heater
• Arrange min-max elapsing
• Permanent mode
• Cancel ventilation
• Temperature range
• Show room temperature (a cool feature)
• Unibox set
• Undervoltage shutdown
• Unlock heater (careful with that one)
• Base configuration

Thanks to Marc B. for providing these instructions!

ii- Installation

Nosotros installed a Webasto Air Superlative 2000 STC in our Ford Transit van. The procedure will exist slightly dissimilar if you've got a different van (Sprinter, ProMaster, etc) or a different heater (Espar), of grade, but the general principles remain the same.

2.i- Overview

Time Spent

We had a lot to figure out at the time, but nosotros hope this guide helps y'all finish the task faster than us!

Pre-Requisite

Material

Item	Description	Quantity	Link
Heater Kit of you pick	Run across recommended kit in section 1.3: "What Heater Should I Purchase"	one	Department 1.3
Mount Plate	*If your kit doesn't already include one.	one	Amazon
Ford Transit Auxiliary Fuel Port Kit (per Message Q-228)	Part Number: CK4Z-9B210-A (gasoline Transit)	1	eBay
	Part Number: CK4Z-9B210-B (diesel Transit)	1	eBay
Webasto Fuel Line Reducer (7.5mm to four.5mm)	To connect to the Transit aux. fuel port	i	vmacs.internet
Heat Shield Sleeve three feet length	Radiant Heat Barrier for fuel line	1	Amazon
3M Undercoating Spray (Rust Proofing)	To seal and protect cut/drilled metal against corrosion	1	Amazon
3M SM600L Thinsulate	To insulate the seat pedestal expanse (you well-nigh likely have leftovers from insulating your van!)	1	TheSwivelShop

2.2- Install the Webasto/Espar Nether The Passenger Seat

2.2.1- Remove the passenger seat

Remove the ii screws in the front:

Remove the 2 screws in the dorsum:

Disconnect the wiring harness. The seat is gratuitous to go!

2.ii.ii- Remove the jack and trim the bolt

Take the jack out of the way (it can be re-fitted here after). We had to trim on of the jack's commodities to make room for the heater:

2.2.iii- Locate where to install the heater

Skilful to know

Mount Plate

It is disquisitional to install the heater on a apartment surface. This way, the gasket (the large rubber thingy under the heater) can seal effectively and prevent fumes (and carbon monoxide) from entering the cabin. Nigh likely, your van's floor is non perfectly flat. That'south why using a mount plate is and so important.

The heater must be located so it doesn't clash with the seat base (blackness structure with the bar code sticker in the photo below), but also so the combustion exhaust/intake, the fuel line, and the installation bolts are accessible under the flooring... it's more than hard than it looks considering space under the floor is VERY tight!

(We made our own mount plate, simply it can be purchased. See "Fabric" section)

Under the flooring (this is an "afterwards" photo):

(This is an "afterwards" photograph)

If nosotros had to outset over

As you can encounter, we drilled a hole for each component (intake, exhaust, fuel line, mountain bolts). This makes the installation / removal of the heater a existent struggle because it is SO HARD to piece of work from nether the van (because of the very tight space). If we had to do it again, nosotros would probably do it like this:

1. Cut a unmarried "large" cutout in the van's floor.
2. Install the heater on the mountain plate (exhaust, intake, fuel line and bolts).
3. Secure the mount plate to the van's flooring and seal it.

This manner, the installation / removal can be performed from In a higher place the floor (instead of nether the floor), which makes things MUCH easier!

Skillful to know

Rust Prevention

Paint adds pretty terminate and colors, but it also plays a critical office: paint prevents metal from rusting. When trimming a cutout (eastward.g. roof fan opening), drilling a pigsty, or fifty-fifty when screwing a cocky-borer screw in the van (we recommend using cantankerous nuts instead), metal is left bare around the border and somewhen initiate rust. The all-time way to prevent rust is to restore the finish on the bare metal by applying a layer of primer, pigment, and clear glaze (your local Automobile Parts Store can provide this, and they can lucifer your van'due south color). Each layer must be allowed to dry, so this is really time consuming… Second best manner to prevent rust is to utilize a layer of rust proof undercoating (run into "Material" section above) on the edges where bare metal is exposed. This is quicker, merely not equally effective as restoring the terminate; it'south definitely improve than doing nothing though.

2.3- Install the Combustion Exhaust

Skillful to know

Installation Requirements

To forestall carbon buildup / sooting bug, follow all the installation requirements from the manual (as reiterated in our "Installation Requirements" section to a higher place)

Following all the installation requirements (length, gradient, bends, etc.) left usa with little choice: our exhaust is routed about the passenger-side rear bike. People often signal out that installing the exhaust most the rider door can permit the gas get inside the van… But in reality, the doors and windows are always airtight when nosotros use our heater; remember it's cold outside 😉 So we don't get anything inside the van. Using the door to enter/exit is non problematic either.

2.four- Install the Combustion Intake

Nosotros made a mud-deflector-3000 from an old plastic bucket, and it's zilch-tied to the van. Then we fastened the intake to it. As simple as that:

two.5- Install the Webasto / Espar Fuel Pump and Fuel Line

two.5.1- Fuel Line

Nosotros routed the fuel line (and the fuel pump'southward electrical wire) under our Ford Transit equally follows:

2.5.two- Fuel Pump

We initially installed the fuel pump using a cross nut and the clamp provided with the Webasto installation kit (not shown in the photo, a small-scale piece of cream as an attempt to dampen the clicking noise):

However, we recently tried to mount the pump with a Quick Fist (amzn.to/39VWWQZ), and the clicking racket reduction is HUGE – to the point where we don't really hear the pump inside the van anymore. The quick-fist is null-tied to the tank zipper strap:

2.5.3- Tapping into the fuel tank

The Transit fuel tank features an auxiliary fuel port and choice up straw; no need to drill! That being said, the auxiliary fuel port comes with a plug; you lot need to purchase and install the aux fuel pump kit (buy link under "Cloth" section in this page).

To connect the Webasto fuel line to the Transit aux. fuel port, nosotros initially fabricated our own reducer out of 5/16" and 1/4" rubber fuel line:

However, we later institute this Webasto reducer and we would recommend it instead (it minimize the formation of bubbling, that's what nosotros have on our van at present):

To install the auxiliary fuel port, the tank must exist lowered. So offset things outset, make certain that the fuel tank is about empty before lowering information technology.

Remove the 6 bolts securing the tank and lower it. The tank is surprisingly lite weight if emptied. No demand to unplug annihilation, but it won't go all the way to the ground, then use about merely anything to proceed information technology higher:

This is how information technology looks after putting it dorsum together. We protected the Webasto fuel line inside a rubber fuel hose, but looking back many years later, it seems that might be unnecessary as nosotros didn't observe any impairment from rocks or any flying object.

two.v.iv- Fuel Pump Electric Connection

The fuel pump has no polarity. In other words, it doesn't matter which wires y'all connect together.

ii.half-dozen- Cabin Frazzle (Hot Air Duct)

Nosotros used a holesaw (2-3/8") to create a cutout in the seat pedestal (and restored the finish on the blank edge):

We installed the Webasto outlet on the seat pedestal and nosotros used the provided clamps to secure the duct:

two.7- Cabin Intake (Cold Air)

Simply snap the protective screen on the Webasto intake (sorry no photograph, simply you'll figure it out!).

two.8- Electrical Wiring

Connect the wiring harness to the Webasto. We routed our harness between the seat pedestal and the floor and and then in the commuter-side wall all the fashion to our electric system cabinet.

Connect your controller to the harness (the rheostat is connected to the pigtail labeled as "Potentiometer", or the MultiControl Hard disk to the pigtail labeled as "Telestart"):

Connect the wiring harness to your 12V distribution (fuse block). Crimson wire is positive, brown wire is negative. Nosotros've got a diagram & tutorial for yous if you're still at the stage of figuring things out 😉

two.9- Remote Room Temperature Sensor (Optional)

Nosotros mentioned in the "Theory" section that the temperature sensor of the Webasto is located at the cold air intake of the heater. Every bit a result, there is always a mismatch between the temperature obtained in the living space compared to the temperature selected on the MultiControl HD (the living space is warmer than selected). The solution is to install a remote room temperature sensor in the living space (near the controller): once installed, the Webasto heater volition employ this sensor instead of the one in the cold air intake. Then the living space temperature will match with the 1 selected on the MultiControl HD! Here is how to install the remote room temperature sensor on the Webasto Air Meridian 2000 STC:

There is a resistor hidden somewhere in the wiring harness. The goal is to replace the resistor with the remote room temperature sensor instead:

Hither is what the resistor looks like (later on we trimmed it). Await information technology to be hidden in the wiring harness under blackness tape, and so you lot'll take to search for information technology:

Nosotros plant the resistor near the Webasto heater itself. The remote room temperature sensor is five meters long, that was more than enough to road it towards the back of the van:

We installed the remote room temperature sensor virtually the MultiControl Hd, and, since so, the temperature of our living infinite matches with the temperature we select on the MultiControl HD!

2.ten- Starting The Webasto for the Get-go Time

You fabricated it! Ready to fire upwards!

• Not so fast… we emptied the fuel tank in club to lower it, correct? Remember to refill it 😛 On the Ford Transit, the tank must be above 1/3 total or otherwise the pump will only suck air.
• If you're doing the installation during summer, yous should know that the maximum outside temperature (for combustion air) immune is 20°C. Above twenty°C the heater might not desire to outset or might automatically shut down.
• The fuel pump on the Webasto/Espar is cocky-priming. There is no demand to manually fill the fuel line. However, await around 2 to 4 faux starts before the fuel line is primed (before the fuel reaches the Webasto heater). The longer the fuel run between the fuel tank and the Webasto, the longer information technology takes for priming.
• A "faux beginning" is when the heater does not discover burn and aborts the startup sequence. It takes about ii minutes for the abort sequence to boot in. Once it kicks in, the heater stops pumping fuel, and the combustion fan goes full speed to evacuate the excess unburnt gas from the combustion chamber. Let information technology do its thing. After a false start, the controller flashes to betoken an mistake; information technology has to exist reset before it can be fired up again.
• Once information technology successfully starts, let it run at max power for at least 15 minutes. As you know (y'all read the "Theory" section, right?), once started, the Webasto/Espar should always exist allowed to reach its maximum temperature to continue it make clean.

3- Review

iii.1- Epitomize of Events and Issues we had

2016

• Installation (July).
• Carbon buildup bug. Heater won't start (December).

2017

• Heater is sent for inspection and cleanup. It's working again.
• Full fourth dimension Vanlife (Baronial)
• Issues come back (Oct).
• New burner install (see our detailed How-to). It'due south working like new. Frazzle silencer is removed, drain holes are added, better downward slope. We adjust the heater for loftier altitude. From at present on we operate our heater as described in "Theory" section.
• A Propex HS2000 propane heater is added as a fill-in in prevision of winter (we're withal nervous almost our Webasto). Unless we have problems with the Webasto, nosotros don't utilise the Propex.

2019

• No bug at all.
• Remote room temperature is added.
• We activate all 21 timers on the MultiControl Hd.

2020

• Yet no bug! It's fair to say our cosmetic actions from 2022 solved the issues.

2021

• Still no problems! But as wintertime is coming, we decided to install a new combustion chamber as preventive maintenance.

3.2- What we like / don't like virtually our Webasto Air Top 2000 STC

• We absolutely LOVE that it's using the fuel from the van tank. This is a MAJOR benefit every bit nosotros don't accept to fill an auxiliary tank (e.g. propane tank).
• Information technology's DRY oestrus, which is critical in a van. Using the heater lowers the humidity, and nosotros can easily keep it beneath forty-fifty% RH in winter.
• The hot air fan is powerful; it dries our gear (ski boots & clothes) super fast.
• The fact that it can be programmed to start/cease automatically is slap-up.
• Depression fuel and electrical consumption.
• It pushed fashion more oestrus than the Propex HS2000.

• Gas/Diesel heaters are more finicky than a propane equivalent. They're sensitive to a proper installation and usage.
• The pickup straw will "unprime" if the tank is lower than i/2 and we get for a drive (the pickup harbinger is emptied when it's not in contact with fuel). This means information technology sometimes takes 2 startup attempts the next time to re-prime information technology.
• More dissonance than a propane heater.

iii.iii- If we had to start over

We've been living full time in our van since 2022, and we've been through a lot, so information technology'due south fair to say we know what works and what doesn't work for u.s.. SO, if we had to build another van, what heater would we choose? We would get for a gasoline/diesel heater once more over a propane heater. We did have issues at first, but we learned a lot an nosotros're confident we can go information technology right the next time.

This page (theory & installation) is Upwardly-TO-Date with everything we learned along the way. That'southward how we would exercise things side by side time 🙂

three.four- Related Guides

That's it, you reached the end… but there's more! Nosotros as well prepared the following guides, which are very related to the heater topic:

Want More than?

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About us

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Squeamish TO Come across YOU.

Hello! We're Isabelle and Antoine 🙂 In 2022, we sold our house (and everything in information technology), quit our engineering careers, and moved into our cocky-built campervan. We've been on the road since so, and every twenty-four hours is an opportunity for a new adventure; nosotros're chasing our dreams, and hopefully information technology inspires others to do the same!

Source: https://faroutride.com/air-heater-installation/

Posted by: martinezmareake.blogspot.com

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