Chevy & GMC Vans

Since the inception of my van build I have been dreaming of a forced air propane aux heater for winter swing season camping at higher elevations. Stanley, Id is our happy place at the foot of the sawtooth mountains of which maintains the record for being one of the coldest towns in the lower 48.

With that said when I built my van the propex hs2211 (special because it can be mounted under the rug and air ducted in) heater had not yet be released and I haven't had the cash to pull the trigger since. 3 days ago I pulled the trigger and WestyVentures should be sending me a heater in a few weeks.

I have been working out where under my rig I am going to mount the thing and was wondering if any one else had spent time working on this....(call out to Herbie).

I have a few options and at the moment the measurements lead me to believe that I will be able to mount this above the spare tire samwitching it between the body and spare.... There should also be enough room to mount a 5lb propane tank right next to it.

Once I get the heater I will maintain this as my install thread with pics.

Ryan

Hi Ryan,
Sounds interesting. Do you currently use a Mr Heater catalytic propane heater? Apparently you can use inside, just intall a CO detector for sleeping.

AP

Yes I have a mr heater for awake times but i am in the don't trust it camp. The detector is a good caution but just can't bring myself to try it. Plus even if I could my wife would never go to sleep. She would be anxious the whole time.

The propex solution also allows me to use it as a heater while moving. Assuming the flue is positioned correctly. I removed my rear heater to use as storage space (seen here http://astrosafarivans.org/bb2/viewtopi ... 2&start=30 last of my pictures) so this is appealing. I am planning on ducting the heater into my rear ac duct system and creating a circuit that allows me to use the ac blower with out the ac when desired.

Ryan

I too use Mr Heater and find it a bit stinky which I don't trust. We regularly use it, with the windows cracked, when reading before bed and in the morning. It heats the space so quickly that I haven't found the need to keep it on at night. But Stanley is a bit colder than where I usually use it!!

Snowgeek, I've toyed with the idea, but haven't begun seriously looking at it yet. Part of the reason I'm holding off is that the "underside" of the van is still a bit tentative for me. My spare is still in the original spot, but I still have dreams about relocating it and putting a really big battery box in that spot...

I hope you're right about it fitting there, though, as that's an ideal spot for a lot of reasons. There's also the small area just forward of the spare that might also suit.

I keep wanting to put something in the recess near the slider door, but it's not quite wide enough for batteries, but the HS2211 might, since you can mount it in the sideways orientation. I figure it's worth making a cardboard box of the appropriate size for me to try...

How much of the under-body plumbing for the rear heater did you remove? That's also a candidate location in that area. The awesome thing about the HS2211 is that it does give you a lot more mounting flexibility than the 2000 model.

I was monitoring thesamba.com, hoping the VW guys will come up with lots of good ideas before I pull the trigger too, but now I'll be watching you!

EDIT: Got a link to a propane tank you plan to use? I'm actually considering sticking with my portable 5lb tank, since it's so convenient. I talked to Karl at Westyventures and Mario at Adventure Trailers a while back, and it seems very doable to rig up the HS2211 with a quick-disconnect for the propane. We'd use the heater rarely enough that it doesn't seem too terrible to have to walk the tank over to the side of the van and hook up a QD line before going to bed.

@photo-van - If it were the wife and I alone I wouldn't even bother. It isn't always comfortable but we are ok with that. It is the 3 year old and 3 week old (will be 2-3 months old at first trip) that justify the heater. We will be using it in hopes of extending our season to 9-10 months of the year.

@ Herbie - I have a cardboard box model of it and so far it looks like that location is going to work. Without the actual device I haven't been able to see how the ducting will function in that space but I am hopeful.

My mock up shows me that the space below the door is a maybe but I would prefer the duct come up near the back or the drivers side not near the sliding door.

The space where the heater pipes are routed by that drivers side wall seems to small unless I re route some of the other lines.

The space forward of the spare is close but I think it will require shifting the ac lines running to the rear.

As to the 5lb tank, I found a spot next to the spare tire in the same channel that the heater is will mount into that a Manchester tank standard dot 5lb / 1gal tank will mount upright. Both my full size spare and my hitch will hang down 1" lower than the tank.

I will know much more in s few weeks when all the pieces of this puzzle arrive and I will post up pictures of the spots I try.

Ryan

Christmas in January!!

I have started the fitment process and believe I have my location set but haven't worked out all the kinks yet.

Looks interesting. I wonder if you could mount heater up on roof rack and route insulated heater ducting through roof cut out . Roof vent cut out are available for trailers and RV.

Having a heater under the vehicle could allow it to be damaged by rocks etc when off roading.

AP

I have 4 Thule cross bars on roof of my 2003 AWD Astro. That gives me mounting spits for splar panels, roof cargo box, and roof cargo basket.

AP

Roof is a big surface area.

Yes, you could mount it up there and I am planning on adding a basket to my poptop. I believe that while the device is sealed it I would need to be covered from the elements of sitting snow and ice and water penetration due to speed.

I will have to bounce this one around my head a bit I like the train of thought.

Ryan

Looks interesting, good luck with the build we'll be watching

Hi,
Butane stove used to boil water in Astro.

AP

Ok folks life has been crazy and this project has been done in 1 hour snipers of time. I have very few pictures of the process but will label a picture at some point with the relevant information. Figuring out where to mount the heater was the hardest part. But I chose to mount it above the spare tire and route the heat up under my rear most seat. I then bolted 1x2 steel to the cross members so that when the spare tire lifts into place it clears the heater box. Just for good measure I made a protection plate to keep road grime and rocks from hitting the heater or ducting. I will be working on the auxiliary battery next.

Very nice design and fabrication!

That should be awesome.

For my aux battery, i have Group 31 AGM from West Maine, 105 amp hrs. Mounted it inside rectangular plasyic box. Mounted voltmeter and heavy duty 250 amp switch in series with 2 AWG wire going to 1,000 Watt inverter.

AP