[Count Phil]

Hi, I did the L5 thing last year but when the gas ran out I didn't bother to refill. It was a pain to check that the heater was on, then it blew out, then it was too cold, took ages to come through etc.

But having hot water was great. At the moment I have a 300w fish tank heater in my storage tank over night. This warms the water to about 30 degrees c. It only cost about 10pence a night on the night rate. But if it was a kilowatt it would still be dirt cheap and give 60 degree water. If I put it in the tank in the van overnight and insulated the tank presto! Hassle free hot water that wont cut out, blow out or take ages to get to heat. Just an insulation blanket to keep it warm.

As it is, even with the fish tank heater, and transfer to the van and no insulation, it seems to stay relatively warm all day and doesn't freeze in the pipe.

Any ideas as to what heater would do the job? Seems a lot simpler than the gas malarky.

Phil.

[geefree]

do you submerse the whole heater...is it one of them long thin ones.?

[mci services]

ive been thinking on doing the exact same thing in my van tank with a 500w fish tank heater, i just need to thaw out the 400l ice cube thats in my van at the moment so i can try it

[Count Phil]

its a long thin one. Hot water would require a kilowatt I'm sure,.

[matt]

i was looking at them late last night again

ebay has a load from HK

for the past hour or so i have been researching and writing this post

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=87038.0

whilst watching my daughter on the drums on guitar hero 

[Count Phil]

Main problem is, the thermostat. 300w pulls 300litres up to 30 degrees, but its limited by a thermostat. If you could disable the thermostat, two aquarium heaters would give you a hot water system for like £40 plus insulation.

I mean, doesn't the thermopure just heat the water in the tank? Its got to be done, I haven't felt the need to botch some diy since the days of the fishing pole wfp! I think it'd be even better than my duo trim Vikan brush with over head spray!

[Count Phil]

What about this thing? 200 smackers gets you a proper one. http://www.omega.co.uk/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=RIN_HEATER

[ccmids]

Ive looked  into this sort of thing , the only way to go is get the proper heater,
griggs do one pure freedom do one too about £2.500

[Count Phil]

So the immersion in the house heats to 50+ quickly., and doesn't cost much, but the only way to go is spend 2500?
Nah....

[rg1]

Lots of good ideas here but no good to me, I can't get power to the van overnight cos I live in a terraced house and have public footpath front and back. Thought about putting cable overhead but probably too risky. Some clown would probably cut the cable.

[matt]

What about this thing? 200 smackers gets you a proper one. http://www.omega.co.uk/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=RIN_HEATER

only thing if you are going to put it in your tank, the screw section would of course we water tight, BUT how hot would the threaded bit get ? ? ? ?

a immersion heating element in some kind of cage dropped into the tank would be the better option imho

[matt]

Ive looked  into this sort of thing , the only way to go is get the proper heater,
griggs do one pure freedom do one too about £2.500

people just want hot water in a tank in the van

not sure why you think the immersion heating element or aquarium heaters wouldnt work ? ? ? ? ?  any reason ? ? ? ?

[Nathanael Jones]

The L5 is a very small heater and because of this is only suitable for on demand use really. But if you want hot water without actually having the heater in your van, insulate your tank real good and buy a bigger heater. Put the heater in your shed and pass the water through it when filling your van. There are cheap gas heaters (More than an L5, but still a lot less than a diesel heater) there that will take a flow of 40 litres per minute with a 25 deg C temp rise, so you're tank won't take forever to fill. This way your heater is left at home, you disconnect the gas after every use and safety worries are minimised.

[d s windowcleaning]

do you submerse the whole heater...is it one of them long thin ones.?

gazza its the same type as i gave you a couple of months ago .