[Nathanael Jones]

With so many on about going hot, and no sign of Peter Fogwill's promised offering, I've been looking into alternative gas heaters with a CE mark.

From what I've found out, it seems quite possible to get one designed to spec, eg: one that will run unmodified at a low flow rate, that is CE marked, that handles the pressure our pumps put out etc etc custom built.

The problem is that the minimum order is 100 units.
I'd want to keep 10 on the shelf for spare parts, as there's no point supplying a unit that you can't get spares for quickly,.. but I'm wondering if there would be enough interest to unload the majority of the remaining 90 units this winter. Take into consideration that it would be 2 weeks before I even have a sample unit, so best case scenario puts UK availability in January.

Also, with paying import duty & vat, the cost of these units would be considerably more than an L5,.. no prices are certain yet, but I'm guessing approx €240 each.

So what do you reckon guys,.. is it a winner now, or should I wait till next October?

[AuRavelling79]

It's a winner - but I would want it tried and tested first and so I think for next year is better. If you can get your supplier to make a prototype or two, then on the understanding it works I would happily pay 240 euro's and add a bit for all your hard work!

I would buy one as soon as I believed it to be "ready". That is you have done an "Alex" and got it to at least "beta" level like the early slx's.

What about insurance issues as in having it working in a van.

[erithwc]

why gas wouldn't  it be better to to use a diesel water heater 

[Nathanael Jones]

why gas wouldn't  it be better to to use a diesel water heater 

Simply down to price,... if you want diesel there are suppliers already who do units at a better price than I could get the parts for.

@Gold,.... the insurance issue should be looked into by everyone individually. Most policies specifically exclude carrying highly flammable material in your van in the small print. This even includes a gallon of petrol for your pressure washer, so a gas bottle is defo out.
I have insurance with Quinn which doesn't have this exclusion & I have informed them in writing of exactly what I have in my van.

[magic1]

I'm in.

[formb]

I've never used a hot water system, so have a few questions.

How effective at stopping written off days do you think it will be?

Do you expect it would outperform the L5 shower unit?

How much is 240 in £ sterling?

[Mr Bungalow]

Hello Nat,

It would be interesting to see what it looks like and to see it working.

Are you having it designed with frost protection in mind so it protects from freezing temperatures overnight?

Regards.

[Darranvps]

I think as far as design goes, what is really needed is a system that warms up the water to the temperature the operator wants it to reach. It would be better to have frost protection with an option of a warm air heater kicking in should the temp drop down to x
Best bet to be able to feed two pumps.

[formb]

I think as far as design goes, what is really needed is a system that warms up the water to the temperature the operator wants it to reach. It would be better to have frost protection with an option of a warm air heater kicking in should the temp drop down to x
Best bet to be able to feed two pumps.

Good point, I run 1 pump 2 pole setups, would it be like the L10 shower unit and be capable of feeding 2 poles?

[dave0123]

With so many on about going hot, and no sign of Peter Fogwill's promised offering

Why what has Peter Fogwill promised to offer?

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

nat sure ste m would av one m8
he was all for peters but now as the L5 working
properly i still think e would have one

[Nathanael Jones]

I've never used a hot water system, so have a few questions.

How effective at stopping written off days do you think it will be? Its not the godsend that some ppl expect. If the roads are bad you can't drive anyway, and even hot water can freeze on the glass in extreme conditions especially when the building is unheated

Do you expect it would outperform the L5 shower unit? The L5 performance is good,.. the only issues I have with it are lack of CE mark & the fact that it requires 2 litres per minute or more to work reliably. The unit I'm looking at is slightly more powerful, but in the real world you'd hardly notice the difference


How much is 240 in £ sterling? £204 with today's exchange rate

Good point, I run 1 pump 2 pole setups, would it be like the L10 shower unit and be capable of feeding 2 poles?

An "on demand" heater isn't suitable for this because the flow rate through the heater is always changing when 1 pole stops etc. When the flow rate is slow, the water can get too hot,. and when 2 poles are running it could be quite cool. For a system with 2 poles I'd recommend an indirect system with a calorifer tank or heat exchanger of some kind to give you a consistent & controllable heat,.. but I'd never recommend using a gas heater on its own.

Frost protection is a fairly easy ask for these systems if they're fitted in the van with a vent/chimney. A simple thermostatic switch that switches on your pump is all you need,.. leave the heater & gas switched on and the end of your hose reel back into your tank. When the temp drops, the pump starts & the heater fires up,... Its a costly way to keep your van frost free though, a bottle of gas won't last long.
I'd also have reservations about recommending people leave a gas heater switched on overnight unattended in a van unless I knew it was installed 100% right, which with DIY systems is hard to determine without inspecting every single setup.
I am looking into a frost protection setup,.. it would be an optional extra but it'll be 100% wateproof, run of your WFP battery, and would include a reset timer of approx 15 minutes so if your heater for any reason fails to ignite, the frost protection will re-try 15 mins later.

[Nathanael Jones]

With so many on about going hot, and no sign of Peter Fogwill's promised offering

Why what has Peter Fogwill promised to offer?

Peter promised a heater similar to what I'm talking about,.. CE marked & working for WFP without modification.
He's not answered any recent posts on his forum asking about it though.

[Lee Pryor]

I would be up for a couple of those at around that price nat, especially if it is custom designed for us.

Not cutting out

Easy to fit and mount,

has a good temp range cold- almost boiling

can handle high and low flow.

Maybe look into an easy to fit flu, so van doors can be closed.

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

also ronnie paton would be interested

[Nathanael Jones]

I think to be honest I'm a bit late to have anything this winter that I'm 100% happy with & completely tested,.. I reckon a minimum of 6 months in the field testing should be done.
I think what I'm going to do is try & get 5 or 10 sample units for testing (all will be made available to testers at cost price) and see what kind of feedback comes in. Next winter when I'm 100% sure I'll have a stock of heaters, most commonly required spare parts, time to put together proper instructions/youtube videos etc, and the knowledge and experience to answer ALL questions that pop up.

Once I've finalised details with a supplier, I'll be looking for volunteers to try them out.

[ronnie paton]

I would be a tester!!

its doing my head in not having hot water!

[Nathanael Jones]

I would be a tester!!

its doing my head in not having hot water!

Once I have the final details,.. some photo's & pricing I'll drop you an e-mail Ronnie.
I'm e-mailing ppl in different time zones though, so its sometimes the next day before I get a response & its making the process frustratingly slow.

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

nat im guild n north wales lol

[mark m]

Sounds great i am very interested