At present we are based in Central Otago where it can hit some very cold temperatures in the winter. Our first winter here got down to -18 degrees. At build we decided to get a heater added. We tossed up between LPG and Diesel. After a bit of research we decided on Diesel.

 

Advantages of diesel are -

• It is available 24/7 in most locations.

• It has precise temperature adjustment and set point temperature control (+/- 0.5 C).

• Superior heating performance as diesel is not affected by temperatures in the same way as LPG.

• Diesel heaters produce a clean dry heat whereas LPG systems can produce a 'wet heat' creating unwanted humidity and condensation.

• They have lower operating costs and maintenance. Diesel heaters are typically 75 - 85% cheaper to run than equivalent LPG systems.

 

We have an Air Top Evo 40 (4kW) made by Webasto. This is a smart multi mode heater which is very compact and quiet but with a high output. This unit has very low electrical power consumption due to Intelligent Blower Control. This unit also has a multitude of safety features. We have a standard 10 Litre diesel heater tank fitted and also carry a 20 Litre Jerry Can.

 

The unit is mounted in our rear tunnel boot and vents into the club lounge. We don’t like a stuffy bedroom at night and also wanted to keep any noise away from this area. (Not sure how people can sleep with them under the bed.) As our dog Alfie sleeps in the club lounge at night we can set it to 16 degrees and this keeps him warm and the chill out of the living area. 

 

We have owned our caravan since October 2021 and used the heater on numerous occasions. It warms the space extremely quickly and the thermostat function keeps the van at a comfortable temperature.

 

On one occasion we had a fault code come up on the controller. All it ended up needing was a restart. However, this meant disconnecting the power supply to the unit. The fuse in our caravan is located under the club lounge and was difficult to get too. As the fuse is the only means of disconnection we put an inline switch into the power feed to allow us to isolate the unit and restart it. We mounted the switch inside the rear tunnel boot to allow for easy access. This is a recommended modification on the Webasto website.