Webasto Airtop 2000 STC .......Noisy

[andy greenwood]

This weekend was our 1st trip away to test our new webasto airtop 2000 stc. It is an excellent piece of kit that we are really pleased with, we had it fit under the van as our leisure battery etc...is under the drivers seat, we also thought there would be less noise.
Unfortunately i am quite surprised how noisy it is, i expected it to be really quiet but it does seem quite noisy when running . Does anyone else with one of these heaters think they are noisy ?

 

[Sabre]

It's not quiet that's for sure. But having had other chats about how hot it gets, I typically don't have it on for too long.
It's a lot noisier outside!

 

[ThreeBridgeT6]

This weekend was our 1st trip away to test our new webasto airtop 2000 stc. It is an excellent piece of kit that we are really pleased with, we had it fit under the van as our leisure battery etc...is under the drivers seat, we also thought there would be less noise.
Unfortunately i am quite surprised how noisy it is, i expected it to be really quiet but it does seem quite noisy when running . Does anyone else with one of these heaters think they are noisy ?

I've got a Thermo Top Evo and whilst I can hear it when it's initially firing up, I wouldn't call it loud, and it quietens down pretty quickly once it's up and running. It's certainly not intrusive when set on 'Auto'. @oldiebut goodie knows a lot about these things I think.

 

[CAB]

Initially yes, but quiet when up to temp, which is only usually 5mins or so.

 

[CAB]

Anyway, who cares about noise when you have toasty toes

 

[Shaun Witts]

My petrol version is also quite noisy, but I’ve got used to it - I had to as I was sleeping in my van for 3 nights every week before the pandemic hit!
Most intrusive is the pulsing/knocking noise it makes when starting up, but I think this was due to a metal clip on the fuel line knocking against a metal shield as the fuel pipes twitched from pressure changes? Hopefully I have minimised this now by bending some metal brackets to provide more clearance - but I’ve not had occasion to use it overnight since.
Another problem I had was the chamber coking up. I had to take it back several times to the installer, and eventually they adjusted the mixture (which should have been correct from the factory), but I have still been recommended to run the heater on maximum for 5 minutes or so after a night of moderate usage to try and keep the combustion chamber clean. I’m not sure how that would translate to the diesel version, but its worth bearing in mind.

 

[phoenixfc7]

Here are some suggestions, the exhaust silencer is not an option where you have under van protection (I think most do have this). Webasto Air Heater Noise Reduction | FarOutRide

As an aside (just about to fit mine also under slung) where is your fuel pump located? I have seen contradictory advice, one that it should go close to the tank the other is right next to the heater (which will be under the drivers seat)? Any advice and tips welcome

 

[Ali-G]

Mine is under the drivers seat and I can’t really say that it bothers me that much.
Okay, it makes a bit of noise when it first starts up, but it soon settles down and doesn’t wake me when I’ve left it running all night.

 

[boxelder]

Here are some suggestions, the exhaust silencer is not an option where you have under van protection (I think most do have this). Webasto Air Heater Noise Reduction | FarOutRide

As an aside (just about to fit mine also under slung) where is your fuel pump located? I have seen contradictory advice, one that it should go close to the tank the other is right next to the heater (which will be under the drivers seat)? Any advice and tips welcome

The pump should be no more than 1.2m from the tank and is generally better nearer the tank than the heater. That said, it's unlikely you'll get over 1.2m away and finding the quietest location may be best. Mine is near the heater under the drivers seat.

A couple of observations from that FarOutRide link - why have such a long exhaust, with a 90deg bend at the end if worried about airflow? Also the silencer pictured is not a 'straight through' type (i.e. the exhaust gases have to bend around 90deg to get through the silencer, which will also restrict flow. Assuming they have a bend down from the heater, they must be close to the maximum recommended 270deg of bends.

 

[dennismo]

Do you guys with an Airtop 2000 have one of the Digital Stats? If so - do you find it reliable? I find that I need to set mine to 8 or 9 degrees to get a temperature of around 20 degrees inside the van (any higher, and it just stays on and doesn't click off, making it unbearably hot!!)

 

[Ali-G]

I usually set mine to 10° otherwise it’s too warm.

 

[Sim73]

Do you guys with an Airtop 2000 have one of the Digital Stats? If so - do you find it reliable? I find that I need to set mine to 8 or 9 degrees to get a temperature of around 20 degrees inside the van (any higher, and it just stays on and doesn't click off, making it unbearably hot!!)

Mine is exactly the same. I nearly cooked the family the first time we used it, as I put it on 21 degrees to go to bed!

 

[dennismo]

@Ali-G @Sim73 this is really interesting... seems to defeat the point of having the smart control if the thermostat is so inaccurate... Very odd! I've pinged an email over to Webasto to see what they say...

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Quite simple - you need to fit a remote temp sensor so that you measure the temp at, say, shoulder height rather than floor height where the temp of the air entering the heater is measured normally. The heater is trying to achieve 20 degrees or so at floor level! This has been covered in other threads.
There is no thermostat to "click" off, the heater automatically adjusts the heat output as the temp of the air entering the heater reaches the setpoint of the rheostat.
Exhaust silencer will fit under the shielding ( mine is under there as per OEM fitting)
The majority of noise from a heater travels back up the inlet ducting and doesn't come from the exhaust. My Webasto Evo40 was whisper quiet in the workshop but once fitted to the van the combustion air fan and the roar of the fuel ignition was very apparent at the inlet vent. A customer of mine also experienced a loud noise from his heater on start up and posted me a video saying that the exhaust was making a lot of noise but it was immediately apparent that the combustion noise was entering the van via the heating air intake. I would experiment on mine with some baffles on the intake if my arthritis would permit me to keep dismantling the intake and test.

Exhaust fitting:

 

[DXX]

It’s the same situation with the Wallas XC Duo.
IMO both types of heaters are designed to heat a far bigger volume of air such as motorhomes and boats. In the case of the Wallas it works far better if the van is ventilated after the air reaches set point temperature, it may well be the same with the Airtop 2000. A SWB Transporter loaded for camping with occupants really doesn‘t have that much air in it hence the need to ventilate.
It’s very important to position the thermostat in an area where air is circulating freely and not close to the floor where it is cooler, higher than the seat head rests I would say.

 

[dennismo]

@oldiebut goodie this is extremely helpful! How easy is it to fit the sensor and any tips where to source from?

@DXX thanks - also very helpful. When you say ventilate - do you mean stick the heater on 'ventilation' mode to get the air flowing around?

 

[DXX]

@oldiebut goodie this is extremely helpful! How easy is it to fit the sensor and any tips where to source from?

@DXX thanks - also very helpful. When you say ventilate - do you mean stick the heater on 'ventilation' mode to get the air flowing around?

No idea what ‘ventilation’ mode is I’m afraid. No I mean have the pop top up or crack the cab windows open.

 

[Ali-G]

When I used to drive trucks and do nights out, I had an Eberspacher. Even on its lowest setting you couldn’t go to bed and leave it on, I used to set the timer so that it came on half an hour before I got up.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

@oldiebut goodie this is extremely helpful! How easy is it to fit the sensor and any tips where to source from?

@DXX thanks - also very helpful. When you say ventilate - do you mean stick the heater on 'ventilation' mode to get the air flowing around?

£45 ish for a STC version:
heater Air Top 2000 ST STC remote temperature sensor |1319842A | 9005004B

You can make your own easy enough it is only a 10KΩ NTC thermistor, available for £3 - £4 if you only buy one.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Link to previous thread re temp control;
Webasto AT 2000 - Temperature Sensor? How Does It Work (as In Setup With Controller Etc)