Will puddles cause issues with my underslung gas, water and heater units?
- Thread starter bluesky
- Start date
You aren't driving a boat!
Never really looked into it as I won't be green laning or anything but I would have thought as the tanks are sealed for gas and water, unless your sitting in a body of water for ages then I wouldn't think water should get in? Maybe someone who does off roading can share some insight.
The heater wouldn't like being submerged i would think but I don't know anything about off roading or driving acoss fords to know how much water can makes its way up into the under carriage type area where it's mounted. I suppose the conversion company might know but if its just a swamper look you've asked for with a heater then thats different to a fully functional off roading machine you're planning on taking through rivers/fords.
The heater wouldn't like being submerged i would think but I don't know anything about off roading or driving acoss fords to know how much water can makes its way up into the under carriage type area where it's mounted. I suppose the conversion company might know but if its just a swamper look you've asked for with a heater then thats different to a fully functional off roading machine you're planning on taking through rivers/fords.
Only stop at VW sites not ones with a Ford, also don't slam your van and even tread warily over kerbs and speed humps... If you are slammed with all that good stuff underneath then sometimes reversing over the obstruction works or at least only rips down the spare wheel before the water tank and heaters giving you the option to stop the process at any point if you want.
i went to my local van customiser today to get a quote on a diesel heater and he used some of the words above (fjord, flood, puddle) to try and persuade me to put the heater under the drivers seat.
not sure i want it in the vehicle. little enough spare space in there as it is.
not sure i want it in the vehicle. little enough spare space in there as it is.
Mike's under the floor under the driver's seat, air inlet set into the doorstep and outlet behind the driver's seat sticking up through the floor.
I am really impressed by the 'how to' videos from this company, plus the reputation of their products and excellent tech support. So all in all I am pretty sold on the idea of buying one of their heaters. With the after-market swivel bases I have fitted (SVB Accessories) to my front seats, I think the heater will have to go under the van. Clearly, it will be protected from road filth by the underfloor screens, I was wondering how the heater would cope with driving through a ford or flooded road? I am not thinking of anything epic here, but it is not unknown to come across 12" of water on a lane in heavy weather. Anyone have any experience of this?
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Support Ukraine.
Do not support Russia by buying their products.
Do not support Russia by buying their products.
Any underfloor mounted heater would suffer if you flood it. What height do you have under the SVB swivel base? I know they say you can’t get a leisure battery in, but the dimensions might allow a 2kw diesel heater.
Until we had a chance to pull over, I drove (albeit slowly) through some quite horrendous road condition in a storm in South of France last year which included the road being under about three of inches of water - worst rain I’ve ever encountered anywhere in the world. I didn’t even think about the underslung Planar until later but it was completely unscathed. And yes, I’d rather not have a Russian heater but it was already there when I bought the van!
My two pennies worth. I had an issue with my diesel heater fitted under the van. When it went in to service/repair it, it was found to have suffered water damage. Whoever had fitted it, had the air intake facing the front of the van and not rear facing. The water more than likely had been getting in in very heavy rain (not flooded roads or fords as I hadn't been through any) and from water thrown up from the front wheel.
Thanks all, I think I will give further thought to the location and make of heater.
On the subject of supporting Ukraine, I noticed on the Planar website that the Autoterm heaters were manufactured in Russia, so I gave them a call.
They told me the manufacturing company was Lithuanian/Latvian (I forget which) and up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the heaters were indeed made in Russia.
After the invasion, the company shut down its manufacturing operation in Russia and is now in the process of moving it out of the country.
Planar told me that the stock they hold was in the UK before the outbreak of war. So purchased when pretty much the whole world was buying Russian fossil fuels, timber products, vodka etc.
On the subject of supporting Ukraine, I noticed on the Planar website that the Autoterm heaters were manufactured in Russia, so I gave them a call.
They told me the manufacturing company was Lithuanian/Latvian (I forget which) and up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the heaters were indeed made in Russia.
After the invasion, the company shut down its manufacturing operation in Russia and is now in the process of moving it out of the country.
Planar told me that the stock they hold was in the UK before the outbreak of war. So purchased when pretty much the whole world was buying Russian fossil fuels, timber products, vodka etc.
