Overnight parking heater - full fan on and off

[zipf]

Hi, parking heater question... This is on a '24 Beach Camper. We used the parking heater overnight recently (not on EHU) and it was more of a disturbance than I was expecting, so wanted to check whether this seems normal:

1. On first turning it on (continuous mode, level 3 or 4), it goes through some normal startup noises (ticking, whirring etc.), then the fan comes on and soon blasts warm air, it's pretty loud (but just fan noise, no squeaks or anything odd).
2. After a while (5-10 min maybe) the fan slows, still putting out warm air.
3. Then after another 5-10 min it seems to turn off (although testing this afternoon, I noticed close up that it was still running very quietly with a little cold air output, at least for some time).
4. Some time later, presumably when the temperature drops sufficiently, it starts again at 1, high fan speed etc. (I'm pretty sure with the startup noises again, although might need to confirm that when not half-asleep).

The full fan after each startup was enough to wake us up a few times. I was expecting after the initial startup that the low-speed fan might come on and off (cycling between 2 and 3), but not a full-speed fan startup each time.

Is this just how it normally works, or does it sound like something's not right? Thanks!

 

[dspuk]

Sounds normal.

 

[chockswahay]

Unfortunately, that is exactly how it works. I had the same level of surprise when we first started using ours. It does seem a daft arrangement tbh but that's VW for you

 

[zipf]

Thanks both. Good to know it's working as expected, I guess I need a stronger nightcap in that case!

 

[Quiddle]

The heater works like a domestic boiler - it's either on or off with no inbetween. The heat settings control a thermostat in the air intake which determines the temperature at which the heater switches off. The low airflow is part of the shutting down process to prevent the combustion chamber overheating.

 

[chockswahay]

@zipf don't forget to join the club 'proper' ....... it will pay for itself many times over

 

[Kingfisher]

The high burn on startup is necessary to heat up the burn chamber. If it's cold enough (if there is enough heat loss), the heater will continue running at a low level. It may help to open a window slightly and/or select a higher thermostat setting. The minimum continuous heat output of the parking heater is around 900 W at its lowest burn. If you need less than that and are on hookup, then a small electric heater does the job with less noise.

 

[andyinluton]

As @Kingfisher said you need to get the balance right between the heater output and the heat loss. The initial start up is also the big battery drain, so ideally you need to keep it running all the time on the lowest output for maximum battery efficiency.
It sounds illogical, but if it cuts out you need to open a window a bit more.

 

[zipf]

Yes, when not on hookup I did wonder about the battery when it keeps restarting. I'll definitely experiment with higher levels, and opening windows and see how we get on with that. I can see the attraction of an electric heater on hookup for overnight.

Thanks!

 

[pchmlk]

Is the heater on newer models different to the 5.1? I’ve had many nights with heater on all night with no sound issue.

 

[andyinluton]

Is the heater on newer models different to the 5.1? I’ve had many nights with heater on all night with no sound issue.

If anything the T6.1 sounds to me to be quieter than the T5.1, certainly the tick of the fuel pump is less.

 

[Princess Doris]

Our new 6.1 is fairly quiet. Certainly never wakes us up.
We have the setting much higher. Normally around 7.
We seem to get a nice steady heat flow.

 

[zipf]

I thought I'd give setting 7 a try. 6C outside, presumably inside the van was similar. The heater started up at full speed as usual. 52 min later, it was still going at full speed 30.4C in the van ! (I was determined to see just when it was going to switch down, but ultimately it beat me!). I changed to setting 5, it dropped down to low heat output, so I opened a door and window to see if I could keep it there. Maybe wasn't quick enough because 4 min later it turned off completely (well, went to the minimal cold air output). At this point, with a headache and slightly less full diesel tank I quit. On the plus side, I did get some drying done.

I wonder what setting 8 is like...