As part of our core values at Quattro-Tech, honesty, integrity and transparency are always at the forefront of our minds. We love giving back to our community and customers whether that be through valuable advice from our expert team, educational material to broaden the knowledge of like minded camper enthusiasts or through the extensive services of our business.
We hope this insight into our diesel heater installation process will be beneficial to you in one way or another! We would always recommend seeking the help and advice of an expert if you’re unsure on any part of the process during your self-build.
The standard installation position on a T5 5.1 6 6.1 is underneath the vehicle by the driver’s step using a dedicated bracket. This all fits behind the factory underbody plastic shields which protect the heater, pipework and wiring from water and dirt. But also means the install is very inconspicuous.
Ultimately, the reasons why the heater is mounted under the van is to save space inside and also for added safety so no combustion takes place inside the vehicle, consequently reducing the chance of any exhaust gases entering the living space.
The air intake pipe is placed in the driver’s door step so it pulls warmer air into the heater from the cabin rather than from outside the van. This is more efficient as the air inside the van will be warmer than the ambient outside temperature and so the heater doesn’t have to work as hard.
We then route the warm air inlet pipe up under the driver’s seat and a directional vent is placed in a fascia board mounted to the back of the seat base.
The controller for the heater is usually mounted somewhere in the kitchen units of a camper or to the ply panels of a van/kombi to ensure the installation remains as unobtrusive as possible.
The power supply ideally is taken from a leisure battery but can also be connected to the vehicle battery if a leisure battery is not available.
And lastly the diesel heater needs fuel and although these heaters can be supplied by a stand alone tank we much prefer to install a supply from the vehicle’s diesel tank. This is safer as you don’t need a can of fuel loose in the vehicle and also you have a much larger fuel reserve available.
We’re a friendly bunch at QT VanWerks so if you are in need of any assistance then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and a member of our team will be happy to help!