Espar?

[layoutshooter]

What do ESPAR units cost? How much is installation? How well do they really work in a 96" sleeper? Who has one in a large sleeper? I am looking for reall world reports. Thanks
Layoutshooter

[piper1]

Should be under $1500 installed. Dunno about the 96 but it will sweat me out of a 70 inch in minus 30 weather.

[dcalien]

I have the D2 unit which is the smallest one. Had it installed at Espar of Michigan. Total cost installed was 1600 bucks.

I am in a Sprinter which is not insulated at all. (bad idea). I have a curtain which can block off the back which leaves me heating about 80 inches of space by 60 inches.

My first night in it was 3 below zero. It kept me barely warm. I know if I was insulated it would have worked well. Anything from the teens and up, and if I have the thermostat set too high, I wake up sweating.

I don't know how much diesel it uses, though I would guess it to be about one gallon on a very cold 12 hours or so. It runs off my vehicle fuel tank.

It is very small in size (about the size of one size thirteen shoe), It has one very small control mounted on my sidewall Three buttons...on, off, fan only. And it has a small rotary switch to set the temperature.

It is extremely easy to operate, and sounds like a muffled turbo when it is running.

Hope this info is helpful.

[layoutshooter]

Thanks for the help. I always know that I can count on people here to help me learn. Anyone with a big sleeper have one? From what was said here I think it would work fine. Layoutshooter

[dabluzman1]

The truck we drive has the SST100 condo. It came equipped with the Webasto heater, which
I think is similar to the Espar.
This past winter we were kept toasty warm in our 100" condo by this little heater even in
sub-zero weather.
Highly recommend them.

[layoutshooter]

Thanks, Linda and Dave, that is what I was looking for. We might put one in. It would save running the APU just for heat. Layoutshooter

[dabluzman1]

Glad to help.
Most nites we didnt even use the apu. the draw from the heater wouldnt run our batteries down unless we ran it over 6 or 8 hours. i'd shut the apu off around 10 or 11 and we still
would be reading 12.3 to 12.4 at 6. we run off our truck batteries. we dont have deep
cycle and so far so good since nov. 10th, '07.

[layoutshooter]

Great, I think I will have to looking one. I have a six battery system. 2 deep cycle and 4 starters. The sleeper batteries should run one most of the night. My APU will start on it's own if the batteries get too low. Layoutshooter

[Turtle]

The Espar heater uses very few amp hours. A single dirt cheap trolling battery can handle an Espar for days. You're deep cycles will barely know it's there.

The Airtronic 2 (the smaller one)
8.3 amps - Start (a few seconds)
2.8 amps - Boost (3-8 minutes)
1.9 amps - High (usually less than 10 minutes)
1.0 amps - Medium
0.7 amps - Low
Low and Medium is there it spends the vast majority of time

Even if you assume 2 amps per hour in a relatively badly insulated sleeper, you're looking at 24 amp hours drawn from the battery after 12 hours.

On fuel consumption, while I'm at it... number of gallons per hour
Boost 0.07
High 0.06
Medium 0.04
Low 0.03

So if it spends most the time in Medium, after 12 hours it will have used about half a gallon of fuel, much less than an APU, even.

[layoutshooter]

It will also cut the noise factor and save hours on the APU. These are all reasons I am looking at these things. What about thier engine block heaters, anyone in here have one? If so, how do you like it? Layoutshooter

[pelicn]

Is there a solution to cooling in the summer? We can't have a rooftop A/C unit because the roof of this sleeper is a *&^% swimming pool and the underbunk that was installed is terrible!

We used an espar heater when we drove T/T and we loved it!

[layoutshooter]

Running my APU is the only way to keep cool that I know of. And it is only so so. Layoutshooter