It’s time to focus on getting some heat in the van. We had previously ordered an Espar Airtronic B1LC heater. The cool thing about these heaters is that they run directly off the fuel in your gas tank. The Ford Transit tank even has an auxiliary port so it is not hard to add the fuel line to the existing tank.
People put these heaters in various locations with the space under the passenger seat being the most popular. Unfortunately on the Transit this location is not without its challenges because the underside of van beneath the seat is not a very clear area. It takes some pretty creative arranging to make it work. It also requires the fuel line and the electrical line to the pump be strung all the way across the van, over the van exhaust and drive shaft.
I spent a good part of the day reading all the material that came with the heater, looking at the parts to understand what they do, and reading and watching some videos online. I also spent a bunch of time on the creeper under the van and measuring and thinking.
Now I know why it is called a creeper!
I finally decided to put the heater in a different location than under the seat. Our refrigerator is going just in front of the driver’s side rear wheel well. I built it about 7 inches off the floor and was going to put a drawer underneath. Instead, I’ve decided this is the best location for the heater. I will be able to easily route both the induction air and the heated air from/to places that make sense. The area under the floor is relatively clear (it was actually not as clear as I first thought, but it still works pretty easily) and it is directly behind the gas tank. This should make the plumbing very easy.
I think drilling these holes was scarier than the fan or window I installed because it feels like there is more at stake. This is an optional mounting location so it somehow feels like I could get it wrong. The other holes were pretty standard in where they went so I didn’t feel like I was make a monumental decision. Anyway, I drilled my first hole…and decided it was in the wrong spot.
The open area under the floor I hoped to use was a little too far into the middle of the van. It was still under the refrigerator cabinet, but it would have put the body of the heater nudging the outside of the cabinet. Good thing I only drilled a tiny pilot hole to check my location. I guess I can just fill it with silicone! Plan B was a narrower opening between two reinforcements under the floor so I moved it there.
This will make it slightly harder to work on if anything goes wrong later, but it puts it in a better location in the cabinet. After I drilled out the holes I decided to completely cut out the floor area around the air intake and the exhaust ports on the bottom. I will mount the heater to a plate that was included with the kit and secure the plate to the floor. This should give me the ability to unhook the heater from under the floor if I need to remove it.
Once I have everything arranged I will make a metal ring to surround the hole and protect the insulation. I will probably just slather a ton of silicone in there to seal it all up nicely. I’ll also paint the metal to prevent rust.