I believe the 2800 is better for a few reasons;

1) I assume less 12vdc energy used per BTU provided

2) 2800 is the max energy you will get out of it. With higher altitudes I have found I have to dial back the propane pressure & that will yield less BTUs

 

How do you dial back the pressure? I wonder if this will help mine with altitude. Do they sell regulators with easy adjustment or do you turn the screw each time you adjust? Also, how do you check the pressure? Do those little WC gauges work in the side port of the regulator?

 

I have the HS2000 on a 159 HT which is right at 20 ft long, the same as a Transit 148. Have run it from sea level to 10,000 ft without any adjustments. Run it at the 8 o'clock position for sleep most of the time. If I had to do it over again I would have looked harder at the HS2211 that can be mounted under the floor to gain more interior space and less noise.

I went with Propex since I was committed to a propane stove and hot water heater and the problems the diesel and gas heaters have at altitude.

 

I liked “the idea” of the HS2211 & thought the same “nice to have under chassis”. I am a bit confused about the supply & return air with it (seen these ducts 2 ways in different photos - end fittings & top fittings) 🤔. I do not understand how that works & Propex info glosses over such, although somewhat indicates it in diagrams.

The Pros of the under chassis mount the HS2211;
All exterior propane connections & combustion chamber
Minor interior space required
Easier installation (possibly) & maybe provides better floorplan layout
No flue spigots inside & spigot connections all outside


The Cons of under mount HS2211;
Possible road & enviro damages ,, corrosion etc
Combustion chamber on exterior ,, less efficient as heat loss to outside (not to inside)
Possibly more difficult to service / repair ( especially in harsher weather ,, snow, rain, extreme cold )


Hey @mcneill78@windstream.net do you know or have photos of the HS2211 with duct fittings on the top of these units rather then the ends (with I assume a couple of 90s)? I would be less happy with 90s & more happy with top combustion chamber duct receptacles.

HS2211 Furnace • Propane underfloor heater from Propex

The Propex HS2211 furnace is a propane fired heater which can be mounted externally underneath the vehicle freeing up valuable interior space.

www.propexheatsource.com

https://propexheatsource.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/HS2211-underloor-installation.pdf

 

I have the 2000 in a moderatly well insulated 159 HT. I think it is undersized and if I did it again I would go with the 2800. We like to sleep cold and turn it off at night so it's not uncommon to be low 40s inside in the morning, the 2000 takes a long time to warm it up from that. Maybe if you ran it all night it would be better, but that's not how we use it.

But overall the unit is nice, easy to use and reliable.

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My van is well insulated , I also like to sleep with temps down and then heat up in
morning and I will have open garage space also so I have to take that into account
If one has to run the 2000 more versus the 2800 , I don’t think one will use that much
propane With the 2800 ??

 

Propane used/needed really depend mostly upon (in order of importance or high propane use);

1. Environment ,,, the Delta (difference) in temperature (inside & outside)
2. Your Build ,,, Windows & Insulation
3. Efficency of Your Furnace

My concerns for our van in priority of conservation surprised me once we started using our van & they are (in order of importance of conservation);

1. Fresh Water ,,, 44gals
2. 12vdc battery power
3. Propane

 

Since we don't run ours all night, propane use is not that high. I have an 11# and a 5# tanks. We don't refill very often.

If you want to heat up fast go with the 2800, I'm sorry I didn't.

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I installed the 2800 and glad I went with that over the 2000. I think the 2000 could keep up, but I love how fast the 2800 warms up the van. We do leave it on at night at ~64 degrees, but I like to blast it first thing in the morning, and also sometimes turn the thermostat down to 58 in the evenings if we are outside and we like to blast it to 70 before turning it down for bed.

 

If you can be without your heater for a bit, Propex will fix the altitude issues under warranty. Their US distributor is in Ft Collins, CO, so if you're on the road and can stop by I imagine they can fix it same day (you'll likely need to take it out of the van for them). I don't know who the Canadian distributor is. Ours originally would have ignition issues above ~8k ft (weather dependent, varied by a few hundred feet), but after the fix we've never had any trouble with it from sea level to nearly 11k ft.

 

I considered this in June when we went through Fort Collins, but it was not under warranty and removing the Propex would be difficult so I didn't.

 

On the subject of propex, I called Go westy (listed as a dealer on the propex web site).

GoWesty • Premier Parts Supplier for VW Bus, Vanagon, & Eurovan

GoWesty is just like the dealer, except totally different. We are crazy about these vehicles, and it shows in everything we do. We work on them, we drive them, and we love them—and based upon just how busy all of us are every day—you feel the same way!

gowesty.com

It turns out that they have switched to mostly being an online store with a VW focus - but no longer install heaters.

My primary interest was in 24 volt powered heaters for a customer project.

I asked what he thought about installing heaters at essentially sea level and people using them at elevation for ski trips if there were any issues. "Yep"

@RV8R I sure hope that you can figure this all out as I really would like an option that I can count on to put in peoples' vans without getting phone calls from people on a cold morning with their families.

 

Hi @HarryN

I sure hope I can get answers from “Propex UK” & “Van Cafe” also.

I have no problem paying for higher end products, as long as it comes with “Corporate Philosophy & Corporate Communication” that supports “The Customer”.

If I get; Ignored, Past Off, or Excessive Road Blocks from product manufacturers or dealers then in return “they reap what they sow”. I will avoid “Dometic” due to my direct experience with them & their “Corporate Culture”. If anyone is interested you can read all about my experience with Dometic here ( all over a $10 seal & they have pretty much lost me as a customer forever ).

Dometic Portable Toilet

So I am trying to find a seal that goes in the tank of our Dometic Portable Toilet. Sometimes things I think should be very simple become a research nightmare (this is one of those times). Do any of you have this toilet and have you replaced the tank seal? Here is the info on this model...

www.promasterforum.com

Getting back to Propex; I am doing my best to get the altitude fix & the issues around that problem clearly identified & if I am successful I will post the information here on The Forum. To date, I have had one very short email from “Van Cafe” & yesterday I asked for further clarification. I am in a holding pattern waiting for my questions to be answered.

Propex UK provided a what I assume to be a computer based acknowledgement of my initial inquiry. This is their assumed computer message from my message to them “specifically requesting they do not pass me off” ,,, their computer messag back details they will be passing me off. 🤷‍♂️

 

My Propex HS2800 Altitude Issue:

So after much correspondence between Van Cafe originally & then onto Propex UK I can relay the following information FWIW;

Operational or Performance Specifications ,,, From Propex UK;

1. Minimum Altitude - None Specified
2. Maximum Altitude - None Specified (but Customer feedback suggests approximately 12,000’)
3. Minimum Supply Pressure - 22mBar
4. Maximum Supply Pressure - 40mBar
5. Wind - Certification testing requires 60mph – no gusts
6. Any Other Restrictions - All above can and will be affected by varying factors of temperature, altitude, humidity, combustion pipe lengths, ducting runs etc.

Information from Van Cafe;

Regulated Pressure 11”WC - 12”WC

Van Cafe has a “Proprietary Fix” to rectify these heaters that have altitude issues. They refer to this fix as An “ECO” which stands for “ Engineering Change Order”.

 

Further; while away on the last couple of van trips October & November, we have been @ 8,000’ & Sea Level. In October in Moab I adjusted our regulator to 9”WC static to get it to run at about 7,000’ & left the pressure setting at the 9”WC ever since.

I have not had one failure yet since I reduced the supply pressure to 9”WC (high or low altitudes).

I placed a warranty claim with my Canadian Propex Dealer in late November & have not yet heard back from him.

“Just Da Facts” ,,,

 

Further; while away on the last couple of van trips October & November, we have been @ 8,000’ & Sea Level. In October in Moab I adjusted our regulator to 9”WC static to get it to run at about 7,000’ & left the pressure setting at the 9”WC ever since.

I have not had one failure yet since I reduced the supply pressure to 9”WC (high or low altitudes).

I placed a warranty claim with my Canadian Propex Dealer in late November & have not yet heard back from him.

“Just Da Facts” ,,,

If it's working since you adjusted it, why the warranty claim?

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