Heat Your Feet! How To Install A Hydronic System In Your Van

#vanlife #sprinter #vanconversion #sponsored

Disclaimer* We aren't professional “Van converter people '' so this is our experience with installing a hydronic heating system. There’s no one way to do this, and it never hurts to check out other content/professionals to get a second opinion. *

Speaking of other people’s content, we got inspiration from a few other Youtubers, and would like to thank them!

Freedom Strider :    / @freedomstrider  
Dares Drives :    / @daresdrives  

Anyway, this is our install of the D5S Hydronic heater from Heatso, which has been tested and is up and running!

We chose the D5S which is compatible with a high altitude kit, because we sometimes camp at elevations greater than 10,000ft. For most of you, the newer model D5E is a great option. Luckily for you, almost all of the installation process is the same, so follow along, and we’ll point out any differences.

You can grab yourself a D5S or D5E over at Heatso!
D5S: https://tinyurl.com/4z945dy8
D5E: https://tinyurl.com/2za8cbf6

You might be overwhelmed by everything that comes along with your kit, but if you go step by step, it all starts to make sense. We started our install with all the components that needed to be installed on the exterior of our van. Here’s a few of the items we used in order to do that.

Rivnut Toolkit: https://amzn.to/3sX18YX
Makita Kit: https://amzn.to/3uNOHkE
Thread Lock: https://amzn.to/3LsCOqh
Primer: https://amzn.to/3gJJjqq
Quad Max: https://amzn.to/3HP08fw

For many of you with newer vans, you may already have an auxiliary fuel line installed. All you need is a quick connect adapter to tap into it. Here’s the link for the supplies you’ll need to tap into an existing line:

AUX Quick Connect: https://amzn.to/3HPeYTi
AUX Quick Connect Tee: https://amzn.to/3GMlNUq

If you’re unlucky like us and you need to install one, you'll need to drop your fuel tank and pop it open to run the new line.

¼” Hose: https://amzn.to/3BkCeGr
¼” Loom: https://amzn.to/3Bgaa6Z

In order to run our glycol lines from the heater to the van, we needed to measure and cut holes in our subfloor.

Hole Saw Kit: https://amzn.to/3gLsf3c
Cable Boot: https://amzn.to/3gKZnYR

We had to purchase several fittings for our Two Pipe system. Here's a few links to the products we purchased.

¾ Three-way Valve : https://tinyurl.com/4x7e56ff
¾ to Barbed : https://tinyurl.com/44brwj5u
¾ to ½ : https://tinyurl.com/muanpbre
½ PEX Elbow : https://tinyurl.com/mtnszhkr
¾ Elbow : https://tinyurl.com/bx5trrz8
¾ Tee : https://tinyurl.com/2p9e5cem
¾ to ⅝ Tee :
Purge Valve : https://tinyurl.com/yckvr4j8

The wiring requires a few special tools.

Molex Crimping Tool: https://amzn.to/3rNvAp1
Terminal Removal Kit: https://amzn.to/3614TV8

We purchased a premixed propylene glycol product called CryoTek 100. Use the table on the jug to determine if you should dilute the mixture, depending on the length of your system tubing, the size of your lines, and the temperature you want your system to hold up to.

CryTek 100: https://tinyurl.com/4m832t26

With our lines hooked up and every component wired, we ran a test of the system.

Temperature Gun: https://amzn.to/3oLA4Ky
Decibel Reader: https://amzn.to/3uNFo3W

We’ve tested the heated floor and the air matrix a few times and they seem to be operating well. We don't have our water lines hooked up yet, so we plan on putting out a full review detailing the efficiency of the system and energy/diesel consumption in the future. So stay tuned and be sure to subscribe to follow along!

If you have any questions make sure to shoot me an email at [email protected] or leave a comment!

You can also support the channel by becoming a Patreon member!

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27667694

Oh yeah, we have some air fresheners available on our shop page here:

https://dogcatmanvan.myshopify.com/

Follow us on instagram @dogcatmanvan

00:00 Intro
00:26 D5S vs D5E
2:40 Heater Install
11:50 Auxiliary Fuel Line Install
18:00 Diesel Pump Install
19:59 Water Pump
20:47 Interior Preparation
23:05 Single vs Two Line Systems
26:04 Our System Layout
30:10 Electrical
40:04 Glycol Mixture and System Testing
44:12 Heated Floor Experiment
47:05 Conclusion