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Eberspacher Airtronic install location


Jocklandjohn

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I've picked up an Airtronic D2 hot air blower to fit in the 110. Have two options, one in the rear behind the bulkhead in a full-width metal storage box I've already fitted, air drawn in from behind the seat and out at floor level into the rear. Advantage is it's easy to do and needs little additional fabrication. Disadvantge is I lose some storage space due to the heater unit's size/shape and piping, and the space needed around it for ventilation.

Alternative location, and my preference, is under the driver's seat in the underseat box. I just need to extend the box a bit, both wider and deeper which is easy enough. Air intake can be at foot level on the seatbox, and air outlet piped through to the rear. However part of my plan is to install a larger auxiliary battery in that space also. The installation manual doesn't adivse against it, and I cant see anything online either, although one excellent post here covers installation of a D4W and D2 in a 90. The author specifically states "Battery box installations are recommended by Espar / Eberspacher" for the D4W (water) version. I'm assuming this might hold for the D2 Air version also?

My concern is - will having the Airtronic unit relatively close to a battery be any good for either? I can put in a small bulkead to separate them with insulation on it easily enough. Just concerned about the general wisdom of a battery and heater in close proximity. (if it was a petrol heater I'd keep it well away but diesel *may* be a different matter?)

Anyone got any experience/knowledge of this sort of installation?

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Mine is installed under the drivers seat with the outlet coming out via the cubby box, I'm happy with how that works, my second battery is in the original battery compartment as there was enough room there with a bit of fiddling about.

Given the choice I think I'd rather have the battery and the heater reasonably well separated, but if you are extending the under seat box you can prob manage that.

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Not sure about the combination although I can't see it would be a problem as the heater/flame is fully isolated assuming your air inlet and exhaust will both be exiting out of the bottom of the under-seat box. You'll want to build some sort of protection for that pipework though as it's a bit vulnerable off road just there.

I think your biggest issue will be the physical space, the Airtronic is not exactly small and the under seat box doesn't have all that much room to grow so I'm not sure there would be enough space, even with a custom box, to fit both in. Can you not just put the aux battery in the battery box ?

 

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Thanks Dave(s)!

The possible exposure under the seat is one thing I'd thought about and fabbing up a protector/deflector - I did this with a water tank's outlet. However this was before getting it, but when I looked at the manual it offers the option of a horizontal mount with the air intake and exhaust coming out the side.

I've got two batteries in the battery box passenger side but because its bottom slopes thats not deep enough for a bigger AH battery (which I"d like to have) beside the starter, plus the variety of wiring thats in there. (and thats with a separate fuse panel in the middle behind the cubby.) So I was going to put one battery on each side.

I think I might explore other locations - there's a few obvious places but I've got various tanks and storage stuff slung in the wheel arch extensions which prevent the piping coming through.

Thanks for your thoughts.

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I think one of the most underutilised voids in a 109 or 110's body is behind the rear right wheel.  The opposite side sports a locker on 109s and some 110s, and fuel can lockers are a popular storage addition in front of the wheel arch, but the rear tank filler neck makes utilisation of that void difficult.  This is the sort of item that could make very effective use of the space.

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Got my DL1C in the 110 rear tub RHS, it's well out of the way as i have a ffr radio table just in front of it, the exhaust ends up dropping down into the wheel arch void just behind the side locker. a slightly longer piece of rubber tubing is pushed through the wheel arch and over the chassis to draw clean air to burn from the centre of the chassis area. The wiring pump etc is all inside the vehicle with the airflow pointing backwards along the rhs of the tub (designed to add some ducting at some point) and keep it against the tub outer edge. Also allows a flexi hose to be plugged in to throw hot air into the 9x9 tent. The colder inlet air is drawn from under the radio table void and around the battery box against the bulkhead..

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Thanks chaps. I've measured up space, factored in exhaust and air intake vulnerability, and other fittings I've got added on already and gone for an installation behind the bulkhead at the back of the driver seat, parallel with the wheel arch.

Snagger : I've put a sandwich tank in there already to increase the fuel capacity, and in front of the arch an external locker. On the opposite side above the exhaust I've got a small (grey*) water tank, and ahead of the wheel arch is a long freshwater tank. (*Might be a bit of a luxury - but I dont like spewing out grey water when I'm camping then walking through it and climbing back inside again!)

I've got a storage box/bench across the width behind the bulkhead and I'll steal a bit of space from in there to fit it. Advantage is that it means the air and exhaust pipes come down near the chassis leg and are protected by it, and the fuel line can run along the top of the chassis and be well out of the way of damage.

I can pull air into the heater through a vent behind the seat and this location also gives good power access to the fuesbox I've fitted on the bulkhead behind the centre cubby box.

I'll still use the underseat box for a battery though as it's rotten with rust and when I rebuild it I can drop it down a few inches and be able to stick a taller battery in.

Thanks for the advice!   (I'll pop some pictures up when  I get down to it).

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6 hours ago, pete3000 said:

Got my DL1C in the 110 rear tub RHS, it's well out of the way as i have a ffr radio table just in front of it, the exhaust ends up dropping down into the wheel arch void just behind the side locker. a slightly longer piece of rubber tubing is pushed through the wheel arch and over the chassis to draw clean air to burn from the centre of the chassis area. The wiring pump etc is all inside the vehicle with the airflow pointing backwards along the rhs of the tub (designed to add some ducting at some point) and keep it against the tub outer edge. Also allows a flexi hose to be plugged in to throw hot air into the 9x9 tent. The colder inlet air is drawn from under the radio table void and around the battery box against the bulkhead..

I like the idea of putting an extension out to heat a tent - never thought of that - genius! I may pinch that one.

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