Diesel Heater Installation

The short version

What’s the job?: I supply and fit diesel heaters at my workshop in Llanfairfechan. Mostly Autoterm, and Webasto if you’d rather.
Does the van stay?: Fitting can be done same day.
What do you need from me for a quote?: Every van is different, so the best thing is to get in touch and talk it through.
How do I get in touch?: WhatsApp is the best way to get hold of me. Or ring 07584 865427.

I’m a registered Autoterm installer, listed on Autoterm’s own website, and a Webasto technician.

Which diesel heater do I need?

Autoterm is what I fit most. It’s a blown air heater in two sizes:

Autoterm Air 2D: 2kW
Autoterm Air 4D: 4kW

Which one depends on the van and how you use it. Ring me and I’ll tell you.

Autoterm units come with a three year warranty, and it applies because a trained, registered installer fitted it.

Can a diesel heater heat water as well?

The Autoterm Baltica can. It works differently from the 2D and 4D.

It’s a wet heating system, so it heats water, and that water is used for:

Domestic hot water for the tap and the shower
Heating for the van through radiators or fan coils, with underfloor heating possible

It’s also got electric elements, so when you’re plugged in at a site it’ll run off mains hookup instead of burning diesel.

The Baltica is new to the UK market and I’m fitting it. If you’re building or specifying a van where hot water matters as much as heating, this is the one to talk to me about. It makes most sense if you do longer trips or live in the van. You get a proper shower.

A shower cubicle inside a campervan: white wall panelling, a patterned tiled wall in ochre and grey, and a black shower head on a riser rail. — What hot water actually buys you. A Baltica heats the water as well as the van.

Is Webasto better than Autoterm?

They’re comparable products and both come with warranties. Webasto costs more.

I’m a Webasto technician as well, so I can fit either. I recommend Autoterm to most people because it’s cheaper, and most people coming to me are watching what they spend. If you’ve got a reason to want Webasto, say so and that’s what I’ll fit.

How is the heater fitted?

The heater goes inside the van, not slung underneath it
Fuel comes from the vehicle’s own tank. I don’t fit separate tanks
The exhaust runs underneath the vehicle, like any other exhaust

An Autoterm diesel heater mounted low in a timber cabinet inside a van, before the panelling goes on, with its fuel line and wiring running up the pine-clad wall. — An Autoterm heater mounted in its timber cabinet, before the panelling goes on.

A corner of a campervan interior showing a round black warm-air outlet vent set into a cream panel next to a mains socket and USB outlet, with an oak floor and a patterned rug below. — Where the warm air comes out. The vent sits low, next to the sockets.

The inside wall of a campervan with a black heater control panel mounted on the left, a gooseneck reading light on a timber block, a wave-shaped timber coat hook rail and a framed print. — The controller, mounted where you can reach it from the bed.

Will you fit a heater I’ve bought myself?

Yes, including the cheap Chinese units, for a flat fee of £350.

On a customer-supplied unit there’s no warranty and no guarantee, and I hold no responsibility if the heater doesn’t work. I’ll fit it correctly. I can’t make a bad heater into a good one.

It isn’t a job I go looking for. I’d far rather supply you a genuine Autoterm that’s reliable and has three years of warranty behind it. But if you’ve already bought one, the offer’s there. The terms are exactly as above.

How long does it take?

An installation takes one day. It can be done same day. Lead time before I can book you in varies, so give me a ring and I’ll tell you where I am.

What vehicles do you fit them to?

Campervans, day vans and horseboxes. A day van is a campervan as far as this work goes, it’s the same thing.

Not boats.

What warranty do I get?

Autoterm’s three year warranty covers the heater itself, and it applies because a registered installer fitted it.
My two year guarantee covers the installation, so my labour and my fitting.

Between them the unit and the work are both covered. Full terms are on my guarantee page, including what happens with a customer-supplied heater, which is the one case where neither applies.

Do I have to bring the van to you?

Yes. The van comes to my workshop in Llanfairfechan for the fitting. It’s just off the A55 between Bangor and Conwy.

Customers come over from Wrexham regularly, and I’ve had vans from Manchester and further. If you’re stuck somewhere, ring me and I’ll see what I can do.