Camper van heating: which system suits you?

Heating in your camper van isn't just about comfort. It also prevents condensation, which leads to mould and moisture damage to your interior. When warm, humid air meets cold walls, moisture condenses on the surface. A good heater keeps the air dry and your camper healthy.

Heating also protects your water system from freezing. If you travel in winter and temperatures drop below zero at night, water lines and the pump can freeze and break. A heater running overnight prevents this.

Finally, heating is the difference between a summer-only camper and a true four-season van. With the right heating system you extend your travel season by months.

There are four common heating systems for camper vans:

Diesel heater (Webasto, Eberspächer, or Chinese variant)The most popular choice. Burns diesel from your own fuel tank and blows hot air into the camper. Pros: very efficient, low power consumption (1-3A at 12V), works independently of external power, and diesel is available everywhere. Cons: installation is complex (fuel line, exhaust, air intake), produces noise, and cheap variants can be less reliable.

Gas heater (Truma, Propex)Burns propane or butane. Pros: heats up quickly, relatively quiet, proven technology. Cons: gas bottles take up space, butane doesn't work below 0°C, you need to refill regularly, and gas requires certified installation for vehicle inspection.

Electric heaterRuns on 230V (shore power) or 12V. Pros: no emissions, no fuel line installation, simple. Cons: enormous power consumption — a 1000W electric heater draws 98A from a 12V battery through an inverter, which is impossible off-grid. Only practical on shore power.

Wood stoveAtmospheric option, popular in larger vans. Pros: cosy, dries the air well, no electricity needed. Cons: takes up a lot of space, fire risk, difficult to install, not approved for vehicle inspection in many countries, and you need to carry wood.

The most common heating question is 2 or 4 kilowatts, and the answer depends on three things: the size of your living space, how well it is insulated and how cold it gets where you travel.

For an average panel van up to about six metres with normal insulation, 2 kilowatts is generally enough in north-west Europe, frost included. A bigger van, a poorly insulated van or winter sports at altitude shift that to 4 kilowatts.

A heater that is too big is not better. It reaches the set temperature too quickly, drops back to its lowest setting and stays there, and it is precisely on that lowest setting that a diesel heater burns incompletely and lays down soot in the burner. Heaters that clog up early are almost always oversized for the space they heat.

Insulation does more for your comfort than power does. A well insulated van with 2 kilowatts is warmer and cheaper to run than a bare van with 4 kilowatts, and quieter too, because the heater has to fire up less often.

The power consumption of your heater determines how much battery capacity you need and how long you can stay off-grid.

Diesel heater: uses 0.1-0.5 litres of diesel per hour, depending on the setting. Electrical consumption is low: 1-3A at 12V (12-36W) for the fan and glow plug. With a 200Ah lithium battery you can easily run a diesel heater for 48-72 hours without recharging. Peak current during startup is higher (around 8-10A), but only lasts 1-2 minutes.

Gas heater: uses 100-300 grams of gas per hour. A standard 11 kg gas bottle lasts 35-110 hours. Power consumption is minimal: only the fan draws 0.5-1.5A at 12V. Butane doesn't work below 0°C, so use propane in winter.

Electric heater: a 1000W heater on 230V draws around 98A from a 12V battery through an inverter, because its efficiency of roughly 85 percent counts too. That drains a 200Ah battery in a little over two hours. On shore power the same heater draws 4 to 5A and there is no problem. Electric heating is therefore only realistic when connected to shore power.

Wood stove: no electricity needed, but you need to carry wood or collect it along the way. Expect to use 1-2 kg of wood per hour on cold evenings.

Warm air rises, so you blow in low and draw off high. That is the whole principle of good air distribution, and it often gets reversed because it fitted better behind a cupboard.

The heater itself usually sits under a bench, under the bed or in a locker, with combustion air and exhaust going outside through the floor. What matters there:

• The exhaust must vent freely outside, away from where you sit and away from any window or hatch you open
• The heater needs cooling space of its own; sealing it into a closed cupboard invites faults
• The control panel goes where its temperature sensor measures something meaningful, so not right next to an outlet and not in the sun

For distribution: one outlet low in the living area, and if you can run a second, put it at the bed or in the wet room. An outlet in the garage or under the bed keeps the water tank and the battery above freezing in winter, and that is worth more than a third outlet in the living space.

Two people produce roughly a litre of moisture in a night from breathing and perspiration alone, and cooking and showering come on top. Warm air can carry that moisture; cold air cannot. As soon as that warm air meets a cold window or a cold wall, the moisture settles there.

So ventilating belongs with heating, not against it. A camper sealed tight with the heater running is a camper with wet corners and mould behind the panelling.

What works: a roof hatch left ajar, or vents low and high so air moves through slowly. That costs heat, but much less than most people think, and much less than drying out a wet wall costs.

A diesel or gas heater with an exhaust to the outside burns outside air and therefore dries the air inside; a burner without an exhaust does the opposite and puts all its combustion moisture into your living space. That is one of the reasons a loose gas burner as a heater is a bad idea.

A diesel heater is a small combustion engine without wheels: it needs maintenance and it lets you know when it has not had any.

The classic fault is soot in the burner from running too long on the lowest setting. The remedy is to let it run at full power regularly, say half an hour a week in season, so it burns itself clean. That is also why an oversized heater fails sooner than a well chosen one.

Altitude is the second. Above roughly 1,500 metres there is less oxygen and combustion goes out of balance; some heaters have an altitude mode, others do not. Anyone heading to the mountains checks that before leaving.

The third is fuel. In winter, diesel sold in cold regions is treated against waxing, but summer diesel left in the tank can cause trouble in hard frost. In winter, fill up where you are driving.

Beyond that: once a year, check the exhaust and the air intake for blockages, and replace the strainer or filter in the fuel line as the manual prescribes.

Heating in a small space comes with risks. Here are the key safety rules:

CO detector: a carbon monoxide detector is absolutely essential with any combustion heater (diesel, gas, wood). CO is odourless and can be lethal. Mount the detector at breathing height, not near the ceiling. Replace the detector according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Ventilation: always ensure adequate ventilation. A combustion heater consumes oxygen and produces exhaust gases. Most diesel heaters are "room-sealed" (they draw combustion air from outside), but ventilation is still needed to prevent condensation. Ventilation openings are mandatory for vehicle inspection in many countries.

ECE-R122 certification: heating appliances in a camper van must be ECE-R122 certified for vehicle inspection in the EU. This applies to both diesel and gas heaters. Chinese diesel heaters often lack this certification, which causes problems during inspection. Webasto and Eberspächer are certified.

Gas installation: a gas installation must comply with EN 1949 and is checked during vehicle inspection. Have the installation done by a certified installer or ensure you can demonstrate compliance with the standard.

Fire safety: keep combustible materials at least 50 cm away from the heater and exhaust. Use heat-resistant pass-throughs and insulate the exhaust pipe. Keep a fire extinguisher within reach.