Do van builds REALLY need this?! | How to install a gasoline heater in a RAM Promaster | Espar B4L

[@mathiggins4264]

Looking good guys be safe out there your buddy from Oxford

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thanks Mat!

[@Zen-sl7de]

Damn guys that is going to be a frickin awesome van when it’s all built and done

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

I sure hope it turns out like I see it in my head! But ya definitely making me question my sanity though lol

[@captmorgan4u]

Soooo while sitting in a camping spot you can share the aroma with the neighbors. Hahaha 😂

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Smells like roses lol

[@marco-tiopet4020]

👍 it's progressing well ✌

[@iGigaCow]

My first thought on toilet position would be facing the back to the front of the van. That way if you gotta do an emergency poop while driving, and you brake a lil hard, your weight would go into the seat rather than risk sliding off. Don't want poo van! Looking great, though!

[@jeffmarino7890]

Nice to see the build again looking forward to more.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Definitely making an effort to release more timely updates. We are also getting antsy to get it done.

[@Clint92]

Had to jinx the snow lol

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Never will we learn our lesson lol

[@stevemotl1177]

Looks great keep up the amazing work

[@TobyNorthEN]

Hilarious!!!! Going through the motions - gotta make sure practice translates to reality accurately! LOL

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

EXACTLY lol!

[@jimweagant8920]

Looks like your making progress keep up the good work

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Will do, Jim!

[@Kenn1969]

Maybe wrap the fuel line or the exhaust line in foam ubber so if they rub they won’t wear through?

[@bigjames8579]

Excellent progress. Good job, Brian and Heather.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thank you sir!

[@terrillwolf2552]

Slowly but surely getting the more technical stuff knocked out. Looking forward to the finished build; I'm sure it's going to be awesome.

[@mjeanes4244]

Ordered the turret from your link. Thank you

[@xanbiker]

Looks like a lot of work. Good thing your still young. Heers hoping you get many years of use out of it for the labor you have put into it.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Certainly starting to feel older day by day 😬

[@michaelcountssr.8445]

great job y'all. i like the attention to detail. it's coming along nicely. i can see a dim light at the end of the tunnel.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

There’s a little flicker anyway!

[@irvineyoung4545]

Heather you can`t die, it would ruin the video`s that you have us all hooked on now.

[@timmygtruckingstories1687]

The King on his throne!! What a beautiful site! 😂 This van has been a lot of work but I’m certain it will have been worth it in the end.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

🤴 😃💩

[@coryrab]

Rule #1. No pooping in the RV. 😂

[@black12212]

Emergencies Only lol

[@BigDan7114]

I rode in 40 degrees here in NY today along the lakeshore of Lake Ontario . To be able to crawl into your own van with instant heat , food ,shower , and toilet after a ride like that will be worth every swear word , loss of blood , literal tears , and nest egg expenditures of time and money one hundred percent . You are doing a great job and I see the time and thought you’ve put into everything for layout and the quality of materials . Hope to run across you somewhere , I’ll be the stiff old man in a tent lol

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thank you! You’re right, having that there to crawl into would be pretty amazing. We cannot wait to get it done and start doing exactly that!

[@Doug_Morgan]

The whole toilet/shower thing had me in tears lol.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

🤣

[@shane8493]

Man you two are a hoot, you making talking about bowel movements easier for me now

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

😂

[@willcianfarani3086]

Looking good guys!! Keep up the good work!!

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thanks Will! Starting to take shape now!

[@HogTide_Rising]

You’re going to love that composting toilet. Looks like a Natures Head. I had one in my sailboat when I was a live aboard and it was incredible. No smell and no black water pump out issues. I bought another for my Ambo conversion. Good choice for a heater as well. Eberspacher might be expensive but it’s worth it. We installed an Airwave in the Ambo as a backup but I will have Eberspacher hydronic as my primary heat source. Your shower build intrigued me. I’m looking for places in the Ambo where I could build something similar, but if I do it will be a later upgrade. For now I’ll be using an outdoor shower tent assembly. Good video.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

We are kind of excited to try it for the first time but we are both a little reluctant that our aim is on point lol

[@HogTide_Rising]

@@LifeontheBlacktop you won’t have any problems with aim. The urine collector is designed and positioned to eliminate that problem. Though guys always have an image problem with fitting down to pee. LOL

[@medcook57]

Watching your infomercial on your new shitter and eating lunch just doesn't go together. Lol

[@tornadoalleyriders]

Sturgis 110th will be here before you know it. With a little luck Y'all will be ready stay in camper. 🙂

[@stevemortensen1322]

Looking Fantastic Great Job 😎

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thanks man!

[@neek__7898]

Another great vid! Thank you guys for sharing. Do you guys have a destination in mind for your 1st van trip?

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thanks man! We have a few places picked out depending on when we get it done. Definitely want to try for Milwaukee in July but we will see.

[@hookdog8640]

Brian, it may be too late, but installing a conduit pipe behind your major units will help later if you need to repair electrical lines or add circuits.

[@HarleysDinersRides]

It is amazing to watch this project develop. You have a major build going on. well done. Cheers Dave

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thanks Dave! It’s a huge undertaking but it’s starting to take shape!

[@hawgryder13]

You 2 have buckets of sweat equity in this project. Good job.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

So much!

[@ozmanfidaar6311]

Nice build. For future builders, I'd consider separating toilet from shower. It's easier to pull out toilet, less stuff to mess with a small space. My 2 cents.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

I originally didn't want them together but with limited storage space, it ended up making more sense to put it in the shower. So far it's been great though. We don't take it out to shower. And there are those times where I'm glad I don't have to pull it out of a cabinet to use it quickly 🤣💩

[@markjones3888]

Hey Guys, great additions..I know a couple of things though..the main one being I'm am super stoked, that I live in Australia..Cause the temps here are never as bad as what you guys live in..

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

It’s been a terrible winter.

[@NMRay_Tesa]

Looking amazing!!

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Thank you!

[@nhmoosemtn6687]

Looking awesome.. Did you say no more snow.... 👍🇺🇸⚓

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Jinxed ourselves!

[@Wind.Road.Therapy]

Like where you guys are putting the toilet. That's a nice heating unit. When you are in a campground, a plug in unit might help; this way it works off of the campgrounds electricity and not your gas. That could save you some money along the way. That's what I do to save on propane. 👊🏼

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Good idea! We have a little oil filled heater that would work well for that!

[@Wind.Road.Therapy]

@@LifeontheBlacktop cool, always good to use what you already have and save even more money 👊🏼

[@identitybiker]

Getting there

[@mjeanes4244]

Lol 84 yrs. It sure does feel like that for me too.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Seems to take FOREVER. Good luck with the build! You’ll get it done eventually.

[@6431harry]

Great job you two! I was thinking about a van build. Now I watched your videos, Hell No! Really enjoy your van build videos. Take care

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

If I had to do it again Id buy one lol

[@6431harry]

@@LifeontheBlacktop Hell Yeah Just looking forward to the end product. You Rock

[@roegiersmusic]

Loved the War of the Worlds clip lol 😂 Great work on your van progress! Measure 4~5 times and cut once! Well done Sir! This is a big Summer coming up! Obviously Sturgis 2023 but also Milwaukee 120 year event and Laconia 100 year event! Are you planning on finishing this van to go to any of these? Cheers! 😎🤘🏻🇺🇸

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Two of them are most definitely on the radar. 😃

[@roegiersmusic]

@@LifeontheBlacktop Epic!!! 🤘🇺🇸💜

[@Onewholovesrock]

Getting closer. Looks like a lot of work. Any estimated time when it’ll be done? My wife and I are currently looking for a high roof 136 ProMaster. Gonna build a no build. We did a no build Chrysler minivan last year. Keep chipping away!

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Shooting for mid May at the latest. Its pretty slow going unfortunately so its hard to say.

[@tennwingman3350]

I really enjoy watching you guys build this camper van but I really think you need your head examined, just ribbing you. I could not do a project like that, not enough patience. I would have spent the extra for a ready to roll option. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing with us.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

We agree! Next time I'm just going to buy one lol

[@no_worries_van]

Do you have a link for the shower pan?

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

I had this one made by a local machine shop so unfortunately I don’t have a link I can give you.

[@BigEasy1967]

Im curious how much money its taking,versus a camper already to go,,awesome job on the van

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

We will save about $50k doing it ourselves. I have to keep reminding myself of that because it’s a ton of work.

[@jakecassillo8219]

How does the heater work in higher elevations, over 8,000’ to 12,000’?? Thanks.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Unfortunately I dont know yet. It has a built in altitude adjuster but that doesn't mean it will work in those elevations. I will probably find out early next year. Velit camping makes one they claim thats tested to 17,000 (I think) and we were originally going to use that but they kept pushing the release date back. Its out now though so maybe its something to check into if youll be frequenting the higher elevations.

[@marcbaird869]

I'm a little concerned about the compost being in or around water. What ever media you use isn't ment for moisture. I'll be interested in how it works.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

It’s completely water-less. What moisture does get in the bowl will be dried out by the fan. That being said, we haven’t used it yet so we will see haha

[@LadyTam55]

How about a link for the heater please.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Links added to the description! There is a non-promaster specific kit but this is the one we used. There is also a shorter turret available (30mm compared to the 60mm we got) if you have a thinner subfloor.

[@nwlady1844]

I am about to put an espar in my promaster in the same location. Did you have a platform built above the heater? how much air space did you create for the intake air to the heater under the platform... if you put a platform over it? thank you VERY useful video.

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

We put a bench over it but never a platform. We ended up not needing one. We do have several inches between the intake and a wall. I can’t remember off the top of my head what the instructions call for but it requires a few inches to properly work. We did have to order a longer heat duct to make it to the center of the van but it wasn’t a big deal.

[@nwlady1844]

@@LifeontheBlacktop thank you for responding. I couldn't find any info are needing air space above the unit. Do you remember where you saw info on recommended space above the unit? thank you

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

@ butlertechnik.com has the manuals for it. For the M2 like I have, it looks like I need about 55mm above the unit incase of maintenance and disassembly. The air intake needs 30mm.

[@nwlady1844]

@@LifeontheBlacktop thank you!

[@RoyJenkins777]

Dang it Blacktop why did you stop her , you ruined a million views video :) . Good stuff you all . God Bless

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Hahah I know right!? 🤣

[@no_worries_van]

You might want to drill a hole or 2 in the bottom of the pee jug holder if you are going to shower with it in there so it doesn’t fill up with water. I think you would be happier taking it out to shower cuz you’ll probably have to squeegee the water to the drain (Especially if you are not level when parked).

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

Pretty good idea, I will probably end up doing that!

[@MyDunnLife]

Heather you sound a little bitter in the intro....lol

[@LifeontheBlacktop]

He needs to hurry it up! Lol