Electrical and Systems
Webasto and Espar Diesel Auxiliary Heater Installation
Typical range
$1,500 to $5,500
Shop hours
8 to 22
Labor rate
$260/hr
The short answer
Auxiliary heat installation fits diesel or gasoline fired air and hydronic heaters into vans, expedition builds, and coaches, including fuel pickup, exhaust routing, and controls. Work runs $1,500 to $5,500, or 8 to 22 hours at $260 per hour plus equipment.
01
What this work actually involves
A diesel fired air heater is the standard answer for van conversions and expedition builds because it solves the two problems a propane furnace creates. It carries no separate fuel supply, drawing instead from the vehicle tank through a dedicated standpipe, and it consumes roughly one to two amps running instead of the eight to eleven a forced air furnace blower demands. On a build with a modest battery bank, that difference is the entire reason people can heat overnight without running an engine.
The installation quality is everything with these units, and the failures we get called about are almost always install failures rather than heater failures. The fuel pickup has to be a proper standpipe that does not draw from the very bottom of the tank, the fuel line has to be routed without high spots that trap air, the metering pump has to be mounted at the correct angle and isolated so it does not tick through the floor all night, and the exhaust has to exit where it cannot be drawn back into the vehicle. Combustion air intake placement matters just as much.
For Southern California owners the real use case is the high desert and the mountains. A van or expedition rig in Big Bear, Wrightwood, Mammoth, or the Eastern Sierra in winter needs sustained heat on battery power, and that is exactly what these units do well. At sea level in Yorba Linda they run rich if they are set for altitude and vice versa, so we commission the unit for how the vehicle is actually used and show you how to run a periodic high burn cycle to keep the burner chamber clean.
Systems and brands we work on: Webasto, Espar, Truma, AquaHot.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Diesel and gasoline fired air heater installation in vans and coaches
- Hydronic coolant heater installation with engine preheat integration
- Fuel standpipe installation in the vehicle tank or a dedicated tank
- Fuel line routing without air traps and correctly angled metering pump mounting
- Metering pump isolation mounting to kill the tick through the floor
- Combustion air intake and exhaust routing away from occupied space
- Ducted warm air distribution and register placement
- Dedicated fused circuit sizing for glow plug startup current
- Controller, thermostat, and altitude compensation setup
- Commissioning, high burn cycle, and carbon monoxide verification
03
When you need this service
- Existing propane furnace draining the battery bank overnight
- A van or expedition build with no heat source for cold weather use
- An existing auxiliary heater that will not start or smokes heavily
- Metering pump ticking audibly through the floor at night
- Exhaust smell inside the vehicle when the heater runs
- Heater that runs fine at sea level and fails at elevation
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Build and load planning
Heater output sized to the insulated volume and to how cold you actually camp. An oversized unit short cycles, runs rich, and sooties its burner faster than a correctly sized one.
- 02
Mounting and fuel source
Unit location chosen for service access and duct routing, and a proper standpipe fitted in the vehicle tank so the heater never draws the very bottom of the fuel.
- 03
Fuel line and pump
Line routed without high spots that trap air, and the metering pump mounted at the specified angle on isolation so it does not transmit its tick through the structure.
- 04
Intake and exhaust routing
Combustion air intake and exhaust placed so exhaust cannot be drawn back into the vehicle at rest or in motion, with correct clearances from fuel and body panels.
- 05
Electrical and controls
A dedicated circuit sized for glow plug startup current, controller and thermostat installed, and altitude compensation set for where the vehicle is actually used.
- 06
Commissioning and verification
Unit run through full startup, high burn, and shutdown, exhaust checked, and carbon monoxide verified inside the vehicle before it leaves the shop.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $1,500 to $5,500 | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 8 to 22 | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Mechanical and electrical labor | $260 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Sprinter Vans
Mercedes Sprinter vans run last-mile routes, trade service, and camper conversions across Southern California. Sliding door tracks
Vehicle
Camper Van Conversions
Camper van conversions are Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster chassis with windows cut into the sidewalls, a roof full of penetration
Vehicle
Class B Camper Vans
A Class B is a camper built inside a factory van shell, usually a Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster, or Chevy chassis. Because the stee
Vehicle
Off-Road and Expedition RVs
Expedition RVs mount a composite habitat box on a four wheel drive truck chassis, usually through a torsion-free three or four poi
Vehicle
Cargo Vans
Cargo vans on Transit, ProMaster, Express, and Sprinter platforms carry trade tools, parts inventory, and route freight. Rear door
Vehicle
Bus Conversions, Prevost and Marathon
A Prevost, MCI, or Van Hool conversion is a commercial motorcoach shell finished by a second-stage builder such as Marathon, Feath
Vehicle
Mobile Workshops
Mobile workshops carry benches, vises, compressors, welders, and dense tool inventory, which makes weight and mounting the definin
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Questions about auxiliary heat installation, webasto and espar
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Webasto or Espar installation cost?
Work runs $1,500 to $5,500, or 8 to 22 hours at $260 per hour plus equipment. A 2 kilowatt air heater into an open van with an accessible tank is at the low end. A larger hydronic unit with engine preheat integration, a dedicated tank, and ducted distribution through a finished build is at the high end.
Why choose diesel heat over a propane furnace?
Two reasons. It draws roughly one to two amps running versus eight to eleven for a forced air furnace blower, which is the difference between heating all night on a modest bank and not. And it uses the fuel already in the vehicle tank, so you are not carrying and refilling propane for heat on a van or expedition build.
Will the fuel pump tick keep me awake?
Not if it is mounted correctly. The metering pump makes a sharp tick with every fuel pulse, and mounted hard against a floor pan it transmits through the whole vehicle. Mounted at the specified angle on proper isolation, away from large flat panels, it is barely audible. Ticking through the floor is an install defect, not a characteristic.
Will it work at elevation in Big Bear or Mammoth?
Yes, with the right setup. These units need altitude compensation because thinner air changes the fuel to air ratio, and a unit configured for sea level will run rich and soot up at elevation. We commission the unit for how you actually use the vehicle and show you the periodic high burn cycle that keeps the burner chamber clean.
Can you install one alongside my existing propane furnace?
Yes, and many owners keep both. The propane furnace stays as a high output backup on shore power, and the diesel heater handles overnight and off grid heating on battery. We plan duct routing and thermostat control so the two do not fight each other or heat the same zone at cross purposes.
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Ready to move on auxiliary heat installation, webasto and espar? Bring it to Yorba Linda.