A Complete guide to Propex Heaters (LPG Campervan Heater)
- Shane Monks O'Byrne
- Nov 23, 2022
- 12 min read
Updated: May 12
I've lived in my van for elongated periods in temperatures as low as -20°C. To have any chance of survival in those temperatures, you need a seriously good campervan heater. That's where my Propex HS2000 campervan gas heater comes in. In my view, it's one of the very best 12V LPG heaters on the market. In this guide, we will look at how Propex heaters compare to other models, gas regulations, an illustrated installation process, and Propex heater troubleshooting.
In the Roaming Home 2023 study, we found that 91% of people have a heater installed in their van. Of those, 22% are LPG, 75% are diesel, and a small core committed to the aesthetic use of woodburning stoves. Read more about those here. Installing a heater is an essential component of preparing your campervan for winter. Read more about winterization here.
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Shane, the founder of The Van Conversion, is a campervan professional and NCC-certified electrical installer. Since 2020, he’s lived on the road full-time, completing several van builds along the way. He’s the author of Roaming Home and the creator of The Van Conversion Course, which have helped thousands build their own vans. Shane also writes The Van Conversion Newsletter, where he shares hands-on tips and practical insights. He’s passionate about empowering others to make their vanlife dreams reality.
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Disclaimer
The information provided in this guide is provided solely as a high-level resource for information - and not as a single source of truth. I am not a certified gas fitter. The information provided below is a collection of publicly available information that I have consolidated. There may be mistakes in this information for which I take no responsibility. The information is intended as a guide only. For this reason, I encourage you to get a certified technician (with minimum CITO ACOPS/STGW qualification in the UK) to do your campervan gas installation, or at the very least to review and test it.
Overview of the Propex HS2000 Campervan Heater
The Propex HS2000 is a thermostatically controlled LPG campervan heater. It is a heater specifically designed for campervans. I have used a Propex heater in my own campervan for the past three years without issue, and I'm a huge fan. It has kept me warm in conditions of -20°C.
Propane is a very efficient fuel source that burns cleanly and is readily available at filling stations around the world. The Propex HS2000 is the most well-known LPG campervan heater.
Propex HS2000 Specifications
Voltage: 12v (to power the fan & thermostat)
Heat output: 1.9kW
Fuel: LPG (Propane or Butane)
Energy consumption: 1.4a when running
Fuel consumption: 142grams per hour
Propex HS2000 Fuel Consumption Chart
The values below show the number of hours you will get of continuous run time depending on the size of gas bottle you have.
2.7kg Gas Bottle | 19 hours |
4.5kg Gas Bottle | 32 hours |
6kg Gas Bottle | 42 hours |
11kg Gas Bottle | 77 hours |
For me, the best part about the Propex HS2000 campervan heater is that it has a wall-mounted thermostat that will periodically turn the heater on when the temperature in the campervan drops below your desired temperature.
Before we dive into the installation guide, let's have a look at how the HS2000 compares to some other Propex heaters...
Campervan Heater Comparisons
Propex HS2000 vs. HS2211
Propex make another heater called the HS2211; it is nearly identical to the Propex HS2000. However there are a couple of differentiating factors.
Propex HS2000 | Propex HS2211 |
|---|---|
Must be installed inside | Can be installed inside or outside |
Must be installed horizontally | Can be installed any which way (except with air ducts vertically up or down) |
Cheaper | More expensive |
1.4A current consumption | 1.7A current consumption |
By all accounts, the Propex HS2211 is an excellent heater, but is less popular than the Propex HS2000.
Propex HS2000 vs. HS2800
The Propex HS2800 is the big brother of the HS2000. The Propex HS2800 is a larger, more powerful campervan gas heater that may be better suited if you are living in a very cold climate with a very big campervan.
Propex HS2000 | Propex HS2800 |
|---|---|
Heat output: 2.8Kw | Heat output: 1.9Kw |
Energy consumption: 1.9A | Energy consumption: 1.4A |
Air throughput: 60 CFM | Air throughout: 85 CFM |
Propex HS2000 vs. HS2000e
The Propex HS2000E heater is very similar to the HS2000. The key difference is that it can also run from 230V AC mains. When running on electricity, you can choose between three fan modes: low, medium, and high. On its highest setting, the Propex HS2000e draws 2kW of electricity, so you will need a 3000W inverter to run it.
Propex HS2000 vs. Truma Varioheat Eco
The two most popular brands of LPG heaters on the market are Propex and Truma. Truma is a bigger company than Propex and is the more expensive of the two brands.
The Truma Varioheat Eco is a similar heater to the Propex HS2000 in many ways. They are both thermostatically controlled 12V LPG campervan heaters. However, the Truma Varioheat is a more powerful heater with an accordingly higher price.
The Truma Varioheat has two blow settings, whereas the Propex HS2000 has just one setting. The Truma Varioheat has an air throughput of 90CFM on the high setting, whereas the Propex has an air throughput of 60CFM.
The Truma Varioheat outputs up to 2800W of heat, whereas the Propex outputs 1900W.
The extra heat and air throughput comes with more electricity usage. The Propex draws 1.4A, whereas the Truma draws 2.75A; a sizeable difference.
In a nutshell, the Truma heater is probably a better heater, but it is a lot more expensive and uses up to twice as much electricity to run.
LPG Heater vs. Diesel Heater
Whether you choose to go for an LPG heater or a campervan diesel heater depends on a number of differences between the two.
Price of fuel: LPG is cheaper than diesel
Price: Propex heaters are more expensive than all but the most expensive diesel heaters.
Safety: Diesel is safer than LPG due to the simplicity of the plumbing and the fact that it's stored in your van's fuel tank rather than in a pressurised barrel.
Time to warm up: A diesel heater takes longer to warm up than an LPG heater.
Noise: LPG heaters are quieter than diesel.
BTUs: Diesel contains 34% more BTU of heat energy than LPG, meaning you get more heating from the same quantity of fuel.
Cleaning: A Propex heater doesn't need to be cleaned as regularly as a diesel heater.
Altitude: LPG functions better at altitudes above 1500m than diesel.
Power consumption: A Propex heater takes slightly less electricity to run than a diesel heater.
Also worth considering is the woodburning stove, which has the benefit of producing dry heat using cheap firewood and requiring no electricity. Read more about those here.
Propex HS2000 Installation
In this guide we will only look at the Propex HS2000, found here on eBay. To find out more about campervan gas installations, including gas bottles, regulators, gas lockers, piping, regulations, and more, I suggest you read our guide on campervan gas installations first.
These are the steps you should follow to install a Propex heater:
Choose an appropriate location
Install the combustion intake and exhaust
Install LPG gas supply
Install the hot and cold air ducts
Install the 12V thermostat controller
Connect the heater to 12V power
Leak test the system
Test the system
You can find the campervan gas heater installation instruction manual here.
Safety Warnings and General Information
Per Propex's guidance and the BS EN 1949:2021 standards, here are some things you should be aware of:
The heater must be installed inside the campervan, rather than underslung
You may only use a two stage, adjustable gas regulator with the Propex heater
The heater must not be used when the vehicle is in motion
The exhaust and inlet must be routed outside the van
The exhaust outlet should be somewhere where the gas will not be sucked back in by the air inlet or through a window
Do not connect power until the thermostat cable is connected to the heater
The exhaust needs to vent out from the edge of the van. If not vented away from the edge, carbon monoxide could collect under the van and be sucked back in the air intake.
The exhaust pipe should slope down to prevent condensation build-up on the inside of the pipe
The air intake pipe should also slope down, as if it rains, the pipe can fill with water and the heater will fault
Never trim the air intake or exhaust pipes.
The exhaust and air intake should be at least 50cm away from each other to prevent recirculation of bad air.
For USA buyers: “The compression fitting supplied with the heater is BSPT thread; it is NOT the same as ¼” NPT fittings in the US, so please do not substitute US NPT fittings. If you need alternate BSPT fitting, these can be found at www.mcmaster.com”
Step 1: Choose an appropriate location for the Propex heater
First, choose a location for the Propex heater. You will be drilling holes for the exhaust and air inlet; so ensure the location is not above anything important. Choose a location which gives suitable access for service and inspection. The heater should be fitted a minimum of 25 mm from any wall.
Step 2: Install the air intake and exhaust
Using the paper template provided (or by tracing around the inlet and exhaust with a pencil), drill a small pilot hole (3mm) through the two centres. Double check under the vehicle that you haven't drilled into anything important.
Next, attach a 40mm bi-metal holesaw to your drill and drill through the two pilot holes. Apply some primer and metal paint to the bottom of the van where you just drilled to prevent rusting. Use a low RPM, lots of oil, and a pulsating action when using the holesaw to keep everything cool.
Next, run the exhaust and intake pipes through the floor (exhaust is at the front, air intake is at the back. Place the jubilee clips (hose clips) around the pipes. Connect the Propex heater to the pipes. Using a flathead screwdriver, tighten the jubilee clips right down to seal the deal.
Next, screw the heater in place using the mounting brackets supplied. You will need to raise the heater off the ground to give the exhaust and air intake some room under the heater. I used pieces of wood to elevate the heater ~10cm.
Attach the ends of the air intake and exhaust to the underside of your campervan using the p-clips supplied. To do this, drill a hole in the metal and pop a bolt through to hold the p-clip in place.
The exhaust pipe must slope downwards and exit out the side of the van.
After the Propex heater and pipes are permanently fitted, add some heat resistant silicone around where the pipe comes out the bottom of the van.
Step 3: Install the LPG gas supply
By this stage, you should have already installed most of your campervan gas system, including your gas bottle, regulator, gas locker, and piping. If you haven't, I suggest you read this guide on campervan gas installations first.
Run a length of 8mm copper pipe from your gas manifold to the back of your Propex heater. You will very likely need to bend the copper pipe, which you can do with a pipe bending tool. You can cut copper pipe with a pipe cutting tool.
The Propex heater will have come with an 8mm elbow compression joint; one side has the compression nut, the other has bare threads. On the side with bare threads, slather some jointing compound on the threads and screw it tightly into the Propex heater. Then, attach the elbow joint to the copper pipe. You can learn how to fit a compression joint here.
Step 4: Install the hot and cold air ducts
You need to run a hot air and cold air duct from the front of the Propex heater.
The standard Propex HS2000 contains just one hot air duct, but you can also buy versions with Y-branches that allow you to have up to three hot air ducts. This allows you to heat your van more evenly.
Attach the air ducts to the heater with jubilee clips and run the pipe to wherever you want it to exit. Ensure the cold air duct is in a well-vented area low in the van as it needs to take in cold air. The Propex heater should come with two plastic vents that you can place over the ends of the air ducts to make them more sightly.
Step 5: Install the 12V thermostat controller
The Propex HS2000 comes with a nifty wall-mounted thermostat. Before we connect our heater to the 12V power supply, we must connect the thermostat first.
It is very simple to connect the thermostat - simply, unscrew the metal casing that protects the circuit board and plug in the thermostat to the appropriate fitting.
Step 6: Connect the heater to 12V power
From your 12V fuse box, run a length of 2-core cable (positive and negative) which Propex provides to the propex heater. You can simply plug it into the circuit board. A 5A fuse is required for the fuse box.
Step 7: Gas leak test the system
This is imperative. You can learn all about how to test for gas leaks here. I had a minor gas leak when I installed my Propex heater - I had forgotten to add jointing compound to the connection with the elbow compression joint. Thankfully, I tested my system for leaks before getting on the road.
On the topic of safety, ensure you also:
Install a carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarm
Install a gas leak detector (mount near the floor - gas is heavier than air)
Keep a fire extinguisher in your van
Install adequate ventilation in your van - especially above the stove. Here is a guide on how to install a fan in your van.
Step 8: Test the system
The last step is to fire up the Propex heater and check that everything is running okay. Turn on the heater by turning the top thermostat dial fully to the right. The dial at the bottom is the thermostatic dial - choose the ambient heat you want. The sequence of operation is as follows:
Sometimes, there are issues with the campervan gas heater. So, let's look at some Propex heater troubleshooting.
Propex Heater Troubleshooting
After you turn your Propex heater on, it will continue to attempt to ignite (every 20 seconds) until it is successful. If it is repeatedly failing at igniting, check that the valves on the gas bottle and manifold are all open.
If it is still failing at igniting, you should try lighting your gas stove for a minute to purge some of the air that accumulates at the top of a refillable gas bottle on the first fill.
If you have a fault with the heater, you will see a number of flashes on the thermostat. The fault code for those flashes are described below:
There are a few common issues you could run into. You can reset any of these faults which cause a lockout by turning the ‘Fan Only’ setting on the control panel on, off, and on again within 2.5 seconds.
1- Flame failure: Do you have any gas in your gas bottle? Are your valves open?
3 - Low/high voltage fault: I get this when the sun is beating down onto my solar panels and the voltage of the system goes higher than the Propex HS2000 threshold. The newer Propex models have fixed this issue, but the older models still have it. It's not an issue at all, and can be reset as described above.
4 - Combustion air fault: After a heavy downpour, my air inlet can become filled with water which causes this error. Unscrew the p-clip holding the inlet pipe, empty the water, and reset the thermostat.
Conclusion
This guide should leave you well-equipped to decide on a Propex LPG heater and install it successfully. My Propex HS2000 has warmed me nicely in extreme conditions and I can't vouch for it enough. I also found Propex' customer support to be incredibly friendly and quick to respond. Take a look at the full Propex HS2000 installation kit on eBay. If you're still confused about campervan LPG heaters, consider our gas systems masterclass for an in-depth, step-by-step guide on campervan gas systems.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Van Conversion Newsletter for everything you need to get started with your own van conversion (we'll send you a free wiring diagram when you join).
If you're looking for some guidance with your van conversion, you might be interested in our book Roaming Home, or in our online course The Van Conversion Mastery Course. You'll learn directly from our founder Shane how to convert a van into your dream home - no prior experience needed. Shane also offers one-to-one consultations, where he'll help you with any aspect of your build in a face-to-face video call. All consultations come with a free copy of Roaming Home and our Diagram Pack.
Finally, our Van Conversion Ultimate Guide lays out the whole van conversion process in easy-to-follow sections with tools, materials, and step-by-step instructions. It's the perfect companion for your van build.
Until next time.
