OZK Customs + Rixen 12V Hydronic Heating System

We all know how important climate control is to a comfortable vacation in your conversion van. You want to be able to get away on a winter skiing vacation or summer mountain biking trip, and then set an enjoyable temperature in your van to relax in after the day. We have your AC needs covered with the Dometic Penguin II, and among the different heater options we can install for your Transit or Sprinter camper van, one of the most useful and multi-purpose is a hydronic heating system, such as the one from Rixen’s Enterprises. A hydronic heating system is a multi-purpose system ideal for van life, functioning as both a regular interior heater, as well as a water heater. Running on your van’s diesel or gas fuel source, a hydronic heater provides dual, seamlessly integrated functions while remaining energy efficient.

How does the Hydronic system work to heat both your air and water? Once it is turned on, the system uses your camper van’s fuel in a combustion process to heat the coolant through the Hydronic Unit’s heat exchanger. Here at OZK Customs, rather than tapping into your engine’s primary coolant system when we install a Hydronic Heating kit, we also install an isolated radiator system – that utilizes coolant in the same way the system is designed to but brings no outside risk to your van’s vital coolant system. This provides a more separated system that can run efficiently without any chance of interfering with or causing any breaks in your core engine function. Once heated, the integrated water pump circulates the coolant around the heating circuit, powering the heater blowers and the water heater.

The Rixen Hydronic system uses the trusted Espar S-3 Diesel or Gasoline Furnace – so the core of the system is a proven, rigorously designed product of decades of German engineering and innovation. This camper van heating kit provides up to 17,000 BTU’s of heat, with a heating output performance ranging from 1.3 – 5 KW depending on the temperature demands.

Because the Espar furnace itself runs on your van’s own fuel, the Hydronic System itself requires minimal power consumption – drawing only 32 watts when the water pump is not engaged, and 50 watts when it is. Designed and built for extreme energy efficiency for those off-grid trips, the diesel or gas furnace consumes a minimal 0.15 gallons per hour, so you can run your heater without worrying about running down your gas tank overnight.

In addition to its powerful Espar furnace, the Rixen Hydronic heater kit provides a complete water heating system that is integrated throughout your van, ensuring on demand hot water for showers, faucets, and even outdoor taps. This really is a 2-for-1 solution ideally engineered for adventure vans and for life on the road, providing on-demand hot water and effective heating from one purpose-designed system.

The system is engineered to operate effectively at ambient temperatures between -40- and 176-degrees Fahrenheit, so no matter how cold or how hot your destination, you will have running, on demand hot water (and that all important heater if you are in a location closer to the –40 end of that temperature range.)

The complete diesel or gas heating kit for your Transit or Sprinter camper van comes with every part, bracket, hose, and bolt required to make the system run, unlike other manufacturers which sell their kits piecemeal. This means it includes the Espar S-3 Furnace, as well as Rixen’s own water pump to get your hot water to any desired part of your van, plus a 12-V high output air handler (how it heats the interior of your van). It also comes with all the hoses, clamps, mounting harnesses and more that are required to run the system.

Check back soon for more info on the Rixen Hydronic Heating System from our OZK Customs podcast experts. Learn more about use cases, the pros and cons of this van heater and water heater vs. other options on the market, and other questions you never thought to ask!

About Rixen’s Enterprises

Each component from Rixen is hand assembled and tested at their headquarters in Oregon. For over 25 years they have pursued the mission of delivering the best designed, most reliable heating systems in the mobile industry. Rixen’s Enterprises understand that their name is their promise to customers – a promise that products are always

manufactured with the most durable, advanced components available, to the highest possible standards of testing and inspection. And because they truly value their customer’s satisfaction, Rixen’s customer service is second to none.

Because Rixen’s Enterprises focuses on supplying a small cross-section of products – primarily heaters, hydronic systems, heated floors, and related installation components – they work with only the leading technology and manufacturing on the market. And because their market is specifically camper and adventure van upfits, they KNOW what van enthusiasts need in a well-designed, reliable heating kit of any type, for diesel Sprinter, gas Transits, and more. Rixen’s aims to be the astute adventure van owner’s trusted partner in functional, robust heating solutions for whatever trip you have planned next.