Van Heater Enclosure

Van Heater Enclosure.   We installed our gasoline parking heater a little while back. Since then we have been busy working on other projects along with just enjoying summertime experiences in our van. 

With another winter rapidly approaching, we figure we should make moves toward building some type of enclosure to house our van heater. 

Keep reading to see how we build a simple…

Van Heater Enclosure

Van Heater Enclosure – Design Thinking 🤔 

Some Criteria We Needed To Meet When Building Our Van Heater Enclosure 

• Modular:    Building in a removable fashion enables us to easily modify later. As well as making it easier to paint. We love the two-tone black scheme.

• Return Air:   Because we will be putting a box over our heater, we need to think about how the air will return to the fan, I.e Return Air. To facilitate air exchange we have holes on one side of the enclosure.

• Cubbies And Storage Openings:   To make the most of the space we have designed in two different storage areas. One smaller cubby with access on the side. And a larger top-load storage area above the heater.

• Vent Outlet and Ducting:   We recently updated the Van Heater Air Duct System. We will tie this out with a nice directional and closable air vent.

Now let’s take a look at the many steps involved in building this enclosure 

Building The Van Heater Enclosure – How We Did It

The Tools

• Mitre Saw
• Circular Saw
• Jigsaw
• Drill and Drill Bits
• Kreg Jig
• Scotch Brite Scuff Pads
• Carpenter Pencils
• Paint Brushes

The Materials

• Glue
• One-Step Stain and Polyurethane (Classic Black)
• Varathane Stain Carbon Grey
• Varathane Polyurethane
• Black Enamel Paint 
• ¼”-20 Threaded Inserts 
• ¼”-20 Machine Screws
• ⅛” x ¾” Stove Bolts
• Finishing Washers
• ⅜” Baltic Birch Plywood

The How

This is not so much a How-To, more me showing you how I made it. You can do it the same way, or you can draw inspiration from this post and make something with your own ideas.

Step-1 Build The Back Panel

We started by cutting out the back panel from ⅜” Baltic Birch. Next, we drilled out a series of holes to act as a return air inlet. Then, we glued on pieces of 1×2 furring strips.

#ProTip:  To make sure everything sets up straight, clamp your boards against a straight edge. (We used this piece of strut channel)

Step-2 Build Out The Box Frame

Using the back panel as the starting point, we framed out the box using furring strips, glue, clamps, and the occasional Kregg Screw.

#ProTip:  Use Wax paper to prevent the glue from sticking to unwanted surfaces.

The box is built at an angle to allow more space to walk through.

Step-3 Top, Side, and Shelf Panels

We cut the outer panels out of Baltic Birch plywood, jigsawed out the cubby holes, and fastened the panels in place using Threaded Inserts, Machine Screws, and Finishing Washers.

Step-4 Install Heater Vent Outlet

We cut out the hole with a Jigsaw. Then painted the ⅛”x3/4” mounting hardware with black enamel paint, ready for installation.

Step-5 Stain and Seal

We used MinWax Polyshades 1step in Classic Black. As well as a grey stain and poly sealer to make our black and grey color scheme.

Our Van Heater Enclosure Is ✅

Our little storage box heater enclosure has turned out great. It is hard to maximize space sometimes, but I think we did ok. The storage cubbies are not huge but they are functional and convenient to use. All in all, we are happy with how this turned out.

Interested In Our Other Van Heater Systems?

• Gasoline Parking Heater Install
• Van Heater Air Duct System – Update / Upgrade
• Chinese (Webasto Copy) Parking Heater First Look
• Parking Heater Maintenance

Have you thought about Carbon Monoxide?

• Van Carbon Monoxide Safety 

Good Ventilation Is The Key To Being Comfortable In Your Van

• Campervan Ventilation – What You Need To Know
• Van Roof Vent Selection Guide
• Van Roof Vent Installation

Thanks for reading, and remember to always take the road less traveled!

Weekender Van Life – Van Life Blog – weekendervanlife.com