6.2puller
1/2 ton status
Yah, I am looking at the suburban catalog CSB.13 Fall catalog.
CK5
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suburban rear heater hoses
- Thread starter xpndbl3
- Start date
xpndbl3
1/2 ton status
i think i'll probably make a run for copper tubing or possibly just run bulk heater hoses from the parts store. certainly cheaper than buying from the stealership. Now to find copper tubing in 3/4" and 5/8" though....hmmm
I did!
I put a heater in the rear of my 72 K5 from an old school bus,the one that mounts under one of the seats..I put it in a milk crate to protect the core from damage..it was the balls!
When I first put it in,I just bought a 25' roll of 3/4" heater hose and plumbed it up..I had to use 3/4 " because the bus heater's spouts were both 3/4",but a copper reducer fitting from a hardware store allowed the 5/8" hose to fit easily ..only cost about a buck..but the hoses didn't last too long--after a month,the wire ties I'd used to hold them to the frame must have gotten salty,and one broke,allowing the hoses to rest against the exhaust pipe!..you know the rest..
--late for work AGAIN! 
lost a lot of coolant,and it wasn't cheap!..
To fix it,I added 2 shut off valves under the hood with "Y" fittings,so I could shut off the rear heater hot water source,without disturbing my regular heater/defroster,in case of another leak in the rear portion..then instead of using all heater hose,I used ordinary house copper tubing for 90% of the distance along the frame rails,where most of the damage could occour,and covered it with pipe insulation,joined by short sections of heater hose..I clamped it to the frame with conduit clamps..
One day at my friends gas station,his dad peeked under my hood as I was checking my oil--he looked at the "Y" fittings and house shut off valves-
and said "you got a licence to do all that plumbing"?? 
Another guy bought a universal rear heater for his van when he saw how well my setup worked..he used 3/4" electrical conduit,since it was bendable--he bent it to fit the underside of his van,and used only about a foot or so of hose on each end to connect it to the heater and motor hose conections..since condiut is galvanized,it will probably last 10 years before any corrosion is a problem...copper will outlive you most likely!..
--he decided not to copy my shut off vavle plumbing,since he had little room to spare in the van engine compartment,and figured his conduit was pretty much bullet proof!..he also used pipe insulation on the conduit to help prevent heat loss..it worked great,plent of heat!..he could melt a foot of snow off the roof in about 10 minutes!..as could I with my bus heater in the K5!
There are lots of other types of hose now available that could probably be used,like that "radiant heat" tubing they bury in concrete slabs for heat..I'm not sure in PVC pipe would take the heat or anti-freeze..probably other stuff out there too you could use..if you use hose,I'd put something like metal over it at least..
I put a heater in the rear of my 72 K5 from an old school bus,the one that mounts under one of the seats..I put it in a milk crate to protect the core from damage..it was the balls!
When I first put it in,I just bought a 25' roll of 3/4" heater hose and plumbed it up..I had to use 3/4 " because the bus heater's spouts were both 3/4",but a copper reducer fitting from a hardware store allowed the 5/8" hose to fit easily ..only cost about a buck..but the hoses didn't last too long--after a month,the wire ties I'd used to hold them to the frame must have gotten salty,and one broke,allowing the hoses to rest against the exhaust pipe!..you know the rest..
--late for work AGAIN! lost a lot of coolant,and it wasn't cheap!.. To fix it,I added 2 shut off valves under the hood with "Y" fittings,so I could shut off the rear heater hot water source,without disturbing my regular heater/defroster,in case of another leak in the rear portion..then instead of using all heater hose,I used ordinary house copper tubing for 90% of the distance along the frame rails,where most of the damage could occour,and covered it with pipe insulation,joined by short sections of heater hose..I clamped it to the frame with conduit clamps..
One day at my friends gas station,his dad peeked under my hood as I was checking my oil--he looked at the "Y" fittings and house shut off valves-
and said "you got a licence to do all that plumbing"?? Another guy bought a universal rear heater for his van when he saw how well my setup worked..he used 3/4" electrical conduit,since it was bendable--he bent it to fit the underside of his van,and used only about a foot or so of hose on each end to connect it to the heater and motor hose conections..since condiut is galvanized,it will probably last 10 years before any corrosion is a problem...copper will outlive you most likely!..
--he decided not to copy my shut off vavle plumbing,since he had little room to spare in the van engine compartment,and figured his conduit was pretty much bullet proof!..he also used pipe insulation on the conduit to help prevent heat loss..it worked great,plent of heat!..he could melt a foot of snow off the roof in about 10 minutes!..as could I with my bus heater in the K5!
There are lots of other types of hose now available that could probably be used,like that "radiant heat" tubing they bury in concrete slabs for heat..I'm not sure in PVC pipe would take the heat or anti-freeze..probably other stuff out there too you could use..if you use hose,I'd put something like metal over it at least..
xpndbl3
1/2 ton status
thanks for the tips, i think i'll hit a local hardware store and check out the plumbing section tomorrow. I'll have to do some looking for those y-fittings as well.
Y fittings..
I got the "Y" fittings from the parts store I worked at--had to order them,"Four Seasons" brand made them,the same company that owned Standard Ignition and makes the "Blue Streak" stuff ..
I've seen similar ones at Lowe's and Home depot,made of PVC,but make sure they are rated for hot water use!....you could probably just use regular copper "T" fittings too,with a short peice of tubing soldered into the ends..
I got the "Y" fittings from the parts store I worked at--had to order them,"Four Seasons" brand made them,the same company that owned Standard Ignition and makes the "Blue Streak" stuff ..
I've seen similar ones at Lowe's and Home depot,made of PVC,but make sure they are rated for hot water use!....you could probably just use regular copper "T" fittings too,with a short peice of tubing soldered into the ends..
4xcrazy
3/4 ton status
if you're talking about hard lines,,,,you don't need them, i have seen some Burbs with this setup, mine doesn't have it, guess the P.O. changed them out or something, mine are simply regular heater hose all the way back to the metal connections through the floor, the more heater hose from there to the heater unit in the roof.
the only hard lines i have are the A.C. lines going back there. which are the same lines i have the heater hoses wire tied to.
the only hard lines i have are the A.C. lines going back there. which are the same lines i have the heater hoses wire tied to.
xpndbl3
1/2 ton status
i'll have to hit home depot tomorrow and see what they have for copper tubing, it's either that or run heater hose all the way back.
