Description
Air Top 2000 STC Gasoline Heater Specs:
Operating Voltage: 12V DC
Output Range: 3070 BTU to 6800 BTU (1 kilowatt – 2 kilowatt).
Fuel consumption: 0.03 – 0.06 gal/h (Can provide heat for up to 22 hours on just 1 gallon of fuel!)
Max Operating Altitude: 4900 ft
Dimensions: 12.24″ long x 4.72″ wide x 4.72″ tall.
Weight: 5.7 lbs (heater unit only)
Warranty: 2 years or 2000 operating hours
Webasto heaters have a variable speed fan that runs continuously when the heater is on. It runs very slowly when not heating and ramps up speed when heating. You also can set the heater to run on “fan only” mode.
Installing your heater on top of a subfloor instead of directly onto the van’s metal floor? Be sure to purchase a Surface Mounting Kit separately.
The Webasto Air Top 2000 STC Gasoline Base Heater with Rheostat includes:
- Heater unit
- Rheostat controller
- Universal fuel tank standpipe
- Fuel pump with wiring harness
- Fuel line with required fittings and fuel filter
- Mounting plate with foam gasket and bolts
- Wiring harness
- 1 meter (3.2 feet) flexible stainless steel exhaust hose
- .5 meter (1.6 feet) aluminum combustion air intake hose
- Note: no ducting or louvers/vents are included with this kit. If you need ducting or vents, check out our ducting/vent configuration tool!
High Altitude Information
The Air Top 2000 STC is Webasto's smallest heater which is a great form factor for a camper van and is generally plenty powerful to keep you warm (2 kilowatt heating capacity). However, the small burner on these heaters is susceptible to excessive carbon build up - particularly the gasoline models. Webasto has designed the heater to work optimally up to 4,900 feet altitude.
If you're going to be spending a lot of time at higher elevations you should consider the Air Top 2000 STC (Altitude Adjusted) heater that has been professionally pre-adjusted to work at up to 6,400 feet, or even the larger EVO 40 heater (4 kilowatt heating capacity). The gasoline EVO 40 can be used at up to 7,200 feet, and the diesel EVO 40 can be used at up to 18,000 feet! The EVO 40 is physically larger and therefore has a larger burner chamber, which reduces the risk of carbon buildup issues, and it has "automatic" altitude adjustment capability.
So, while the Air Top 2000 STC will work at higher altitudes for shorter periods of time, Webasto does not recommend it and, if you do, you should run the heater at "full load" (turned up all the way) when you return to lower altitudes for at least a few hours in order to try to clean out the burner chamber.
Want to learn more? Please check out this post for more information.
We also recorded a one hour video interview with a Webasto tech that has a lot of great information. You can watch the full video or use this link to jump to the part of the video where we discuss using an Air Top 2000 STC at altitude.
Wiring Overview - Rheostat Controller
This heater comes with the standard, rheostat controller. Below is an overview of the wiring for installing the heater with the rheostat controller. Note that temperature sensing is inside the air return of the heater itself when using the rheostat controller.
We Fully Support DIY Installations!
Unlike many authorized Webasto distributors, Vanlife Outfitters fully supports DIY installers. Our entire team has been trained to become Webasto certified "experts". Together with our distribution partner, we maintain a wide range products and replacement parts in-stock. If you experience a problem with your Webasto unit within the warranty period, we will work with you to determine the cause of failure and will either attempt to give instruction on how to correct any faulty workmanship or supply a replacement part. If a replacement part is needed we will send you the part immediately from their stock at no charge so that you can get up and running as quickly as possible. Of course, we rely on you to return any faulty parts in order to be reimbursed for the warranty repair.
If you're tempted to purchase your Webasto heater at a ridiculously low price from other online retailers, you should be aware that these are often European origin kits that are not compatible with all the North American parts and do not include some important parts. We have an extensive blog post about this here.
For your safety we recommend that you install a carbon monoxide detector in your van anytime you have any fuel burning appliance like a Webasto heater or propane cooktop.
