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My daughter and her partner are going off to the alps in a campervan soon after christmas for the snowboarding. They've just bought the van, a Mercedes Sprinter and have a lot to learn about driving a vehicle that size, driving that particular vehicle, and runnig a diesel rather than petrol engine.

A question that arose today when she and I were talking, was what about the low temp and the diesel in the tank doing whatever it is that diesel does at low temp (waxing?).

We found some stuff on the web about a fuel heater but will that van have one? Does it heat the fuel in the tank? And will it do the trick min temps of - I'm not sure, but deff lower than anything we get here!

Anti wax additives are adjusted in this country pre-delivery to suit the prevailing weather conditions, afaik, fks what they do on the continent.

I'm sure Kwackerz will tell you all you need to know about building a fire under the tank.

In this country the suppliers add the de-icing additive to the diesel only when it's needed, probably started adding recently, I assume they add more if it gets colder. I am almost 2 years into running my first diesel and just drive it like a petrol car. Had it parked up in areas way under freezing and never had the slightest problem. Most of the trucks you see getting stuck in this country are probably caused by them using cheaper diesel with not enough additive.
I would think that if they buy fuel anywhere near the Alps it will be OK for all the lower more normal roads, but as they go higher they may need the heater.
Sure somebody must have more experience than me.
Hope your daughter and partner enjoy the holiday!

I'm sure you're right Sam - the only thing is, it's not a tank IYKWIM!

The local fuel will probably be suited to the weather.

That camper will probably have an ebspacer space heater, but I doubt it will have a dedicated fuel / tank heater, apart from the glow plugs! If it has an ebspacer, you could route the heater exhaust near (but not on) the fuel tank to just take the edge off the chill..

Best bet is to clad the tank with expanding foam to reduce windchill on the tank as much as owt else.

An aide to reducing waxing is to either add a bit of kerosine into the fuel (cant remember the ratio..sorry) it helps prevent waxing and the fuel freezing. (Not petrol..dont use petrol..) or else diesel additive ( a bit like Redex) as that also helps.

DONT set a fire under the tank or the engine. Polish drivers, Ukranian and other drivers of big trucks do, but it all goes wrong terribly quickly... oh and squaddies on Canadian prairies at -40 degrees...theyve been known to do it too..

Don't know if you can still get them but I used to have a coil wrapped round my 7.5 tonners tank, it used heated oil to stop the fuel freezing, worked on the same principle as a black heater.