I have a Ram Promaster and put a 5kw Chinese Diesel heater in my van in the fall of 2022. I've maybe run it 16 hours since install (mainly because winter has been a no-show for ski trips in the mid-Atlantic). Here are my thoughts:
If you can fit a 5 KW unit, I would go with it. My van some insulation: floor and ceiling 1" polyiso and 3/4 " poly iso on walls where it was easy to use larger panels. Starting with a cold soaked van a bit below freezing, warmup is about 20 deg F per hour... so from 30F to 50F takes about an hour. 50 F is noticeable warmer that outside ambient. It looks like you have a passenger van with a lot of glass.
It is best if you design your installation for serviceability. Assume that you will need to take the heater out when you least expect to service it. My install was retrofitted into my existing cabinetry/bed that runs over the wheel well. I had to add an access panel in order to install the heater.
It looks like you are installing the heater on a pedestal. This is good for access to the hose clamps that attach the tubing for the combustion inlet and exhaust. I would have an access panel that opens to the inboard side. Make sure there is enough clearance to lift the heater up and out of the pedestal without interfering with the shelf. Make sure you have confidence in sealing the pedestal in case of a combustion exhaust leak.
Install a fire extinguisher and CO detector in the van.
Make sure you have clearance under the floor to frame members and exhaust and anything else. I would be a little concerned if the pump is mounted in the exterior part of the wheel well where crap is being thrown up on it by the tire.
Locating the pump might be challenging. The pump has a requirement for mounting at an angle and the fuel line from the pump to the heaters should always be rising to avoid trapping bubbles. ( internet wisdom).
Pump can be noisy if care is not taken in mounting it. I mounted my pump to a supported piece of 1/4" thick rubber. Not sure if this a good solution.
Might want to use a real fuel filter, not the screen that is supplied with Chinese diesel heaters. You can see that I installed one near the tank.
Put marks on your tank 1 quart/ .1 gallon increments or whatever. This will help you estimated fuel consumption and make it easier to dilute the diesel with kerosine at a known ratio, if you choose to.
I installed fuel shutoffs at both the tank and the input to the fuel pump. I also put a Tee and an extra shutoff to allow bleeding the fuel system up to the pump ( i have a pretty long run from the tank to pump, maybe 6-7 feet). The pump is lubricated by the fuel, so pumping it from dry to prime isn't a great idea. (more internet wisdom)
On mine, the controller is always on. I added Harbor Freight battery disconnect ($8) to disconnect the heater completely from the battery when not in use.
Make sure there are cleats and a tie down to keep the battery secure.
I put the fuel tank outside and all my fuel connections are on the outside of the passenger compartment. I do not want to chance any diesel stink inside the vehicle.
I didn't put the exhaust muffler on mine. Exhaust should be descending from heater to allow condensation to drain.
I rigged up an actual combustion air intake filter using a lawnmower air filter. Not sure if really required.
I started off using the fuel tank supplied.... then got concerned about leaks, so I replaced the OEM tank with a Rotopax 2 gal tank. The Rotopax is very rugged.
I put a bulkhead fitting in the tanks and used a dip tube to near the bottom of the tank. I wouldn't trust a fitting but in the bottom of the tank to not leak. I then added a shrader valve (bolt through schrader valves are availabe at auto parts place). To prime the fuel line, I open the drain valve at the pump and slightly pressurize the fuel tank with a bicycle tire pump. This gets the siphon going and the line filled with fuel. You may not need do do this with short run.
I wish I had more operational wisdom to share.
This is the structure that encloses my wheel well. There is 4" dia hole through the 1/2" ply, 1" foam and steel van floor. It is lined with galvanized sheet metal.
Since this was a retrofit, space was tight, I made a special mounting plate. There is 4" round duct plug attached to the base of the heater. (More internet wisdom). This is nice, but access to the hose clamps is really tough. The pedestal design, done right, will alleviate hose clamp access issues.
Heater in. Hot air will run to fitting shown. Cabinet was cutout in front for cold air inlet
Almost finished install. My 'bunk' runs North/South and is hinged on 2 pieces. The heater is mounted in the forward section.
It is kind of nice where the hot air exits. If you sit on the bunk, your legs get warm. The exit is high because normally there are skis and equipment stored under the bunk.
View from van bottom
Pump mounting.
Switching from OEM tank to RotoPax Tank. The cover covers up the tank so civilians don't know what is under there. There is also a check valved quick disconnect on the fuel line that couples under the van. In the warm season, I plan to remove the tank and store it until heating season.
2/28/23 edit - deleted duplicate photos
