flightcancled
Explorer
The heater went in while the turkey was being cooked Thanksgiving morning. This is my second rodeo, so with some help I was done in about 4.5 hours including pulling apart the interior and running the controller to my switch bank. The next 3 nights in the van were super comfy!
My fuel tap solution was to look up the inner diameter of the fuel fill hose (1.5") and then grab a 4" piece of exhaust tube from an auto parts store. Drilled and installed the fuel pick-up unit into that and then bent the pipe into shape to reach down into the tank. The trick is to drill and insert the stand tube into the exhaust pipe. Put on the brass top cap and tighten the bolt all the way down. carefully hammer down the flat metal washer until it is formed to the curves of the pipe. Take the nut and washer off, put the black gasket on, and fully assemble. Check that the fit is tight by filling the exhaust tube with water. Remove all metal shavings and debris then allow to dry completely. Cut out about 1" of the filler hose from under the van, snake the feed into the tank, slip the filler hose on both sides and tighten with hose clamps. Works like a charm and I didn't have to tap the high-pressure fuel lines or drop the tank.
The unit is installed under my driver seat. Fits perfectly, and the access to install everything wasn't completely miserable. Just be sure to drill in about 1" to the left of the inside of the center side of the seat base to avoid a rib on the underside of the van.
This 2k unit is almost silent from standing outside. Definitely could be used in a stealth application. Inside the unit isn't the quietest, but with if you're insulated well you'll only really be running this unit for 10 min before and after going to bed most of the time. It was in the 20s at night and I was just fine without running it for very long.
Why a 2k instead of a 5k? I wanted to be blasting this thing when I do run it to prevent building up soot inside. Coking up is what causes most of the failures these units see. According to the supplier for Sportsmobile the gas units have less issues running at low power (like on the thermostat setting) than the diesel. Sounds like if you're going the remote fuel tank route anyway then just run kerosene for the best results and longevity. Definitely plan on finishing the season by running the unit on kerosene for a while to clean it out and leave it in good shape for the next season. Also consider taping over the intake and exhaust to prevent sand and dust getting up there all summer.
My fuel tap solution was to look up the inner diameter of the fuel fill hose (1.5") and then grab a 4" piece of exhaust tube from an auto parts store. Drilled and installed the fuel pick-up unit into that and then bent the pipe into shape to reach down into the tank. The trick is to drill and insert the stand tube into the exhaust pipe. Put on the brass top cap and tighten the bolt all the way down. carefully hammer down the flat metal washer until it is formed to the curves of the pipe. Take the nut and washer off, put the black gasket on, and fully assemble. Check that the fit is tight by filling the exhaust tube with water. Remove all metal shavings and debris then allow to dry completely. Cut out about 1" of the filler hose from under the van, snake the feed into the tank, slip the filler hose on both sides and tighten with hose clamps. Works like a charm and I didn't have to tap the high-pressure fuel lines or drop the tank.
The unit is installed under my driver seat. Fits perfectly, and the access to install everything wasn't completely miserable. Just be sure to drill in about 1" to the left of the inside of the center side of the seat base to avoid a rib on the underside of the van.
This 2k unit is almost silent from standing outside. Definitely could be used in a stealth application. Inside the unit isn't the quietest, but with if you're insulated well you'll only really be running this unit for 10 min before and after going to bed most of the time. It was in the 20s at night and I was just fine without running it for very long.
Why a 2k instead of a 5k? I wanted to be blasting this thing when I do run it to prevent building up soot inside. Coking up is what causes most of the failures these units see. According to the supplier for Sportsmobile the gas units have less issues running at low power (like on the thermostat setting) than the diesel. Sounds like if you're going the remote fuel tank route anyway then just run kerosene for the best results and longevity. Definitely plan on finishing the season by running the unit on kerosene for a while to clean it out and leave it in good shape for the next season. Also consider taping over the intake and exhaust to prevent sand and dust getting up there all summer.
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