$200 5KW Portable Diesel Air Heater

[IdaSHO]

This is a big advantage to hydronic distribution systems, with a decent tank size for thermal mass.

Also one huge benefit to keeping the water tank(s) within the insulated (& heated) cabin of a vehicle or camper.

Over the years I have learned that if I maintain the temp in the camper (as opposed to letting it chill to outside temps) while on the road,
it takes considerably less time and energy/fuel to heat and keep the cabin warm once stopped for the night, provided the fresh water tank is near full.

 

[IdaSHO]

This is exactly why I put a propane furnace in my trailer. No problems running it with a thermostat or at elevation.

Bigger "Not a Teardrop"

#1 Well, here it is, my next project. It will be a toy hauler for my motorcycle and camping set up. I was thinking about a cargo trailer conversion so I looked at new ones, Pure junk!!! The plywood floors are held up with formed stamped sheet metal steel like a unibody car. No go for me...

americanadventurist.com

View attachment 606200

We run propane as well, but also have occasional soot problems as high altitude and in severe cold.
Its a double edge sword. LP pressure drops due to temp, and less oxygen due to high altitude.

Even if you can manage to keep the mixture correct (enough) BTU output suffers.

We run an adjustable regulator to adjust the mix and maintain a clean burn (no soot),
but the loss of BTU is pretty obvious.

 

[helidave]

For the chinese diesel heaters, you can adjust the settings for the altitude you're at. You just take 4% percent off the fuel pump settings in the menu for every 1000' above sea level. There's a high and a low limit to adjust. Basically you're leaning it out for the thinner air. Takes about 30 seconds to do. I also run it mine on high for a couple minutes before I shut it off to help clean out the combustion chamber.

 

[hoodlum]

Verkstad.. our unit when ignited came on quickly and ran at full power. After a few minutes it would reduce fan speed by 50% or more and continue to produce heat and run fine. BEFORE shut down we always increased temp and ran it WO for 10 minutes. The all day run on low plugged it.
SO....what I hear you saying is that your Espar D1 on low all day and under 8000ft can handle it this scenario without sooting..? And most importantly can do it day in and day out.? Cool

Luthj .. fuel mixture 10-4 we did adj the fuel output down...it seemed to help.

I realize most of our problems were US not being familiar with these types of systems.
All good info guys. Thank you

 

[Mass_Mopar]

To the OP... If you download "google translate" to your phone, then select the camera function it will try to translate the words on your controller. You may get a better clue as to what each mean.

 

[trailscape]

Anyone have input on how the exhaust should be plumbed? I picked up one to experiment with and everything I read points to the exhaust routing out from under the vehicle.

I feel like this could be an issue when stationary if the exhaust builds up under the vehicle. Mainly though, I have several convenient holes already made in my setup.
One is above the brake light in the topper. I was thinking of routing the exhaust through there with a marine hull fitting. Anyone foresee an issue with that?

 

[86scotty]

These heaters are used widely in commercial trucks. Pretty much every modern sleeper truck has one in it. All plumbed through the floor and under the vehicle with no issues. I've had 3 in different rigs done this way. The exhaust pipe gets VERY hot, many hundreds of degrees. I have no idea how you could mount this through a topper brake light. Short answer, you need to go through the floor with spacing around it. Get on Youtube. Tons of videos on installing these.

 

[trailscape]

These heaters are used widely in commercial trucks. Pretty much every modern sleeper truck has one in it. All plumbed through the floor and under the vehicle with no issues. I've had 3 in different rigs done this way. The exhaust pipe gets VERY hot, many hundreds of degrees. I have no idea how you could mount this through a topper brake light. Short answer, you need to go through the floor with spacing around it. Get on Youtube. Tons of videos on installing these.

Thank you. I'd been considering that but figured they were likely also sealed up a bit better than a pickup bed.
Here's a photo for a better idea of what I'm referring to. I had used this outlet to run a propane hose for a buddy heater, but was thinking of swapping it out for a marine thru-hull exhaust fitting.

 

[llamalander]

The Carbon Monoxide the combustion produces is heavier than air, so venting low is a benefit unless you parked in a sheep dip. If you want to vent higher up, make sure everything near is well sealed... and you have a working CO alarm.
Air-sealing your pickup bed and topper will likely prove helpful in its own right, if only for the dust it keeps out--most of the gaps will be around the top frame rails. Foil heating tape &/or caulking and backer rod will live through most abuse and keep the back cleaner & warmer

 

[trailscape]

Thank you. That all makes sense. I'm planning out my install and had to consider options that didn't require making more holes than I already have.

The Carbon Monoxide the combustion produces is heavier than air, so venting low is a benefit unless you parked in a sheep dip. If you want to vent higher up, make sure everything near is well sealed... and you have a working CO alarm.
Air-sealing your pickup bed and topper will likely prove helpful in its own right, if only for the dust it keeps out--most of the gaps will be around the top frame rails. Foil heating tape &/or caulking and backer rod will live through most abuse and keep the back cleaner & warmer

Here's a good link for anyone doing an install. It covers a lot of easily overlooked items.

13 Diesel Heater Installation Mistakes (And How To Fix Them)

Here’s the 13 most common diesel heater installation mistakes... the things that kept on coming up a lot when I researching how to do it properly

abigpeacheyadventure.com.au

 

[Mass_Mopar]

Anyone have input on how the exhaust should be plumbed? I picked up one to experiment with and everything I read points to the exhaust routing out from under the vehicle.

I feel like this could be an issue when stationary if the exhaust builds up under the vehicle. Mainly though, I have several convenient holes already made in my setup.
One is above the brake light in the topper. I was thinking of routing the exhaust through there with a marine hull fitting. Anyone foresee an issue with that?

If you haven't already, take a look through John's youtube channel. Just over a dozen videos on diesel air heaters, at least one video on each major component. Chock full of nitty gritty details and a bunch of great advice, in my opinion.

John McK 47

www.youtube.com

Here's his video on exhaust including advice for routing. The big take-away is minimize bends in the exhaust as much as possible to maintain clean combustion. He also has other videos detailing installation in a boat and in an RV.

 

[Phreak480]

The Carbon Monoxide the combustion produces is heavier than air, so venting low is a benefit unless you parked in a sheep dip. If you want to vent higher up, make sure everything near is well sealed... and you have a working CO alarm.
Air-sealing your pickup bed and topper will likely prove helpful in its own right, if only for the dust it keeps out--most of the gaps will be around the top frame rails. Foil heating tape &/or caulking and backer rod will live through most abuse and keep the back cleaner & warmer

Air sealing is not good for occupied space. CO2 asphyxia can be an issue if not getting enough air exchange. Literally your own breathing can kill you, sealing it from dust infiltration and drafts is great, but have a plan to facilitate air exchange when occupying the space.

 

[john61ct]

100% sealing is best, required for effective insulation (vapour barrier envelope, as critical as R-value)

coupled with **controlled** ventilation.

When you are burning fuel to heat the living space then the exchange rate with outside fresh air needs to be kept to the minimum healthy CFM.

When cooking with propane, dogs fart, whatever then you crank it up a little.

In warm to hot weather then very high levels needed for active cooling to avoid a need for aircon.

 

[john61ct]

Obviously the out-venting of combustion, usually to the ground level

needs to be as far as possible from your fresh air intake vent(s).

Best is for the burner itself to be located outside the living space, the fresh air supply being the intake of what's being heated.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

I think Triclicks Air Heater is one of the best heaters on the market. The device running throughout the night. The main operations of the heater are all done via a responsive LCD control panel. The display is bright and is multi-coloured. The information displayed on the screen is easy to read and simple to understand and the operating system is intuitive and very responsive.

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