Diesel Cabin Heaters

[dcullen]

Hello,
I have been trying to find solid information on what diesel cabin heater to get for my 2006 Quigley E350 EB. My Van has a high top fiberglass roof (aero style, ~14" tall at highest point) and I am in the process of completely spraying the interior with lizard skin SC and CI (ceramic insulation). I will also be making thermal curtains for the windows as it is a passenger van style with windows all around.

Anyways, with the wide range of brands/ pricing/ heating output etc, I would like to get some advice before pulling the trigger. The only specification I am set on is that the fuel be diesel.

If you can help by answering any/ all of these questions it would be awesome;
1. Van model and roof type (stock height metal roof/ hard side fiberglass raised/ pop top soft side)
2. Insulated Y/N (If so, what type of insulation)
3. Diesel heater Brand/ Model/ BTU output
4. Where did you purchase the heater?
5. Cost
6. Good customer service? Please elaborate if possible.

Maybe there is already a good thread on this and my search skills just aren't up to par. If so, feel free to point me there.

Thanks for any help you can give. Snowmobile season is upon us here in Colorado and I need to get the heater installed ASAP!

-Dan

 

[Bbasso]

I've been putting it off but I plan on putting in my already purchased Espar D4.
With all of its digital settings and whatnot and ability to crank out over 16,000 BTU I think even a non insulated van would be fine in the coldest of winters.

If you check out my thread you'll see some information regarding my van and it set up, I'm hoping by the middle of next week to finish the install. The part that's holding me up is getting the fuel tank dropped at a friend's shop.

 

[martell06]

Johny5 just put a Russian made Planar in his van: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/146009-Johny5-s-stealth-camper-van/page8

 

[Mwilliamshs]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/137679-Van-heating-thread

 

[Rickbfried]

There are a bunch in the marine world Start by looking at westmarine.com

 

[Shocker]

The biggest issue I see is problems with short cycling due to an oversized unit.

http://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html

That is a BTU calculator that will get you in the ballpark. A little over or a little under is cool. A little under is better than a lot over.

Short cycling the unit usually causes it to fail.

I ran a calculation based on a van interior being 5'x16'x5' with poor insulation and came up with about 9250 btu/hour.

 

[Paddy]

Just pit a Espar D2 and I can't imagine needing more heat. It belts out super hot air and sips fuel and electricity. Great combo. I found mine out of Canada on eBay, great fast service and good price (~$800)

The Russian planar ones seem like a pretty direct copy of the espar, and a few hundred less, but I figured for future service a reliability it was worth the extra 200$ or so for the genuine German unit.

 

[mezmochill]

Altitude makes a big difference on burn efficiency/carbon buildup/future maintenance. The higher the altitude the less fuel they like. If it will be used in that 6000-10000 ft range it will need altitude compensation. Webasto vs espar not that big of a difference.

Or just use your cloths and quality down bags to keep warm.

The key is we need snow!!!!!

 

[dcullen]

Altitude makes a big difference on burn efficiency/carbon buildup/future maintenance. The higher the altitude the less fuel they like. If it will be used in that 6000-10000 ft range it will need altitude compensation. Webasto vs espar not that big of a difference.

Or just use your cloths and quality down bags to keep warm.

The key is we need snow!!!!!

Yes, I will mainly be using the heater above 6,000ft.

 

[dcullen]

Well I went ahead and bought a Espar D4. All installed and working, however I am not able to get good info on the high altitude kit installation. Did some reading on other forums and it appears I have the newest kit version.

Above is the diagram that came with the kit. Well, I can't figure out how this all works, short of making my own harness based on the diagram. First, it did not come with a "switch" as stated on the diagram. Second, am I supposed to just "T" into the 4 wires?

Anyone have any pictures of the actual wiring they did on their high altitude kit?

I did contact the dealer via email and he basically said, "there is a diagram, it's very straight forward", which I took as "you're dumb, it's easy". I guess I figured it would just be an inline, plug and play kit.

I am also having overheating issues/ codes, which I am assuming is because of my altitude and not having the kit installed yet? Can someone confirm this symptom being caused by the lack of high alt kit installed?

Thank you for any help you can give.

-Dan

 

[Gravity]

Has anyone replaced a Suburban propane unit with an Espar or similar? My propane unit is extremely loud and the blower drains the battery pretty quick. It's an 02 SMB build fwiw

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[naterry]

Well I went ahead and bought a Espar D4. All installed and working, however I am not able to get good info on the high altitude kit installation. Did some reading on other forums and it appears I have the newest kit version. View attachment 326550

Above is the diagram that came with the kit. Well, I can't figure out how this all works, short of making my own harness based on the diagram. First, it did not come with a "switch" as stated on the diagram. Second, am I supposed to just "T" into the 4 wires?

Anyone have any pictures of the actual wiring they did on their high altitude kit?

I did contact the dealer via email and he basically said, "there is a diagram, it's very straight forward", which I took as "you're dumb, it's easy". I guess I figured it would just be an inline, plug and play kit.

I am also having overheating issues/ codes, which I am assuming is because of my altitude and not having the kit installed yet? Can someone confirm this symptom being caused by the lack of high alt kit installed?

Thank you for any help you can give.

-Dan

I'm about to dig into this as well, can't imagine it's not plug n play (or at least pin-out the connector n' play), the Deutsch just wouldn't do that. It looks like the controller is required though, are you sure it's not in the box somewhere? If not, you can purchase them separately here (note the link is to a coolant heater controller): http://www.esparparts.com/multimax-f2000-coolant-heaters-p-25454.html

 

[Bbasso]

I dont have the high altitude kit, but it was from from hard to install it. It just takes time and patience especially with pinning the connections but that actually makes installation easier and cleaner because the holes for running the wires are smaller.

If anyone has questions I'll do my best to answer them.
Understand I'm just some guy who bought and did it myself.

 

[dcullen]

Naterry, thanks for the response. The harness included in my kit does not look like the one pictured in your post. From reading other forums it appears that the new 4 pin connector (that mine came with) only started shipping out some time mid last year and prior to this was a yellow connector like the one you have pictured. I will take a picture of what I was given tonight, however, it looks just like the picture of the wiring instructions that I posted earlier in this thread.

Probably going to call the dealer I bought it from and see if he can be a bit more helpful on the phone compared to his cryptic email.