My last hurdle - condensation

[rajacat]

I purchased one of these too but a 3K version. It should be here in a couple of days. It's good to hear that TantoTrailer's unit only draws 8.4A with the glow plug running. My lithium power block has a stated max output of 10A. I could only find the 2K heater in the kit version.

Now I have to find a way to route the intake and exhaust tubes out of the bed on my F150 without cutting holes.

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[TantoTrailers]

Very curious to see if your heater is actually 3k cause mine was supposedly 2k-5k but the heater unit is labeled 5k under the case. Either way it won’t matter as these don’t shut off and it can be run pretty low, although I have a feeling it may still be too much inside the cabin of my camper. Now you have me looking at the smaller units cause it would be a better fit for my rear galley install coming up....ughhh

4 hour test update:
Fuel use is minimal, maybe 1/10th of the tank so far which I think was about 2 gallons. It has used 4ah from my battery. I have had it running on the lowest setting the whole time and it’s pumping out a good amount of heat, I’m not sure if this would be too much for my cabin if I cracked a window and/or the roof vent. I guess it would largely depend on the outside temp. Smaller unit would probably be more appropriate for the space I’m trying to heat.

 

[rajacat]

Very curious to see if your heater is actually 3k cause mine was supposedly 2k-5k but the heater unit is labeled 5k under the case. Either way it won’t matter as these don’t shut off and it can be run pretty low, although I have a feeling it may still be too much inside the cabin of my camper. Now you have me looking at the smaller units cause it would be a better fit for my rear galley install coming up....ughhh

4 hour test update:
Fuel use is minimal, maybe 1/10th of the tank so far which I think was about 2 gallons. It has used 4ah from my battery. I have had it running on the lowest setting the whole time and it’s pumping out a good amount of heat, I’m not sure if this would be too much for my cabin if I cracked a window and/or the roof vent. I guess it would largely depend on the outside temp. Smaller unit would probably be more appropriate for the space I’m trying to heat.

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The main reason I went with the smaller unit is because diesel heaters generally don't like to be run at the lowest setting. This is because of the potential for carbon buildup mucking up the works. I'm also just heating the bed of my truck plus the wedge popup area so it'll be adjusted to the lowest, clean burning level most of the time.

 

[TantoTrailers]

8 hour test update:
Fuel consumption is still minimal. 7ah used from the battery. I am going to run it for 10 hours then shut it down and see what connectors I am working for a heating unit swap (I want to keep my controller)

I would imagine I could run 7 nights on this tank.

 

[rajacat]

Wow! I'm impressed how little fuel it uses. I have been heating with the propane Buddy heater but I didn't like the amount of fuel it uses among other issues. Good thing about diesel is that it has higher energy density than propane therefore consumes less storage space.
I might run mine on kerosene which is even denser and cleaner. It'll be great to have nice, dry heat this winter.

 

[chet6.7]

I wonder kerosene has enough lubricity on its own,if the fuel pump needs lubrication,will an addictive be needed?
A diesel/kerosene mix might be more economical and the lubricants in the diesel may benefit the fuel pump and provide a cleaner burn as well.
If you guys have success with these heaters I will get probably one,I was thinking about a Propex.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

I installed a diesel heater a couple of years ago.
It heats glycol (not air) which is then pumped around by a tiny pump.
It provides the central heating via radiators which can be fan type or convection, or even under floor heating.
It heats the hot water tank.
It can pre-heat the motor in cold conditions.
The motor also heats the glycol while driving using waste heat and that means after a 20 minute drive the hot water system in the camper is hot.
We can also use this to heat the bathroom which can be closed off from the rest of the camper and used as a cloths drying room for the laundry, when driving using engine heat or when stationary using the diesel heater.
10% of kero in the diesel stops low temperature gelling of the diesel and keeps it clean.
They can run from a separate tank or draw from the main tank of a diesel powered vehicle.

The glycol heaters are quite small and ours is installed under the floor out of the way. There are only German ones as far as I know, so more expensive too.
There are also German petrol (gas) versions.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Milamr]

I have just about everything worked out in my rig except for condensation on nights below freezing. I have tried candles, fans, prayer, and a combination of those items. I do not have a heater built in and I don’t have the ability to install one at this point in my 1.0 rig. 2.0 will be significantly different but that’s a year off or more and winter is just setting in here in the Midwest. I deal with high humidity climate so I don’t have the luxury of dry air to start with. Frost was built up on everything outside as soon as the sun set last night. The condensation I end up with in the morning is significant but I run hot when I sleep so I may perspire more than average. The only way I have found success is to run my exhaust fan at 3 or more and have a window cracked 2-4 inches. However, this results in the cabin temp being very minimally higher than outside temp. I have been able to stay warm in my sleeping bag at those temps but as soon as I get out my ass is frozen and it’s not comfortable to just hang out in the cabin. I’m running 12v and not installing an inverter for the purpose of a dehumidifier or something along those lines. Has anyone come up with a system that works while keeping inside above freezing?

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[TantoTrailers]

10+ hour test complete. The fuel level looked the same as 8 hour. I ran it at full blast for 5 mins to burn off any build up from running it low and then let it shut down.

Total power consumed from the battery was 9Ah. This is a success and definitely getting permanently installed however I think I am getting a 2kw unit for my space. This 5k may end up being my garage heater!

In regards to the damprid, I have a tub in there when it’s stored in the garage.

 

[shade]

10+ hour test complete. The fuel level looked the same as 8 hour. I ran it at full blast for 5 mins to burn off any build up from running it low and then let it shut down.

Total power consumed from the battery was 9Ah. This is a success and definitely getting permanently installed however I think I am getting a 2kw unit for my space. This 5k may end up being my garage heater!

In regards to the damprid, I have a tub in there when it’s stored in the garage.

That sounds like a success.

Is there a site glass or other way to inspect the combustion space for soot?

 

[TantoTrailers]

That sounds like a success.

Is there a site glass or other way to inspect the combustion space for soot?

From what I have seen it looks like a full disassembly to inspect it. I have a feeling I will be doing an annual maintenance on mine since it will likely see 20 nights of 10hr use. I would imagine that is probably overkill but once I get my 2kw tested and happy I will pull this one apart to see what 10hrs of low run looks like with the way I used it. No need to really run it again till then so I will have good stats.

 

[TantoTrailers]

One more tip video for tonight; this one on how to quiet that fuel pump. I will find a neat way of suspending the pump in my setup to minimize the sound.

 

[luthj]

Put a full loop of fuel line before and after the pump. Suspend the pump in a bag of plastic beads or similar. You can also use a quick fist, that works fairly well. As long as the pump can move slightly back an forth on its axis, it helps tremendously. Follow the rules for orienting the pump.

In general these heaters throttle down as they approach the setpoint. You want to avoid stop/start cycling as often as possible. Pick the smallest heater that meets your need with a small amount of overhead. A 2kw unit heats my 20ft long van just fine, even in sub zero weather. Assuming I have my window covers on of course.

 

[TantoTrailers]

My cabin space is 6.5' long x 5' wide x 4' tall. I think 2kw will suffice and I do not plan on shutting off the heater until the morning, so it should not be cycling on/off at all. I will use a combination of exhaust vent and windows to control temp if things get too warm in there.

 

[jeepgc]

A simple lo-tech option is to use silica based cat litter (not sure what the US calls it?) The silica crystals that you put in indoor cat trays for their pee etc.

I heard/read somewhere ages ago that filling up an old, but intact sock with this stuff, absorbs moisture in your vehicle.

It works for us to keep moisture/condensation down in our vehicles, but don't know whether you'd have to fill your vehicle completely to cope with people sleeping inside it .