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[Phessor]

I'm one of those guys who is running a diesel heater on the outside of their camper, and here are some of my own experiences:

- I am in a completely uninsulated (nothing more than what the camper had from the manufacturer) Alu-Cab Canopy Camper on my '21 Tacoma.
- I have a 5kw Vevor unit mounted underneath the truck bed, behind the OEM hitch basically. Fuel tank is located between the camper and cab, outside as well.
- Unit is always 'ready-to-go', as in it doesn't sit on a table or the ground. It always has power, and the fuel lines are permanently installed. Thermostat is mounted inside of the camper in a place where I can reach it from under the covers.

Observations:
- For normal use the unit is in 'Automatic' mode, meaning we pick a temperature and the unit does its best to maintain that temp.
- The minimum temp for the unit is 46.4F.
- We always have the unit set to ~55F.
- The temperature inside of the camper will easily reach 90F+, even when it is ~20F outside. Coldest I've used it is at 12F, but didn't run it long enough to see how the heat built up over time. It still got us plenty warm in very little time.
- The unit runs at 'Low' as soon as it finishes its startup procedure (the unit spools up more aggressively and runs more intensely for ~10 mins or so every startup, regardless of differential in actual temp to set temp).
- The fuel pump never stops clicking, even when the unit is not actively blowing warmed air into the camper. After hitting ~55F the fan cycles 'on and off', but the fuel pump never stops.
- Dave in AZ is right, if I could do it again I would have the unit itself inside of the camper, to keep it out of the elements, but I added this one as an afterthought and had no space inside.
- However, the unit, even mounted outside and drawing in cold air, operates on Low at all times once the target temp is hit (which takes very little time, ~15 mins).

I also have the experience of running another 5kw Vevor unit, in one of those all-in-one cases, inside of a well insulated shed. This unit is inside of the shed, and I have the unit set up in the same way, meaning Auto mode, with the temp again set to ~55F.

The unit, pulling in warmed air, as it is located inside of the warm shed, behaves exactly the same as the same unit mounted outside in our camper. It too spools up aggressively, and then defaults to the fan cycling on and off, again with the fuel pump never stopping. The shed also builds up heat in the same way.

This is a long way to say that I personally see no discernible difference in either fuel consumption or performance of a unit pulling in already warmed air or one that is pulling in fresh cold air.

Thank you for your insight @MR E30 I watched a video where the guy did a comparison with his heater, running it with outside air and running it ducted for inside air. He found very little to no difference in operation. No noticeable temperature differences or fuel consumption on his unit.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I'm one of those guys who is running a diesel heater on the outside of their camper, and here are some of my own experiences:

- I am in a completely uninsulated (nothing more than what the camper had from the manufacturer) Alu-Cab Canopy Camper on my '21 Tacoma.
- I have a 5kw Vevor unit mounted underneath the truck bed, behind the OEM hitch basically. Fuel tank is located between the camper and cab, outside as well.
- Unit is always 'ready-to-go', as in it doesn't sit on a table or the ground. It always has power, and the fuel lines are permanently installed. Thermostat is mounted inside of the camper in a place where I can reach it from under the covers.

Observations:
- For normal use the unit is in 'Automatic' mode, meaning we pick a temperature and the unit does its best to maintain that temp.
- The minimum temp for the unit is 46.4F.
- We always have the unit set to ~55F.
- The temperature inside of the camper will easily reach 90F+, even when it is ~20F outside. Coldest I've used it is at 12F, but didn't run it long enough to see how the heat built up over time. It still got us plenty warm in very little time.
- The unit runs at 'Low' as soon as it finishes its startup procedure (the unit spools up more aggressively and runs more intensely for ~10 mins or so every startup, regardless of differential in actual temp to set temp).
- The fuel pump never stops clicking, even when the unit is not actively blowing warmed air into the camper. After hitting ~55F the fan cycles 'on and off', but the fuel pump never stops.
- Dave in AZ is right, if I could do it again I would have the unit itself inside of the camper, to keep it out of the elements, but I added this one as an afterthought and had no space inside.
- However, the unit, even mounted outside and drawing in cold air, operates on Low at all times once the target temp is hit (which takes very little time, ~15 mins).

I also have the experience of running another 5kw Vevor unit, in one of those all-in-one cases, inside of a well insulated shed. This unit is inside of the shed, and I have the unit set up in the same way, meaning Auto mode, with the temp again set to ~55F.

The unit, pulling in warmed air, as it is located inside of the warm shed, behaves exactly the same as the same unit mounted outside in our camper. It too spools up aggressively, and then defaults to the fan cycling on and off, again with the fuel pump never stopping. The shed also builds up heat in the same way.

This is a long way to say that I personally see no discernible difference in either fuel consumption or performance of a unit pulling in already warmed air or one that is pulling in fresh cold air.

This is a great report. Solid info. I've been thinking about mounting my combustor in that little cubby on passenger side of tacoma bed, moving it from inside bed near front wall. It would draw from outside then. Some guy makes an expensive mounting plate that replaces the whole 120v plug and cubby panel... I'd probably jerry rig it myself lol.
It's all that dang clicking. I'm putting my pump inside a small pelican case, well a Springfield Hellcat case really, and mounting it outside on rear pillar under my fuel tank.

 

[jagarcia89]

Question:
Has anyone used a Hest mattress in their OVRLND camper?
I need something better than I have.
And all my GFC buddies rave about them.

I do. Dually custom s75. Fits perfect and I love it.


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[MR E30]

This is a great report. Solid info. I've been thinking about mounting my combustor in that little cubby on passenger side of tacoma bed, moving it from inside bed near front wall. It would draw from outside then. Some guy makes an expensive mounting plate that replaces the whole 120v plug and cubby panel... I'd probably jerry rig it myself lol.
It's all that dang clicking. I'm putting my pump inside a small pelican case, well a Springfield Hellcat case really, and mounting it outside on rear pillar under my fuel tank.

That is a great idea Dave, a little case for the pump! The clicking can definitely be annoying. It does satisfy my mind though, as its sound is how I check that it is working as intended, but getting rid of it all the way would be very nice. I didn't think wrapping it in something would do it, but physically stowing it in something makes a lot of sense.

Please share what you come up with.

 

[MR E30]

Thank you for your insight @MR E30 I watched a video where the guy did a comparison with his heater, running it with outside air and running it ducted for inside air. He found very little to no difference in operation. No noticeable temperature differences or fuel consumption on his unit.

Lol I should have known that YT would already have a video of exactly that.

 

[Motafinga]

For those running diesel heaters. How are you running the heater hose into your campers?

I run a wedge through the side hatch, it was easy to make and I add hinges to the "wings" so it folds up when traveling. I don't really need / want a heater full time for now so this makes everything easily left at home to save space & weight. I got an extension cable for the display screen so I can make adjustments and see the mode from my bed.

 

[Phessor]

I run a wedge through the side hatch, it was easy to make and I add hinges to the "wings" so it folds up when traveling. I don't really need / want a heater full time for now so this makes everything easily left at home to save space & weight. I got an extension cable for the display screen so I can make adjustments and see the mode from my bed.

Pictures?

 

[Phessor]

I made a prototype wedge for the side door. It works okay, but it will need some tweaking to get it all sealed up.

A quick test resulted in the inside temperature going from 55° F to 75° F in five minutes.

With the muffler on you cannot hear the unit running from inside. But you can hear the airflow through the vent. I guess this will become white noise while in use.

 

[Motafinga]

I made a prototype wedge for the side door. It works okay, but it will need some tweaking to get it all sealed up.

A quick test resulted in the inside temperature going from 55° F to 75° F in five minutes.

With the muffler on you cannot hear the unit running from inside. But you can hear the airflow through the vent. I guess this will become white noise while in use.

Mine is pretty much just like yours but with hinges to fold the upright pieces flat. I used some weather stripping to seal up most of the gaps but I may add some more. I use velcro to keep the uprights from flopping down. BTW you should point that exhaust downwards so condensation doesn't build in the exhaust. It'll run much cleaner over time and won't coke up as much. I just set mine on the ground and have some wood pieces to allow the exhaust more clearance.
I don't hear the ticking with it outside unattached to the rig either which is a win in my book!

 

[Pra4sno]

My heater setup looked similar. I did a lavaner pro alpine 5kw externally in a pelican style case and hauled it around. I found that on my Tundra the back corner of the truck bed was cavernous underneath and I ended up mounting a 4 gallon aluminum tank on the left side. On the passenger side I installed a 2kw Lavaner pro alpine model through the bed so it is mounted inside, but ducted down through that same wheel well space all of the exhaust, etc. It has been fantastic. If I was to change anything, it would be to route it out the bottom of the truck bed instead of the side of the bed as I think it reduces the effectiveness of the glo plug being able to heat the fuel on startup. It gets it done, but if I change elevation or temperatures dramatically and don't run the heater for a few weeks it takes an extra starting cycle.

I will say that if I was in a warmer climate, or if I wasn't still able to use the heater in July at elevation...I would not have installed it

The 2KW is more than adequate to keep the truck warm all year round. The 5KW could keep it warm at 50% power on -5* temps. The 2KW is running inside the truck and the coldest I have run it was when we were at 20* outside this fall and to maintain 65 it was at 30% power.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

These products are less problematic if run flat out than at low outputs, especially if they cycle on and off, so over sizing is best avoided.
It is rare in Oz to need anything bigger than 2kW, but we have a problem that many sellers of 5kW units advertise and sell them as 2kW units.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Motafinga]

My heater setup looked similar. I did a lavaner pro alpine 5kw externally in a pelican style case and hauled it around. I found that on my Tundra the back corner of the truck bed was cavernous underneath and I ended up mounting a 4 gallon aluminum tank on the left side. On the passenger side I installed a 2kw Lavaner pro alpine model through the bed so it is mounted inside, but ducted down through that same wheel well space all of the exhaust, etc. It has been fantastic. If I was to change anything, it would be to route it out the bottom of the truck bed instead of the side of the bed as I think it reduces the effectiveness of the glo plug being able to heat the fuel on startup. It gets it done, but if I change elevation or temperatures dramatically and don't run the heater for a few weeks it takes an extra starting cycle.

I will say that if I was in a warmer climate, or if I wasn't still able to use the heater in July at elevation...I would not have installed it

The 2KW is more than adequate to keep the truck warm all year round. The 5KW could keep it warm at 50% power on -5* temps. The 2KW is running inside the truck and the coldest I have run it was when we were at 20* outside this fall and to maintain 65 it was at 30% power.

Pretty slick setup, how do you fill the Aux tank up?

 

[jagarcia89]

Mine is pretty much just like yours but with hinges to fold the upright pieces flat. I used some weather stripping to seal up most of the gaps but I may add some more. I use velcro to keep the uprights from flopping down. BTW you should point that exhaust downwards so condensation doesn't build in the exhaust. It'll run much cleaner over time and won't coke up as much. I just set mine on the ground and have some wood pieces to allow the exhaust more clearance.
I don't hear the ticking with it outside unattached to the rig either which is a win in my book!

I did similar and eventually ditched the insert because I could never get it sealed well and hated that it blocked a hatch while in use. I eventually just cut and inlet hole on the back of the camper and am much happier with it.

A not on your condensation comment, the muffler actually has a weep hole. So it doesn’t matter which way the pipe is pointed and long as the weep hole is oriented correctly. But your comment is valid as his post did not have the weep hole oriented correctly either.

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[Dave in AZ]

I did similar and eventually ditched the insert because I could never get it sealed well and hated that it blocked a hatch while in use. I eventually just cut and inlet hole on the back of the camper and am much happier with it.

A not on your condensation comment, the muffler actually has a weep hole. So it doesn’t matter which way the pipe is pointed and long as the weep hole is oriented correctly. But your comment is valid as his post did not have the weep hole oriented correctly either.

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Meh... still not actually correct. The pipe itself must be angled down with no upslope. The muffler having a weep hole is immaterial. These are all clones of the Eberspacher diesel, and THEY pysh dealer installs because how often people mess it up. They have a 98 page install manual you can download, and it specifies zero upslope on the exhaust. The Chinese mfg have changed nothing, they just don't make the effort to produce a good, readable installation manual, therefore best practice is to reference the original Eberspacher. Just slope the exhaust downhill to avoid any condensation issues. I know the exhaust is hot also.

Your duct hole setup looks nice. Way easier than that side door craziness.

 

[Motafinga]

Meh... still not actually correct. The pipe itself must be angled down with no upslope. The muffler having a weep hole is immaterial. These are all clones of the Eberspacher diesel, and THEY pysh dealer installs because how often people mess it up. They have a 98 page install manual you can download, and it specifies zero upslope on the exhaust. The Chinese mfg have changed nothing, they just don't make the effort to produce a good, readable installation manual, therefore best practice is to reference the original Eberspacher. Just slope the exhaust downhill to avoid any condensation issues. I know the exhaust is hot also.

Your duct hole setup looks nice. Way easier than that side door craziness.

Yeah what he said ^^ lol

FWIW My side hatch is still totally usable since the wedge is attached to the inner camper hatch frame with some simple velcro pieces and functions the same with or without the wedge. You can get it to seal tighter if needed by using a bungee to pull it tighter by attaching the bungees to the latches from the inside, but I rarely bother...