Cheap Amazon Diesel heater recommendations?

[MuckSavage]

I recently installed a unit in my trailer. A 15A fuse was provided in the loom.

 

[Haggy]

I have a budy who is building them into the knock off pelican cases and they are bad ass. I can't wait to get one especially after him putting a T adapter on and heating my rtt this weekend. It's def a must have.

 

[Dimitri_Raptis]

This is a great analysis, thank you very much, indeed multifactorial. In this case do you recommend steeping down to 15a fuses with appropriate wiring? Thanks

yes. 15a would be the best size fuse

Thanks, will change it right away

 

[RJ Howell]

I haven't run one of these myself, however I've heard that running them off of kerosene instead of #2 diesel avoids a lot of problems with soot build-up and pretty much gets rid of the risk of gelling in the cold. The diesel heaters have no problem running kerosene and it burns much cleaner.

We used to run Kerosene in a heater years back in the house, yet I seem to remember the orfice had to be changed.. Can anyone confirm this change of fuel?

 

[DRAX]

I haven't run one of these myself, however I've heard that running them off of kerosene instead of #2 diesel avoids a lot of problems with soot build-up and pretty much gets rid of the risk of gelling in the cold. The diesel heaters have no problem running kerosene and it burns much cleaner.

We used to run Kerosene in a heater years back in the house, yet I seem to remember the orfice had to be changed.. Can anyone confirm this change of fuel?

Other than this fellow saying that sulfur adds lubricity the video is pretty good. You would probably want to mix some Diesel Kleen in with the kerosene to bump up the lubricity or do a mix like he suggests, but other than pump wear concerns there's no downside to running kerosene except maybe cost if it's more expensive, but with how economical these run combined with staying cleaner internally I think it'd be worth it.

 

[RJ Howell]

Other than this fellow saying that sulfur adds lubricity the video is pretty good. You would probably want to mix some Diesel Kleen in with the kerosene to bump up the lubricity or do a mix like he suggests, but other than pump wear concerns there's no downside to running kerosene except maybe cost if it's more expensive, but with how economical these run combined with staying cleaner internally I think it'd be worth it.

Funny, I was just running through some of his videos! Thank you for this link

 

[grubworm]

the heater came in early today and i was able to get it mounted in the trailer. this is a VERY well made unit and i am actually impressed with it. i hooked up my 35ah battery to it and it fired up minutes after unboxing it. i ended up cutting a hole in the floor and running the exhaust and intake down thru it and leaving the unit inside, versus having it outside and running the heat duct into the trailer.

the thing fired up pretty quick and outputs a lot of really nice hot air that doesnt have CO or a lot of moisture like the propane heaters create. after spending 5 minutes with this heater...my buddy heater quickly found its way into the dumpster...

note: the unit comes with a fairly long wire to hook to a 12v source but i wanted longer, so i added a few feet of 14ga wire. the unit wouldnt work. apparently the controller onboard sends out a signal checking impedance and the values changed when i added the extra wire and that kept it from working. i was surprised to see safety precautions on that level on such a cheap piece of gear. pretty impressive.

 

[lhoffm4]

I'm kind of stuck on whether to buy the components, or a kit, and going this route vs. buying one of the many all in one ready to go versions. The latter are inexpensive enough that you could probably buy one and "part it out" as the basis for a Pelican style case build.

The only advantages I can think of for the "in the case" type is that they would provide, I think, better weather protection and they're probably more durable when transporting them. Those are good reasons for having them.

I found this video on some of the common problems with the ready to go heaters. He offers some pretty simple improvements.

(430) Chinese Diesel Heater, problems and solutions. - YouTube

That is what I did. Bought an All-In-One and took it apart to install the guts into a harbor freight pelican style case. $120 for the unit, $65 for the case. Money ahead on the build. Although I added a boat fuel tank and QD fittings for storage and transport. Still less than buying a commercially assembled unit.

 

[RJ Howell]

That is what I did. Bought an All-In-One and took it apart to install the guts into a harbor freight pelican style case. $120 for the unit, $65 for the case. Money ahead on the build. Although I added a boat fuel tank and QD fittings for storage and transport. Still less than buying a commercially assembled unit.

Was just cost to go this direction? I was thinking of not going all-n-one to build in a pelican.. I want the unit outside and only pipe in heat.

 

[David H]

This unit is pretty slick.....

HC-A01 Diesel Heater, 5L Handheld Toolbox All In One Black

5KW power adjustable fast heating, can be used for cab heating of various 12V vehicles and eliminate window frost, Portable with Remote Control.

hcalory.com

This is the one I'm thinking of getting. I bought a MaXpeedingRODS 5K heater off of ebay, but it received a safety recall so I had to return it. I was planning on building a case to enclose it. Now I'm thinking of getting the HCalory 5K heater in a toolbox diesel heater. I like the idea of having the tank separate from the heater for easier transportation and storage. Plus it's a well build box and still light weight. And it will sit well on my new fender table...

 

[reaver]

I've decided I'm going to move mine to a more weather resistant case, specifically, a rigid medium toolbox. It should be a fairly simple project, and should only require a few parts.

 

[David H]

I've decided I'm going to move mine to a more weather resistant case, specifically, a rigid medium toolbox. It should be a fairly simple project, and should only require a few parts.

I saw the Harbor Freight has some good weatherproof boxes (like this Apache case) that could save peeps some money...

 

[reaver]

I saw the Harbor Freight has some good weatherproof boxes (like this Apache case) that could save peeps some money...

I want the fuel container inside the box. I want to try and minimize any leaking into the trailer. I know I can fit EVERYTHING in the rigid tool box (which is only about $60 anyways), that it's just plug in the power, and run the hose into one of the tents.

 

[David H]

You’ll have to show us when it’s done. I’d love something like that too :-)

 

[David H]

I want the fuel container inside the box. I want to try and minimize any leaking into the trailer. I know I can fit EVERYTHING in the rigid tool box (which is only about $60 anyways), that it's just plug in the power, and run the hose into one of the tents.

I bought this DeWalt XL Tool Box from ebay because of it's dimensions for my original heater, but the inside dimensions we still a little too small to hold heater, tank, and have enough room for the exhaust and intake tubes, and it weights almost 14 lbs empty.

 

[reaver]

I bought this DeWalt XL Tool Box from ebay because of it's dimensions for my original heater, but the inside dimensions we still a little too small to hold heater, tank, and have enough room for the exhaust and intake tubes, and it weights almost 14 lbs empty.
View attachment 245569

This is what I planned on using:

22 in. Pro Tool Box, Black | RIDGID Tools

This black RIDGID Pro Tool Box is made with durable, high-impact resin for long-lasting performance. It offers heavy-duty metal latches and features an integrated water seal to protect against water and dust damage.

www.ridgid.com

 

[David H]

This is what I planned on using:

22 in. Pro Tool Box, Black | RIDGID Tools

This black RIDGID Pro Tool Box is made with durable, high-impact resin for long-lasting performance. It offers heavy-duty metal latches and features an integrated water seal to protect against water and dust damage.

www.ridgid.com

Here are the specs for the DeWalt XL Toolbox I had.


Without extensive trimming on the inside, it was too short to house the tall tank the heater came with and,
not tall or wide enough to house both heater and a after market 5.5L fuel tank I bought.

 

[reaver]

Here are the specs for the DeWalt XL Toolbox I had.
View attachment 245570

Without extensive trimming on the inside, it was too short to house the tall tank the heater came with and,
not tall or wide enough to house both heater and a after market 5.5L fuel tank I bought.
View attachment 245571

It's been done. I have the same size tank.

$200 5KW Portable Diesel Air Heater

Still working on mine. Trying to figure out a clean way to run the intake into the cab from box. Will probably add some quick disconnects on the box for the power and controller. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Can it sit on its side like that?

expeditionportal.com

If it doesn't fit, I'll use the box200-5kw-portable-diesel-air-heater.191458for200-5kw-portable-diesel-air-heater.191458
something else, and try a different size box.

 

[Olen]

I got a vevor 8kw all in one unit. Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet. Had to work until 5,then had to go and pick up kitties from the vet, then make dinner, etc, etc. I won't get a chance to fire it up until after my kid goes to bed tonight, at the earliest.

I got the 8kw Vevor all in one unit and used it a couple weeks ago with my Gazelle tent. It kept me comfortable on the lowest setting (1.7Hz) all night.

 

[reaver]

I got the 8kw Vevor all in one unit and used it a couple weeks ago with my Gazelle tent. It kept me comfortable on the lowest setting (1.7Hz) all night.

I'm actually a little worried that the 8kw heater will be too much for my RTT, but the winters here in Idaho can get REAL cold.