Cheap Amazon Diesel heater recommendations?

[jeepers29]

Olen, Thanks for the info - I'll probably be upgrading to a T4 (need a little but more space) since a ShiftPod is out of my price range. I've done a lot of research on the diesel heaters and heard that the less restrictions on both intake and output is best (less than 270 degrees in total bends). I saw a great video about using two silencers (straight through) do a great job at silencing the exhaust.

I'll probably get the HCalory HC-A01 Diesel Heater - It's more expensive than most I'm looking at, but is complete with nothing to add/build. I think it will work out the best for me as far as storage space goes.

Did you get this heater? I am leaning towards this one to heat my shop in winter as well as use for camping. What are your thoughts? Thanks, Joel

 

[reaver]

Did you get this heater? I am leaning towards this one to heat my shop in winter as well as use for camping. What are your thoughts? Thanks, Joel

I've heard that the vevor units are more reliable, but take that with a grain of salt. Mine didn't like my lifepo4 battery, but with a simple modification, works great.

At least, after my initial testing.

 

[jeepers29]

I've heard that the vevor units are more reliable, but take that with a grain of salt. Mine didn't like my lifepo4 battery, but with a simple modification, works great.

At least, after my initial testing.

Do these have to run off of a battery or can they be plugged into an outlet?

 

[reaver]

I'm not sure I understand the question correctly. They run off of a 12v source. Up to a 12 amp draw. Whether that's a starter battery, auxiliary battery, or a power station doesn't matter, as long as it can handle the initial load, and supply the proper voltage.

 

[MazeVX]

I'm assuming that using a high temp gasket material to help seal the exhaust will also help prevent any exhaust from entering the blower intake.

I'm assuming this won't be much of an issue once I get it mounted in the box it's going in.

Not sure where you had that "short cut" but you may have seen on one of the pictures that I routed the combustion air intake to the rear and exhaust to the front, the exhaust is then extended by one of the standard exhaust tubes with approximately 2 ft length. Works just fine even with changing winds

 

[MazeVX]

Do these have to run off of a battery or can they be plugged into an outlet?

If you are talking about a wall outlet in a house the answer is no. They need 12V or 24V, so you need a DC power supply with the correct voltage and amperage.
As you may have read, 12V with 10-15A should work.
As far as the brand goes... The internals of the heaters are more or less the same, there are basically 2 different models 2kW and 5kW the rest are more or less marketing ideas and different housings.
A 5kW unit will barely heat a non isolated single car garage if it's close to freezing outside but it will not be warm.
Just tested it the last weekend.

 

[MazeVX]

@MazeVX I know you have your exhaust routed, but out the side is better it as avoids both the cold air intake and hot air output for the hot air better. If you have a permanent mount then you can seal the exhaust better.

So actually there are no real leaks, I swapped the clamps for better ones, yes maybe there are gas leaks but probably very minor.
I get your point and it is absolutely correct, in the actual use case there will be a tube going up 2 meters into the rtt, in theory the heated air could still suck in exhaust gas but since it's a lot of air that gets pumped through and the tent being everything else but air tight I don't think this will be a problem. I extend the exhaust out of the front with a 2ft piece of exhaust tube to get more space between the inlets and the exhaust.

But... The companies who are selling "heater boxes" over here are strictly saying that you need to run them with heated air recirculation to avoid the risk of sucking in exhaust gas, I believe that there are liability risks they want to avoid.
I know a few people running these heaters the same way I planned and all of them are still alive so I'm not to worried

 

[reaver]

Not sure where you had that "short cut" but you may have seen on one of the pictures that I routed the combustion air intake to the rear and exhaust to the front, the exhaust is then extended by one of the standard exhaust tubes with approximately 2 ft length. Works just fine even with changing winds

Of course I saw your picture. That's basically what I plan on doing. I'm also going to add a second piece of duct for the blower intake, so that I can route that away from the exhaust as well (if need be).

 

[MazeVX]

Of course I saw your picture. That's basically what I plan on doing. I'm also going to add a second piece of duct for the blower intake, so that I can route that away from the exhaust as well (if need be).

If your duct does not get to long maybe think about air recirculation that would even be better but I thought about that as well.
I'm planning on keeping the original housing for now but I could easily open it up and put a duct on the intake

 

[reaver]

If your duct does not get to long maybe think about air recirculation that would even be better but I thought about that as well.
I'm planning on keeping the original housing for now but I could easily open it up and put a duct on the intake

The only real reason I'm thinking of putting it in a box, is for weatherproofing. It's entirety possible that I can just place it in the box for transport, and weatherproof all the connections on the heater itself, and run the controller up into the tent.

 

[smritte]

I have a Vevor 5k heater mounted in a case. This weekend was the first time I got to use it. Even though it worked very well. There are a few areas that need improvement. The low temp both nights was 25 degrees. My heater is towards the front of the trailer. The exhaust is pointed to the side and low.

1. No wind and even though I have about two foot of exhaust tubing pointing away from the intake, the start up fumes tend to just sit there and some are pulled into the intake. Once running the pressure push's the exhaust away. Diesel fumes are heavier than air. I also deal with wind on some trips. I can see that blowing the exhaust back when running.

2. The heated air is too hot for the lined hose I have running into my trailer. I get a slight burning plastic smell and touching the tube at the outlet, its hot enough to smooth out the wrinkles in the plastic. One of the guys in my camp has a 7k contained unit, his heated the tubing enough to make it brittle and the smell from his is a bit more. Both of us are running the "insulated" aluminum lined flex tubing.

3. Air intake needs an air filter. Not the small heater intake but the large fresh air. Even though the conditions were ideal this weekend, I can see powder silt being pumped into my trailer.

4. Controller...It works. Good for on/off and fan speed. My controller is (temporarily) mounted inside. The thermostat part doesn't work which is why I said its good for on/off. There seems to be other controllers that plug in with more function. It also seems, that most heaters have the same plug making these remotes universal.

My ideas.
1. Add in a short piece of tubing with a small air cleaner. Basically build a short ram for it and raise it a bit. This will fix the fume issue and the dust issue. The intake is 3 inch like the exhaust. I've been looking towards some 3-4 inch air cleaners.

2. The higher temp rated tubing's seem to be all metal flexable. I was thinking of running a two foot piece from the heater, connecting my hose to that.

4. May try the universal remote (~$50) after I fix the other issues.

I'm still looking at diffrent options so nothing is set yet. Ideas?

 

[reaver]

I have a Vevor 5k heater mounted in a case. This weekend was the first time I got to use it. Even though it worked very well. There are a few areas that need improvement. The low temp both nights was 25 degrees. My heater is towards the front of the trailer. The exhaust is pointed to the side and low.

1. No wind and even though I have about two foot of exhaust tubing pointing away from the intake, the start up fumes tend to just sit there and some are pulled into the intake. Once running the pressure push's the exhaust away. Diesel fumes are heavier than air. I also deal with wind on some trips. I can see that blowing the exhaust back when running.

2. The heated air is too hot for the lined hose I have running into my trailer. I get a slight burning plastic smell and touching the tube at the outlet, its hot enough to smooth out the wrinkles in the plastic. One of the guys in my camp has a 7k contained unit, his heated the tubing enough to make it brittle and the smell from his is a bit more. Both of us are running the "insulated" aluminum lined flex tubing.

3. Air intake needs an air filter. Not the small heater intake but the large fresh air. Even though the conditions were ideal this weekend, I can see powder silt being pumped into my trailer.

4. Controller...It works. Good for on/off and fan speed. My controller is (temporarily) mounted inside. The thermostat part doesn't work which is why I said its good for on/off. There seems to be other controllers that plug in with more function. It also seems, that most heaters have the same plug making these remotes universal.

My ideas.
1. Add in a short piece of tubing with a small air cleaner. Basically build a short ram for it and raise it a bit. This will fix the fume issue and the dust issue. The intake is 3 inch like the exhaust. I've been looking towards some 3-4 inch air cleaners.

2. The higher temp rated tubing's seem to be all metal flexable. I was thinking of running a two foot piece from the heater, connecting my hose to that.

4. May try the universal remote (~$50) after I fix the other issues.

I'm still looking at different options so nothing is set yet. Ideas?

Most of these are really good points.

I've recently learned that it takes a good 10 or so hours of running these things on high to get most of the smell out. Honestly, that could be what I've been smelling (machine oil, and such), and not exhaust fumes.

I run it on high for a full day again, and hopefully most of the smell is gone at that point. I also need to pick up a CO monitor before I attempt to use it again. Just to be safe.

 

[rgallant]

@smritte I use basic 3 inch dryer duct for the air intake. I 3d printed a connector to attach the hose to as I have an all in one unit. There is no heat there and you could use a piece of flexible duct to move the intake further away.

For output I used the piece of that came with the kit then aluminum flexible ducting followed by another piece of the kit material. I picked up two couplers from Planar to join it all together.
My heater sits on a tire step on my spare so it reaches the tent just fine, with the relatively short run.

 

[MazeVX]

I have a Vevor 5k heater mounted in a case. This weekend was the first time I got to use it. Even though it worked very well. There are a few areas that need improvement. The low temp both nights was 25 degrees. My heater is towards the front of the trailer. The exhaust is pointed to the side and low.

1. No wind and even though I have about two foot of exhaust tubing pointing away from the intake, the start up fumes tend to just sit there and some are pulled into the intake. Once running the pressure push's the exhaust away. Diesel fumes are heavier than air. I also deal with wind on some trips. I can see that blowing the exhaust back when running.

2. The heated air is too hot for the lined hose I have running into my trailer. I get a slight burning plastic smell and touching the tube at the outlet, its hot enough to smooth out the wrinkles in the plastic. One of the guys in my camp has a 7k contained unit, his heated the tubing enough to make it brittle and the smell from his is a bit more. Both of us are running the "insulated" aluminum lined flex tubing.

3. Air intake needs an air filter. Not the small heater intake but the large fresh air. Even though the conditions were ideal this weekend, I can see powder silt being pumped into my trailer.

4. Controller...It works. Good for on/off and fan speed. My controller is (temporarily) mounted inside. The thermostat part doesn't work which is why I said its good for on/off. There seems to be other controllers that plug in with more function. It also seems, that most heaters have the same plug making these remotes universal.

My ideas.
1. Add in a short piece of tubing with a small air cleaner. Basically build a short ram for it and raise it a bit. This will fix the fume issue and the dust issue. The intake is 3 inch like the exhaust. I've been looking towards some 3-4 inch air cleaners.

2. The higher temp rated tubing's seem to be all metal flexable. I was thinking of running a two foot piece from the heater, connecting my hose to that.

4. May try the universal remote (~$50) after I fix the other issues.

I'm still looking at diffrent options so nothing is set yet. Ideas?

There is silicone hot air hose available that works to 300°C which is about 3 times it's maximum output temperature should be plenty, yes to the air filter or as I said before try air recirculation so you only have the dirt that's already in... And you are more efficient and terminate the risk of exhaust gases getting soaked in.
What controler do you have?
The thermostat mode is crap with all of them because they will only switch from full power to minimum power always pumping up and down, however, there is a final solution to that the "afterburner" controler from that Australian guy!

 

[smritte]

@reaver. The smell is the heating of the plastic. I never noticed it before because i was testing it in my garage. It took several hours to purge the (oil?) from the burners.

@rgallant That was here I was heading with it. I was looking at making a "cold air intake" for the inlet, moving it a bit higher.

@MazeVX I have been looking at the silicone hoses as well as the flexible metal ones. Some of the silicone are pricy. Mine isnt as bad as my friends set up. As much as I want the air to recirculate, I don't think I will be able to pull it off like I want to right now. Controller wise, the typical junk one most everyone else has without the "car remote" control.

A few things I observed this weekend. I was at a small "Overlanding" event. There were around a dozen diesel heaters there. Most were new. On the older ones I did notice how much dirt was accumulating on the air intake. Raising the inlet and adding a filter will be at the top of my list.

 

[reaver]

@reaver. The smell is the heating of the plastic. I never noticed it before because i was testing it in my garage. It took several hours to purge the (oil?) from the burners.

@rgallant That was here I was heading with it. I was looking at making a "cold air intake" for the inlet, moving it a bit higher.

@MazeVX I have been looking at the silicone hoses as well as the flexible metal ones. Some of the silicone are pricy. Mine isnt as bad as my friends set up. As much as I want the air to recirculate, I don't think I will be able to pull it off like I want to right now. Controller wise, the typical junk one most everyone else has without the "car remote" control.

A few things I observed this weekend. I was at a small "Overlanding" event. There were around a dozen diesel heaters there. Most were new. On the older ones I did notice how much dirt was accumulating on the air intake. Raising the inlet and adding a filter will be at the top of my list.

I was running it on the patio without any sort of ducting, so I'm hoping the smell will dissappate after another full day of running. I think I'll order a carbon monoxide detector as well, and the third test will be piping it up into the tent, and letting it run with the CO meter in there. Ill probably add some ducting to the intake as well, and route that away from the exhaust to be safe.

 

[rgallant]

An additional note the combustion air intake has a cheap silencer rather than and actual air filter. Cheap ATV/small motorcycle filters have been used for fliters.

Still looking for a good option for the "furnace" air intake. I f Ican find a 3d printable snorkel hood, I can add an actived carbon filter.

 

[smritte]

however, there is a final solution to that the "afterburner" controler from that Australian guy!

Missed this. I saw his site and it looks pretty good.

 

[smritte]

there is a final solution to that the "afterburner" controler from that Australian guy!

I took a real good look at this last night. I need to take my heater apart to see if his controller is compatible. According to him the cheap ones are all over the place, in the way their control boards are made. He also stated some of the controllers aren't compatible with the units their sold with. This is probably why I read about so many people have controllers that don't function the way they should. For me, a few of the features don't work, one of which is the thermostat. This weekend I'm going to see it I can turn down the fuel pump but wont be surprised if I cant.

 

[rgallant]

@smritte I have the LCD controller in my 5k which lets me control temp via HZ rather than a thermostat. I believe you can just swap those around.