Interior All discussions regarding Diesel Heaters

[skippy]

Hello all

Doesn’t Matter the brand anything diesel heater related post away.

Thought I would start a thread on diesel heaters and hopefully help some people out regarding how they work/maintenance, so hopefully we all can have a safer running diesel heater that’s reliable.

I have purchased this one and is been running well so far >>>
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-2KW...ontrol-Motorhome-RV-Camper-Truck/254077188654

Some helpfull info below regarding these Chinese Diesel heaters from John McK 47 on YouTube >>

Chinese Diesels heaters part 1 - Overview

Chinese Diesel heaters part 2 - Bench test 5KW

Chinese Diesel heaters part 3 - Fuel consumption

Chinese Diesel heaters part 4 - Bench test on the 4 and 8KW

Chinese Diesel heater part 5 - Kerosene use

Chinese Diesel heater part 6 - Combustion air inlet
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NCAzEDWwU8c

Chinese Diesel heater part 7 - Metering/Dosing
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFDFZ6r1dI

Chinese Diesel heater part 8 - Exhaust and Mufflers
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hj8da4WQaac

Chinese Diesel heater part 9 - Glow Plug and Atomismimg Screen
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ooqrRThBOI

Chinese Diesel heater part 10 - Special Tools
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cGXOAqWaRNk

Chinese Diesel heaters part 11 - Fuel Delivery
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jCZhjGyR3bo

Chinese Diesel heaters part 12 - Controllers
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YW2biaijaO8

Chinese Diesel heaters part 13 - All in one diesel heaters
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ApakOCUqNFU

Chinese Diesel Heaters part 14 - Strip Down
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WGdWy_jJrcs

Chinese Diesel Heaters part 15 - Seals gaskets and safety
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g07yVuZbjsE

Chinese Diesel Heaters part 16 - Boat install
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0_GDu-__0xI

 

[Drover]

This is a good thread idea, just waiting for it to get cold enough up here...........

 

[skippy]

Hi @Drover

Travel south a few hours from the mighty Queensland and I guarantee the investment would pay off

 

[Drover]

actually we are often in Canberra around now, thankfully not this year, I would need a 44 for the heater.

 

[mfexpanda]

This is a good thread idea, just waiting for it to get cold enough up here...........

You are still killing me.
I thought winter was on the way out and we get snow

 

[dosmos]

Skippy - does the heater come with install instructions ?? DOS

 

[skippy]

Skippy - does the heater come with install instructions ?? DOS[/QUOTE

@dosmos they do come with introduction but are very limited, if you watch all the video’s from John McK 47 he basically takes you all the way though.

Hope that helps

Skip

 

[dosmos]

Thanks Skip

 

[dosmos]

Are these noisy if I were to put it under the front bed ??? I don't plan to run it whilst we're asleep, just first thing in the morning and late in the evening etc..

 

[skippy]

Are these noisy if I were to put it under the front bed ??? I don't plan to run it whilst we're asleep, just first thing in the morning and late in the evening etc..

A lot of people install them under their beds, however we chose a cupboard to help with keeping the noise to a minimum. The noisiest thing is the fuel pump with its consent ticking, but we just turn on our 12volt fan at night and problem solved no more ticking.

 

[JCN]

I’m new to this forum, please forgive me if posting twice. I just got my diesel heater in the mail and I don’t recognize the controller, nor can I find any instructions on its use. Do any of you recognize it and or have instructions?

 

[Crusty181]

I’m new to this forum, please forgive me if posting twice. I just got my diesel heater in the mail and I don’t recognize the controller, nor can I find any instructions on its use. Do any of you recognize it and or have instructions?View attachment 65897

Hey @JCN, if it's a chinese knockoff then you may well struggle. Lack of instructions, followed by lack of working is the usual list of complaints. They can be a bit of a lucky dip, some work wonderfully forever, some arrive as fucntional as a house brick.

You controller looks pretty simple tho with on/off, temp up/down. If you had to end up with a controller with no instructions, one as simple as that is the one to get i suspect

 

[Sparksy]

Have a look on facebook ,"Chinese Diesel vehicle air heaters - Troubleshooting & Parts sales." They have a files section with a lot of instructions or ask there for info.
Found a manual there but its in german so may need to google translate.

 

[JCN]

so far so good. Got it to fire up today, but wish I knew the keys to prime. Restarted 4 times and the pump did its job. Still wish I had clear controller instructions. I can also get another. ;-)

 

[Drover]

Once you get fuel up initially they should just be a one button start no matter what, figure out what full noise is and start there and back off when needed..... Run for 20 mins or so each month leave tank with fuel .

 

[Sparksy]

Picture with the details of priming procedure for JCN's heater screen.
.Just typed first section of the previous german manual into Google translate.

 

[Drover]

Just when you think youve got it covered......I would suggest some experiments, taking notes as you go, a long procedure though.
They do need to have a run down of a few minutes once you switch off .....well the ones Ive come across have anyway.....only found one puc of that screen but couldnt locate instructions...been a tad damp so something to do.

 

[wynkoop]

What is a fellow from Brooklyn, NY, USA with a 27 foot sailboat and no camper doing posting in a pop-up camper forum in AUS?

Well it seems you folks use the Chinese Diesel Heaters much more than anyone in the USA, and I am having a diesel heater problem.

I have watched many of John's videos, including the one specific to boat installs. I have been trying to dig up contact information for him, but that seems impossible.

I have installed a 2KW unit in my boat exactly as described in John's video. Being a careful guy I have tested every step of the way. After I got the unit mounted and the exhaust plumbed I ran the unit off a portable fuel tank and it ran great for a couple of hours. Brought the Temp in the cabin right up to 22C from near 0C.

I thought great! Success, time to plumb the final fuel supply. I did that plumbing and sadly on my next startup I over primed the unit. Diesel dripped out of the water lock and diesel also dripped down the outside of the exhaust pipe. No idea where it came from, but the result was smoke from the diesel burning off the exhaust and out of the water lock. I shut the beast down and went home.

On my next visit I removed the water lock, washed it in soapy water and refilled it before replacing it. I fired up the unit and it ran like a champ. Took the chill off and let me work in the cabin in shirt sleeves.

Last night I went to the boat with the intent of figuring out where I wanted to run my heat duct. The heater is mounted all the way at the stern above the quarter berth and I usually use that area for storage, so some ducting is needed. I hung a piece of vent about 8 feet long off the front of the heater suspended in air so I could check the side wall temp and again in no time the boat was up to a pleasing 22C. Sadly as I was back in the quarter berth taking temps I looked forward and the cabin was filled with smoke.

Needless to say my install is not going to move forward until I get this issue sorted. Does anyone have any ideas why I am getting smoke out the HEAT OUTPUT of the heater? Could it be remnants of the over priming? Should I just open the hatches and run it until no smoke?

BTW do not have a CO alarm installed yet. Marine units are damn pricy, about $100 US. I have ordered a portable CO sniffer to check my exhaust line.

If anyone can help or give me contact info for John that would be great. I suspect this is an issue someone has seen before.

 

[Drover]

If no one chimes in I will be back online in a week, I think , with my laptop not phone.. I'm out bush where there's no phone let alone power.... A quicky is keep the heater air intake and furnace exhaust far apart, don't change the size or type of fuel line and use a fixed fuel tank then its prime once and it's always ready to go... You should not have exhaust fumes from hot air outlet ever....if your exhaust is over a metre/yard long then increase the size of it to like 2 inch
..PS...welcome to the mob, we let Victorians on here so a New Yorker is okay, may need a translator though...lol.

 

[mfexpanda]

The exhaust and the heat chamber are separate.
You should not get smoke through the hot air.
If the exhaust starts to smoke I have found the internal mesh has waxed up.
Your unit will need to be pulled apart and the mesh cleaned.
I would think that smoke through the air side would seem to indicate a leak between the two.