Diesel Heater

https://www.vanlifeuksurvivorsguide...ljXEoXaNJLsEPrX59OidpFir9h7mv66VzpOTPjiCmBiAI

Where best place for heater set-up?

 

In your bus, in a space you dont mind losing permanently to the heater and any suggested air gap around its casing, with access to an outer body skin panel for combustion inlet/ exhaust which you can mount the heater on or close by.
With routing for the exhaust to somewhere it cant go into an awning or rise up through an open window or vent to feed CO into the cabin.
Somewhere where cabin air is ideally recirculated for more efectiveness.
Or spliced into the heater ducting if you havent got heat exchangers and want screen demist as a higher priority.

 

Diesel heaters are so last year, dig deep in your sky and buy a propex

 

i was just about to say, i'm sure i did a thread ! still going strong

 

I wonder if anyone has been brave enough to click the link. I'm going nowhere near it!

 

Mine’s underneath the van piped into the centre pipe at front, utilising the totem pole as I don’t have heat exchangers. The air is drawn in from the inside under rock n roll bed.

Fired it up this morning on the way down for Winnie’s MOT, it was 3 deg outside and got toastie in no time.


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Diesel heaters - fuel available everywhere, start up when its cold , need a lot of current, will expose poor leisure battery performance.

Gas heaters - expensive fuel, and unless you use propane they will be reluctant on a cold morning.. less current draw.


Petrol heaters . Absolutely ideal in a bus... low power, fuel in a big tank..

 

They pull about 10A on start up cycle, but once running the run at a relatively low current.

Mine’s on the starter battery but I only use it on the go as I have propex for when parked up off grid.


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I have a modern transit camper which I camp in all year round when at work, as I work away from home. In it I have a cheap Chinese 2kw diesel heater which is connected to a 105AH leisure battery.

I work 5days on and 5 off. The 105AH leisure battery will run the heater all night for 5 nights no problem, it then charges up on the 4hour drive home. It only cost me £80 and is a brilliant bit of kit for the money.

 

What kind of battery do you use? been looking at the lithium but are expensive are they really worth it? Always ran with a wet in the past but looking at an update?

 

You should get about 25 hours of running a Propex off a 100AH leisure battery at 2 amps to half charged.

Amusingly because it has two extra relays in it to switch the mains, the HS2000E version uses more 12 volt power when its heating off the mains than running on gas, 2.5 amps... so you would need a battery charger/maintainer to go with it.

A lithium battery pack of 100AH can deliver twice the power as you can use all of it without damage, but the cost is higher needing the b2b charger as well as the battery itself..

 

I am installing a 20A DC to DC anyway together with 15A AC to DC battery charger with the hook up together with 1000W inverter. was going for solar as well but really don't think I'll need it.

100Ah LifePO4 Lithium Battery from eco-worthy £239 is the best price have seen compared to a 100Ah wet for £100, but the lithium are lighter as well and seem to be the way forward.

 

I’ve just got a bog standard lead acid leisure battery from euro car parts. The diesel heaters draw about 10amps for 5mins during start up (glow plug) then drop to less than 1 amp when running. I have the heater on max for about 30minutes to get the temperature up then drop it to its lowest setting and keep it running while I sleep (about 7 hours per night) and this keeps the temperature in the van at about 21 degrees. When it was -7 I had it on the second from lowest setting all night which kept the van at s cosy 21 degrees.