Any advice as to the safety and efficiency of the cheaper diesel heaters on the market for caravans?
Tony LEE said
06:29 PM Apr 20, 2021
I have 3 Chinese units and they are very good value
Mike Harding said
04:10 AM Apr 21, 2021
I installed a unit from Ebay ($180) in my caravan almost two years past - it is brilliant. Indeed I was so impressed I bought a complete second unit to carry as a spare.
If you are confident with hand tools they are easy to install.
PS. I live in my van so here in Victoria in the cooler months it gets a lot of use, consumes about 125mL diesel per hour.
Edit:
Safety is not really an issue with diesel heaters, the flame is in a contained chamber and is continually monitored and diesel will not easily combust in the way petrol does. If the flame went out but the pump continued to run you would end up with a pool of diesel on the floor rather than a burning caravan.
-- Edited by Mike Harding on Wednesday 21st of April 2021 04:13:54 AM
Are We Lost said
12:30 PM Apr 21, 2021
I installed a cheap ebay one in my 21 foot van a couple of years ago and would buy the same again. It produces so much heat I can't imagine needing to run it on high other than the initial warming up period. Maybe in a blizzard.
Choose one with an LCD graphic controller that allows you to set pump speed, and then it automatically adjusts the fan speed. I usually run mine on the lowest setting and crack open the roof hatches ... just a little if near freezing outside.
The startup process automatically runs it on high for about a minute, and any close neighbours may find the exhaust noise and smell a bit annoying at this time. But once it settles down it is pretty quiet. I have a second muffler I can just push on if I want to keep it quieter. Not sure if this has any detrimental effect. Inside, the fan noise on low is very quiet.
The pump makes a clicking noise which transmits through the van. It can be made almost inaudible by insulating it and soft mounting it. Mine is cable tied with a thick piece of soft foam to keep it from touching anything. Also, the high pressure fuel line after the pump transmits noise as it touches anything. I plan to get some soft rubber tubing and run it through that.
Also, the graphic display is a little too bright when sleeping. I mounted mine inside a compartment. Also, install a switch to turn off the power to it.
Safety? I have no concerns but installed a carbon monoxide detector just to be sure.
Mewshere said
01:20 PM Apr 21, 2021
Thank you everyone, that was most helpful. Cheers.
I installed a unit from Ebay ($180) in my caravan almost two years past - it is brilliant. Indeed I was so impressed I bought a complete second unit to carry as a spare.
If you are confident with hand tools they are easy to install.
PS. I live in my van so here in Victoria in the cooler months it gets a lot of use, consumes about 125mL diesel per hour.
Edit:
Safety is not really an issue with diesel heaters, the flame is in a contained chamber and is continually monitored and diesel will not easily combust in the way petrol does. If the flame went out but the pump continued to run you would end up with a pool of diesel on the floor rather than a burning caravan.
-- Edited by Mike Harding on Wednesday 21st of April 2021 04:13:54 AM
Choose one with an LCD graphic controller that allows you to set pump speed, and then it automatically adjusts the fan speed. I usually run mine on the lowest setting and crack open the roof hatches ... just a little if near freezing outside.
The startup process automatically runs it on high for about a minute, and any close neighbours may find the exhaust noise and smell a bit annoying at this time. But once it settles down it is pretty quiet. I have a second muffler I can just push on if I want to keep it quieter. Not sure if this has any detrimental effect. Inside, the fan noise on low is very quiet.
The pump makes a clicking noise which transmits through the van. It can be made almost inaudible by insulating it and soft mounting it. Mine is cable tied with a thick piece of soft foam to keep it from touching anything. Also, the high pressure fuel line after the pump transmits noise as it touches anything. I plan to get some soft rubber tubing and run it through that.
Also, the graphic display is a little too bright when sleeping. I mounted mine inside a compartment. Also, install a switch to turn off the power to it.
Safety? I have no concerns but installed a carbon monoxide detector just to be sure.