Chinese Diesel Air Heaters no 18. Motorhome Install part one. 

Hi OFH, Thanks for the technical feedback. Cheers, JMcK

Thanks for the info and feedback Mr B. Cheers. JMcK

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Thanks for the positive feedback Brad. JMcK

Hi Gavin, thanks for the positive comments. JMcK

Thanks Randy. JMcK

Haha, I just watched another 10 minutes and saw it was a 100mm outer diameter.

Which based on your turorial on tube and pipe, should slide into a 100mm interior diameter down pipe meaning you get the 100mm version and a 100mm holesaw!

Hi Dave, suggest you not use the soft plastic fuel line. Use good quality rubber fuel hose from tank to tap to filter to pump. From pump to heater you should only use narrow bore hard nylon fuel hose. JMcK

Thanks for the positive feedback UR. JMcK

Your welcome Dwell JMcK

Hi Chris, If your install is gold standard, with minimum restrictions in combustion air intake and exhaust, and you you give the heater a full power burn at season end to burn off any excess carbon, and you use hard nylon on the fuel delivery side, and not the cheap soft plastic fuel hose supplied now with some heaters, you will get many years of use without a service. As a personal example, I still have had no need to service the heater in our boat after 10 years of use. Eight of those shoulder season use, and two full time winter living. The big issue with these heaters is carbon formation in the burner and atomisation screens. Carbon is formed by incomplete combustion caused by restrictions in the exhaust and combustion air inlet, and the use of soft fuel hose. Other issues I have come across are bugs etc sucked into the heater (no filter) and they get stuck in the very tiny hole to the glow plug screen. Diesel gelling in winter can cause fuel pump failure, and I suggest a high kerro diesel mix in very cold climates. I have no personal experience with diesel anti gel additives. Burning any “oil” products in these heaters causes excessive carbon deposits. Using the heater at high altitude (low oxygen) without adaption causes carbon buildup and more frequent servicing. The main servicing requirement is carbon removal from the burner and atomisation screens. Cheers. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 Thanks for responding! Seems like I have all but one base covered.All is as you describe as golden install but the supplied fuel line.I used their fuel line but I installed it inside another stainless braided line(for protection) for most of the distance it runs.It is a short run as well,maybe 8 feet or so.It is also clamped to the body of trailer using those screw type conduit clamps.It is fairly immobilized except for the tank/heater connections.Everything else is well ventilated with no obstructions at all.Even the heat duct into the cabin is less than a foot but does have a 90° upward turn.My whole setup is under the nose of a v nose cargo trailer.Fuel tank was replaced w/11gal fuel cell above heater so not to strain pump.How in my scenario would the fuel line cause carbon build up?Thanks again

Hi haydenslides, They are a very common roof gutter downpipe connection in Australia. I do not know how you join downpipes to gutters in the US. Perhaps a better solution for you, could be to get some 2 inch thin flat bar steel and roll it into a 4 or 5 inch circle, or even bend it into a square around the same dimensions and get it tack welded to the heater base plate. That is what I normally do, but I have a bender and welder. The gutter downpipe connector is a simple way for a DIY person without access to a welder. Cheers. JMcK

Hi Tom, pleased you found the videos helpful. JMcK

No. It is a very good controller but expensive when compared to the low costs of the heaters. Perhaps not something the majority of my viewers would purchase. Sorry. JMcK

Hi Michael, Sometimes the little piston in the pump may be stuck, but you say you got a second pump, so it is unlikely to have two stuck pistons. Do you hear the fuel pump working? You should hear it ticking. You can also get an E4 code if no fuel is getting to the heater. Is your fuel system ok?. You can test the pump by connecting one wire to a battery terminal, does not matter which one, and then tap the other wire on and off the other battery terminal. You should hear the pump ticking. Next check the ECU is sending voltage spikes to the pump. You can do this by connecting a small watt incandescent 12V globe to the pump power wires. When you do the prime sequence the light should flash. If the heater is new and your install is correct, you could perhaps ask for a replacement heater. I would be interested to know what your fault was JMcK

@@johnmck1147 Hi John thanks for your reply , ok so I bought it second hand as a non working unit as the fella I think wired it up wrong , and stuffed the motherboard that's by guess , he bought another board but it was not the same as the one inside the unit , this is why I think it the motherboard , I picked up the same board new but when I plugged it in it comes up straight away with an error code of E2 I have been on to the supplier and they are sending me out another board (from Hong Kong so could take a while) I do believe its a motherboard issue as not a lot can go wrong with the heater itself, the display is working as it should except it wont activate the pump , I am going to test both pumps that I have on a 12 volt power supply tomorrow to rule that issue out , I believe the mother board is not sending the signal to the pump but was not sure how to test for that. I only paid peanuts for it and not spent a lot on it at the moment its trial and error to see if I can get it to work as only want it to heat my workshop, when he had it it was brand new and only fitted into his van for two days and he had it working fine then it packed up , but he did mention to me he was doing something with his battery's I think he tried wiring one more than 1 battery and wired them as 24 volt instead of 12 volt that's why I think he cooked the motherboard that's my thought as soon as I push any sequence to activate the pump it just flashed up E4 and the pump symbol flashes no pump ticking when wired up and tried to run it up today , cant get fuel into the system as it wont pump like I said I will try and test for this tomorrow I have not had any fuel into it , I tested the fan and that's works fine, there is no break in the wires from the pump end to the motherboard end as that tested ok sorry if I repeated myself a few times lol just trying to explain everything, I 100% think its an electrical fault and not mechanical

Hi Michael, In the past it was very easy to swap out ECB's (mother board) and controllers as all manufactures followed the same protocol and even used the same plugs. But now some manufactures are doing their own thing and not only using different plugs but different protocol so the controllers and ECB will not talk to each other. These days to get compatibility you need to buy as spare parts both the ECB and controller at the same time from the same supplier.. JMcK

Hi S2000, I have done a whole video about this. Please check the series on these heaters. JMcK

Hi Stephen, there is a thermostat in the controller. You perhaps have the thermostat setting too high. Suggest you switch controller to manual setting, where you set the Hz rate (fuel pump speed) and try that. Normally the lowest setting is 1.6 Hz. If you need more heat just increase the Hz rate. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 wow, what a service?? You are the man John!! Many thanks!! S

Wow Nate, thank you for the positive feedback. JMcK

Hi Gaius, thanks for the positive feedback. I am glad you found the videos helpful. JMcK

Hi Dave, In the past it was very simple. Just swap controllers around. The different Chinese manufactures used the same wiring protocol with the same plugs. However lately some manufactures have been doing things there own way, and this is not so easy anymore. The old standard wiring had a controller with a triangle plug with 3 wires, positive, negative, and sense wires. Generally red, black and blue. If you have this just swap controllers. But check the wires match up. Sometimes the power wires can be reversed, and you need to swap the wires. Sometimes the whole setup is proprietary and there is not much you can do. I now advise people to buy a heater that comes with the controller you desire. I hope this helps. JMcK

Hi john. Yes I have the triangle type connection. I’ll check the wiring when the new one arrives. Thanks very much. Keep posting your videos mate.

Hi, that is a hard question without seeing your caravan. But on the face of it, any of those areas could be ok. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 thanks, got concerns near water if a hose leaked

"If"

Rercircing from inside just pulls cold air into the vehicle....vehicle pressure will always equalize....newer furnaces pull outside air, even in MN

Thanks for the positive feedback NC. JMcK

Hi Eskid, pleased you found the videos helpful. JMcK

Yes, provided it is the side with the glow plug on the top. JMcK

Hi Michelle, Thanks for the nice feedback. My email. johnmck47@outlook.com

Hi Jenifer, The size of heater you need comes with a lot of variables such as the size of your van, your insulation, how many windows, window coverings, the environment you operate the van etc. In general, if you have a small van, a small heater will be fine. However when you do your install just make sure there is room to swap heaters if necessary. The cutout, the pipes, the fuel run etc are the same, regardless of the heater. It is easy to swap out one heater for a bigger, or smaller one if necessary. These Chinese copy heaters are very cheat. ($100 or so) You are not spending thousands of dollars for a genuine brand name heater. JMcK

Hi Mr W, First, If you bought the heater on line ask for a replacement. Depending on your country of origin you have comeback here, both statuary and from PayPal, eBay etc. Second, if you have technical knowledge you could make your own wire harness but it would not be easy. You would have to source the different plugs etc, and get the wires correct. You are right about common published wire diagrams, they are often wrong, or not for the common Chinese heaters. If you can't get a loom from the heater supplier suggest you buy one on line. They sell from A$15 to A$20, and include all the plugs. Below is just one link to get you started in your search. Look at this on eBay For Diesel Air Heater Split Unit Power Supply Cable Harness Wire Plug Cheers. JMcK

​@@johnmck1147mine also didn't come with the wire harness and it was past the return window when I realized this so thanks for responding to this question with an eBay option.

Pleased to be of some help. JMcK

Hi Michael, my email is johnmck47@outlook.com. However, I am currently on a sailboat with limited email access, but will reply when I can. JMcK

2 KW sounds about right for your requirements. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 thanks

Thanks Chas. JMcK

If the pump outlet tube is narrow bore hard nylon it will tolerate some up and down in the fuel line. (See motorhome video) The little cavitation bubbles will continue to march along in regular spacing. If you use large bore sofr fuel hose on the delivery side you will have issues. JMcK

Hi Christian, johnmck47@outlook.com

Hi Evan, in Aus these are called rain gutter down pipe pops or connectors. They connect the down pipe to the rain gutter. Available in round or square, you could use either. You would buy them from a plumbing or hardware store. I bought mine from Bunnings, cost $2 to $3 each. You should also be able to buy them from an on line store. If you can't buy them in your country you could bend up some thin flat steel plate into a round or square shape and just tack weld to the mounting plate. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 thanks!

Hi Peter If you have installed 4 of these heaters, I assume you do not have restrictions in the set up. Without actually seeing it, your issue looks like a very bad fuel/air mix problem. If install is good, you most likely have program issues, or burner issues eg no atomisation screens installed. If heater is new, suggest you send it back for a replacement. It is not worth the effort trying to rectify these issues. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 Thank you , yes its brand new my mate got we run it on 7/ last night was good but any higher like 9 it starts the flame out of the muffler thats what i was thinking may be not enough air but all is free on restrictions may be fan speed is not fast enough to handle the fuel delivery rate, he mite need to send it back, thank you very much for your help i watched lot of your videos when i fitted the first heater to my van thanks again

Hi 1403, The combustion chamber is sealed. If a real strong wind does occur, all that can happen is some CO gas is sucked into the combustion chamber, and perhaps lessen the burn efficiency. Also these heaters run very clean with a proper install. In a test I put the exhaust right beside the combustion air inlet and I could not detect any heater efficiency loss. Suggest you watch some of the operation videos. You must keep the exhaust away from the large heater exchange inlet that does pump heated air into the accommodation space. Cheers….JMcK

Hi Peter, there are too many unknown variables to give a definite answer here, such as outside temperature, insulation etc. But, I think it would be ok on the canter unless temperatures are very low. JMcK

Sorry, most are very good. I do suggest you buy from a supplier with a warehouse in your country, who has a good rating and accepts returns. Suggest you buy a heater with the controller you wish to use, and get one with a remote if that is what you want. JMcK

Yes Natasha, if there is room, and the heater is protected from road debris. JMcK

Hi Wayne, yes you can run the generator to charge the battery while using the heater. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 thank you. Hope you have a great day.

Hi S2001. I have never had an issue with fan motors, nor do I know of anyone having fan motor issues. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 Thank you for your advice. This helps me a lot.

Very important to have a proper intake air filter, gauze type, not foam. Then minimum bends in air intake pipe. JMcK

@johnmck1147 Gotcha..cheers John..best info on the net..👌

Sorry Gaetan, it is not that simple. It is not only the pump, but also the glow plug and fan motor. Some controllers are multi voltage but not the fans, or glow plugs. The fan speed is voltage regulated and is important, together with the pump pulse rate to give the correct fuel air mixture. The fan will run on 24V but at the wrong speeds. You could use a 12/24 V converter, but it needs to provide enough glow plug starting amps and that is 10 amps at 12V. These copy heaters are very reasonably priced, and it is easier and probably even cheaper to just buy a 12V heater. Regards. JMcK

Good points. Based on your reply, i will install an AC to DC Power Supply 24 volts. However, i need to determine the amp requirement. Does the glow plug require no less than 10 amps at 24 volts to operate within the specifications? If it is less than 10 amp, I could then consider a smaller power supply.

Gaetan Lavoie Hi Gaetan, The glow plug requires approx 10 amps at 12V. Approx 5 amps at 24 V. With losses in the converter you will likely draw more than 10 amps out of your 12V battery to heat the glow plug. Have you considered getting a second battery, and joining them in series to run your heater? I think it possibly simpler and less issues to just buy a new 12 V heater. They are so cheap compared to the originals. Regards. JMcK

John, thanks again. I have four six volts golf batteries connected in series and parallel to provide a 12 volts output to the motorhome inverter. Can I retain this batteries configuration for powering all 12 volts accessories in the motorhome and add another configuration which would have the four batteries connected in series to get 24 volts which could then solely run the 24v Diesel Parking Heater?

Gaetan Lavoie Hi Gaetan, yes that could be done, but you need to research this option. On our boat in the Med we run a 12V house battery set up, but our bow thruster is a 24V unit. (For greater power) To run the bow thruster we have a factory fitted solenoid system that connectes two 12V batteries in series to give 24V at the bow thruster. If it was me, I would just buy a 12V heater, but good for you for pursuing this option. I would love to have feedback on your progress. Cheers. JMcK

Hi DL, I really need more info before I can offer an opinion here. How big is your vehicle, what type of insulation, what outside temperatures do you encounter etc etc. This 7 meter motorhome is constructed of a foam composite panel approx 50 mm thick, and operates in a local environment with night temperatures down to about 1°C. A 2kw heater would do the job, but it would need to run at a high setting. My belief is unlike most other commentators, in that I believe it is better to have a larger heater running slower, rather than a smaller running flat out, consequently I installed a 5 kw heater in this vehicle, and it keeps the vehicle warm at a Hz setting of about 2. JMcK

Hi Nate, If you have excessive carbon issues I always look at the install and fuel. With a good install these heaters run for years without carbon issues. The more insulation the better. What you use is preference, ease of install, and availability. You could use spray on foam, polystyrene sheets, fibreglass insulation. I would not use wool insulation or polyurethane as they absorbs water. JMcK

Hi Marcus, it is personal preference. You can duct if you wish. If sucking from inside an enclosure, like under the seat you need ducts in the seat. Some people like lots of fresh air and suck from outside. This set up has to work harder as the heater has to heat much colder air, but some people prefer that. It is what suits you. JMcK

Hi Ron It is nearly always better to have a bigger heater running slow rather than a small heater running flat out. The most noise comes from a high fan and pump speed. The heater size depends on a lot of variables, eg volume to heat, insulation, outside temp, heating fresh air or recirculating, etc etc, so I can't give you a definitive answer. However in most small van conversions, a 2 Kw heater should be fine. With the install just make sure you have space for a bigger heater if needed. With these Chinese Heaters, the 2 Kw, 5 Kw & 8 Kw all have the same footprint and connections, so swapping one out for the other is very easy if you leave space. JMcK

Hi John and thanks for replying. So, would you say that in general a 5kW on its lowest heat setting be about equivalent to the lowest heat setting on a 2kW? If I got a 5kW and ran it low would I get problems with soot/crud build up in its combustion chamber? If I did then would the occasional full power burn up maintain this? Thanks Ron@@johnmck1147

Hi Ron, I think you have a misprint. Very roughly, the LOWEST setting on a 5Kw is similar to the HIGHEST setting on a 2Kw heater. Yes, you do have soot issues running very slow, so every day or so, run the heater at high power for 30 seconds to a minute or so to burn off any carbon. The less restrictions in your install, the less you need to do a carbon burn. I only do a carbon burn once a week on the boat. JMcK

Hi John and many thanks. Actually I was asking whether the lowest setting on both heaters gave the same output. Your answer clears up the claim from other internet sources that the lowest power output level of a 5kW is equal to the lowest power output level of a 2kW. This claim was trying to explain why there were fewer 2kW heaters on the market and more 5kW versions. If the lowest output from a 5kW is actually around 2kW then this would cook us once the van had reached a comfortable temperature. We'll be better off with a 2kW with its lowest power output around the 1kW mark. Thanks Ron.@@johnmck1147

Hi Kandy, These heaters only have a tiny combustion air fan and as such they do not like any restrictions in the combustion air intake, or the exhaust. If you increase the exhaust length or put tight bends in the exhaust you cause a restriction that interferes with the fuel air burn ratio. White smoke indicates unburnt fuel in the system. In normal running these heaters are very clean running and there is no real need to have the exhaust exit fully under the vehicle. You did not say how long the exhaust pipe was or whether the white smoke stopped quickly after starting the heater. If it stops shortly after start up you could probably live with it if you don't want to shorten the exhaust. If it does not stop shortly after start you could shorten the exhaust or increase the diameter of the exhaust pipe. Eg use some car exhaust, bought new or used from a wrecker.. If you shorten the exhaust and it does not exit from under the vehicle, make sure you install a CO detector in the accommodation area. This generally for peace of mind. I have never seen one of these heaters set off the alam on a CO detector. JMcK

Hi Pensolarcrte, These fuel pumps are much better at “pushing” rather than “sucking” fuel. You should try and have the filter and pump as close to the heater as you can. The actual maximum distance of fuel tank to pump is dependant on the height of the fuel tank, and age of the pump. As pumps wear they are less efficient. If the fuel tank is level or above the pump, 2 meters away should give you no issues. JMcK

Hi Nick, Standard black fuel hose is fine from tank to shut off valve, to filter to pump. From pump to heater it is best to only use narrow bore hard nylon fuel hose. As the tank is higher than the pump it is best to install a shut off valve in the line before the pump to stop leakage of fuel through the pump from head pressure when the heater is not working. Just shut the valve off when heater not in use. Cheers. JMcK

Thank you for that information Abazdarhon. Cheers. JMcK

Thanks for the positive feedback Nick

Pleased you found it helpful. JMcK

I am working on a project and I would much appreciate your opinions when I am ready to present is it ok

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Yes, there is a 15 amp fuse on the main power wire to the battery. JMcK

@@johnmck1147 thank you so much. Great job congratulations

Hi George, Thanks for the feedback, and pleased you like the videos. The install in a van or caravan is really a personal preference thing. All van accom. set up is different, so just install the heater where you have a space for it. Keep warm. JMcK

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Pleased they were of some help Randy. JMcK

Hi TORD, Yes, I would. The exhaust pipe puts out a lot of heat and could/would damage the plywood. JMcK

Hi KIR, This motorhome is a Winnebago Ceduna, made by Advita in Australia. It is built on a VW Crafter chassis. You can do web searches to find out all about them and their construction. Cheers. JMcK

Hi Kelly Yes you can, but with conditions. Suggest you have a look at the video on kerosene use. I go into detail there. Cheers. JMcK

thanks for prompt reply ..will do

I’ve found oval ones, it would just be hard to have a crisp cut with a jigsaw and all that