Diesel Heaters: Why you should buy an all-in-one unit over an installed unit 

Thanks. I've had mine for a few months now and it has done everything from heat my caravan or tent but it gets most of its use in the shed.

Yeah it is. I've had it only a few weeks and I've already put 20 hours on it. It does such a good job.

I get so much use out of it this way. Interesting what you're planning on doing.

Thanks

You will get so much more use out of it than if you buy an installed version.

Thanks mate. I reckon it would work well plugged into your swag.

Yes I had thought about both those options but wanted to try the simple option first and so far so good.

@@AllThingsOutdoors The re-circ is key to the efficiency of the unit. Get to 1-2c outside and I doubt the heater would do much at all inside as the difference would be a huge mountain to climb. It's more complicated but deffo worth the extra pipe, plus you're less likely to drag in diesel fumes too.

Yes recirculation is essential.

good idea,

@@dougle03 Would this also help the unit burn a bit less fuel too I'm thinking? Would explain why some folk are getting longer run times than some others??

You're welcome

I just bought a duct kit off ebay. Changing the All in one to an installed unit is very easy as its just the same kit but installed in a case.

Yes it is a compromise to be made in order to be able to use the unit across multiple applications. These portable units were designed for this particular reason.

@@AllThingsOutdoors I didn't say anything was wrong with it, what I'm saying is you could do another hole where it would suck the air out and circulate it. That way the heating would be more efficient and your caravan would be moisture free. It just an opinion :)

Sorry I didn't mean to sound like I was snapping. I did at one point consider setting up another duct into the caravan to cater for this however I felt that it kind of tool away from the portability and quick setup. After I've tried it a few more times to see if it struggles I may consider doing it but even in my part of the country it doesn't get much colder than freezing.

@@3dmixer552 if you recirculate inside air, where do you think the moisture goes. The answer is nowhere. To eliminate moisture, the best method is to pump in dry outside air. Try getting your interior of your car to dry out in winter with the heat set on recirculate. Your windows will fog and the moisture will remain.

@@Quesnel4X4 That's the point. You dry the moisture out by circulating it through the hot heater core

Yes. You can quite easily extend the wiring and relocate the unit. You may need a connector of some sort though to pass it through to inside.

You can use the control panel on the unit to turn on and off also and there are a bunch of other features that can be programmed which I haven't got into yet. I'm sure you could program it to turn on and off with the timer.

G'day Tim. The screw in bung and all the other parts I used to connect the heater to the caravan are pvc water fittings. Just need to find the right diameter that suits your diesel heater hose. Works a treat too.

The exhaust and air intake beneath the unit was a bit tricky to route. I used it on grass not long ago and the exhaust scorched the grass and the intake sucked up the fumes a bit. I need to move the intake up a bit higher along the outside.

If I run it flat will it still spool back when it believes its hit the temperature set on the controller? When I use it in the caravan I've set it to 18°C and depending on the ambient temperature it will take about 20 minutes to get it to temp and then the pump and fan spool down.

There's a link in the video description.

Yes I did consider this but then I felt that it cancelled out the portability and quick setup and to be honest the van heats up quite quickly. Yes, it won't be as efficient but find that the air is less stale.

Should still draw air through the camper vent but I only get down to -5 so it’s not really a problem for me either

Probably not as the instructions say to have the outlet below the level of the unit to prevent carbon minoxidebuild up. You would be better off having the unit outside and pumping the heat into the basement.

@@AllThingsOutdoors Ah that makes sense, thanks for the advice!

They're a good unit and do a good job heating my shed which is full of holes and cracks with no insulation.

@@AllThingsOutdoors out of curiosity how large is your shed?

Australianmatttty the shed is about 7x5 m and is about 3 m high so just over 100m2 in volume

The units to my knowledge aren't waterproof. As for the lower temperature that they could operate in would be limited to the fuel. If you use alpine mix diesel though I reckon you could run it in the snow.

You can buy diesel heater ducting kits quite cheaply on ebay. The only difficult part is creating the pass through in the floor. I bought some large pvc pipe fittings from a farm supply store which fit snugly inside the pipe and attached with hose clamps. This meant that I could then make a screw in bung which covers the hole when not in use.

Yeah I was aware of this when I purchased it. I have worked out the temperature settings to compensate for this for using it in my awning tent and also the caravan.

Not sure about that one Mike. I just put the battery in and it worked straight away. Can you see the light come on when you push a button on the remote?

They are pvc agricultural water fittings. I got them from my local ag supply store.

Yeah I know but I'm trying to strike a balance between efficiency and ease of portability and setup. Maybe I just need a longer hose and then strap it to the outlet hose.

As long as you keep the unit outside the tent you will be fine.

Going to break mine out this weekend for the cold mornings.

Do you get alpine mix diesel in Canada? That will stop the diesel waxing up. Look up a Canadian youtube channel called vancity vanlife. That guy just recently started using an all-in-one in winter conditions.

Yes you can I have one in my van heating my mobile work van with no problem

It depends on the size of the battery and the usage of the unit.

G'day Beck. In the initial start up they are quite noisy but once up to temp they are pretty good. Here is the link www.ebay.com.au/itm/HCalory-8KW-12V-Diesel-Air-Heater-LCD-Thermostat-Remote-For-Truck-Boat-Bus-RV-AU-/324644296151?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

@@AllThingsOutdoors thank you I really appreciate it it and the effort you put in to review it too 👍🏻

It has a sight gauge on the side of the tank and if it runs out of fuel it throws a specific error code which I forget now.

Apparently the code for out of diesel is E-008. I just happened to be using my diesel heater tonight and ran out of fuel just now. That's a bit of a coincidence.

Some models have a thermostat inside them but sadly this one doesn't. With this one though the screen can be detached and pulled inside the tent which has the thermostat in it.

Ok thanks I was wondering about that because you didn’t show that in your video ..

I was still figuring it out at that stage. I reckon it's pretty dialled now.

Yes. I put it up on timber blocks. It helps to stabilise it too.

Here you go www.ebay.com.au/itm/124598856010?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=_ocow3efsoa&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=2Yf3PdtdQFO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Thanks mate 👍 legend

The link is in the video description bur the brand is called hcalory so maybe go direct to their website.

@@AllThingsOutdoors yeah the link currently says no matchs for ebay, so I will try the store, thansk so much for replyin!

You're welcome

Yeah I've got a filter for it.

Thanks for letting me know. I will fix it

It's the 5kw

Thanks Glenn. I'll try and link direct to their website

They say it uses 100mls an hour average so with a 3L tank you could get 30 hours theoretically. But in my experience it's probably about 20 hours when your stopping and starting as it uses more fuel to get up to temperature.

i now have 4 of them, three were sold as 5kw, one even claimed 8 kw lol. all use a max of 0.5 liters per hour when running flat out non stop(8hz/5000rpm)- ie can only therefore be approx 4 - 4.2kws(less heat and fuel if still on factory settings - was 0.4- 0.45 liters/hour at 5hz ). All mine are or will be fully installed. Imo using with only an inlet duct, means you waste a heap of heat, and would need a window or vent open to allow air back out, as opposed to recycling the same air, saving energy with not having to fully heat from scratch again. One of mine also has an aftermarket true temperature controller and control board, which shuts it down fully, and restarts it again when temp drops by 2 degs, as opposed to most ones that only drop to minimum output when over setting- 1.5hz min and 5hz max factory usually, but 0.8hz min and 8.0 max if set to limits in advanced settings like mine. (pw 1688 for many, alter settings at your own risk, noxious emissions could result from getting them wrong - personally i use 1500 rpm as minimum at sea level, but could be set lower if needed). One unit i had, had a plateau setting, which i think is for using up in the mountains, i assume it changes fuel rate and/or rpm for up there. Ps - using an app on phone, with a background noise level of 42db average, mine reach 72db at max and 57db at lowest output. measured directly over unit, less if further away. the noisiest thing is the pump, when running at low output. For one i got an aftermarket pump(22ml type E was all the info with it), it's a lot quieter than standard ones. Recently i thought i would see, what a 28ml type E pump would go like, was too much fuel frankly, and was as loud as standard ones, since put original back(did run fine when i got settings right, but sometimes got flooded at startup).

I think that's probably a fair assessment. I'm thinking of putting a connector in for the controller and making it so I can have it inside the caravan so that I get a more accurate representation of the temperature. I guess you can plumb in the inlet line too to get recirculation.

Interested in what you used for the pass through and screw in cap and where to get it from, a link if possible. Appreciate your video

Hi Glenn. I used poly fittings that are used for agricultural water distribution to make the pass through. I picked the fittings up from my local farm supplies store. I think I used a 3 inch threaded connector with the screw in bung to stop the nasties getting in and then another connector inside the van with the heater hose strapped to it. The 2 connectors then screw together sandwiching the floor between them.

It depends on a lot of factors but maybe a ballpark figure would be around 800mls each day with use in the morning and evening.

@@AllThingsOutdoors Thanks. I have literally had one just turn up to heat my garage. Gonna give it a go tomorrow, when I get some fuel! 👍🏾

@@soggz4246 how much fuel did yours use mate

G'day

I have since fashioned a lock cable for it.

The whole point of this heater is to be portable and easy to setup. Its not meant to be a permanent solution but more a quick and easy heating source for a tent or shed.

@@AllThingsOutdoors Got ya!

Yes it is very quiet with it outside the van. The only noise you get inside is the movement of air from the duct.

@@AllThingsOutdoors I'm sold. I'm going to check out my father's today. He has pretty much the same unit as you. Seems like it will be perfect for my enclosed trailer and rooftop tent

I've actually been pretty pleased with mine considering I bought it from ebay.

​@@AllThingsOutdoors I sold it. It was too hot..

Did you get the 5kw or the 2kw? I have the 5 and find even on the lowest setting it can get quite warm in my caravan.

Yes, they are everywhere in Australia.