I used an old power supply salvaged from an old ATX computer. Found the 12v supply leads and hooked up. 60A. I use it for a diesel fuel pump to fill my tractor.
Very cool. Thank you! Think I will do the same. Now I just have to make sure as soon as we lose power I have some way to power it to atleast let it cool down so it doesn't melt everything.
Very helpful... I'm testing my PSU here, I got a 10amp one though cause people online kept repeating 10amp... the fuse says 20amp and you mention it too so hopefully we get combustion. Thank you for the tip about setting the voltage ⚡
ideally you want a power supply thats more powerful, than the maximum power draw of the heater.... If the heater draws 10A... You dont want a power supply rated at 10A... because then you are running the power supply at its limit when the heater is drawing 10A.... Can possibly cause thermal shutdown of the power supply, Or worse.. Damage components inside... Always leave a little bit of headroom.... Especially for aging of capacitors etc over time.... If my heater draws 10A,..,... id go for a 15A power supply.. So its never being pushed to its limits
@@RGD-Repairs Thanks for that! I finally got to test the draw using a multimeter, it seems to be a smooth 7amps on start up then drops off.. so far no issues with it... If it needs replacing I'll definitely move up a notch 👍
Very useful info about voltage setting. i didn't imagine to change the voltage. Mine casue wihte smoke on start up, i read on the lcd of my heater 11 p instead of 12p. Searching on google i read that maybe would be the lower voltage .. i will try to rise up to 12 as you do with a tester . thank you for this video
Low voltage is one of the causes of carbon buildup. I run a 20 to 1 diesel to kerosene mix occasionally to clean out the carbon and the glow plug screen. Sometimes I have to replace the screen to ensure quick ignition but the is a quick and easy job!
Hi, I'm trying to run mine off of my RV converter. It reads 12.5 volts DC output, but the heater is reading it at 18+ volts. Any thoughts? Thank you Ken
I have a regulated power supply similar to one you have think same one, but will hook to a backup power source or UPS setup to ensure unit cools down if power fails while running. Location unit will be hooked up has frequent power outages in the cold months. Want to ensure it has proper cool down in case of power outage, I will run unit in my wood shop only when I am present so can be around to shut unit down. Perhaps, I can figure way with Arduino setup to auto power unit down in power outage with some type of line power sensor tied into an Arduino unit. Maybe some type of gated backup power battery supplied, will figure out when I get unit installed in coming week or two. Read somewhere about making simple UPS with NAND ICs and a some relays, think I could easily add in a built in timer via simple Arduino type setup to this unit if I make it myself.
if you adjusted the voltage to 14-14.5 volts, do you think it would allow the glowplug to heat up faster/ hotter, thus reducing soot issues/ carbon buildup in the brun chamber ?
@@Joe-mx9zvI start mine with a jump starter that pushes 15+ volts. It’s doesn’t throw an error there(at least not on mine) perhaps it’s 16v that triggers a low voltage error
Why not just keep a trickle charger on your battery? The way you have , It if the power goes out your diesel heater will melt its electronics when the fan stops. Could possibly even catch on fire..🔥🔥🔥
I thought my heater was faulty when I connected a 12 volt battery to power it. I was getting an error message, indicating the voltage was too high??? But, I was able to get my heater working when I took a smaller size 12 volt battery to power it. But, I needed to keep the charge up, so I had to also run my smart charger to the battery to keep the heater running. But anyway, I'm learning this afternoon, the proper way to run these heaters, is to install a dedicated power supply. Nice video, I'll model my setup now like yours, Thanks.
it was advertised as a 8k heater but I think its a bit of false adverting I bet they all put out around 2k of actual heat energy but ether way it won't matter to the power supply, the 8k unit won't pull more electric power it will burn more fuel to make more heat.
I wired a heavy duty 12v accessory plug to a jump pack but just bought one of these. I’m going it wire a female accessory plug to it so anything I need a 12 volt supply to I can use.
What are the draw backs of using this? I find the battery and trickle charge doesn’t always work. Runs battery too low sometimes on start up and if running constantly. Mine runs for about 4 months straight
No no no, I bought 15 A and it’s working to just warm up the diesel heater but when it’s start to heat up it’s stop working and gives me error codes. Hook it up to my car battery, which is 76A and works fantastic
Ive wired mine up to a similar LED transformer but 12v 12.5a one not a 12v 20a as you have, it worked fine to begin with but now when I try to power it up you hear a click and the screen just goes blank. Any ideas?
@@pewpew9040this is just what I was looking for. I used to have a same type bunk heater in a semi, somewhat familiar with the general operations and SOPs. The hacking/repurposing community is suffering violence from the entitled/disposable crowd. I purchased a 12 volt 5 amp power supply, nothing special, because the vivor website indicated for amp usage for the product. The thing shows up and it's saying "greater than 15 amps" on a literal sticker on the positive power input, as well as in the manual. I've heard people complain about the unit smoking because the voltage is at or above but near 12 volts, some presumption that the glow plug cannot operate without 13 to 14 volts; although more than a few of those comments seem like theory and not the juice of application. I do hear a bit of a consensus on 12.8 volts. Surely you have had some decent long-term results under the circumstance? We're probably going to test this once or twice before taking it out in October in the Midwest for a cold weather (but not Arctic) camping endeavor that has 2×20 amp electrical plugs. This Will be sort of a proof of concept, building a little dog house for the guy so he can sleep outside and we aren't re-breathing each other's air. I'm considering options to insulate the base, so as to reduce fuel pump noise, also going to experiment with a diffuser to limit the sound of the exhaust for any neighbors. Also looking at making a plenum / return to possibly improve efficiency but I will look further into any potential hang ups.
I use a 15 amp power supply. Looks the same as the one in video. But i have it hooked to a 4amp atv battery and have it set for 12.6 volts. Have lost power and battery is big enough for safe shutdown. That's how i got around that
Mmmm not a good solution. If the power dies then you will wreck the heater because it wont go through its shutdown cycle. best go back to using a battery with a charger.
@@gurkiratsanghera6745 It's normal to connect a leisure battery to the heater and run the heater off it. Then have the battery on a trickle charger simultaneously. Only con is the cost of batteries. Must be min 10ah.
The only fly in the ointment is - a 12V battery costs as much as a new heater, then you got the expense of buying a battery charger as well. What happens when a cell fails and the battery packs up? A battery can fail as easy as a power supply.
They don't come with a power supply because they're meant to be plugged into a 12v battery system; they're not supposed to be hooked up to mains power because they sustain damage each hard shutdown (unpowered shutdown) they experience. The internet says the German built ones can survive 3-5 shutdowns like that before the electronics inside are fried. I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese ones can withstand less. It's a real issue for some people; in my area we get a lot of power outages and it would be a bit of a gamble to hook this up right into mains power.
@@itsumonihon the chance of frying the heater depends on how cold is air around (inside or outside mounted) and the setting of actual power output. Also little bit on luck.
