My First Chinese Diesel Heater 

I generally get annoyed with most presenters. This is the first time viewing this channel. You are really great at this. Commentary, clarity, production flow...GREAT! CONGRATS! Hope you build a huge audience!

IMPORTANT NOTE: I saw this on another channel, but it’s important to have the muffler be the lowest point in the exhaust system because of moisture or it will cause moisture buildup in the machine and make it fail. Also the little dimple on the side Of the muffler should point down because it’s a moisture outlet.

Cool video. Here are some tips I've learned from mine. You can control the temp, fuel consumption, and power consumption much better if you use the frequency setting. Set the control panel to show settable temp. There is one temp that you can set and the other temp is ambient temp. On the control panel hit the top two buttons on the left and right side together, and hold. You'll change the settable temp to frequency. The lowest frequency (1.6 hz) keeps my popup truck camper at about 65 throughout the night in 30-degree temps. Running mine for about 14 hours straight with only 1 startup and 1 shutdown uses about 13 to 15 amps from a battery. This same daily run time uses about 2 gallons of fuel in 4.5 days. Exhaust leak. After a while, you might get diesel fumes on startup from the clean air. This only happens on startup and cool down, not during regular run time. There is a gasket inside where you need to tighten the screws. It's near the combustion chamber. I have this issue but haven't been able to fix it yet. Take a bit to disassemble but shouldn't be too hard. It started after about 6-months of consistent use. Don't forget to use a carbon monoxide detector. The fuel pump is loud. There are quieter ones, or try to wrap the pump in sound damping materials. Cheers,

Guy would make a perfect narrator with that voice.

Tom, I hope to hear your golden tonsils on a documentary in the near future. Not many people possess the clarity, diction and modulation that captivates the listener. Oh and a very good review. André

A friend has one of these "Chinese cheapies" in his 4wd expedition truck. Has had it for 9 years now. Still working perfectly. I'm buying one this week.

I really like how you do your videos. Practical, to the point. You don’t stutter and pointless ramble. Excellent video.

Tom, your presentation skills are exceptional, your authority and knowledge makes watching your videos really enjoyable and educational. You also have Orson Wells eyes working for you, a brilliant man who chose his words wisely just like you do. You've got a terrific future ahead of you!

Geat informative channel, glad I found it. Loved the short History and Expectations segment, because it always depends on several factors as to why one kind of solution might be an appropriate choice, never fully knowing the outcome in advance. It is all about efficiency on the money we spend or learning. Hope this device will serve you well.

Dude! Very concise and to the point. Explains the who/what/when/where/how/why and lays it all out in an easy to watch format. Excellent job!

Great job! My husband and I watched your video this morning trying to decide which diesel heater to try out. I really appreciate the run down and easy to follow explanations. We subscribed and will be looking forward to your next video! 👍😊

1: I got one of these in our boat. The model without RTR chassi. Worked good over this crappy summer in Sweden. Outtemp goes for 102C/216F. Extreme heat with the heater running att maximum. 2: Just ordered a heater just like the one you tested with a RTR chassi. For our house cold days. Electricity in Sweden extremely expensive right now. Can revert later on if so... Thanx for the good video! No BS just fact! Me like!

I couldn't agree more; this was truly entertaining. Well presented - easy to follow pace and ample dry humor (and information!).

Randomly found your channel.... I'm also a ham radio operator and gadget junkie. And I have a video studio in my home. You're doing a GREAT job on your videos. I'm sure you'll have a big channel in no time.

Using the spydie to pop those clips had me vibin like Clint Eastwood on the front porch staring at his neighbors. 😆

Great video!! Almost an exact replay of my first run including the wood feet :). I had that exact same unit. Got a little over a year out of it then started to get carbon build up when camping at 4000 feet in the snow. Cleaned it a few times and gave up. However, convinced I liked the system, I bought the Eberspecher and I haven’t lost a night of sleep again.

Thank you, straight to the point. I have the same one and jackery 1000. I ended up cutting the end of the exhaust tube, down to 3/4”, as that was all that is needed to clamp. However, I do like the 2x4 to keep the heat off the ground.

I’ve been using this exact unit for three years to heat a two car garage during the winter and it’s never failed to start and run with excellent fuel and power consumption. People say they’ve had trouble with these units but mine has been great. As a side note, I run mine on kerosene all the time.

I have been thinking off getting one of these for my boat. Thanks for sharing your experience with one.

Those things are quite popular with the Semi truck crowd. Only maintenance really is to clean the combustion chamber and the intake and exhaust tract at the end of the winter season. Fairly simple and reliable

For longevity, run for at least 20-30 min before shutdown. Also, I don't know if it has some sort of altitude compensation, but I went through two Webasto heaters in two weeks when I was at 8500 feet, not fun! I did have them leaned out (theres a control panel sequence you can do to adjust for altitude) but they still failed in a hurry! Those were petrol though, the diesel ones are supposed to be much more reliable. I now have a Planer (Russian) and its works very well. It has a computer chip that automatically compensates for altitude. It seems more solidly built than the Webasto too. I run kerosene in it. If you can find Kerosene in bulk, thats the way to go! Its about the same price as Diesel, it burns hotter and cleaner, and I was told by the North American Planar Rep that it would last much longer before carbon buildup occurred if I ran Kerosene. Some farm and ranch shops have Kerosene in bulk. Mine is installed in the floor of my van. My van is petrol, so I have a separate tank, thus why I can run Kerosene

Thanks for the run through. You sound like a radio announcer from world war 2 era . Very clear and easy to listen too . 😉

I sold many webasto and espar heaters.The customers who burned kerosene in them never had any issues.I am glad to have this video.I am thinking of installing one of these in my side by side.

Thumbs up for the comedic value at the end. Stay away from propane and this type of heater for your garage, go for a natural gas vented system or electric. These things can kill you and you won't know it until you wake up in your next life. A propane unit took away all the oxygen in my two car garage and I was lucky to understand what was happening soon enough. Be sure to have sensors running so if you choose to run one of these heaters that you get a heads up in advance. They put you to sleep fast. Took me a little while to realize what had happened and never used a propane heat after that day.

i fitted one in my campervan 2 yrs ago. no issues at all, still runs great ! i have the chinese version.

I’ve been using these heaters for the last three years in my various workshops and there has been no troubles at all

4:22 The straight through muffler is the best of the two actually from what I've seen from another test.

You can tell these diesel heaters were all made in the same factory in China, as a friend of mine has the exact same heater (down to the colour etc) but branded differently (we're from Australia). Because he uses his heater to heat up his tent, its usually placed nearby (the tent), plus with his kids about, he has wrapped the exhaust of the unit with thermal exhaust wrap/tape. Although I can't remember his having that muffler at the end. Even without it, the unit was relatively quiet.

My wife bought me one for my garage 3 years ago. At -40 it does struggle to keep the 24x24 work area warm, but it does take the edge off. I have had absolutely no issues or failures, and feel it was worth the money.

I turned one into a furnace for a 120 sq/ft insulated shed. Powered with a 30A 3d printer power supply and is fed with a metal fuel tank outside. I also hacked one of the analog thermostats with the on/ off switch with an arduino and a regular programmable thermostat. works well enough, uses probably 60 gallons per season with the temp held at 60* or above

I run mine on central heating oil, I add Lucas fuel Injector cleaner occasionally to lubricate and clean the combustion chamber glow plug It runs 14 hours a day

I have a webasto in my boat. I run it on kerosene most of the time. Fill with diesel only in a bind. Kerosene burns cleaner, from what I am told. I haven't had any issue with having kerosene in the tank and topping off with diesel from the pump. Kerosene is a lot more expensive but I don't use this heater much.

I just got one of these. I run mine off waste motor oil. I just put up an uneventful video of firing it up for the 1st time. Uneventful but highly impressed with how clear and clean it burns.

First time ever seeing your channel, as a tinker man I appreciate your straight to the point quick easy videos with slight Ave and this old Tony vibes SUBSCRIBED!

This is exactly how I heat my garage. Effective, cheap and fairly easy install. I mounted mine in an old filing cabinet that I hang from my ceiling. Its a great way to heat my 24x24 garage. No complaints.

You are very well spoken, and I appreciate your healthy sense of skepticism. I'm personally not interested in this topic, but I knew I would enjoy how you delivered your observations and information. Great videos!

Great review. To the point, we’ll laid out and yet still very in depth. Helped me make my decision and really loved the effort you put into making this. Thank you.

Finally a great review on this item. I’m buying one for a safety backup here in Texas for power outages.. Thanks brother, great video

Loved the shirt for today's episode!

I've bought it more than a year ago. It works fine since the first start. It heat's up our caravan and its front tent very well. Same trouble with the manual. But some trials helped to handle the terminal and the remote. It's a nice and easy/cheap kind to get rooms cosy.

Great vid 💯 Thanks Resler.....say hi to Liz & Red for us 😉 Seriously though, thanks for taking the time with this unit. Cheers 🍻

Hi I bought this exact model heater nearly 2 years ago heating my large steel work shop and it’s been great , I piped a permanent exhaust to the outside and have the heating duct aimed at the floor ( got the tips off RU-vid) and I wouldn’t be without also I use red diesel and always have it running on full power , anyway I’m full of praise for these heaters

Great review. Narration reminds me of the professor from Gilligan's Island. That's not a bust. It's wicked cool, thoughts and all in clear, proper, well spoken English. New subscriber here!

Finally a real man presenter awesome explanation of the items he’s presenting have subscribed thank you sir

I really appreciate the power draw information. Exactly what I was looking for.

If it keeps you warm over a few really cold nights you will like it a lot more than you do now. This model is perfect got your purposes because it can be moved around, but the models that have a separate tank and without that large case seem to be the order of the day for van dwellers. But they are permanently installed. Some people replace that muffler with a higher end model and there has been a quiet fuel pump created as an aftermarket product.

As a professional truck driver, we use these kinds of heaters for keeping the bunk and cab warm at night. These stand up units are a problem, you should get the other version and make your own box. I have seen the other kinds here on RU-vid and they work really good. (The kind we use in semi's ) But, nice video over all.

I love how half of the users of diesel heaters say the exhaust MUST go down hill all the way due to condensation collecting in the pipe, the other half of the users point the exhaust STRAIGHT UP.

I enjoyed watching your presentation. It was very educational and informative. Im looking into getting one to heat my camper. Thank you.

Your channel came out of left field with suggestions from the algorithm. Glad I stumbled onto it! Great video. And bonus points for teaching me a new word.. dilettante 😂

I've never heard of these until now. GREAT review. Well done, sir. Well done.👍

Best part of this video was I was actually able to finish it till the end without having to shut it off because I was sick of the over-enthusiastic exaggerated facial expressions and yelling most RU-vidrs seem to feel the need to do

Loved watching this video mate - very pro and entertaining - looking forward to see more stuff - much luv

Tom thanks for the go through on this heater unit. Looks neat but as you said, good price but lower quality. Still a neat unit. Great run down. Your no frills got another subscriber. Till next time.

I've had these heaters since the early 1970's. Mine was in a 1967 Volkswagen. It ran off the cars gasoline!!! It had a pilot light also which kept the snow from sticking in the NH winters. It put put out a MASSIVE amount of heat. Old Volkswagen's had no real heat to speak of. I've had Eberspacher and Espar since day 1 when they came out. They suck and always have. They carbon up real easy. I run kerosene only since the last 10 years or so. Much cleaner and less problems. Most all trucking companies run kerosene using an external 50 gallon tank. If it's Spring or Fall and your not running these full blast you should once in a while to heat them up and blow SOME of the carbon out. Doesn't get it all. If you go to Walmart in the lamp section you can buy a bottle of lamp oil which is kerosene. Undo the fuel line and stick in bottle and run heater on full. Do this at night in a parking lot and watch the sparks fly. That's the carbon burning up. Kerosene burns much hotter. if you've been running your heater on low all day or night run it on high for 1/2 an hour before shutting off. You don't have to use the small fuel tank that comes with the heater. You can use ANYTHING. A milk jug!!! Doesn't matter to heater. Just stick the fuel pickup in. I use a 25 gallon Coast Guard approved diesel Mueller boat fuel tank. Already has fuel pickup line and vent. Just plug your heater in. Don't get a drop of diesel on your clothes, sneakers or anything else. You can't wash smell out. I ran an external fuel fill outlet to the outside. Just a small one. I use a transfer pump with a rubber fuel line connected to a pump and cigarette lighter socket. I transfer fuel from 6 gallon gas tank to inside 25 gallon tank. Don't try to replace glow plug. Not worth it. Chances are your combustion chamber is all carboned up. These units are cheap. Buy another as a backup. Replace intake and exhaust metal pipe with stainless steel. Find on Ebay. Also, these heaters are cheaper on Ebay especially if you buy 2 or more. Buy backup pump. When your heater starts blowing smoke on startup it's going South soon. It will start to blow so much smoke the police will have to close the road. If your heater breaks use that opportunity to take it apart (After buying a new one) and see all the parts. Take combustion camber apart. Sand blasting it the only thing I've found to get rid of carbon. Save all those parts especially the sensors and control board as spare parts. Still, just toss it and buy a new one. I have NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER had a problem with any of these units since the 19070's failing and blowing fumes or anything else. They shut down REALLY quick. Make sure you pull the clean air for the cabin air from the cabin. I'm not talking about the combustion chamber intake or exhaust. They go outside. Don't put the clean air cabin air intake behind a cabinet or something else. It will get all gummed up with dust and everything else and your heater will fail unless it's cleaned all the time so make it easy to get to. Espar still hasn't got the message. NOBODY is buying their units anymore and they are still charging $1,000+. Their sales have fallen off the cliff and I can't see them in business much longer.

Tom: If you can get silicone hose in that diameter at the auto parts store, plus high temp. plastic fitting(s) for your exhaust so use these instead of the steel hose that will melt your tent. In fact, you might adapt the hose to a 180 degree formed aluminum tube used on washer drain lines. Fasten a wire long enough to tie to a tree to that tube will stay out of water if raining. The added bonus is that the hose will muffle the noise better than the muffler. Give us an update soon so we know if it's unit is good or crap. THANKS!

Hearing you talk is smoothing! Great vid

Great presentation Tom, you just gained yourself a loyal subscriber.

I've been running the Espar D2 Webasto heater in my semi-truck for over 10-years now and it's still going strong. Obviously it is not encased in that red housing rather it's permanently installed underneath bed. I've only rebuilt mine once so far and parts are readily available up in Michigan. As mine is hooked up to a 225 gallon diesel fuel tank, the unit continues to run unmonitored for as long as it has 12-VDC power. On mine the combustion chamber inlet air and exhaust is direct to the outside along with the fuel pump which makes the unit extremely quiet while I'm sleeping. After the unit has heated the space to thermostat setting in high speed mode, it then goes into low speed mode to maintain set temperature (80°F for me) which makes it even more quiet and uses even less battery power. I believe they only use 2/10th's of a gallon of fuel per hour. So in colder months, it heats the inside of my truck cab without running main engine and it is an emergency heater should my trucks heating system ever fail such as failed blower motor or switch which has happened. As a backup for the home and the truck, I also purchased the Chinese knock-off version of the Espar D2 heater which has been setting on a self in it's original box since it arrived four years ago as I haven't needed it. With the availability of parts and easy serviceability, my Espar D2 heater will continue to run for many years to come. The secret to keeping the glow plug and internal parts from carbon buildup is to run the unit at maximum temperature which is 90°F for at least 1/2-hour every month, even in the summertime. During this time, any carbon buildup burns off and exits through the exhaust pipe.

Coming from my background as a generator/small engines mechanic in the Army we always used auxiliary fuel tanks. If you can figure out a way to retrofit an auxiliary fuel tank to the unit that will be the simplest way to extend the time it will run for in one setting on “a tank” of fuel.

You are an excellent speaker. Great voice, content, and delivery.

This guy, I'm not sure what's throwing me off but he seems like an animation or something. His speech, his mannerisms, the editing. I cant fully explain it. Cool dude, neat channel.

The big advantage of these vs kerosene or propane heaters is that you can completely separate the combustion air supply and exhaust from the air that you're heating and breathing. You don't have to worry about not waking up due to something going wrong and CO being released if the exhaust is ducted OUTSIDE. A buddy of mine uses one on his RV which he inhabits full time and it worked great for him. Because of the low cost, just just bought a spare using to experiment with and use as a back-up in case of failure, since it was his principle source of heat in the winter.

Jonn McK 47 has a channel dedicated to these heaters. An amazing amount of knowledge, tips and advice on there. 99% of the problems encountered with these units are due to poor setup and installation. Well worth visiting his channel

First video from your channel. Great job!

I have the espar system in my semi truck. Works wonders. Been problem free for the 3 years I’ve had the truck. Haven’t maintenance the unit in that time either.

It's old technology, that heating element comes standard in an APU (auxiliary power unit) in big trucks, it's that little box on the side of a truck that has a small engine so you don't have to run your big engine, provides a/c, heat and keeps your engine warm even though it's -40 outside, that's the heating element, I used one for over ten years, worked great.

Exhaust line seems dangerous, to close to the ground and no insulation in case of contact with something flammable. Second concern is the exhaust fumes, no visible fumes doesn't means no danger, CO is deadly but cannot be detected by a human nose !! So in case of internal use, you better insulate the exhaust line and lead it outside of the room.

I just need to say one of the best parts of this video was at 14:29 lol. I felt the same way about the manual that came with mine great video

I use one in my campervan, and as an open water swimmer (no wetsuit) it's a great heater and easy to control, I've been using my unit for six years and had no problem. I also use one in my work shop and two fitted outside with the heat pipes coming through the wall to heat the lower floor of my house. The muffler has always been an issue, however you can buy better after market. I run through 12v battery set up connected to solar on all. I also use diesel cleaner agent in the fuel to keep the internals in good condition.

Nice quick demo of the heater when new, thank you Tom. There are problems which come up after a short time ie plug fouling, pump line too narrow for spec(tells us the exact replacement parts to make good) , even that the 5kw uses more power than the 8Kw yet is the same size. The youtuber below has an excellent series on this and more. I like to recommend John Mack's series of teardowns and maintenance videos for anyone wanting to operate a Chinese heater. He has the best, most comprehensive mechanical investigation I've seen to date, bar none!. He covers all heater designs, and all aspects while demonstrating replacement parts upgrading for hidden weak elements. Offers service techniques and home made tools for known common yet avoidable failures. Insights, analysis and tests on the system, with practical observations and suggestion for improvement. And he is a regular humble Aussie guy. Many people have probably given up on their heater because they didn't know about these incredible video's by John Mack on the heater. We owe him a great thanks. ru-vid.com/group/PLne7MoW21Rk01DYGGfOqIbYt6H1ZFSFks

I have the same unit and it heats my whole garage which is 2 times bigger than Tom's. I live in Minnesota and its cold here - this unit works great !

Great presentation Tom!

Been running one aliexpress 5KW unit (not standalone like in video thought) for two years now, heating garage/shop in wintertime. Have had no issues. Once or twice it has run out of fuel so it stopped working but re-priming and just starting up and again no issues. Have not opened it up or cleaned the burn chamber either - i've heard people having issues of it sooting up, but for my two years of usage I have not had problems. I even have few times accidentally unplugged the electrical outlet for that heater (it needs to start shutdown process to remove all fuel from burn chamber if you shut it down). And it has not sooted up. Its fantastic heater! But I would still recommend it to someone who understands dangers and knows how to install one safely.

I like how you just get to the point, thanks!

I have the same heater in my 14' x 7' enclosed trailer. Drilled 2 holes in the floorboard. Ran the exhaust and air intake out the 2 holes. Before I did that I used epoxy to seal the wood. On the exhaust pipe I wrapped it with carbon felt. Fed the hoses through the holes and attached them to the underside of the trailer. I have been using this set up for over 5 years with no problems. I would recommend ordering a backup fuel pump off of eBay. Since then I have two more of these heaters they're the shorter ones and I use them to heat ducK blinds, tents and ice fishing huts. And yes you must allow these heater units to go through a shutdown phase where everything is cooled off. Or you will cook the ECU. Very good video.

I don't know if that's how you will mount it, but the exhaust can build condensation, drill a tiny hole in the lowest part of that metal exhaust tube.

Excellent demonstration and honest commentary, Bravo Zulu Tom.

Absolutely brilliant I've got one here at the other side of the pond and it is on my as a stand by just in case the webasto decide it doesn't want to work anymore after 20-years so thank you for all the tips and very straightforward how to get it going and I managed to get it out the box as it's been in there for the year still no problems with works absolutely fine and that's what it says it does although I will agree with you that is a little roughly cheap play made thanks again for the video and I done what you done with the instructions forget it on his on and off is off simple straightforward thank you once again all the best Alex

I paid under $100 w/free shipping ! They make one that even heats water.

I’m going to share my recent experience with one of these free standing heaters, I also added wood blocks for clearance. The exhaust pipe does not last and directing it up like that is not a good idea. Ignition errors are the most common and I have replaced a Bluetti EB240 under warranty due to this heater causing EO23 errors non stop. You will have to break it down and clean it. The running rich does cause excessive soot. Each time it failed to ignite and run the unburned fuel tends to collect at the exhaust. Three nights ago the temperature dropped to below 30 here for the first time I have been starting this with the remote but something told me to step outside I was actually speaking to Amazon about replacing the DC adapter because it wasn’t putting out 12 VDC I was only getting 9.3 VDC and while speaking to AMAZON the exhaust port which I had modified with copper pipe and a 90° elbow ignited and caught fire right in front of me I dropped the phone grabbed the fire extinguisher and avoided what could’ve been a catastrophe I can’t stress enough how important it is that you have no less than 11 VDC. I’m replacing it with a component heater and have my doubts.

Used mine this spring, new tent. It was cold in the mountains, it worked as advertised! My learning curve was making sure the window is cracked. Error code 5 is telling you that the fan can’t blow any more in.

Awesome presentation!! ill have to check out a couple more of your videos now

Great video. Looks like it does the job. I've been thinking about using one of these for a camper conversion i'm planning. I wonder if you can run it on veg oil!

Would be cool to engineer some kind of apparatuses where the exhaust passes through a tube inside of the air intake where the exhaust heat can preheat the air intake.

I had one of these without the box in my van for 4 years and it never failed me. If you have been using it for prolonged periods, make sure that you crank the temp up full blast for 5 min before shutdown to help burn off and clear soot.

I have a heater like that in my truck. I've used it for over a year and it still runs like the day I put it in there.

I have two of these heaters I've had them for 2 years or 3 years and I only had to replace one fuel pump I have a workshop like yours the garage actually it's pretty well insulated I turn it on and leave it on the whole winter never shut it off and sometimes it's -40 over here so it does the job if you think it's going to break down by yourself an extra one I also got one in my RV same thing leave it on the whole Winter works great

What you should do to massively improve is to attach a second heat exchanger on the exhaust to heat water. ;)

At first I was not impressed but now I'll keep it in mind when I need that style of heat

Well done and great video 👍

They are best used in a van or truck cab that is moving. Exhaust near a tent or camper can be deadly !

Hey there, I wanna tell you, that I own one of those diesel heat exchangers. My model is for installing in a car with a 15 Liter tank. It's the same heat exchanger then yours with the difference that the lcd panel is the wrong one. It's hooked up to a battery with a charger on it when it drops below 20%. It is running 5 days straight with no issues. 15 liters will hold about 2 to 5 days with the right setting. A 12 square meter bathroom with 24 Celsius by an outside temp of below -23 Celsius here in germany. It works good and maintenance is simply

Thanks for the volts/amps info, I definitely needed that.

Brilliant video, really well presented and no waffling. Really impressed with your style of presenting l, I wish you could review everything I ever buy 😂

It would be nice if the heat from the burning of the Diesel fuel could be used to produce eclectic current to run the fan and control unit. the Achilles heal of the unit is it is reliant on a battery or outside power source. if the battery dies the heat stops.

As much heat that seems to be coming from the exhaust, I was wondering if some form of heat exchange could be used to get even more heat from the waste side...

I got it before I watched your video. Thank you very much. I did not pay for nothing. Very happy now.

Excellent vid - well done. Well shot. Good commentary

Wow. They are really cheap for what they provide, amazing! I am wondering if you could use a double wall chimney pipe (like in the natural gas heaters) to use the exhaust heat for preheating the incoming air. This thing would be extremely efficient when doing that. I just don´t know if the controller is prepared for a much warmer air getting in. But I guess so. Probably not a good idea, as a damage in the chimney would get exhaust sucked into the room, but some kind of heat exchanger might be safe enough.