I used my Chinese diesel heater for 3 cold seasons. I learned a few improvements along the way to pass on to viewers. 1) fuel jugs 2) fuel filter 3) fuel tank light 4) battery power source with float charger 1) I use 1.5 gallon plastic fuel jugs with push button spout to refuel. In 3 years with these I have not spilled a drop. They work great for me. The 2.5 gallon jug is heavy and awkward to handle. 2) The heater fuel pickup is needlessly far from the tank bottom probably to contain sediments at the bottom. However, when you refuel, the tank bottom gets disturbed. A tiny bit of trash seized up my pump one cold morning. I added a small engine lawnmower fuel filter in the line between the tank and pump inlet. This allowed my pump to run flawlessly for the next 2 seasons and I can see the dirt in the bowl that would have stopped the pump. The heater runs day and night from mid November to mid February on heat lever 2 all night to heat level 5 or 6 in the mornings, gets the fuel topped off in the morning and the evening. If everyone leaves the house, I shut down the heater. Usually there is someone home day and night. 3) I burn red off road non taxed diesel fuel. I added a 12 volt LED light to the top of the tank by the fuel pump. It is taped on with aluminum foil tape to direct the light into the tank. I can clearly see the fuel level from 40 feet away with the fuel tank light. When I first installed the light at the bottom of the tank, the fuel level was not discernable. Top mount the light only! Also, I can clearly see the fuel level on my cell phone with my video Pet Cam from anywhere around town. 4) I run my heater from a home built lithium battery box with built in automatic charger. Should the power fail, my unit can run for 14 hours on heat setting 2. These heaters have a cool down cycle after the Shut Off mode is selected. Running from a battery allows the proper cool down especially if the unit is burning hot at #6 maximum setting. Losing power suddenly during grid down outage is no good for the unit. I hope this helps!
Fantastic feedback that I totally appreciate. I'm going to pin your comment to the top so others can benefit from your insights as well. Thanks & cheers.
@@Martyupnorth Here's a video showing the fuel tank light in action. It has brackets attaching it to the top of the wood stove in case of earthquake. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EMF860RXbsk.html
Well done you've made a lot of improvements but I wouldn't use jugs for your fuel, you are better off using fuel tanks. Those jugs can easily be knocked over, where's a proper tank can be fixed in place and is much better.
@@regd.2263 These push button nozzle jugs can lay on their sides and still be leak proof. There are a pair of 1.25 gallon and a 2.5 gallon jugs that are short and squatty. By refueling twice a day, the diesel burner by default needs to be checked for any signs of trouble, leaks, odd sounds, input voltage, lithium battery state of charge. It is installed indoors with wingnut brackets that prevent movement in case of earthquake or other disturbance. The unit has adequate supervision, has exhaust heat reclamation and exhausts up a fireplace chimney to be rid of any combustion byproducts. I enjoy the constant warmth and do not need to run the central gas furnace at all here in December. The fuel jugs get refilled from a 35 gallon tank outside with a hand pump. My system works very well for me but may not suit the needs of others using diesel heaters.
Marty, it always worries me when people put diesel in a red gas can. Seen too many costly mistakes. Please get a proper can soon and transfer the diesel.
I don't think I've ever seen those smaller 5L fuel cans in yellow. Red cans are far more available and will work fine as long as its clearly marked as diesel.
I have an 8 kw. Most of these heaters are all identical just different names. You buy 1 rebuild kit and it does them all. Easy to rebuild, parts are cheap but they are a bit fuel thirsty. Stay warm Marty 👍
Actually it only needs 15 amps on start up to run the glow plug. It drops to around 2-3 amps once the glow plug shuts off. You could probably run it indefinitely like that with your battery on a tender.
You shoulda done an AvE unboxing with a chainsaw!!! Thanks Marty, looking forward to an update,I need something like this! The 12v adapter?Where you get it? Part #?
Don't bend the exhaust tubing by sliding it onto the unit and trying to bend it 90 degrees. These things are made cheap and can bend a distort the unit causing them to leak and release fumes, etc. slide the exhaust tube over a piece of pipe about 1" and bend it that way, then mount it to your heater! Also, the BTU rating of 8KW is a lie. They barely make 5KW, just so you know and is only 17060 BTUs so that's what you have there.
Hey Marty, those heaters only come in actual 3kw but labeled as a 5 and 8 kw. There's been a few examples and the housing are.noticeably larger if an actual 5 or 8 kw. When we get our cold Temps, as im in manitoba and our Temps get similar in no way will it keep your shop half decent workable temp. Mine heads a 6x8ish non insulated porch windows on 3 sides and house on one -20c it's working -30 I'm running it full blast with some tweaked settings in the controller to keep it half decent aka sweater weather. But I do like them. Have 2 myself
The voltage was correct (12v), it's the current that was too low. I initially used a 12V 5 amp power source (normally used for LED lights). The unit requires about 13-14 amps of current on start-up, while it's warming up the glow plug. Once it's operational, the current drops to under 2 amps.
Does the clicking ever stop while the unit is running? I'm thinking this type of unit is made for heating a vehicle, especially while sleeping, and the clicking would be problematic.
The clicking never stops because it's the sound of the fuel pump. It slows down as temperature setpoint is reached. It's not very loud. Like a clock. Easy to muffle with some barrier.
3 vanlifers that I follow here on you tube have that brand of heaters installed inside their van and the reliability of them is very patchy at best and a bad joke at worst
I used my identical heater for 3 seasons in a house. For 2-1/2 months in the Winter it runs round the clock on red off road farm diesel fuel, gets fueled twice a day. After adding a cheap lawnmower fuel filter before the pump, all troubles disappeared. The movement of a vehicle and the act of refueling stirs up trash particles that jam up the pump.
