The aim of this video is to give some knowledge and hints for a DIY diesel heater install in a motorhome or a caravan.
Before you start there are a number of considerations.
1. The environment in which you operate. Do you plan trips during a mild Queensland (Australia) winter, or do you travel during the freezing cold of a north Canadian winter.
2. What sort of insulation do you have in your motorhome or caravan.
3. What fuel delivery system will you have? Use the main fuel tank or use a separate fuel tank.
4. What is your power storage capacity? How long do you wish to run the heater? These heaters require amps to both start and run. At a high setting these heaters will draw 3 amps per hour or 72 AH a day. Do you have the battery capacity to run the heater?
5. What size heater? What size can you fit? Be aware many proponents of these heaters state you should get a smaller heater and run it hard to prevent carbon buildup. I have the opposite opinion as you will see from previous videos. My view is it is better to have a bigger heater running slower. Less noise, less fuel consumption and less current draw. Then every month or so, depending on use, run full power for 30 mins to burn off any carbon deposits. If your install is gold standard you will have minimal carbon deposits during use.
6. Be aware that all three heaters shown here have the same fan motor, the same dosing pump, the same glow plug, the same controllers and ECU, giving you the same current draw for the same Hz setting (power setting). This means the 2 Kw heater runs flat out to provide its max output of 2 KW, and consumes approx 3 amps per hour, and approx 400 ml of diesel per hour.
The 5 Kw heater runs half speed to produce 2 KW, uses approx half the diesel and has half the current draw.
Warm travels. JMcK