Skotl's diesel heater garage install thread

[decca]

As premiered above, it's in and it works!

Youtube video below but here's a couple of pics and some thoughts...

First off, these are great value for money. They are fiddly, and the instructions leave something to be desired (although I got a better than usual set of instructions, available over here)
It's early days but so far it's working extremely well. My garage is well insulated but (smiley face) has plenty ventilation gaps deliberately set out and (frowny face) has a bog-standard metal up-and-over door.
That said, an unscientific test in 2 degrees C external weather earlier in the week raised the garage temperature from 4C to 13C in around half an hour.

The whole diesel pipe fitting scared the crap out of me (but then anything to do with plumbing scares me) so I did buy jubilee clips rather than relying on the pinch clips that came with the kit.

Building a harness was essential, IMO. This allowed me to figure out how the inlet and exhaust hoses would work, where the fuel pipe would route and how I would fit the power supply, fuel filter and full pump.
As an added bonus, I went with 8mm steel dowel to fix it in place rather than screws or bolts so that I could easily fit and remove it. The video has a bit more info on that.

I have wired it directly to the mains (via a power supply, of course) and didn't use the apparently-recommended route of using a car battery to provide an "uninterruptible power supply". I can see why this could be beneficial but the additional mess and complexity of managing a lead acid battery (or similar) and its charging seemed over the top for my use case. I'll be in the garage when I turn the heater on and will nurse it through its shutdown process. In the unlikely event that the power is cut during this process then my worst case is spending £100 on replacing the heater unit, but I personally (your mileage may vary!) have never been in a situation where this seems likely.

All in all, I think these are great buys but the installation definitely tests your metal in terms of fabrication, heat management, electrics, and combustible fuel storage & routing. I'm glad I did it and, in hindsight, would be far more comfortable if I had to attempt it for a second time.

I can get more pics if people are interested, especially of the harness, but I hope the video helps anyone else thinking of installing one of these.

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I had mine installed for 3 years now power supply plugged in and have shut the power off a couple of times in error not letting it do the cool down procedure this it did no harm at all. I wouldn't do it all the time but if you do knock the power off in error don't panic, it should be OK.

 

[Lewis_RX8]

Power supply and small battery for any power cut shut down , AC coming in at top that is controlled via oven switch and DC coming out to heater

Fused oven switch here and control mounted by door

 

[not done it yet]

The exhaust silencer is normally fitted at the other end of the exhaust pipe and outside. There is a weep hole which may allow some exhaust gas to be released into the working area. Not a large risk, but CO could be released into the workshop. I recommend you seal that weep holeto remove that small future risk (if draught sealing is made effective).

I was needing to replace the battery on our 607 diesel in the very near future, so have bought a replacement and ’reconditioned’ the old battery with my CTEK charger and am leaving it on float charge, using a lidl product I’ve had for years. A smaller battery would have sufficed but it saved £25. I’ve not yet checked the leccy usage with the heater and charger connected all 24 hours of the day. The battery voltage soon rises to float value after turning off the heater, so the charger would alternate between float and charging if the heater was left connected. Perfectly clean, no smell but does require some space and safe covering for one terminal (at least).

 

[Morris]

I've just installed one in our conservatory (aka wifey's craft room) to replace the ruinously expensive oil filled radiator. Fired up first time and works a treat.
However the operating instructions are proving to be a challenge. Can anyone explain how to use auto (or even how to get into auto) and "plateau mode". It references machine hypoxia

 

[Nomad]

Hi @Morris I'd agree about the instructions being poor ... yours must be different to the one I looked at, I didn't see any mention of plateau mode.

What would you like auto to do? I found I can set ours to run flat out, or at lower power (confusingly called "Frequency" on the control panel), I also saw a timer - I could set this to run a set number of hours then turn off, not sure if it's possible to set it to turn on as I didn't look ...

Just ask if any question and I'll help if I can

 

[Morris]

Thanks Nomad.
No frequency on ours, we've got gears!
I think the best thing I can do is put a photo of the page up. I'll do it tomorrow.

 

[not done it yet]

I've just installed one in our conservatory (aka wifey's craft room) to replace the ruinously expensive oil filled radiator. Fired up first time and works a treat.
However the operating instructions are proving to be a challenge. Can anyone explain how to use auto (or even how to get into auto) and "plateau mode". It references machine hypoxia

There is a multitude of different controller types. Some are good, some less good and some are very basic indeed!

The ability to tune the air/fuel ratio, set the time, program start and stop times, remote operation, high altitude operation, etc, etc will depend on the actual controller.

They also require the correct motherboard to be installed (so swapping controllers may not be as straightforward/cheap as swapping the controller at the connectors.

Some have remote operation possibilities. I bought mine with a remote, but would only trust it to start the heater, (not to stop it).

Mine has 6 fuel rate settings or temperature controlled operation and is possible to set the run time (I think). Fuel can be H1 to H6 and temperature from 5 to 35 degrees Celsius. The temperature control does not work properly as even when set to 5 degrees, the controller has to be much warmer before the heater cuts the pumping rate! Some do nothing more than full or minimum pumping rate, I believe. Not sure about mine, yet.

They are chinese. Don’t expect too much for your money!

 

[Morris]

That sounds like mine with the H1 to H6 settings.
As you say, perhaps I shouldn't expect too much.

 

[Bullet2012]

I hope @skotl does not mind me asking on his build thread, but does anyone have any experience of this style of heater ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/maXpeedingrods-Diesel-Heater-Display-Pickup/dp/B08PDBZKJ7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=36UQ33AXX6ID9&keywords=Diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v&qid=1643284142&s=automotive&sprefix=diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v%2Cautomotive%2C68&sr=1-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTjNUQjE3M1U2NDVCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjk3MDk0N0M3UTlYQktCSzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQzODcyM0pWTVBMSUU5RVRCTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

 

[skotl]

I hope @skotl does not mind me asking on his build thread, but does anyone have any experience of this style of heater ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/maXpeedingrods-Diesel-Heater-Display-Pickup/dp/B08PDBZKJ7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=36UQ33AXX6ID9&keywords=Diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v&qid=1643284142&s=automotive&sprefix=diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v%2Cautomotive%2C68&sr=1-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTjNUQjE3M1U2NDVCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjk3MDk0N0M3UTlYQktCSzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQzODcyM0pWTVBMSUU5RVRCTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

Absolutely - good question!

I did look at these too and only discounted them as they were considerably more expensive (around £150 when I looked) then the kit components. No direct experience, although I understand the innards are the same as the kits,

 

[Kayos]

I hope @skotl does not mind me asking on his build thread, but does anyone have any experience of this style of heater ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/maXpeedingrods-Diesel-Heater-Display-Pickup/dp/B08PDBZKJ7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=36UQ33AXX6ID9&keywords=Diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v&qid=1643284142&s=automotive&sprefix=diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v%2Cautomotive%2C68&sr=1-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTjNUQjE3M1U2NDVCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjk3MDk0N0M3UTlYQktCSzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQzODcyM0pWTVBMSUU5RVRCTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

I fit that style in the D2, more for convenience. Drilled some holes for the air and exhaust, wired it up to thr rear battery and tipped some fuel in

Job done

 

[decca]

I hope @skotl does not mind me asking on his build thread, but does anyone have any experience of this style of heater ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/maXpeedingrods-Diesel-Heater-Display-Pickup/dp/B08PDBZKJ7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=36UQ33AXX6ID9&keywords=Diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v&qid=1643284142&s=automotive&sprefix=diesel%2Bair%2Bheater%2B12v%2Cautomotive%2C68&sr=1-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTjNUQjE3M1U2NDVCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjk3MDk0N0M3UTlYQktCSzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQzODcyM0pWTVBMSUU5RVRCTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

I have that very same heater. Been running for the last 3 years 8-10 hours 3 days a week no bother at all. Found it easier to install than the separate system. Get a decent power supply for it though I think that makes a big difference.

Will probably brake down now I said that but would recommend.

 

[Bullet2012]

Thank you peeps, much appreciated.

 

[Morris]

Here's my instructions, if anyone wants to take a guess feel free!

the controller

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I have the same one, only the [alleged] 8kw version with 4 x heat outlets on the front panel. I've never bothered to set the remote timer as I cut all power to the cave when I'm finished for the day. It's easy to pop out and set it going for half-an-hour before I plan to start out there.

Really effective and easy to install, just get a big enough power source as said above ^^

 

[not done it yet]

I set mine going a couple? of weeks ago. It is now stopped, awaiting extended wiring to the pump. I decided the pump would be better sited outside my workshop on the same board as the tank. Might get it running next week as busy, doing other things, for a few days.

My instructions were pants compared to those posted earlier. Holding down the top left button for a couple of seconds selects fuelling by temperature. I don’t think mine is much good, really, but it does not bother me. I only need to start it (remotely) about ten minutes before I go to the worshop.

Bullet, that heater will not provide the heat output indicated. It might approach it, but 800ml of diesel would only contain about 8.4kWh of energy - and that is before it is burned and in includes all the associated energy losses incurred to run the thing (latent heat of evaporation of the water from burning the fuel, heat lost through the exhaust). The standard (22ml/1000strokes) pump would need to be pumping at 10Hz, or more (it won’t) and the fan would need to be running a great deal above its rating (5000 rpm, I believe).

The same thing is likely on sale, on epay at about 20 quid less. The set shown may not include a fuel filter and it doesn’t include an exhaust silencer.

The installation video shows a remote indicator, whereas the pics only show a more basic remote control.

Beware what you buy. It may not be quite what you expect!

 

[jsf55]

I wonder if plateau is for using it at elevation and gives you a choice to alter the fuel to air mixture

 

[m_c]

I wonder if plateau is for using it at elevation and gives you a choice to alter the fuel to air mixture

It is.
It reduces fuelling, to stop the heater running rich due to lack of oxygen.

 

[jsf55]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=8kw+heater+manual

Knock yourself out

 

[Morris]

Thanks John