decoy1979 Posted December 3, 2023 Report Share Posted December 3, 2023 Hi all, Has anyone had any experience of diesel heaters? I'm looking to purchase one, there looks to be plenty on Amazon/Ebay etc of Chinese origin and just wondered if anyone has purchased one and if so how they'd got on with it. I'm interested in hearing about reliability, durability, heat output and general perfornance issues. There are a number for sale under £100, of various brands, which all look identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rat Boy Posted December 3, 2023 Report Share Posted December 3, 2023 My brother has a couple in his 18 x 12 workshop Over the moon with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nublue 22 Posted December 3, 2023 Report Share Posted December 3, 2023 If you can put it out side and feed the heater pipes through the wall, mine is a little smelly, might be new causing it? it's very warm and well worth it. Just get one you will have a smile on your face when you kick it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted December 3, 2023 Report Share Posted December 3, 2023 When compared to the traditional (webasto and the like) costing many times as much, they are sometime's indistinguishable. If you buy one i strongly suggest you use a co2 monitor and buy quality exhaust pipe. The silencers do little to quieten the induction noise but keeping inlet and outlet separated is crucial. I would also upgrade the fuel supply pipe from plastic to metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decoy1979 Posted December 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2023 Thanks for the responses, for what I want it for I can mount it outside, looks like it's time to get ordering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owain Posted December 4, 2023 Report Share Posted December 4, 2023 I’ve got 2 of the cheap Chinese diesel heaters, one in the van and one in the garage. Never had a problem with either of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marccus Posted December 4, 2023 Report Share Posted December 4, 2023 Any recommendations? Looking at getting one for the garage but lots of mixed reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owain Posted December 5, 2023 Report Share Posted December 5, 2023 18 hours ago, Marccus said: Any recommendations? Looking at getting one for the garage but lots of mixed reviews. Depends how much you want to spend, both of mine have just been the cheapest I could find on eBay. One was listed as spares or repair for £50, it’s worked fine. Middle of the road seems to be lavaner or planar heaters, both get good write ups but I have never seen one. Top of the line would be erberspacher or webasto. But don’t expect much change out of a grand for one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingdragon Posted December 5, 2023 Report Share Posted December 5, 2023 I bought one in the summer, Trickicks 5Kw on Amazon - works no problem. Use exhaust paste to get a good seal. The rubber mounting gaskets can smell a bit at first, apparently you can get silicone ones that are better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manton Posted December 5, 2023 Report Share Posted December 5, 2023 A very interesting discussion I have had my eye on these for some time.I have one question do they require a 12 of 24 volt battery or are there mains ones or could I get or build a 12 v power supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owain Posted December 6, 2023 Report Share Posted December 6, 2023 22 hours ago, manton said: A very interesting discussion I have had my eye on these for some time.I have one question do they require a 12 of 24 volt battery or are there mains ones or could I get or build a 12 v power supply. Most people run them off a small 12v car battery and trickle charger/ solar panel. The reason is that these heaters need to go through a cool down cycle. If they don’t it can cook the mother board. So if you run off a mains powered 12v supply and your heater is running and there is a power cut it can wreck your heater. That being said, if you don’t get many power cuts then a mains powered 12v supply will probably be fine. I got a x box one power brick for free off Facebook marketplace. So that is currently powering the heater in my garage. If you want an all bells and whistles set up, you can run a mains operated 12v power supply with an uninterruptible power supply. This is my next move, as I have a UPS sitting at work which I just need a 12v 7ah battery for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manton Posted December 7, 2023 Report Share Posted December 7, 2023 Owain thank you for a very comprehensive answer to my question . I had no idea about the run down period and am glad I asked , I have a tractor in the front of my workshop with a 12v battery so I will use this with an occasional run to charge the battery . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelsh Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 Even cheaper if run it on red diesel 🤣🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingdragon Posted December 27, 2023 Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 Kero is the cheapest and cleanest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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