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Diesel heater - the voltages and amps used


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17 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Yep. Same cables.

Only difference is that rather than hooking straight to the battery I'm taking a feed from a nearby 12V socket.

Is the socket providing 12.6 volts - think about / check the volt drop between the battery and the socket.

You need fairly heavy cables to start up a diesel heater - if the socket is wired up with (say) 0.5mm* then it may not be up to the job, but is OK for lights etc.

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47 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Yep. Same cables.

Only difference is that rather than hooking straight to the battery I'm taking a feed from a nearby 12V socket.

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

47 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Yep. Same cables.

Only difference is that rather than hooking straight to the battery I'm taking a feed from a nearby 12V socket.

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

47 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Yep. Same cables.

Only difference is that rather than hooking straight to the battery I'm taking a feed from a nearby 12V socket.

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

47 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Yep. Same cables.

Only difference is that rather than hooking straight to the battery I'm taking a feed from a nearby 12V socket.

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

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2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

What are you suggesting he should do ?

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1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

I would measure the voltage at the heater when it tries to start

So, you reckon I should measure the voltage at the heater?  ;):D

 

31 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Is the socket providing 12.6 volts - think about / check the volt drop between the battery and the socket.

You need fairly heavy cables to start up a diesel heater - if the socket is wired up with (say) 0.5mm* then it may not be up to the job, but is OK for lights etc.

Yeah, that was my next thought. Either the cables aren't up to it, or maybe it's too long of a cable run.

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

What are you suggesting he should do ?

I think it was about water pressure or something... ;)

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3 hours ago, ronnietucker said:

Yep. Same cables.

Only difference is that rather than hooking straight to the battery I'm taking a feed from a nearby 12V socket.

Bit late to the party here but you just answered your own question. As soon as you said “Only difference...” you know where the problem lies. 

 

I think you should probably check the voltage at the heater when it tries to start... ;)

 

 

Edited by WotEver
Humour
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Yep. Wired the heater directly to the leisure battery and it worked first time.

 

My only concern is that after about an hour the battery had dropped to about 12.3 and the heater cut off. It cutting off drained the battery further. Hopefully, my solar panel hooked to the leisure battery (rather than the starter) will keep it topped up enough to keep going? We'll see maybe next weekend.

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55 minutes ago, Matt&Jo said:

Can i ask how you have routed the exhaust, im looking at getting a similar unit and worry about exhaust routing options.....

I had a stove with flue on the boat. I'm routing the exhaust up that flue.

After almost an hour of constant heater use, the CO meter on the boat was still showing zero.

You could, in theory (and with a longer pipe), put the exhaust out the window or some such (making sure the fumes don't blow back in said window), but the exhaust pipe does get very warm.

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On 03/02/2019 at 11:50, catweasel said:

I have seen a few as you describe. Doesn't seem any more risk than a petrol generator outside?

Lots of people use them in camper vans and there is a Farcebook group that know every last nut and bolt in these Chinese heaters. From what I have read, they appear to be reliable enough.

The cheap chinese units used in campers and on boats are the copies of the Planar warm air heaters not the same as this one.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-5000W-LCD-Monitor-Air-diesel-Fuel-Heater-5KW-PLANAR-for-Trucks-Bus-Boats-Car/332867943103?epid=27029032953&hash=item4d8079babf:g:~ikAAOSwcOZb4A~0:rk:1:pf:1

 

These can be installed safely.

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I don't like the look of the thing you are using - the fuel is contained within it, its inside the living area :( The exhaust is going up the... chimey? Presumably gerry rigged in some way? What if the exhaust gases cool and come back down. Sorry to be the damp squib on this one.

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37 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Any one remember the family that died from CO poisoning on a boat in Scotland with a homemade exhaust system on a genny

Wasn't it Windermere ?

(Or was that another family ?)

 

He said he believed the deaths of Ms Webster and her daughter "may be as a result of carbon monoxide inhalation".

He said: "What we are looking at specifically is an aftermarket generator that has been fitted in the engine compartment of the boat which we believe may be the cause of this.

"But, again, it's still early stages in the investigation so we can't rule anything out."

Mr Brown added: "It's an absolute tragedy. Everyone is in bits over this."

Tony Rothwell, who runs the Bowness Bay marina, told the Daily Telegraph that he was told by lake wardens that the boat had been fitted with a faulty generator.

The generator was connected to a fan heater, which is thought to have been turned on. Temperatures around the Lake District remained only just above freezing throughout the day.

Mr Rothwell said: "It was an amateur job. The boat had been fitted with a generator and the exhaust has leaked. It had been a very cold day and the fan heater was connected to the generator. It is a terrible tragedy."

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 hour ago, Johny London said:

The exhaust is going up the... chimey? Presumably gerry rigged in some way? What if the exhaust gases cool and come back down. Sorry to be the damp squib on this one.

4

I have some fire rope wrapped between the exhaust and the chimney to stop fumes coming back down into the boat. I also have a CO monitor nearby just in case.

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6 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

The cheap chinese units used in campers and on boats are the copies of the Planar warm air heaters not the same as this one.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-5000W-LCD-Monitor-Air-diesel-Fuel-Heater-5KW-PLANAR-for-Trucks-Bus-Boats-Car/332867943103?epid=27029032953&hash=item4d8079babf:g:~ikAAOSwcOZb4A

6 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

The cheap chinese units used in campers and on boats are the copies of the Planar warm air heaters not the same as this one.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-5000W-LCD-Monitor-Air-diesel-Fuel-Heater-5KW-PLANAR-for-Trucks-Bus-Boats-Car/332867943103?epid=27029032953&hash=item4d8079babf:g:~ikAAOSwcOZb4A~0:rk:1:pf:1

 

These can be installed safely.

0:rk:1:pf:1

 

These can be installed safely.

Yes, I have seen these too.

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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Wasn't it Windermere ?

(Or was that another family ?)

 

He said he believed the deaths of Ms Webster and her daughter "may be as a result of carbon monoxide inhalation".

He said: "What we are looking at specifically is an aftermarket generator that has been fitted in the engine compartment of the boat which we believe may be the cause of this.

"But, again, it's still early stages in the investigation so we can't rule anything out."

Mr Brown added: "It's an absolute tragedy. Everyone is in bits over this."

Tony Rothwell, who runs the Bowness Bay marina, told the Daily Telegraph that he was told by lake wardens that the boat had been fitted with a faulty generator.

The generator was connected to a fan heater, which is thought to have been turned on. Temperatures around the Lake District remained only just above freezing throughout the day.

Mr Rothwell said: "It was an amateur job. The boat had been fitted with a generator and the exhaust has leaked. It had been a very cold day and the fan heater was connected to the generator. It is a terrible tragedy."

Thats the one thanks for finding it

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12 hours ago, catweasel said:

Yes, I have seen these too.

We know a few people who have fitted them now and they seem to work just fine.

 

They are all carrying a spare unit in case the reliability isn't great but at £122 you can afford too and it isn't worth fixing them if they do break.

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Id like to buy one out of curiosity and fit it to see if it truly is a credible alternative but i worry about the exhaust id fit it in my engine bay and feed off of a spare outlet on my fuel filter but its that exhaust that worrys me. Id need to drill a hole in the boat and get a skin fitting but even still it freaks me out a tad.

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I'm getting a bare heater (not the all in one case kit) to test as a small workshop heater, if it works well I am thinking of installing one in the front of our boat.

on the boat I plan to install it boxed in under the gunwale in the cratch with the exhaust exiting through the hull (skin fitting) and a separate fuel tank for kerosene, the only things going to the cabin being hot air & wiring.

 

what I can't decide about is whether to recirculate cabin air through the heater (more efficient but no good for getting rid of moisture / condensation) or use outside air for heating (less efficient but should be dry heat)

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15 minutes ago, Jess-- said:

 

 

what I can't decide about is whether to recirculate cabin air through the heater (more efficient but no good for getting rid of moisture / condensation) or use outside air for heating (less efficient but should be dry heat)

Im sure a man of your capability could use something like a car heater diverter/ducting to give you the option of either-not a bad idea now youve made me think of it either..☺

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6 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

We know a few people who have fitted them now and they seem to work just fine.

 

They are all carrying a spare unit in case the reliability isn't great but at £122 you can afford too and it isn't worth fixing them if they do break.

I have been toying with the idea of fitting one just to make some instant heat available. I have spoken to others, and their findings seem similar to the people you know, which is encouraging.

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