Chinese diesel heaters........dont attack!!!

[Matt&Jo]

Hi all so ive been weighing the costs of getting one of these.....financial safety breakdown etc and im tempted but i really dont want to tap into my fuel tank so other options are the stand alone units with an integral tank built in.

Whats involved in fitting an exhaust skin fitting for the exhaust to vent from and what are the requirements in height etc from the water line? 

Does anyone have a unit and if so has it been a disaster or a reasonable purchase?

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, Matt&Jo said:

Hi all so ive been weighing the costs of getting one of these.....financial safety breakdown etc and im tempted but i really dont want to tap into my fuel tank so other options are the stand alone units with an integral tank built in.

Whats involved in fitting an exhaust skin fitting for the exhaust to vent from and what are the requirements in height etc from the water line? 

Does anyone have a unit and if so has it been a disaster or a reasonable purchase?

There was a thread on these recently - I think it was BigCol who bought one, did research, decided not to use it, sold it on ebay for more than it cost him.

 

DYOR

[Naughty Cal]

Two of our friends have recently bought and installed these cheap chinese heaters and so far they work exceptionally well. Bit too early to say how well they will stand the test of time as they were only installed last month. They do kick out a hell of a lot of heat and the controllers they come with are ten times better then the offerings from Webasto and Ebersplutter.

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Matt&Jo said:

Hi all so ive been weighing the costs of getting one of these.....financial safety breakdown etc and im tempted but i really dont want to tap into my fuel tank so other options are the stand alone units with an integral tank built in.

Whats involved in fitting an exhaust skin fitting for the exhaust to vent from and what are the requirements in height etc from the water line? 

Does anyone have a unit and if so has it been a disaster or a reasonable purchase?

Usually drilling a larger hole with a hole cutter and possibly smaller ones for the securing screws.

 

If its not for a hire boat or RCD then there is no set height above the waterline but the "hire boat" 10" minimum is probably best practice.

 

 

[WotEver]

Loads of folk fitting these to road vehicles with great success. Increasingly they’re being fitted to boats too. They appear to work just fine as NC has observed. 

[Jim Riley]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

There was a thread on these recently - I think it was BigCol who bought one, did research, decided not to use it, sold it on ebay for more than it cost him.

 

DYOR

DYOR??? He is doing, he asked a question or two here for a start. Ever wondered why canalworld loses the C? ?????

Edited November 8, 2018 by Jim Riley

[Matt&Jo]

On 08/11/2018 at 13:15, Alan de Enfield said:

There was a thread on these recently - I think it was BigCol who bought one, did research, decided not to use it, sold it on ebay for more than it cost him.

 

DYOR

Hi alan,

I understand you comment of do your own research and i have been alot.....im on the facebook page and been watching youtube listening to reviews but i secong guess myself alot.....just who i am and felt an additional ask on here may bring more to light.....

My main fears are tapping the tank....maybe i could draw from my filter but im steering towards the internal tank variant....which i will have to remove for BSC.....as fuel inside is a no no unless under strict control with venting etc and splash bk.....or so i have read....

Now my own concerns with this unit is exhaust venting so that was a part of my question.

 

The unit im leaning towards BTW

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332868072756

[Robbo]

1 hour ago, Matt&Jo said:

Hi alan,

I understand you comment of do your own research and i have been alot.....im on the facebook page and been watching youtube listening to reviews but i secong guess myself alot.....just who i am and felt an additional ask on here may bring more to light.....

My main fears are tapping the tank....maybe i could draw from my filter but im steering towards the internal tank variant....which i will have to remove for BSC.....as fuel inside is a no no unless under strict control with venting etc and splash bk.....or so i have read....

Now my own concerns with this unit is exhaust venting so that was a part of my question.

 

The unit im leaning towards BTW

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332868072756

Re-read the BSS for tanks, a lot of the stuff is not needed if under 27litre.   It is easy to tap a diesel tank tho, what are your concerns?

 

Just read that link, the fuel consumption header bit is a bit misleading although it does say lower fuel consumption in the main description.   It won’t use 0.1l for 5000w as that’s not possible.   Also it’s not a Planar heater by the looks of it.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Robbo

[Matt&Jo]

46 minutes ago, Robbo said:

Re-read the BSS for tanks, a lot of the stuff is not needed if under 27litre.   It is easy to tap a diesel tank tho, what are your concerns?

 

Just read that link, the fuel consumption header bit is a bit misleading although it does say lower fuel consumption in the main description.   It won’t use 0.1l for 5000w as that’s not possible.   Also it’s not a Planar heater by the looks of it.

Hi robbo you are absolutley correct sir its deffo not planar and the figures are a bit misleading.......nay a blatant lie but you kinda expect that for these heaters....

 

Uve had a look at planar and they are up in the 600+ for the unit then the fit kit is extra. 

Perhaps im being cheap i dont know but with new cratch cover cratch boar and a battery bill due this side of xmass im feeling fiscaly abused and looking to shave or save money.....hopefully not to my detriment. 

We have a solid fuel stove onboard but the back of the boat can be a chilly afair so this hot air blower should........do the trick aparantly they blow very hot? 

 

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Matt&Jo said:

My main fears are tapping the tank....maybe i could draw from my filter but im steering towards the internal tank variant....which i will have to remove for BSC.....as fuel inside is a no no unless under strict control with venting etc and splash bk.....or so i have read....

So you're doing research and then intend to ignore what you find?  Your research is rendered pointless. 

 

 

[Robbo]

12 minutes ago, Matt&Jo said:

 

We have a solid fuel stove onboard but the back of the boat can be a chilly afair so this hot air blower should........do the trick aparantly they blow very hot? 

 

You need a stove fan     On a serious note, if your main area is warm, and the back isn’t then it’s a matter of moving the heat to the area where it needs to be, this can be done by fan/conduit or back boiler/rads.   You may find just pointing a normal fan up to the ceiling will probably disperse the heat better.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Robbo

[MtB]

I’ve tee’d the fuel connection for mine into the pipe from my day tank to the fuel inlet on the engine.  

 

Seems to work fine.  

 

[Alan de Enfield]

2 hours ago, Matt&Jo said:

Hi alan,

I understand you comment of do your own research and i have been alot.....im on the facebook page and been watching youtube listening to reviews but i secong guess myself alot.....just who i am and felt an additional ask on here may bring more to light.....

My main fears are tapping the tank....maybe i could draw from my filter but im steering towards the internal tank variant....which i will have to remove for BSC.....as fuel inside is a no no unless under strict control with venting etc and splash bk.....or so i have read....

Now my own concerns with this unit is exhaust venting so that was a part of my question.

 

The unit im leaning towards BTW

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332868072756

What that ebay link doesn't show, unless my 'quick read' missed it,is the true current consumption. - it does state 8watts but that is just totally unbelievable.

 

For comparison I have an 8kw eberspacher "air blower" heater and it draws 330 watts at start up and a CONSTANT 110 watts when running (that's near enough 10 amps CONTINUOUS)

It has to drive the 'spark' and the 'blowers'.

You will need £100s in fitting accessories, not only exhaust, fuel etc for the heater unit, but for the silver foil reinforced piping, and air grills throughout the boat.

I had a quote for a boat for a Webasto air-blower and the installation cost was pretty much the same as the cost of the unit (about £800 from memory)

You will also need to find space to run the 4" (or 6") pipes along/under the floor or gunwhales.

Blown air heating is not an easy or cheap install in a NB

 

Edit to add :

 

Fuel consumption (according to the manual) on my Eber  is 1.0 litres per hour on 'high' and 0.4 litres per hour on 'low'.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[Matt&Jo]

9 minutes ago, Robbo said:

You need a stove fan     On a serious note, if your main area is warm, and the back isn’t then it’s a matter of moving the heat to the area where it needs to be, this can be done by fan/conduit or back boiler/rads.   You may find just pointing a normal fan up to the ceiling will probably disperse the heat better.

Have a stove fan and a im on board with it....im a beleiver but it does not blow it all to the very back and thats were the bedroom is. Perhaps your right with just a standard fan? 

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

For comparison I have an 8kw eberspacher "air blower" heater and it draws 330 watts at start up and a CONSTANT 110 watts when running (that's near enough 10 amps CONTINUOUS)

 

My 5kw Chinese air heater veritably sips electricity in comparison to yours. 3a running at full power and 0.3a when fully modulated down to minimum. Plus a further 10a or so when the heater plug is running during start up.

 

[Matt&Jo]

10 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

What that ebay link doesn't show, unless my 'quick read' missed it,is the true current consumption. - it does state 8watts but that is just totally unbelievable.

 

For comparison I have an 8kw eberspacher "air blower" heater and it draws 330 watts at start up and a CONSTANT 110 watts when running (that's near enough 10 amps CONTINUOUS)

It has to drive the 'spark' and the 'blowers'.

You will need £100s in fitting accessories, not only exhaust, fuel etc for the heater unit, but for the silver foil reinforced piping, and air grills throughout the boat.

I had a quote for a boat for a Webasto air-blower and the installation cost was pretty much the same as the cost of the unit (about £800 from memory)

You will also need to find space to run the 4" (or 6") pipes along/under the floor or gunwhales.

Blown air heating is not an easy or cheap install in a NB

 

Edit to add :

 

Fuel consumption (according to the manual) on my Eber  is 1.0 litres per hour on 'high' and 0.4 litres per hour on 'low'.

Im going to mount the unit in the engine room and have just 1 duct feed out below the step. This will Blow directly down the main corridor of the boat and heat the bedroom which is my main aim the rest of the boat is covered by the solid fuel stove.

[Alan de Enfield]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

My 5kw Chinese air heater veritably sips electricity in comparison to yours. 3a running at full power and 0.3a when fully modulated down to minimum. Plus a further 10a or so when the heater plug is running during start up.

 

Interesting - what is your heater air flow rate without counter pressure (Kgs/hour) ?

The Eber is 310.

I have 6 outlets (one in each cabin) with 4" ducting wrapped in silvered 'bubble-wrap'.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[Alan de Enfield]

2 hours ago, Matt&Jo said:

but im steering towards the internal tank variant....which i will have to remove for BSC.....as fuel inside is a no no unless under strict control with venting etc and splash bk.....or so i have read....

I understand your thinking but taking it out for the BSS and then replacing it but you could be opening a 'can-of-worms' if you subsequently have a 'problem'

 

Your boat no longer meets the BSS requirements, which means that your BSS and licence are invalidated - and possibly, your Insurance.

 

From The BSS :-

The owner’s on-going responsibility: it is crucial to maintain the vessel in good condition in accordance with the safety requirements; and, any other licensing, registration or mooring conditions of the relevant navigation or harbour authority. The validity of a BSS pass result may be affected and can be cancelled if the vessel is not properly maintained; and/or non-compliant alterations are made....

Prospective buyers are encouraged to check that the boat's paperwork actually reflects the configuration of the boat for sale. If, for example, the boat has had an engine change, major electrical re-work, a galley re-fit or any of its LPG appliances changed/upgraded since its last examination, the certificate may not be valid if the work was carried out in a non-BSS compliant manner (which could also have insurance implications).

 

Your boat and your choice, but it is often false economy to try and do these things 'on the cheap'.

Do it 'once and do it right'.

[Robbo]

24 minutes ago, Matt&Jo said:

Have a stove fan and a im on board with it....im a beleiver but it does not blow it all to the very back and thats were the bedroom is. Perhaps your right with just a standard fan? 

You can use insulated ducting and a small fan to direct the heat from the front to the back which may work.

[MtB]

25 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Interesting - what is your heater air flow rate without counter pressure (Kgs/hour) ?

The Eber is 310.

 

I don't know, or care particularly. I've not noticed this mentioned in the sketchy specs anywhere.

 

It cost only £160 so I just bought it to play with. So far I'm very impressed, although its extreme cheapness shows up in a number of ways. 

[Matt&Jo]

12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I understand your thinking but taking it out for the BSS and then replacing it but you could be opening a 'can-of-worms' if you subsequently have a 'problem'

 

Your boat no longer meets the BSS requirements, which means that your BSS and licence are invalidated - and possibly, your Insurance.

 

From The BSS :-

The owner’s on-going responsibility: it is crucial to maintain the vessel in good condition in accordance with the safety requirements; and, any other licensing, registration or mooring conditions of the relevant navigation or harbour authority. The validity of a BSS pass result may be affected and can be cancelled if the vessel is not properly maintained; and/or non-compliant alterations are made....

 

Prospective buyers are encouraged to check that the boat's paperwork actually reflects the configuration of the boat for sale. If, for example, the boat has had an engine change, major electrical re-work, a galley re-fit or any of its LPG appliances changed/upgraded since its last examination, the certificate may not be valid if the work was carried out in a non-BSS compliant manner (which could also have insurance implications).

 

Your boat and your choice, but it is often false economy to try and do these things 'on the cheap'.

Do it 'once and do it right'.

But its a stand alone unit.....like an electric heater for example i can just lift it on and off the boat all that will remain will be the ducting for the exhaust.....the tank is held integrily not like the other units

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, Matt&Jo said:

But its a stand alone unit.....like an electric heater for example i can just lift it on and off the boat all that will remain will be the ducting for the exhaust.....the tank is held integrily not like the other units

In which case if you are happy to be non-compliant why not just get a 'mini' Super-Ser' ?

 

Maybe I am just a wimp, or too cautious, but I do try and stick to 'the rules' and avoid doing anything that invalidates certification.

 

Good luck, whatever you decide to use.

[MtB]

On 08/11/2018 at 13:13, Matt&Jo said:

Hi all so ive been weighing the costs of getting one of these.....financial safety breakdown etc and im tempted but i really dont want to tap into my fuel tank so other options are the stand alone units with an integral tank built in.

Whats involved in fitting an exhaust skin fitting for the exhaust to vent from and what are the requirements in height etc from the water line? 

Does anyone have a unit and if so has it been a disaster or a reasonable purchase?

 

Re-reading your post more carefully, it appears  you have already decided on an "integral-tank" version and your question is actually only about connecting the exhaust.

 

Do you have a link to the unit you are considering please? Alan's concerns about a fuel tank inside the boat seem a little excessive given the fuel is still diesel, presumably. Is it diesel? 

 

What doe the manual say about installing the exhaust? Beware of those lttle exhaust silencers. They are for installing under a van in the fresh air. I bought one to see and large volumes of exhaust gas will escape from it in use as it is not gas-tight.

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

So you're doing research and then intend to ignore what you find?  Your research is rendered pointless. 

 

 

But what do you do when your research brings up lots of conflicting advice, you can't follow it all, you have to make your own decisions.

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

But what do you do when your research brings up lots of conflicting advice, you can't follow it all, you have to make your own decisions.

 

Ignore the bits you don't like?