Cheap Chinese Diesel Heater Review - Part 2

Are these ebay diesel heaters any good? I took a gamble and installed on to my Jayco Starcraft RV. I have ran it for a season now so have a look at what I think of it.

[SweetLou]

Just a few clarifications:
1. The 2kw unit is phisically smaller than the others so if space is a concern, the 2kw may be better. The 3, 5, and "8" kw are all identical with different feed rates for the dosing pump. The 8kw seems to be a mis-marketed 5kw unit from what others have discovered.

2. These heaters do suffer from sooting issues if they are routinely run at low heat. They seem to prefer being run high to full out to avoid this. Over sizing the unit for your needs isn’t inherently bad but be prepared to have to pull the unit apart to clean the soot. Most recommend getting a smaller unit and running it higher. This is also preferred as the units do not shut off once desired temp is reached, they just run low. If you have really good insulation, you may find yourself getting too hot and having to open a window.

3. The P setting you mentioned is actually the frequency of the dosing pump. The fan also has a setting similar to this. They are both displayed in Hz and can be confusing so kudos on advising people how to get it into temperature mode as this is a much easier way to use the heater!

That’s all I had to add, thanks for the great follow up video! Your install video actually put me over the fence on buying one of these vs an espar unit. I was having trouble rationalizing a $1200 heater for an ambulance camper that I only paid $2800 for.

[philiplange]

Installed a 5Kw in a canvas topped camper trailer and has been brilliant. Minus 8 degrees in the high country and we were toasty warm. Great investment

[karenmbbaxter]

Thanks for your help. We just got a second hand caravan and went out on a cold winters night and I assumed with enough blankets I would be fine. Our family froze and thankfully my husband is keen on this people can go to a caravan park but doing that every night can get real expensive and we want to camp in bush setting from time to time.

[SVMSICE]

Oh just a tip too. I’ve been seeing a lot of people say that when you are done using it, if you’ve had it in low settings, crank it up on high for a bit to burn the carbon out of it. It will get clogged over time and you’ll have to take it apart and clean it. Good luck

[wcemichael]

After seeing many reviews, I'm thinking about installing an 8kw in my 70+ fool long living trailer *not a camper*. Since they typically don't have battery power *not yet anyway* I'll power it with a 10amp power supply. The cost of filling and LP tank is like 3-500 dollars depending on when you buy it or constantly running 110v space heaters which also gets expensive in power.

[SVMSICE]

Nice setup!!! I really like the look of your trailer 👍

[petermueller]

I just had mine delivered. A project to fit maybe over Xmas and definitely before next winter
Thanks for all the info Dave 👍

[silvervespa]

Make a cloth cover for the tank of UV canvas .... like boat covers.

[boblemay]

installed one in my '68 Beetle. 3 kw. Works like a charm!

[slyman]

Fantastic review, clear, concise and from an experienced source, thx for the great review, I'm going to purchase one. Quick note, Diesel wont go off over time, (1 - 20 years) , I'm also responsible for one of Aust few remaining Refinery's, I make 150, 000 lts Diesel in 24hrs shift.

[THENKDRCR]

Nice setup mate! Just bought a 5kw unit for our van. Plan on cutting a decent hole in the vinyl clad marine ply floor but am curious as to what sort of heat soak the base plate will get!

[stihl]

Thanks for the follow up on this, was waiting for the final review... At least you can rely on your $200 heater to keep warm unlike the state grid over in S.A! ;)

[DENMONKEY]

Thanks for the follow up. Still be installing one for next winter. Good to hear yours is still working.

[someweirdstuff]

Why the heck can we not have the Nissan patrol in Canada??? They're beautiful and they would give the "jeeps" a run for their money.

[chuzzbot]

Hey Dash, seeing as this one you bought is not just cheap but seems safe and reliable. Is there any chance you could share which one you actually bought?
Goodonya Cobber.

[davies]

Got one, found if you turn it up full there’s so much unburnt hydrocarbon coming out of the exhaust, you can ignite the exhaust and it will burn like a flare, keep the setting down to 25 max it ok there, don’t seem to have any air fuel ratio control when up full

[finnblu]

Thanks for both uploads

Appreciated!

Any thoughts or ability to obtain a back up controller?

Is a longer muffler an option for others?

What is the brand?

[jamieemery]

Hey mate where did you get that fuel tank bracket? That holds your deisel tank

[guido]

Tried ours out over tbe weekend and it kept the kids roast warm and used about 250mls diesel per hour over 10 hours... Very impressed

[jphdg]

The more reviews I see on these I really want one. It will be interesting to see how the cheaper units fair after several seasons. For the money though, it seems they are proving 'so far' worth it. I have also seen how simple they are inside. There are guys on youtube who have pulled them apart to either clean them, or just simply have a look how they work. Everything seems very simple and replaceable. Parts seem to be purchased cheap as well.

The only issue I am concerned about with any of these, is fan noise. Fan noise would bother my missus a lot if trying to sleep. Me though, would not bother me.
Cheers for posting these reviews.
John.