Diesel heater suggestion

[aaron600rr]

I’m looking for a backup heating solution for my 10x15 wall tent. I usually use a wood stove, but with the fire ban likely lasting deep into October this year, I need an alternative.


I recently purchased a cheap Vevor 8kW diesel heater, and so far, I’m not impressed. The exhaust smokes heavily, and I’ve already had to replace the low-quality fuel lines.


Does anyone have recommendations for a mid-tier option? I’m not looking to spend $2,000 on a high-end unit since I might only use it occasionally. That said, if I find a unit that works well, I could see myself transitioning to a diesel heater instead of relying on a wood stove full time.

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[DoubleAron]

I have had good luck with the Hcallory TB2. No visible smoke and very little smell. The electronics (Bluetooth etc) have worked without issue,

 

[Nevwild]

+1 on the Hcalory line. I’ve been very pleased with mine.

 

[keeper_]

I've also run the vevor, it runs better at near full tilt. the only time I've had issues was then it was running at a lower heat settings and had a ton of carbon build up

 

[Nevwild]

Also, if you want to learn how these work, how to deal with the white smoke problem, and how to maintain them check out this video and the rest in the series.

 

[Titan]

I like the Hcalory unit that looks like a toolbox. Has auto altitude adjustment and it comes with a 12v to 120v converter if you can just plug in to generator/etc.

 

[7mm-08]

I have been researching this rabbit hole for the last six months (or more). I'll be purchasing the gasoline version of the VELIT Portable Air Heater in the near future. Proceed with caution with this information because MY application (pickup canopy in frigid temperatures) is somewhat different from yours.

VELIT Portable Air Heater 14000BTU

Download Quick Start Guide Why choose VELIT Portable Air Heater? No Separate Diesel Designed for gas vehicles, allowing direct connection to spare gas cans, saving space and hassle. Available in gasoline and diesel. Rainproof and Rugged Crafted with high-quality materials for durability and...

velitcamping.com

 

[3forks]

We have a diesel heater (Espar) in our van and it draws from the fuel tank. It works great, and I have considered a diesel heater for my unheated shop.

However, I do know that at higher elevations (I think it’s about 9k feet)earlier model Espar heaters can be a little finicky. Apparently, the heaters can run rich and soot up. We haven’t had any issues with our heater at elevation, but to the guys who are considering using diesel heaters for truck or tent camping, you may want to look into that.

I’ve never researched whether other manufacturers have issues with their diesel heaters at elevation, but just thought I’d mention it in the event that it’s a possible issue.

 

[aaron600rr]

I was thinking about going with the Planar 4D diesel heater since the warehouse is only 13 mins from my place but man they're pricey.

 

[Nevwild]

The engineering on these is well established to the point to where the patents have expired, and Chinese factories are able to build to the original German specifications for pennies on the dollar. This is why you’re able to get such a good deal with something like Vevor or Hcalory. At this point, I don’t see any value in getting a system that is more expensive than $200 or $300. Unless of course, you wanna get one of those fancy gasoline heaters instead of a diesel heater. With that said, this design was originally set up to work with diesel, and the gasoline variants tend to be less reliable, especially at elevation.

I have rabbit holed on this pretty far, built out a van that uses one, and run maintenance on it as need be. I depend on it for warmth in my van at least 20 to 40 nights a year both skiing and hunting. I wouldn’t get anything more expensive than an Hcalory as I’m not convinced that I would get any extra value from anything more expensive.

 

[Titan]

I agree, no need to spend more than a couple hundred. There are units with automatic altitude adjustment, if you don't get one of those, then you have to manually tune them via the settings. Not hard, but a little confusing at first. I have 3 different units. From the cheap vevor to the Hcalory, all work just fine. The Hcalory was seamless without any tuning though.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

SO do these need diesel and electricity to run? or just diesel?

 

[Loo.wii]

SO do these need diesel and electricity to run? or just diesel?

diesel and a battery

 

[Glendon Mullins]

diesel and a battery

So you charge the battery before heading out into the field, I assume

how long does battery last? do u get like a week worth off one charge?

 

[Loo.wii]

So you charge the battery before heading out into the field, I assume

how long does battery last? do u get like a week worth off one charge?

The one i had was an amazon vevor diesel heater. it comes with a 12v cig plug. I would just plug it into my battery. running full blast i would lose %15 percent over night which is easily recouped through solar . my 500W battery would last about a week if i dont use it to charge anything else. I'm a big proponent of the chinesium heater you can get on amazon for less than 150 it works well and at that price its basically a consumable.

 

[svivian]

So you charge the battery before heading out into the field, I assume

how long does battery last? do u get like a week worth off one charge?

The battery is running the glow plug and the fan. The fan doesnt suck much juice but if the glow plug is coming on and off(thermostat mode) it can burn some juice. I just leave mine on low and adjust the temp up as needed and I can go a week on a 100ah battery with juice to spare

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Last winter Amazon dropped the price of the LF Bros all in one units to silly levels so I bought the N2-T unit that's supposed to have automatic altitude adjustment. I just unboxed it last night and still need to test it. It's gonna be pretty great if it works as advertised without issues. I'll report back in October.

 

[Titan]

Expect 100w for a few minutes while glow plug is running, then once it's fired up it pulls roughly 30-42w to run the fan. That is using the 110v side. Straight 12v to 12v will save some conversion losses. I use a 1200w power station that is recharged by generator. I can run for 3 nights without recharging if needed.

Don't expect a power station to run it via the cig 12v port. 95% of them can't handle the load through that port.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

The battery is running the glow plug and the fan. The fan doesnt suck much juice but if the glow plug is coming on and off(thermostat mode) it can burn some juice. I just leave mine on low and adjust the temp up as needed and I can go a week on a 100ah battery with juice to spare

I was wondering about that, good info.

 

[Meanderthal]

Don't think Vevor actually makes anything. They just brand and market lots of generic Chinese stuff. Some of it is decent and some sucks ass. I've had a couple that were decent. My policy is to buy two whole units. If one has problems I swap them and fix the problem one whenever I get around to it.

Also, marketing them as 8kw is bullshit. These are clones of well made German machines that were either 2kw (which are physically smaller) or 5kw. Actually pushing them to 8kw would be far exceeding the design parameters of the much higher quality German machines that they are copies of. My suspicion is that the 8kw claim is just an outright lie.