# Diesel air Heater



## Fazerloz

Has anyone tried one of these Chinese heaters yet. If so how has it been. Not necessarily the5kw one. Thinking of one as a garage heater.
If you haven't any direct experience with them don't bother with the chinky crap, get what you pay for comments please.

2017 Air Diesel Heater Planar 5kW 12V 4 Holes For Trucks Motor-Homes Boats Bus   | eBay


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## st3v3

You may have noticed, but that guy has zero feedback.


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## Fazerloz

st3v3 said:


> You may have noticed, but that guy has zero feedback.



Thanks Steve I had. Others are available some a little dearer some a little cheaper.


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## n brown

having taken apart a few ''real'' ones, i can just see someone getting tooled up to copy, or even improve on the rather pricey originals. and if you're going to that much trouble, why not make a good job of it and grab the market?

Planar diesel heater, from Russia, like Eberspacher - anyone used one?


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## wildebus

Ref the price, it is probable that you will have to add on VAT, Import Duty and Handling Charges on top as it is above the £100 threshold that is usually used.  Just something to bear in mind ....

Having said that, if it works as well as the original, it is a very good deal


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## Fazerloz

wildebus said:


> Ref the price, it is probable that you will have to add on VAT, Import Duty and Handling Charges on top as it is above the £100 threshold that is usually used.  Just something to bear in mind ....
> 
> Having said that, if it works as well as the original, it is a very good deal



I thought so too, and I am struggling to find anything negative about them other than some say they use a little more electric. Which is of no interest to my application.


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## Fazerloz

n brown said:


> having taken apart a few ''real'' ones, i can just see someone getting tooled up to copy, or even improve on the rather pricey originals. and if you're going to that much trouble, why not make a good job of it and grab the market?
> 
> Planar diesel heater, from Russia, like Eberspacher - anyone used one?



Cheers Nigel, Not much negative to be of any concern on that link really.


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## wildebus

I fitted an eber D2 (2Kw) in my T5 and was very pleased with it.  I was planning on fitting the same in my new and much larger LT in the next couple of months, but having seen this it is making me think.....

I see the guy on the boat forum is a uk dist of an similar unit - I wonder what his price his?  getting shipped from UK would be worth paying around an extra £70 or so I am sure.


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## wildebus

UK Supplier ...

2Kw Model
legal info - 2kW Diesel air heater - £495 inc VAT

4Kw Model
legal info - 4kW Diesel air heater - £550 inc VAT

The typical best price for an Eberspacher D2 Airtronic with 801 Controller is £605 with Exhaust Silencer  (PF Jones)


I'm not sure £100 is a big enough saving?  
I'd be more inclined to take a punt on a £185 eBay unit with around £70 in Duties, Handling and VAT on top than an extra £300 on top of that for the luxury of a UK supplied unit of apparently similar spec :ninja:


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## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> Has anyone tried one of these Chinese heaters yet. If so how has it been. Not necessarily the5kw one. Thinking of one as a garage heater.
> If you haven't any direct experience with them don't bother with the chinky crap, get what you pay for comments please.
> 
> 2017 Air Diesel Heater Planar 5kW 12V 4 Holes For Trucks Motor-Homes Boats Bus   | eBay


Clever people the Chinese, if they can copy it, they will.

:wave:


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## Dowel

Did you find this thread? “Planar heater purchase and installation (later)” at: cruisersforum.com:

Planar heater purchase and installation (later) - Cruisers & Sailing Forums


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## Dowel

As you might guess I am in a similar position – looking for guidance before spending a lump of cash on a heater for my van. Seems to me that there are two camps, those who are prepared to risk giving it a try and those who automatically rubbish the Planar and similar despite having no actual experience. 

My prejudice is “how can something so simple in principle be so expensive” and the answer is because it is a niche market. The official UK supplier has set his price just a little lower than the established competitors which may be reasonable given he is supplying support the extent of which depends on his customer base and how much hand holding he has to do.

I have found very few actual accounts from users. Some post when installing or recently completed but don’t follow up with experience of longer term use. Perhaps somebody should ask how they got on?

I did find a few additional posts which might be of interest:

Installation of the diesel air heater Planar in motor boat. - YouTube
planar diesel heater installation - Google Search

Diesel Heater which one to buy?
Diesel Heater which one to buy? - The Grey Nomads Forum

Installation of Planar Diesel Heater in Coromal
Installation of Planar Diesel Heater in Coromal - The Grey Nomads Forum

What Do You Think of This Heater? – Planar
What Do You Think of This Heater? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Help and suggestions please Planar Diesel heater
Help and suggestions please Planar Diesel heater - Caravaners Forum

During my trawl of the interweb I did find suggestions that these heaters are made in China not Russia.
I have no idea whether this is true but I have read comments along the line of “It’s cold in Russia so they must be expert heater makers”. 
Well it gets very cold in China too:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peo...ter-30-years-temperatures-drop-low-47-8C.html


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## Fazerloz

I think they are made in China whether that be a good or bad thing is another matter. What isn't made in China. I know want I think about Kipor gens and Chinese bikes. But there is a lot of good stuff comes out of China also. They haven't been on our market long enough yet for any history to have built up. I don't think they are for a niche market as virtually every truck and bus has a diesel  air heater fitted and if they can get into that market they will.


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## maingate

Does the heater have a CE mark? If not and there was a fire, your home insurance might not pay out.


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## Fazerloz

maingate said:


> Does the heater have a CE mark? If not and there was a fire, your home insurance might not pay out.



It is certainly something to keep in mind that I hadn't considered.


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## mistericeman

Mate of mine has been importing a range of different ones for some time...planar and Japanese/etc Types in 12v/24v petrol and diesel (including ones that have a built in fuel tank)....
He's had a few issues with faulty units when bench testing them before dispatch... 
No great problem for him as he also imports spares AND gets paid for warranty work. 

I was offered one at a very attractive price... however I went for a brand new eberspacher as I knew I'd be away in the van in some pretty cold times of the year... and it was important to me that the heating was as reliable possible. 

Possibly Depends how inconvenienced you are going to be by something failing at a inconvenient time....


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## Fazerloz

As it will be used as a garage heater I don't suppose it would be of the utmost importance if it were to fail at any time, more just a pain in the arse of having to sort it.
If I am in the garage and it gets too cold I can always say stuff it and go in the house. Most things can wait.

Does he have a web site.


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## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> As it will be used as a garage heater I don't suppose it would be of the utmost importance if it were to fail at any time, more just a pain in the arse of having to sort it.
> If I am in the garage and it gets too cold I can always say stuff it and go in the house. Most things can wait.
> 
> Does he have a web site.



No he just sells by word of mouth.... have you thought of a drip feed stove instead?? 
simpler so less to go wrong than a eberspacher types and will burn almost any combustible oil.... 
I used to use anything that came out of the wagons at a friend's maintainance yard.... diesel/engine oil/gearbox oil/hydraulic etc etc


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## Robmac

mistericeman said:


> .... have you thought of a drip feed stove instead??
> simpler so less to go wrong than a eberspacher types and will burn almost any combustible oil....
> I used to use anything that came out of the wagons at a friend's maintainance yard.... diesel/engine oil/gearbox oil/hydraulic etc etc



You have to be a bit careful you don't get caught burning the wrong stuff nowadays.

To burn waste oil, you need a permit costing £3,218 and an annual fee of £1,384 apparently.


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## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> No he just sells by word of mouth.... have you thought of a drip feed stove instead??
> simpler so less to go wrong than a eberspacher types and will burn almost any combustible oil....
> I used to use anything that came out of the wagons at a friend's maintainance yard.... diesel/engine oil/gearbox oil/hydraulic etc etc


nd 

Not for me, them and stoves generally take up too much space, space is at a premium in my garage.


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## JohnClimber

I can't comment on the one you are talking about but Planar UK have just fitted me a 4KW heater in my van and I'm very impressed.
I know how loud the mainstream heaters can be as my company uses them in their cranes.
This one is so much more quieter and throws out heat quickly while I've been working in the van getting it ready to hit the road in a few days/weeks time.
The other day I was in the van for 6 hours and as the door was a jar so it was on all the time and the fuel guage didn't drop enough to see a difference.


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## wildebus

I'm in a bit of a quandary about this myself.  
I liked my Eberspacher D2 Airtronic and didn't find it noisy at all, but at £600 not cheap to buy.
The Planar imported from China looks a very good deal at better than half that price, but support from seller will in reality be non-existant (not practical to send back or wait on parts), so even at the attractive price is still a bit of a punt.
The price of the UK supplied Planars are very close to the established market leading heater so enough reason to try? Not in my eyes.

And the question on CE markings and appropriate REGISTERED safety standards on the direct imports does make them a potential risk I guess.

Probably be sticking to installing the tried and tested Eber in January I would think.


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## JohnClimber

I thoughts the Planar heaters were Russian made.
Planar UK holds a good stock and carries parts.
Give Owen a call up in Wrexham I'd you have any doubts.


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## Robmac

If you are concerned about the CE mark, read this thread;

Another warm air heater !!

Some input from the UK supplier too.


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## sak

I had an Eberspacher D2 fitted in my van 6 years ago and i would go for the same if i changed vans, you are also adding value to the vehicle fitting the best as buyers will know Eberspachers or Webasto heaters but maybe not the cheaper makes, things are usually cheap for a reason.


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## Fazerloz

A heater that's for sale on Ebay at the moment. Air Diesel Heater   | eBay

i bought this 5kw air diesel heater from china last week i install the heater as the instructions said but the heater only worked on full power it would not turn down via the controller it was just constant full heat but this morning i came out to have another look at it it refused to work at all the controller just flashes constantly so i dont know what is wrong with it iam no engineer so iam selling as not working its only just 2 weeks old it comes with all in the picture apart from the being use all ok and the controller that was supplied  is a differnt ont to the picture iam selling due to the original supplier not answeing my calls or messages will only post within the uk


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## wildebus

sak said:


> I had an Eberspacher D2 fitted in my van 6 years ago and i would go for the same if i changed vans, you are also adding value to the vehicle fitting the best as buyers will know Eberspachers or Webasto heaters but maybe not the cheaper makes, things are usually cheap for a reason.


That is a good point you make there.
and used (and well-used!) Eberspachers go for more money then a new Planer Heater - silly money for a used heater really as not much less then brand new Eber, but that is what the market dictates.

When I sold my T5 I should really have taken the Eber D2 out as I didn't sell it as having a heater unless they buyer paid extra, but in the end couldn't be arsed to remove it :lol-061:


Interesting comment on the discussion via the previous link from robmac ... the heaters not destined for Europe originally wouldn't pass the tests that would allow them to be CE marked - so the eBay jobs suitability would be suspect.  And when sold in UK by PlanarUK (think that is the company?) after suitable mods to gain CE approval, the price benefit is (IMO) severely erroded.

That is how I am reading it anyway.  Looks like more money heading to PF Jones for a D2 Airtronic.


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## Dowel

wildebus said:


> Interesting comment on the discussion via the previous link from robmac ... the heaters not destined for Europe originally wouldn't pass the tests that would allow them to be CE marked - so the eBay jobs suitability would be suspect.  And when sold in UK by PlanarUK (think that is the company?) after suitable mods to gain CE approval, the price benefit is (IMO) severely erroded.
> 
> That is how I am reading it anyway.  Looks like more money heading to PF Jones for a D2 Airtronic.



Is that what the thread linked to by Robmac says? 

I thought otherwise and can't find any mention of modifications to meet CE standards. It costs a lot of money to have such items tested and certificated so it is quite possible that the Chinese makers simply have not bothered to invest in that. On the whole I thought that link contained comments both for and against the cheap Chinese heaters and would not put me off.

The question for me is are the established makes actually better and if so are they better by a sufficient margin to make them worth the extra cost? I am not really bothered by the suggestion that one might raise the value of the vehicle by fitting an established make, seems unlikely to me.

Here is another thread about the Planar diesel heater  - Oct 2015 Planar diesel heater

Post 16 and then from post 29 onwards may be reassuring.

Also found these, more of the same:

Air Top vs Planar  - Jan 2017
Air Top vs Planar - NAS-ROW - The Land Rover Defender Forum

Actual experience with Chinese Espar clones?  - April 2015
Actual experience with Chinese Espar clones? [Archive] - Sprinter-Forum

Espar vs Webasto  - Feb 2008
Espar vs Webasto | SailboatOwners.com Forums

Aux Heat thoughts – Oct 2016
http://www.defendersource.com/forum/f48/aux-heat-thoughts-73769.html

I have been curious about the name Espar, used in North America:

“The year 2016 marked the 150 year anniversary for Eberspaecher and Espar is very proud to announce that we will officially assume the Eberspaecher name in the marketplace, while still maintaining "Espar" as a legal business entity.”

If one is not willing to risk an import from China with perhaps little chance of service support the options seem to be:

1. Used but tested Eberspacher or Webasto heaters from about £350 upwards. With more or less installation kit, ducts etc so depending upon installation required may end up costing nearly as much as a new Planar kit.

2. A new Planar 2D from the official UK Supplier  www.planarheaters.co.uk for just below £500. Seems to come with a fairly comprehensive installation kit although their web site is poor and lacks clarity. Autoterm in Germany have a better web site, charge about the same and will send to UK. https://www.autoterm-europe.com/en/shop/product/325-air-heater-planar-2d-12-2-kw

3. A new Eberspacher Airtronic D2 Heater Kit from PF Jones for £650. https://www.pfjones.co.uk/d2-airtronic-kit-12-volt.html

Has anyone found a better offer?

A simple oil burner, compact and quiet the diesel equivalent to the old gas fired Carver SB1800, could be interesting but have not seen anything suitable yet. Does such a thing exist?


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## Fazerloz

Well I took the plunge and bought one, it arrived today well packed and all seems to be there.


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## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> Well I took the plunge and bought one, it arrived today well packed and all seems to be there.
> View attachment 60498 View attachment 60499


Can I see it comes with it's own fuel tank ?

:idea::idea::idea:


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## Deleted member 5816

Chris look forward to your test report when you get it up and running.

Alf





Fazerloz said:


> Well I took the plunge and bought one, it arrived today well packed and all seems to be there.
> View attachment 60498 View attachment 60499


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## Fazerloz

harrow said:


> Can I see it comes with it's own fuel tank ?
> 
> :idea::idea::idea:



Yes it comes with its own 10ltr fuel tank, even has a silencer for the air intake as well as the exhaust.


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## n brown

pump's a lot bigger, might be quieter


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## Fazerloz

n brown said:


> pump's a lot bigger, might be quieter



That could be because its a 5kw heater. I haven't seen the others.


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## n brown

Fazerloz said:


> That could be because its a 5kw heater. I haven't seen tdhe others.


i have a 5kw webasto and the pump is half the size, looking forward to hearing how it all goes


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## Fazerloz

I need to make some mounting brackets for it and don't see me getting to do that until Monday as its market day tomorrow which means work.


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## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> I need to make some mounting brackets for it and don't see me getting to do that until Monday as its market day tomorrow which means work.


I guess you can connect it together and run it on the bench to try it out ?

:wave:


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## trevskoda

Robmac said:


> You have to be a bit careful you don't get caught burning the wrong stuff nowadays.
> 
> To burn waste oil, you need a permit costing £3,218 and an annual fee of £1,384 apparently.



Not for priv/ homes.


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## spigot

Fazerloz said:


> Yes it comes with its own 10ltr fuel tank, even has a silencer for the air intake as well as the exhaust.



If you fit the separate fuel tank, you can run it on red diesel, worth it at 40-50p per litre.


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## wildebus

Fazerloz said:


> Yes it comes with its own 10ltr fuel tank, even has a silencer for the air intake as well as the exhaust.


would you mind measuring the tank?  width. height and depth.  (I am wondering about a seperate tank and have a possible location in mind)


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## Byronic

Not a good we enough connection to read whole thread.
But if all you need is a diesel fuelled garage space heater, why not get a
Clarke's (Machine Mart) purpose made unit, around £250?


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## mistericeman

Byronic said:


> Not a good we enough connection to read whole thread.
> But if all you need is a diesel fuelled garage space heater, why not get a
> Clarke's (Machine Mart) purpose made unit, around £250?



It's like sitting next to a vulcan bomber on take off....


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## mistericeman

Though for a self contained space heater... With appropriate exhaust fitting these look interesting.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/142643087031


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## Byronic

mistericeman said:


> It's like sitting next to a vulcan bomber on take off....



Yes and 15kW is not enough heat  output for me, I'd need 2 !  

Actually I'm only giving a pointer I really can't imagine
there isn't a domestic garage size rated one available
somewhere.


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## wildebus

Dowel said:


> wildebus said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...
> Interesting comment on the discussion via the previous link from robmac ... the heaters not destined for Europe originally wouldn't pass the tests that would allow them to be CE marked - so the eBay jobs suitability would be suspect.  And when sold in UK by PlanarUK (think that is the company?) after suitable mods to gain CE approval, the price benefit is (IMO) severely erroded.
> 
> That is how I am reading it anyway.  Looks like more money heading to PF Jones for a D2 Airtronic.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is that what the thread linked to by Robmac says?
> 
> I thought otherwise and can't find any mention of modifications to meet CE standards. It costs a lot of money to have such items tested and certificated so it is quite possible that the Chinese makers simply have not bothered to invest in that. On the whole I thought that link contained comments both for and against the cheap Chinese heaters and would not put me off.
Click to expand...


Just saw this reply ... this is a comment from the UK Distributor on that thread I referred to which was posted by robmac from which I based my comment ....
_"The planar heaters I supply are CE marked and were tested and certificated by TUV Germany as long as you buy them from a european dealer and not from russian sellers on eBay as they are Russia only models that do not comply."_


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## Fazerloz

Byronic said:


> Not a good we enough connection to read whole thread.
> But if all you need is a diesel fuelled garage space heater, why not get a
> Clarke's (Machine Mart) purpose made unit, around £250?



I already have a gas space heater the worst part about them is the condensation they make, take up too much floor space and open flame.


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## Deleted member 5816

I trust the numbers are incorrect you say 15 not enough you want 2 which is 13  less than15.  Did you mistake for one point five.

Alf



Byronic said:


> Yes and 15kW is not enough heat  output for me, I'd need 2 !
> 
> Actually I'm only giving a pointer I really can't imagine
> there isn't a domestic garage size rated one available
> somewhere.


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## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Though for a self contained space heater... With appropriate exhaust fitting these look interesting.
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/142643087031



Yes they do. Self contained unit that can be wall mounted, a bit late for me now though and nearly £100 dearer.


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## Fazerloz

Alf said:


> I trust the numbers are incorrect you say 15 not enough you want 2 which is 13  less than15.  Did you mistake for one point five.
> 
> Alf



Maybe a big garage and needs 30kw [ 2 heaters].


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## wildebus

Interestingly, I am going to go see someone next week to tweak their Ebersapcher D2 (amongst other things), and the chap told me that his mate - who is also a customer of mine - is getting a Planar installed by a guy who is coming up from Wales (so will be Owen from Planar Heaters UK I would imagine).
Both vehicles are VW Transporters, so will be able to get a direct comparision between the two different heaters.  Should be enough time to see if the Planars are worth the saving :drive:


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## Byronic

Fazerloz said:


> I already have a gas space heater the worst part about them is the condensation they make, take up too much floor space and open flame.



Good enough reasons not to have. And yes Alf I do like a very warm garage
although 2 x 15kW may be a bit over the top for my standard double car unit !!


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## mistericeman

Byronic said:


> Good enough reasons not to have. And yes Alf I do like a very warm garage
> although 2 x 15kW may be a bit over the top for my standard double car unit !!



Got a nice drip feed oil burning stove for sale (will burn almost anything oil based and flammable) 

;-)


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## Byronic

mistericeman said:


> Got a nice drip feed oil burning stove for sale (will burn almost anything oil based and flammable)
> 
> ;-)



I should say that heating the garage is a hypothetical situation
in my case. Why you might ask? Because I make sure I'm never 
in the UK when I'm likely to need garage heating! Well at 
least not more than a 2 bar infra red electric.


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## Fazerloz

wildebus said:


> would you mind measuring the tank?  width. height and depth.  (I am wondering about a seperate tank and have a possible location in mind)



18 x18 including the filler, tank part 16 x 16 . width 3.5 inch.  Metric sizes are available if you look at your tape measure.  :cheers::have fun:


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## Fazerloz

I thought I may as well knock up a couple of brackets and get it in.
 The only things other than tools I have use that were not in the kit are screws to replace the tek screws that came with the kit a pair of brackets, 4 off 6mm bolts, 1 off 6mm penny washer [body washer] used on the pump mounting and a nut to use as a spacer on the inlet pipe. I still need to drill a hole through the wall for the exhaust. 
The tank has to have a 8mm hole drilled in it for the outlet fitting.  It can be made to be either left or right hand fill.


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## Fazerloz

It is a very simple thing to put together and no one should have any problems with one. It is impossible to get the electrical wiring wrong as all the plugs and sockets are paired.
   As said in the last post exhaust is still to go through the garage wall.


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## Fazerloz

Filled the tank with diesel and bled it through to the pump, connected to a battery as a power supply.  Pressed on and away it went.  It went though its purge sequence and ignited first time. I have run it for a couple of hours tuning it up and down and it responds fine. Turned it off and it goes through its shutdown cooling sequence and then turns off.

  

As far as quality is concerned without doubt the worst part is the controller whilst perfectly functional just not as nicely made as the rest.
Early days yet but I am more than happy with it.


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## n brown

this is quite exciting - how's the heat and how's the noise ?


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## Fazerloz

n brown said:


> pump's a lot bigger, might be quieter



The pump tick is a lot quieter than was on my Eber.


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## Fazerloz

n brown said:


> this is quite exciting - how's the heat and how's the noise ?



The heat output is good. Exactly how much who knows. The heater itself seems very quiet but I will be able to tell better once I get exhaust outside next week.
I will stick my meter on it to see what its consuming electrically as well.

 As said you were right about the pump. :cheers::cheers:


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## n brown

good news all that, well done for taking a punt !


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## wildebus

There are 4 key things that interest me on these (or any similar) heaters:

1.  Noise Levels
2.  Electrical Consumption
3.  Fuel Consumption
4.  Heat Regulation

Not sure in your installation you will be able to directly check this, but for #4, how is the heater running controlled by a thermostat? Is there a sensor in the controller box with the rotary switch?  Is there an external temp sensor you can plug in to perform this function.
This seems to be the biggest limitation for an Out-the-Box Eberspacher D2 install on a Camper/Motorhome, where you either have to rejig the wiring to use the controller temp sensor (if you have an 801), or fit the optional temp sensor (not included with the standard kit set).  What is the Planar like in this respect?


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## Fazerloz

wildebus said:


> There are 4 key things that interest me on these (or any similar) heaters:
> 
> 1.  Noise Levels
> 2.  Electrical Consumption
> 3.  Fuel Consumption
> 4.  Heat Regulation
> 
> Not sure in your installation you will be able to directly check this, but for #4, how is the heater running controlled by a thermostat? Is there a sensor in the controller box with the rotary switch?  Is there an external temp sensor you can plug in to perform this function.
> This seems to be the biggest limitation for an Out-the-Box Eberspacher D2 install on a Camper/Motorhome, where you either have to rejig the wiring to use the controller temp sensor (if you have an 801), or fit the optional temp sensor (not included with the standard kit set).  What is the Planar like in this respect?



 4 Pass.  I turn it up it blows out more hot air. I turn it down it blows out less hot air.


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## Fazerloz

Do not forget this whole kit was £175 you can not get a empty box for a Eber for that money.


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## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> Do not forget this whole kit was £175 you can not get a empty box for a Eber for that money.


Clever people the Chinese,

If they can get one then they will copy it.

:cool1::cool1::cool1:


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## Fazerloz

The same kit from the same people is now £12 cheaper.


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## huntsman

*fuel consumtion*

hi im very intrested in this for a similar project could you keep us up to date with the fuel consumption please.
think you have done a great job of it
did you get it of flebay at that price without needing to pay import tax
again nice job


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## Fazerloz

huntsman said:


> hi im very intrested in this for a similar project could you keep us up to date with the fuel consumption please.
> think you have done a great job of it
> did you get it of flebay at that price without needing to pay import tax
> again nice job



Yes it came of Ebay, and surprisingly to me I did not pay any duty, I was expecting to have to.


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## Fazerloz

Noise.
The exhaust pipe is now through the wall and the silencer on the outside. I suppose I could get it quieter by taking the inlet to the outside but I am not bothering to do that.  

Background noise in the garage door closed  22 dB
Heater running lowest setting 2m away        30 to 32 dB
Heater running highest setting 2m away       45 to 47 dB

I am happy with those for a garage. 

Do not forget there are no physical barriers on these readings as you would have in a van.


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## Les Haro

Chinese Diesel vehicle air heaters - Discussion and Help 
That's a new Facebook group created one week ago cause someone wants to buy one and thought it the best way to collate all knowledge available to enable them to form a conclusion.


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## Fazerloz

It makes it difficult if everybody waits on someone else taking the plunge. I don't do facebook.


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## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> Yes it came of Ebay, and surprisingly to me I did not pay any duty, I was expecting to have to.



As someone who buys a heap of stuff from eBay that comes from the far east
I cannot remember ever buying anything from HK/China etc etc.... 

Stuff from USA almost always comes with a duty ticket to pay....


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> As someone who buys a heap of stuff from eBay that comes from the far east
> I cannot remember ever buying anything from HK/China etc etc....
> 
> Stuff from USA almost always comes with a duty ticket to pay....



I have bought a lot of things direct from China and the rest of the far east and never had any problems,  but all small price stuff and never paid any duty. At £175 I fully expected to have to pay duty.  I agree I buy from the States and its nearly always a fortune for postage and duty is always to pay.


----------



## wildebus

£100 seems to be the magic figure where duties become liable.  Below that it tends to be ignored.
A lot of Chinese sellers misdeclare the value of the shipment and/or flag it as a gift  (don't think stating it is a gift fools anyone though).
It also can depend on the method of delivery/courier used.  recently I had a charge of £3.50 for duty due on a Chinese delivery that was sent using DHL. Strange amount and I think it was set ignoring the £100 cutoff (just paid it as not worth looking into for that amount and risk redelivery charges)


----------



## Fazerloz

Les Haro said:


> Chinese Diesel vehicle air heaters - Discussion and Help
> That's a new Facebook group created one week ago cause someone wants to buy one and thought it the best way to collate all knowledge available to enable them to form a conclusion.



One things for sure there will be no backup, or comeback for anyone buying one that's if it arrives at all. Read the feedback on some of the sellers. Its a pure punt.


----------



## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> One things for sure there will be no backup, or comeback for anyone buying one that's if it arrives at all. Read the feedback on some of the sellers. Its a pure punt.



And apparently some lack overheat cutout protection too... 

Lucky dip/pay money and take your chances..


----------



## Dowel

Fazerloz said:


> It makes it difficult if everybody waits on someone else taking the plunge. I don't do facebook.



Thank you Fazerloz for taking the plunge, look forward to seeing how you get on with it over the next month or two.
I am aiming to finish my conversion, sufficient to satisfy DVLA’s requirements for change to “Motor Caravan”, by April so am currently allowing sufficient space for a Planar heater but will now allow a bit more room in case the Chinese heater wins me over. Planar 310 mm long Chinese 440 mm long.

I tried to find what the import duty might be but couldn’t find an appropriate commodity code on the HMRC Trade Tariff site, 8516 looked likely but seems to be solely “Electrical” heaters of various sorts. I wonder if 8416101000 might be right and if so duty would be VAT at 20% and third country duty of 1.70 % on cost of item and shipping. I am sure somebody here knows better 

I did wonder whether it might be better to buy from one of the ebay sellers who despatch goods from Germany, seller names are “yokimm” and “rotary tattoo”. Both offer the 2 kW Air diesel Heaters for £194 buy it now or “best offer”, delivery in 4 to 10 days and 2 years warranty.

“always outlet” offer the same from Germany for £184 but no mention of a guarantee and have the same address in China as “rotary tattoo”….. mmm?
:juggle:
The cheapest direct from China via ebay I saw today was £160 from “libing36920133”. If the duty mentioned above is correct and actually charged then total would be about £195.

Which seller did you buy from fazerloz? 

I had a useful conversation with Owen Cox to clarify some fitting requirements for their Planar heaters, a very helpful guy. When I asked about reliability he suggested Planar more reliable than Eber etc and referred me to Facebook to look at some positive reviews. I tried but as not a member could not see the posts there.

But while trying to find anything relevant on facebook I did see this:
“In 2010, JP China Trade Int’l Co. Ltd was founded in Beijing, as a Russian-Chinese joint venture company specialized in researching, developing and selling of parking heaters and parts. We mainly supply parking heaters for all kinds of vehicles.”
At 2KW Air Parking Heater

Hope your tests continue successfully and thanks again.


----------



## harrow

I might be missing the point,

but why not just use an electric heater in the garage,

unless you have a restricted, limited power supply ?

Or will you move it into your camper ?

Just asking,

:wave:


----------



## Fazerloz

harrow said:


> I might be missing the point,
> 
> but why not just use an electric heater in the garage,
> 
> unless you have a restricted, limited power supply ?
> 
> Or will you move it into your camper ?
> 
> Just asking,
> 
> :wave:



A fair question. The supply is limited and heating would push it over the edge when also running other equipment. Plus 5kw works out at approx 90p ph whereas fuel for the heater is 0.5 lph on max and running on red the savings are even better, but mainly I just fancied one and wanted to do it.
The bonus is it all works and I have now got heat in the garage. I don't know if I would have done it to put it in the van though. With it been in the garage the only time it will be running is when I am there unlike it might be used in a van. Should anything go wrong with it I am there to deal with it and it is easily accessible.
The thing is these don't seem to have any known history, which should make people wary.


----------



## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> A fair question. The supply is limited and heating would push it over the edge when also running other equipment. Plus 5kw works out at approx 90p ph whereas fuel for the heater is 0.5 lph on max and running on red the savings are even better, but mainly I just fancied one and wanted to do it.
> The bonus is it all works and I have now got heat in the garage. I don't know if I would have done it to put it in the van though. With it been in the garage the only time it will be running is when I am there unlike it might be used in a van. Should anything go wrong with it I am there to deal with it and it is easily accessible.
> The thing is these don't seem to have any known history, which should make people wary.


Thank you.

So it might be useful for say a static caravan with only a 5 amp supply.

The static caravans I had both had 16 amp supplies, but people used to have a microwave, kettle, freezer, fridge and hoover at the same time and wonder why the electric tripped !

thanks again.

:wave:


----------



## Fazerloz

Dowel said:


> Thank you Fazerloz for taking the plunge, look forward to seeing how you get on with it over the next month or two.
> I am aiming to finish my conversion, sufficient to satisfy DVLA’s requirements for change to “Motor Caravan”, by April so am currently allowing sufficient space for a Planar heater but will now allow a bit more room in case the Chinese heater wins me over. Planar 310 mm long Chinese 440 mm long.
> 
> I tried to find what the import duty might be but couldn’t find an appropriate commodity code on the HMRC Trade Tariff site, 8516 looked likely but seems to be solely “Electrical” heaters of various sorts. I wonder if 8416101000 might be right and if so duty would be VAT at 20% and third country duty of 1.70 % on cost of item and shipping. I am sure somebody here knows better
> 
> I did wonder whether it might be better to buy from one of the ebay sellers who despatch goods from Germany, seller names are “yokimm” and “rotary tattoo”. Both offer the 2 kW Air diesel Heaters for £194 buy it now or “best offer”, delivery in 4 to 10 days and 2 years warranty.
> 
> “always outlet” offer the same from Germany for £184 but no mention of a guarantee and have the same address in China as “rotary tattoo”….. mmm?
> :juggle:
> The cheapest direct from China via ebay I saw today was £160 from “libing36920133”. If the duty mentioned above is correct and actually charged then total would be about £195.
> 
> Which seller did you buy from fazerloz?



I wouldn't want to influence anyone in any way to use the same seller as I used. I have done this thread just so there is a little more factual knowledge about these heaters.
The seller I used after a fortnight sent this message to me.

Hi friend,

Good day to you. I just got the news from the company who accepted for carriage that a large number of goods were sent back which includes your parcel due to some shipping error. We are very sorry for the big trouble caused, but honestly speaking as a seller, we really could not control this happening on the way, sincerely hope you understand. 

But don't worry,they have already solved it in time. We can arrange to resend the item to you immediately.How do you think? thanks for your understanding. 

Looking forward to your quick response. Have a nice day! 

Regards,

To be truthful I thought "here we go this isn't going to end good. I replied giving them 14days to deliver. They then kept me well informed and provided a tracking number.To their credit they did and I left a very positive feedback. After all not everything is within their control. 
When I left my feedback I read through some of theirs and there was a negative from someone for not receiving their heater. This had been left after I had ordered mine.
The choice is yours.:have fun::cheers:


----------



## Dowel

mistericeman said:


> And apparently some lack overheat cutout protection too..



That is potentially very worrying especially if fitted inside rather than hung underneath.

Can you recall which ones were lacking that protection and where I might follow that up?


----------



## mistericeman

Dowel said:


> That is potentially very worrying especially if fitted inside rather than hung underneath.
> 
> Can you recall which ones were lacking that protection and where I might follow that up?



Lack of overheat protection was, on 'some' of the cheap Chinese ones from memory not the proper 'planar' ones.... 

Other than reading the specs on them and trusting the blurb to actually have overheat protection if it says it has... 
The only suggestion I can offer is to obscure the cabin air inlet and confirm that it WILL shut down in a overheat situation... 

Frankly I'd be greatly concerned if it didn't as a fuel burning heater can get bloody hot in use.


----------



## Dowel

Fazerloz said:


> I wouldn't want to influence anyone in any way to use the same seller as I used. I have done this thread just so there is a little more factual knowledge about these heaters.
> :



I understand your concern fazerloz. I have only bought a few low value items from Chinese makers and then only when they have an agent in UK who ships the goods. This is 25% due to worry about items being of poor quality or lost in transit but 75% because I always want things quickly. The latter due to my lack of forethought so definitely not the sellers fault!

I thought your heater seller’s message was acceptable and would have done as you did. I do believe that these Chinese makers and sellers understand the importance of establishing a good trading reputation if they want to establish ongoing business.

I don’t think that you have ever said who you bought from but had a look at the ebay feedback left for Chinese sellers of diesel heaters and it is clear that they sell a great variety of goods a small percentage of which are the heaters. This makes me wonder how good any technical support or spare parts supply might be?

Did you get a useful manual and the name of the manufacturer with your heater?

Thanks for your useful replies


----------



## Fazerloz

To be honest I haven't even opened the distructions as I just expect them to be in Chinglish and make no sense.  If all else fails read the distructions.
I did not expect any backup so did not look for any. As said a pure punt that seems to have worked, up to press.


----------



## Dowel

mistericeman said:


> Lack of overheat protection was, on 'some' of the cheap Chinese ones from memory not the proper 'planar' ones....
> 
> Other than reading the specs on them and trusting the blurb to actually have overheat protection if it says it has...
> The only suggestion I can offer is to obscure the cabin air inlet and confirm that it WILL shut down in a overheat situation...
> 
> Frankly I'd be greatly concerned if it didn't as a fuel burning heater can get bloody hot in use.



Yes and electric heaters too if the air flow is obstructed. 

Good point that deserves consideration. I can imagine how obstruction of an air inlet or outlet could happen by accident. Clearly both the air routes should be designed to minimise that possibility.
One might hope that an overheat cutout would either be re-settable or re-set itself when cool as otherwise one might be rather cold until it was fixed.


----------



## trevskoda

Fazerloz said:


> I thought I may as well knock up a couple of brackets and get it in.
> The only things other than tools I have use that were not in the kit are screws to replace the tek screws that came with the kit a pair of brackets, 4 off 6mm bolts, 1 off 6mm penny washer [body washer] used on the pump mounting and a nut to use as a spacer on the inlet pipe. I still need to drill a hole through the wall for the exhaust.
> The tank has to have a 8mm hole drilled in it for the outlet fitting.  It can be made to be either left or right hand fill.
> 
> View attachment 60530 View attachment 60531 View attachment 60532 View attachment 60533



Two things i see wrong here,to close to shelf & far to high,should be just above ground level as heat rises,otherwise looks the job please keep informed of how thing go.


----------



## Fazerloz

trevskoda said:


> Two things i see wrong here,to close to shelf & far to high,should be just above ground level as heat rises,otherwise looks the job please keep informed of how thing go.



Yes you are right Trev. The pics were taken before I put the flexi ducting on that came with the kit to take the heat down to the floor. Keep up the good work..:cheers::have fun:


----------



## Fazerloz

To answer one or two questions.
I have now been and looked at the distructions and they do give a fault code for overheat fault. So I would assume there is protection. I am not going to block the outlet to find out.
In the manual there are is no mention of who the manufacturer is. On the actual heater unit all the information stickers are in Chinese. The only Chinese I understand is Special Kung Po please. :lol-053:I 
Ps
I have now been out and bought some red diesel, gas oil and it is now running on that. Later I might try it on kerosene, but as kerosene burns hotter than diesel maybe not.


----------



## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> To answer one or two questions.
> I have now been and looked at the distructions and they do give a fault code for overheat fault. So I would assume there is protection. I am not going to block the outlet to find out.
> In the manual there are is no mention of who the manufacturer is. On the actual heater unit all the information stickers are in Chinese. The only Chinese I understand is Special Kung Po please. :lol-053:I
> Ps
> I have now been out and bought some red diesel, gas oil and it is now running on that. Later I might try it on kerosene, but as kerosene burns hotter than diesel maybe not.




Chances are IF it will read an overheat fault then it will hopefully act on it and shut down rather than just generate a fault code and carry on running... 

Not a great issue IF you are there to keep your eye on it... 

BUT if I was, going to use on one in a campervan etc where there is a chance of it being left alone... 
I'd definitely be checking a blocked inlet/overheat shut down.


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Chances are IF it will read an overheat fault then it will hopefully act on it and shut down rather than just generate a fault code and carry on running...
> 
> Not a great issue IF you are there to keep your eye on it...
> 
> BUT if I was, going to use on one in a campervan etc where there is a chance of it being left alone...
> I'd definitely be checking a blocked inlet/overheat shut down.



I would too if I were using in a van it would be wise. In fact foolish not to.


----------



## Dowel

I downloaded the “Operation manual Air heater Planars” from the Autoterm site which includes the following:

_Automatic Control Features . 
1) if for some reason the heater did not start, the start-up process will be automatically repeated. After two failed attempts the heater will be switched off; 
2) if during the heater's operation burning is interrupted, the heater automatically re-starts. Restarts after consecutive flameouts are performed up to three times; 
3) in case of overheating of the heater coil (for example, due to blocked intake or output of the heating unit), the heater is automatically switched off; 
4) if the maximum temperature of the heated air is exceeded (for example, due to closed outlet of the heating unit), the heater is automatically switched off; 
5) if voltage drops below 20V (10V) or increases to more than 30V (16V), the heater automatically switches off. The numbers in parentheses are for the heaters with the nominal voltage of 12V; 
6) in case of emergency shutdown, the appropriate fault code is displayed on the Controller display and a LED starts flashing; 
7) *if any of the temperature sensors is faulty, the heater does not start and displays a fault code 32 or 11;_

NB Point 7 only applies to the largest output Planar.

So there is protection on the planar and, assuming the Chinese and Russian heaters are closely related, probably on the Chinese model too.
It may be wise to test for overheating but maybe not too often as the Planar manual says:

_“Attention! If, during start-up and operation of the heater the error message "Overheating" is repeated 3 times in a row, the heater will be locked. Locking is made upon actual overheating, regardless of input from the sensors that produced errors. In case of locking, the controller display will show code 33. To unlock the heater you need to contact a service center.”_

One more useful caution:

_“In case of a long parking or storing the vehicle, disconnect the heater from the power source (battery) to prevent it from discharging (current consumption of the heater out of service is (30 ÷ 40) mA). _“

If of any interest the operation and other Planar manuals can be found at:  
Planar Air Diesel Heaters In Stock, 6 UK Depots, Free Tech Support
or
autoterm-europe.com


----------



## trevskoda

Fazerloz said:


> To answer one or two questions.
> I have now been and looked at the distructions and they do give a fault code for overheat fault. So I would assume there is protection. I am not going to block the outlet to find out.
> In the manual there are is no mention of who the manufacturer is. On the actual heater unit all the information stickers are in Chinese. The only Chinese I understand is Special Kung Po please. :lol-053:I
> Ps
> I have now been out and bought some red diesel, gas oil and it is now running on that. Later I might try it on kerosene, but as kerosene burns hotter than diesel maybe not.


If your using kero put some two stroke oil in to lub pump rotor.


----------



## Fazerloz

The story continues. Today it refused to fire up. It is giving a glow plug fault. 

Ah well we will see what happens next. Bit of a bugger I have just got used to having heat. Should have it sorted for May. :rolleyes2:


----------



## Byronic

Hope you don't end up having reasons to wish perhaps you could have put
up with a bit condensation!


----------



## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> The story continues. Today it refused to fire up. It is giving a glow plug fault.
> 
> Ah well we will see what happens next. Bit of a bugger I have just got used to having heat. Should have it sorted for May. :rolleyes2:



Have you cleared Fauldhouse and tried a restart?


----------



## Fazerloz

It never rains but pours, removed the plug and it slipped out of my fingers onto the floor and snapped the porcelain. Plug knackered now if it wasn't before. :mad1:


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Have you cleared Fauldhouse and tried a restart?



?????????

To answer a earlier question I now know there is overtemp sensor on the heater.


----------



## Fazerloz

Byronic said:


> Hope you don't end up having reasons to wish perhaps you could have put
> up with a bit condensation!



I think I will get there in the end. No regrets yet. I am a long way from that yet.


----------



## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> ?????????
> 
> To answer a earlier question I now know there is overtemp sensor on the heater.



Bloody spellchecker.....is the overheat built into the glow plug or separate like eberspacher? 

Possible glow plugs are similar/will fit if direct  replacement isn't available easily.


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Bloody spellchecker.....is the overheat built into the glow plug or separate like eberspacher?
> 
> Possible glow plugs are similar/will fit if direct  replacement isn't available easily.



Separate on top of the heat chamber. I am currently trying to find out if anything is compatable, found 24v ones but no 12v.

How did you mean to clear fault ?


----------



## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> Separate on top of the heat chamber. I am currently trying to find out if anything is compatable, found 24v ones but no 12v.
> 
> How did you mean to clear fault ?



In the eberspacher (possibly similar to the Chinglese ones) 

Certain faults will cause a soft lock out (heater won't restart until fault has, been reset manually.... Others reset automatically) 

Flame fail/overheat etc....


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> In the eberspacher (possibly similar to the Chinglese ones)
> 
> Certain faults will cause a soft lock out (heater won't restart until fault has, been reset manually.... Others reset automatically)
> 
> Flame fail/overheat etc....



The fault clears on the controller. It goes through its purge sequence right up to ignition point then faults glow plug.


----------



## Fazerloz

Looks like the one on the left.  TopAuto 12V 24V Ceramic Pin Glow Plug For Eberspacher Airtronic D2 D4 D4S Air Diesel Parking Heater For Car Truck Boat Caravan  on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group


----------



## mistericeman

Penny to a pinch it's same as eberspacher then (certainly looks it)
Almost identical in fact as I've just serviced our d2 with new glow pin and gauze etc etc.


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Penny to a pinch it's same as eberspacher then (certainly looks it)
> Almost identical in fact as I've just serviced our d2 with new glow pin and gauze etc etc.




Do you have your old plug if so can you measure it up for me please,. Thread size, pin length and diameter. :cheers:


----------



## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> Do you have your old plug if so can you measure it up for me please,. Thread size, pin length and diameter. :cheers:


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> View attachment 60706
> 
> View attachment 60707
> 
> View attachment 60708
> 
> View attachment 60709



Thanks I will check mine tomorrow


----------



## Fazerloz

Cheers it measures up the same.  One ordered.


----------



## eddyt

Fazerloz said:


> I thought so too, and I am struggling to find anything negative about them other than some say they use a little more electric. Which is of no interest to my application.



hi
  there is a facebook group for them. although i did not look at it.


----------



## Dowel

eddyt said:


> hi
> there is a facebook group for them. although i did not look at it.



I tried to find facebook pages for Chinese and Planar heaters without success do you have a link for the Chinese facebook pages?

I have been trawling through the Australian forum threads and distributors literature on the web. Seems that there are a couple of well known Chinese makers, “Snugger” and “Belief”, the latter in business for about 20 years. Belief claim they have a UK distributor, so I emailed their sales office to ask who but no reply as yet. 
The Snugger and the Belief FJH-2 model look superficially similar to the Webasto but the TuiTe (also made by Belief) looks like the Eberspacher D2.

Pinnacle Wholesalers who claim to be Australia's leading on-line supplier say of the “NEW TUIT 2.2KW DIESEL AIR HEATER CARAVAN, MOTORHOME, RV”:

“_This is a top of the range Tuit 2.2Kw diesel heater made by Belief,_ 
_*PLEASE NOTE- All parts for this diesel heater are interchangeable with the Dometic (Eberspacher Airtronic) D2 diesel heater if you wish to interchange any operating parts etc”*_
Diesel Air Heaters : NEW Tuit 2.2KW Diesel Air Heater Caravan, Motorhome, RV Bus Truck, Jayco

I wonder whether the cheap heaters from China are;
1) Good direct copies of the well known German makes using interchangeable parts?
        or 
2) Poor copies of the Belief or Snugger Chinese copies and thus a degree or two worse?

The Tuite from Pinnacle costs 770AUD down under, about £440. If there is no copyright or patent protection in China would a copyist bother to change the design?  
Even if the design is identical might the materials or bought in parts (like glow plugs?) be inferior?


----------



## mistericeman

Dowel said:


> I tried to find facebook pages for Chinese and Planar heaters without success do you have a link for the Chinese facebook pages?
> 
> I have been trawling through the Australian forum threads and distributors literature on the web. Seems that there are a couple of well known Chinese makers, “Snugger” and “Belief”, the latter in business for about 20 years. Belief claim they have a UK distributor, so I emailed their sales office to ask who but no reply as yet.
> The Snugger and the Belief FJH-2 model look superficially similar to the Webasto but the TuiTe (also made by Belief) looks like the Eberspacher D2.
> 
> Pinnacle Wholesalers who claim to be Australia's leading on-line supplier say of the “NEW TUIT 2.2KW DIESEL AIR HEATER CARAVAN, MOTORHOME, RV”:
> 
> “_This is a top of the range Tuit 2.2Kw diesel heater made by Belief,_
> _*PLEASE NOTE- All parts for this diesel heater are interchangeable with the Dometic (Eberspacher Airtronic) D2 diesel heater if you wish to interchange any operating parts etc”*_
> Diesel Air Heaters : NEW Tuit 2.2KW Diesel Air Heater Caravan, Motorhome, RV Bus Truck, Jayco
> 
> I wonder whether the cheap heaters from China are;
> 1) Good direct copies of the well known German makes using interchangeable parts?
> or
> 2) Poor copies of the Belief or Snugger Chinese copies and thus a degree or two worse?
> 
> The Tuite from Pinnacle costs 770AUD down under, about £440. If there is no copyright or patent protection in China would a copyist bother to change the design?
> Even if the design is identical might the materials or bought in parts (like glow plugs?) be inferior?




Linky for Facebook page.... 


Se connecter a Facebook | Facebook


----------



## craig9760

here the face book
Se connecter a Facebook | Facebook


----------



## wildebus

wildebus said:


> £100 seems to be the magic figure where duties become liable.  Below that it tends to be ignored.
> A lot of Chinese sellers misdeclare the value of the shipment and/or flag it as a gift  (don't think stating it is a gift fools anyone though).
> It also can depend on the method of delivery/courier used.  recently I had a charge of £3.50 for duty due on a Chinese delivery that was sent using DHL. Strange amount and I think it was set ignoring the £100 cutoff (just paid it as not worth looking into for that amount and risk redelivery charges)



Well, the above is mostly a load of tosh! :idea-007:

The £100 is not a magic figure, it is actually just £15!
If you buy something from an non-EU country and it is over £15, you are liable for VAT.  If it is over £135 you are liable for VAT AND Customs Duties.
If it is a Gift, then the VAT threshold starts at £34 rather than £15.
And to the above VAT and Customs Duties is applied a Handling Charge.

Why do I know this info now?  Because on a purchase from Ali Express with a (true) declared value of just $20.16 (about £15.35), I was requested to hand over £11.13 - £8 Handling and £3.13 VAT.

Not sure if they  (UK Border Force) are ramping up checking packages, but something to bear in mind when buying from China  (depending on value of package, these charges will add between 26% to over 75% to the cost of the purchase)


----------



## trevskoda

wildebus said:


> Well, the above is mostly a load of tosh! :idea-007:
> 
> The £100 is not a magic figure, it is actually just £15!
> If you buy something from an non-EU country and it is over £15, you are liable for VAT.  If it is over £135 you are liable for VAT AND Customs Duties.
> If it is a Gift, then the VAT threshold starts at £34 rather than £15.
> And to the above VAT and Customs Duties is applied a Handling Charge.
> 
> Why do I know this info now?  Because on a purchase from Ali Express with a (true) declared value of just $20.16 (about £15.35), I was requested to hand over £11.13 - £8 Handling and £3.13 VAT.
> 
> Not sure if they  (UK Border Force) are ramping up checking packages, but something to bear in mind when buying from China  (depending on value of package, these charges will add between 26% to over 75% to the cost of the purchase)



If you ask the sender to label as spare macheen parts then no charge at all,i bought £20 of marine funnels from usa and got charges £10 custom charge,then i was told about the above trick.


----------



## Fazerloz

Well this is starting to get a bit frustrating originally the heater ran fine for a week then failed on the glow plug, Another plug arrived today from China and it is broken on the ceramic due no doubt to crap packaging. Its only packing was a poly bag. not even any bubble wrap never mind a box to protect it. So now back to square one only now I have two broken plugs.


----------



## Fazerloz

I got another glow plug today from a British supplier well packaged. Put it in and we are now up and running and warm again. The plug is for a VVBK heater.


----------



## trevskoda

Im lucky as my house oil boiler is in workshop so i just added some extra rads at back of shop.


----------



## Fazerloz

Update. 
The heater is still running fine with no problems.
For the people who were wondering about buying from a Chinese supplier and any after service.
The replacement  plug that I sent for from a Chinese supplier that I received broken, I have been refunded in full with no intervention needed from Ebay.
The original plug that I stupidly broke removing and making it impossible to test. I contacted the heater seller telling them exactly what had happened and asked if they could possibly supply me with another glow plug and I would be willing to pay as it was I that had broken it making it impossible to test. They replied they would get one as it was not something they normally sold. For a price of £15 and I could just pay them through PayPal. So I did. This was not using Ebay, so no protection there. A few days later I received a message saying it had been dispatched. Yesterday the parcel arrived from China very well packaged and it contained  2  Glow plugs  not 1. BONUS !
So overall a few setbacks, a little frustration but a positive experience and a warm garage still. There are 8kw available now. that were not available when I originally set off down this road.

Anyone considering one now I would say do it. They are now coming up for sale quite often on the facebook group. Quite a  lot are buying 5Kw heaters and putting them in such as T4s and finding them too powerful and then wanting 2 or 3 Kw versions. As with a lot of things people get carried away with size thinking bigger is better, but it doesn't do these type of heaters any favours to be run on minimum most of the time. The thing is there is very little price difference between 2 and 5Kw so people a going for 5s.
One member on the facebook group is a Chinese girl who works for one of the manufacturers and is very helpful.


----------



## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> Update.
> The heater is still running fine with no problems.
> For the people who were wondering about buying from a Chinese supplier and any after service.
> The replacement  plug that I sent for from a Chinese supplier that I received broken, I have been refunded in full with no intervention needed from Ebay.
> The original plug that I stupidly broke removing and making it impossible to test. I contacted the heater seller telling them exactly what had happened and asked if they could possibly supply me with another glow plug and I would be willing to pay as it was I that had broken it making it impossible to test. They replied they would get one as it was not something they normally sold. For a price of £15 and I could just pay them through PayPal. So I did. This was not using Ebay, so no protection there. A few days later I received a message saying it had been dispatched. Yesterday the parcel arrived from China very well packaged and it contained  2  Glow plugs  not 1. BONUS !
> So overall a few setbacks, a little frustration but a positive experience and a warm garage still. There are 8kw available now. that were not available when I originally set off down this road.
> 
> Anyone considering one now I would say do it. They are now coming up for sale quite often on the facebook group. Quite a  lot are buying 5Kw heaters and putting them in such as T4s and finding them too powerful and then wanting 2 or 3 Kw versions. As with a lot of things people get carried away with size thinking bigger is better, but it doesn't do these type of heaters any favours to be run on minimum most of the time. The thing is there is very little price difference between 2 and 5Kw so people a going for 5s.
> One member on the facebook group is a Chinese girl who works for one of the manufacturers and is very helpful.


I am glad to hear how it has worked out so far, keep up the good work

:dog:


----------



## harrow

runnach said:


> Anyone know of same or similar heater fueled by petrol?


Coleman heater,

YouTube

:dance:


----------



## Nabsim

Is there room to fit a small diesel tank?
I know it’s an extra tank and fuel but needn’t be big. My eber D4 uses about half a litre an hour flat out, it would be a smaller unit/less fuel on a VW I think


----------



## Dowel

runnach said:


> Anyone know of same or similar heater fueled by petrol?



Both Webasto and Eberspacher make petrol fueled air or water heaters:

“Parking heaters for cars. Our product portfolio includes solutions for diesel or petrol vehicles. Webasto parking heaters quickly free car windows of ice and snow, prevent re-freezing and ensure comfortable temperatures inside the vehicle. In addition, they can also preheat the engine.”
Webasto: Parking Heaters for Automotive Industry

This guy had an eberspacher fitted into his petrol engined Skoda Octavia TSI: Finally, my car is warm
Finally, my car is warm. (Parking heater installed) - Skoda Octavia Mk II (2004 - 2013) - BRISKODA

He lives in Finland and was pleased with it although he has reservations about the “Smartphone remote control app”. I thought the supply and fix was very expensive.

The Chinese makers often refer to “Gasoline heaters” and I believe they make them but probably sell more into the US market.

May be worth a look on that facebook group to see whether any UK members have bought a Chinese one? 

I find the way that the posts are presented in batches with the option to open up further comments makes reading rather time consuming. A lot of queries about issues that are covered by the instructions are often repeated.

Hope that is of interest


----------



## Dowel

Dowel said:


> Both Webasto and Eberspacher make petrol fueled air or water heaters:
> 
> The Chinese makers often refer to “Gasoline heaters” and I believe they make them but probably sell more into the US market.



Gasoline heaters are on US eBay.com:

Brand-New-2KW-Gasoline-Air-Parking-Heater-12V-for-Bus-Truck-Car	US $540.99
Seller information – galaxyshopzz - Shenzhen , China

Says “you pay all import duties” so I guess USA customs are more protective than UK? Also warns may take more than 30 days to deliver to USA.


Had a quick look on facebook, it is well worth joining this group if at all interested:

From the facebook chinese diesel air heaters group:

Posted by Karl Lolley - Answers to queries:
"*17).* Fuel types, they can be run on road diesel or parafin, red diesel and kerosene, they use 0.2ltr per hour on low and 0.6 ltr on high, tho mostly will be run low once modulated down. Petrol version heaters are available."

He also posted these comments:
"*14)* how new are these to market, these heater have been sold in the usa for the last 10 years and can be brought of the shelf in many stores, they are more new to the ebay uk market.
*15)* whats the quality like, ok the main unit is very good,the jubilee clips weak and you may need longer hosing for ducting and exhaust runs as you only get 0.5mtrs of each, but they are only £150 and well worth the money thus far given the alternative prices of others.
*16)* parts missing, ok so some kits have came without the exhuast silencer, mine came with the floor plate missing but had a silencer, but on the whole all the major parts are there, either their packing is a little poor or they may be low on stock for the kits. but still for the money they are a worthwhile investment even with the odd minor part missing, missing parts can be brought from ebay from eberspacher dealers if need be."


River Dylan is the Chinese lady working for Drivworld who has posted a photo of a gasoline air heater and said “we also have a diesel version”. 
I believe their heaters come at a higher price, in the region of £260.


----------



## Fazerloz

runnach said:


> Excellent summary, with a happy ending.





runnach said:


> Anyone know of same or similar heater fueled by petrol?



Its not over until, well she ain't singing yet. It's done another plug in, today. That lasted a good weekc Replaced the plug and fired straight up.  This is turning into a not very positive experience. No I wouldn't recommend anyone get one yet . It's not too bad for me as it's it's only in the garage and very easy to get at.
As far as petrol ones go yes they are readily valuable. If you look a lot of the listings  in the specs will say fuel diesel gasoline.  Just send them a message asking, but not yet as they are on holiday for the new year as I have found out.
Quite a few are complaining about white smoke which is unburnt fuel. You wouldn't want a petrol one over fueling.

No doubt to be continued.:scared:


----------



## Fazerloz

Dowel said:


> Gasoline heaters are on US eBay.com:
> 
> Brand-New-2KW-Gasoline-Air-Parking-Heater-12V-for-Bus-Truck-Car    US $540.99
> Seller information – galaxyshopzz - Shenzhen , China
> 
> Says “you pay all import duties” so I guess USA customs are more protective than UK? Also warns may take more than 30 days to deliver to USA.
> 
> 
> Had a quick look on facebook, it is well worth joining this group if at all interested:
> 
> From the facebook chinese diesel air heaters group:
> 
> Posted by Karl Lolley - Answers to queries:
> "*17).* Fuel types, they can be run on road diesel or parafin, red diesel and kerosene, they use 0.2ltr per hour on low and 0.6 ltr on high, tho mostly will be run low once modulated down. Petrol version heaters are available."
> 
> He also posted these comments:
> "*14)* how new are these to market, these heater have been sold in the usa for the last 10 years and can be brought of the shelf in many stores, they are more new to the ebay uk market.
> *15)* whats the quality like, ok the main unit is very good,the jubilee clips weak and you may need longer hosing for ducting and exhaust runs as you only get 0.5mtrs of each, but they are only £150 and well worth the money thus far given the alternative prices of others.
> *16)* parts missing, ok so some kits have came without the exhuast silencer, mine came with the floor plate missing but had a silencer, but on the whole all the major parts are there, either their packing is a little poor or they may be low on stock for the kits. but still for the money they are a worthwhile investment even with the odd minor part missing, missing parts can be brought from ebay from eberspacher dealers if need be."
> 
> 
> River Dylan is the Chinese lady working for Drivworld who has posted a photo of a gasoline air heater and said “we also have a diesel version”.
> I believe their heaters come at a higher price, in the region of £260.



The cheap heaters sold on eBay are not the same as those sold in stores in the USA  those are VVBK s and are available here on Amazon. Amazon.co.uk: VVBK heater

They might at least have some backup and our consumer laws to folow.


----------



## Fazerloz

I have done some quite extensive testing and comparisons today and can find bugger all wrong with mine. :rolleyes2:


----------



## trevskoda

runnach said:


> Anyone know of same or similar heater fueled by petrol?



Tatra cars fro ch republic uses petrol heaters.


----------



## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> Its not over until, well she ain't singing yet. It's done another plug in, today. That lasted a good weekc Replaced the plug and fired straight up.  This is turning into a not very positive experience. No I wouldn't recommend anyone get one yet . It's not too bad for me as it's it's only in the garage and very easy to get at.
> As far as petrol ones go yes they are readily valuable. If you look a lot of the listings  in the specs will say fuel diesel gasoline.  Just send them a message asking, but not yet as they are on holiday for the new year as I have found out.
> Quite a few are complaining about white smoke which is unburnt fuel. You wouldn't want a petrol one over fueling.
> 
> No doubt to be continued.:scared:


So the glow plug failed, and presumed that it was previously good.

Then is the glow plug overloaded with too much voltage meaning too much current and burning out ?


----------



## skippy

Fitted mine 5 years this april from alibaba no customs charges nil problems so far recently removed to alter location refitted with 3 vents much better works great also fitted intake silencer which I originally forgot I had eliminates intake whistling noise.


----------



## Fazerloz

harrow said:


> So the glow plug failed, and presumed that it was previously good.
> 
> Then is the glow plug overloaded with too much voltage meaning too much current and burning out ?



No I have checked all that whilst it is running and the duration the plugs are on when in operation and it is doing exactly what it should be doing. But the plugs are failing for some reason. A bit frustrating.

One thing though they do use 0.22A when just on standby. I thought they would be a bit less then that.


----------



## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> No I have checked all that whilst it is running and the duration the plugs are on when in operation and it is doing exactly what it should be doing. But the plugs are failing for some reason. A bit frustrating.
> 
> One thing though they do use 0.22A when just on standby. I thought they would be a bit less then that.


Is there a source of known good quality glow plugs ?, 

I assume the plug is designed to survive the heat, and hence my reasoning that the next option is too much voltage being applied and burning out the plug ? 

:wave:


----------



## Fazerloz

No doubt genuine Ebers will be good, at a price but if I have a intermittent fault it would only destroy a expensive plug as well. I have now wired a volt meter direct to the plug so I can monitor it when I start it and on shut down.


----------



## harrow

Fazerloz said:


> No doubt genuine Ebers will be good, at a price but if I have a intermittent fault it would only destroy a expensive plug as well. I have now wired a volt meter direct to the plug so I can monitor it when I start it and on shut down.


So really you need to know what is the correct and safe voltage to apply to this plug ?

If you are willing to risk it you could add a good few metres of cable in series with the heater plug wire and that added resistance would lower the current and hence the strain on the glow plug.

I guess the problem will be knowing the specifications.

:hammer::hammer::hammer:


----------



## Fazerloz

I do know the specs of the plugs and everything is within spec . Like I say I have a voltmeter wired direct to the plug and a Ammeter to the heater so I can see exactly what the plug is doing.  The plugs are actually  8v 70/80Watt.  Maybe I have just been very unlucky. It's not unheard of.


----------



## wildebus

Been following these updates with great interest.  The Planar offers really good price savings if they work well and are tempting, but the last thing you want to do in your motorhome is have to spend an age dismantling a seat from a base sat to get access to swap bits out that fail too frequently.

I am hoping you will find a (fixable) reason for the plug failures as that seems to be the only real problem you have encountered?


----------



## mistericeman

wildebus said:


> Been following these updates with great interest.  The Planar offers really good price savings if they work well and are tempting, but the last thing you want to do in your motorhome is have to spend an age dismantling a seat from a base sat to get access to swap bits out that fail too frequently.
> 
> I am hoping you will find a (fixable) reason for the plug failures as that seems to be the only real problem you have encountered?



Exactly why I went for a genuine eberspacher.... 

Sat tucked up in the van in middle of nowhere last thing I want is to be having to wear 25 layers of clothes and be sat around some tealights under a plant pot..... 

IF I wanted to experience that id just head for Yorkshire....


----------



## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Exactly why I went for a genuine eberspacher....
> 
> Sat tucked up in the van in middle of nowhere last thing I want is to be having to wear 25 layers of clothes and be sat around some tealights under a plant pot.....
> 
> IF I wanted to experience that id just head for Yorkshire....



I think you will find the tea lights add a very nice ambience to my garage if not much heat.  
I have a cunning plan. I will just leave it running until the end of May, it will be cheaper than plugs. It's all good fun, I would only be wasting my money on something else if not on this.


----------



## Dowel

hairydog said:


> Do you mean this is the voltage and current they are using, or what they are supposed to use, or both?
> Would it be possible to underdrive or overspec the plugs?



I think that is a good line of enquiry. The Chinese plugs may be variable in quality or whole batches could be consistently out of spec. Need to measure the voltage and current through the running cycles. They could be running too hot, drawing too much power or badly assembled so the heating element fails prematurely.

May be significant that Victor industries (VVKB) say they use:

_
The lgnition Plug from Japan Kyocera; Teflon Wire Refractories
Thermostat Adopt German Heraeus A Class Product
_

I wonder why they don’t use Chinese products?

Re Diesel Air Heaters on USA eBay.com: On offer are heaters that look like Ebers’ and some like Webasto. I believe that VVKB made or make both styles of heater and both were or are available in Australia.

The VVKB heaters on Amazon UK  appear to be without fitting kits so £399 and upwards is more expensive than a Russian heater from the approved UK supplier.


----------



## Fazerloz

hairydog said:


> Do you mean this is the voltage and current they are using, or what they are supposed to use, or both?
> Would it be possible to underdrive or overspec the plugs?



That is the spec of the plug.


----------



## harrow

Are sort or glow plugs any use ?

Eberspacher glow plug. for D4L diesel night heater. Boat heater glow plug  | eBay

:wave:


----------



## wildebus

The findings Fazerloz has reported and his conclusions to date have been very interesting.  And I have decided to take the plunge and going to try a Planar in my new conversion :scared:

Going for the 2kW version rather than the 5kW that are predominately for sale. 5kW too much in a small space and heater would never stretch its legs at all and probably choke up as has been said.
Bit of a punt still, but with it being a Eberspacher clone, it would be a fairly straightforward thing to swap out for an Eber if the worst comes to the worst.

I want heat! But with the prices the Ebers are now (around £150 more than when I bought one 3 years ago), it just isn't gonna happen, so the Planar will have to be the way to go and fingers crossed will be tickety-boo!


----------



## Nabsim

Any of you using a heat exchanger from these diesel heaters for your hot water by any chance?


----------



## wildebus

Nabsim said:


> Any of you using a heat exchanger from these diesel heaters for your hot water by any chance?



I have heard of people directing airflow though a DIY type head exchanger.  Kinda tempted to maybe try something similar.


----------



## wildebus

expensive option as a back up though.

I have one of these I got years ago - Portable Gas Heater  | eBay

Actually quite good but I don't use it in the van , but have in the awning room by the (awning) door.  It could be used with care inside to warm up the interior if main heating option not available but of course turned off before bedtime!


----------



## wildebus

expensive option as a back up though.

I have a heater very similar to one of these that I got years ago - Portable Gas Heater  | eBay

Actually quite good but I don't use it in the van , but have in the awning room by the (awning) door.  It could be used with care inside to warm up the interior but of course turned off before bedtime!


----------



## mistericeman

runnach said:


> After viewing Admins latest post regarding gas issue at Stornoway, planar appear to be another add on if a MH is gas only heating, especially if using MH during winter period. Obviously space maybe an issue, but if doable, install the system, with say a five gallon jerry can of red derv, will keep you warm when gas is not readily available.



Or just fit diesel heating and forget gas for heating altogether....


----------



## mistericeman

runnach said:


> That's what I said.
> 
> Edit: what I mean is, if one has a MH with gas heating built in as standard and, say full timing, adding derv as a backup, is not a bad idea.



Totally agree chap..... 

My comment was aimed at folks even considering gas fueled heating... 

My fault I should of been a bit clearer in my post.


----------



## Fazerloz

for less





runnach said:


> After viewing Admins latest post regarding gas issue at Stornoway, planar appear to be another add on if a MH is gas only heating, especially if using MH during winter period. Obviously space maybe an issue, but if doable, install the system, with say a five gallon jerry can of red derv, will keep you warm when gas is not readily available.



Some running on red with outside tanks are reporting it freezing. It does not have the amount of anti freeze added as road diesel.

Mine is still working and I have done away with the battery and charger and now running off a 12v 16A regulated power supply from Ebay for less than £10. At the moment I am running on a red diesel, kerosene mix.


----------



## wildebus

Oooo Kerosene .... that's a thought. And works in the cold (otherwise my heating would be no use)


----------



## wildebus

wildebus said:


> The findings Fazerloz has reported and his conclusions to date have been very interesting.  And I have decided to take the plunge and going to try a Planar in my new conversion :scared:
> 
> Going for the 2kW version rather than the 5kW that are predominately for sale. 5kW too much in a small space and heater would never stretch its legs at all and probably choke up as has been said.
> Bit of a punt still, but with it being a Eberspacher clone, it would be a fairly straightforward thing to swap out for an Eber if the worst comes to the worst.
> 
> I want heat! But with the prices the Ebers are now (around £150 more than when I bought one 3 years ago), it just isn't gonna happen, so the Planar will have to be the way to go and fingers crossed will be tickety-boo!



Installed one of these heaters today in a VW T5.  I forgot what a faff it is to do on those vans with all the underside heat shields and trays - probably added three hours to the job to remove and later refit.
Took around 45 minutes initially to get the fuel through the filter to the actual heater but once there, good heat coming through.
Next step is fit the heater I bought to my own van (except it looks like I may have received the 5kW model and not the 2kW one I ordered)


----------



## Fazerloz

wildebus said:


> Installed one of these heaters today in a VW T5.  I forgot what a faff it is to do on those vans with all the underside heat shields and trays - probably added three hours to the job to remove and later refit.
> Took around 45 minutes initially to get the fuel through the filter to the actual heater but once there, good heat coming through.
> Next step is fit the heater I bought to my own van (except it looks like I may have received the 5kW model and not the 2kW one I ordered)


There should be a prime function on the controller for shoving fuel through to heater .


----------



## wildebus

Fazerloz said:


> There should be a prime function on the controller for shoving fuel through to heater .


Didn't seem to be. Very basic controller ... Just a dial controller that went from OFF to MAX.   I think next time I would manually fill the fuel filter to help it (I did disconnect it and suck the tube to help the fuel get to it.)

The controller on mine looks very different with a display and buttons - but all writing in Chinese so no idea what it says!


----------



## Fazerloz

wildebus said:


> Didn't seem to be. Very basic controller ... Just a dial controller that went from OFF to MAX.   I think next time I would manually fill the fuel filter to help it (I did disconnect it and suck the tube to help the fuel get to it.)
> 
> The controller on mine looks very different with a display and buttons - but all writing in Chinese so no idea what it says!



Prime the pump with the rotary dial controller

on the rotary dial version you hold the off button in for around 5 seconds the pump should start, 
once it has started you can let go of the off button, 
the pump runs for a certain amount of time before it stops itself, 
if it hasn't primed all the pipework, repeat until it does, 
you can also hit the off button to stop the pump when you like during the priming process,
then once primed hit the on button and the heater should start it's startup sequence. 
Some of the same looking rotary controllers also work as a thermostat ramping the heater up and down. Press and hold the on button for 5 secs and the led fan will turn red from blue it is then in thermostat mode. Not all rotary controllers do this.


----------



## wildebus

Fazerloz said:


> Prime the pump with the rotary dial controller
> 
> on the rotary dial version you hold the off button in for around 5 seconds the pump should start,
> once it has started you can let go of the off button,
> the pump runs for a certain amount of time before it stops itself,
> if it hasn't primed all the pipework, repeat until it does,
> you can also hit the off button to stop the pump when you like during the priming process,
> then once primed hit the on button and the heater should start it's startup sequence.
> Some of the same looking rotary controllers also work as a thermostat ramping the heater up and down. Press and hold the on button for 5 secs and the led fan will turn red from blue it is then in thermostat mode. Not all rotary controllers do this.



Useful info . I will bear this in mind for the next time I install with a controller like that.

Not so much for the particular install Yesterday though as the Controller had NO buttons of any type.  As said, just rotary dial from off to max - just like you would see in a fridge. Lights limited to a red LED for power and green LED for running.
There must be a wide variety of controllers out there.

The way it primed it was turn dial from OFF to start and  eventually the green light would flash once - "heater not oiled" (fueled) - after around 5 minutes so turned off and on again. Then once fueled for the first time it wil start up without any problems afterwards.
  I think this is pretty par for the course.


----------



## Fazerloz

wildebus said:


> Didn't seem to be. Very basic controller ... Just a dial controller that went from OFF to MAX.   I think next time I would manually fill the fuel filter to help it (I did disconnect it and suck the tube to help the fuel get to it.)
> 
> The controller on mine looks very different with a display and buttons - but all writing in Chinese so no idea what it says!


Can you put a pic of your controller on here.


----------



## wildebus

Fazerloz said:


> Can you put a pic of your controller on here.


Rotary one? 
Nope.
At  least not at the moment as it is not my controller (wasn't my van I installed heater)

I will dig out the 'fancy' controller in MY kit and take a photo.
What I am intrigued about with my controller is the wiring - or rather lack of it.  There are just three wires ... So +ve, ground and one other which will I imagine operate as a heater on/off control wire.  Why that is intriguing is usually heater controllers have a multitude of wires. The Eber has 5 I think from memory. Even the basic fridge-like rotary controller from yesterday had 5.


----------



## wildebus

This is the controller model I got with my heater  (not my photo, just same controller) - Except mine has chinese writing, not english.


dhledcontroller by David, on Flickr

looking at the sequence and combinations of buttons, it seems like in functionality terms it is the same as the LCD controller that seems pretty common (this one ...)


dhlcdcontroller by David, on Flickr

I think when I said I installed a heater with a rotary dial it was assumed it was THIS one ...


dhrotaryonoffcontroller by David, on Flickr
That seems to be the most popular controller that is supplied and looks nice and straightforward.  The one I fitted didn't have the buttons or the illumination on the dial, it was super-basic with just a dial.

Anyways, sussed out the controller eventually, but just a heads up for anyone looking at these heaters ... Mine was faulty from new   Got an E-06 code which is a fan error.  Took it all apart and messed around with it (really should not have to do this with a brand new item!) and got it working.  The cover for the ECU had been clipped on slightly too forward and was fouling the fan edge. Adjusted position of that.
Also had bits of bent cardboard being used as corner shims at the heat output end which was not too impressive.  Guess it is a matter of getting what you pay for!  So put cardboard back where it looked like it came from and reassembled the heater and seems pretty good in fact.
The Eberspacher I fitted 18 months or so ago was certainly a better product, and the chinese heater fitted on Sunday was also working out the box with no problem other than ages to prime.


----------



## jeffmossy

I got one of the Chinese Heater , it was a doddle to fit and so far working as it should !:sleep-027:


----------



## outsuisider

I have a Dyna-Glo unit heater and am very happy with it. Low profile ceiling mount. Here is a link to the unit.

Mine is connected to natural gas but I ensure you, it may be used with propane as well. I have 20 X 24 with 10' ceiling, the 45,000 BTU unit works well.


----------



## Deleted member 12839

wildebus said:


> Ref the price, it is probable that you will have to add on VAT, Import Duty and Handling Charges on top as it is above the £100 threshold that is usually used.  Just something to bear in mind ....
> 
> Having said that, if it works as well as the original, it is a very good deal



I have one of these 2k. Put it in my shepherds hut in my yard.
I paid £121.  Received within the week
I have nothing but praise, a great heater, instead of hooking up to 12v. I bought a transformer £12 for 20a
Sure the transformer uses around 2/3 amps
My hut is 12ft x 9ft. There is no way I can keep this heater on for over one hour it is fantastic


----------



## Nabsim

Gabbie said:


> I have one of these 2k. Put it in my shepherds hut in my yard.
> I paid £121.  Received within the week
> I have nothing but praise, a great heater, instead of hooking up to 12v. I bought a transformer £12 for 20a
> Sure the transformer uses around 2/3 amps
> My hut is 12ft x 9ft. There is no way I can keep this heater on for over one hour it is fantastic



Put a thermostat control in circuit and you will be able to leave it running, ours is just on and off as needed to keep the set temperature when we use it


----------



## Dowel

Gabbie said:


> I have one of these 2k. Put it in my shepherds hut in my yard.
> I paid £121.  Received within the week
> I have nothing but praise, a great heater,



Hello Gabbie, 
That sounds very good. Who did you buy from? 

I see there are now some ebay offers delivered from UK stock. Still Chinese or Thai sellers but potentially much quicker delivery. 
I say potentially because one electronics item from a stockholder in Manchester failed to arrive but they are refunding my payment. 

I have bought a few bits from these Chinese UK outlets recently and so far I have had only one non arrival and three items not acceptable with prompt refunds for all four.
Items I bought previously direct from China via ebay were all satisfactory but delivery took about three weeks.


----------



## wildebus

Dowel said:


> Hello Gabbie,
> That sounds very good. Who did you buy from?
> 
> I see there are now some ebay offers delivered from UK stock. Still Chinese or Thai sellers but potentially much quicker delivery.
> I say potentially because one electronics item from a stockholder in Manchester failed to arrive but they are refunding my payment.
> 
> I have bought a few bits from these Chinese UK outlets recently and so far I have had only one non arrival and three items not acceptable with prompt refunds for all four.
> Items I bought previously direct from China via ebay were all satisfactory but delivery took about three weeks.


Be aware that these heaters come with ZERO warranty and the sellers will do and say anything to try and stop you asking for money back if faulty. 
The first heater I fitted has been great (not one I bought myself, just one I fitted).
The second heater I fitted was faulty out the box. Fixed that fault, but started playing up shortly after with another fault. Currently on the shelf to be looked at. Got a £40 refund on a £150 heater.  Not good value!
The third heater has been testing very well and has always started well and run ok.  Looks like a goodie.
The fourth heater comes up with an error usually when I start it. Sometimes it will start ok and then is fine,but usually won't start. Seller has offered £15 refund on the £115 price.  This time I made sure I checked it out when I first received it (the first one I bought was boxed up for a couple of months before I looked at it - hence stuck with £40 refund offer).  Because requested return due to fault within a few weeks, I WILL get a full refund and am ignoring their £15 offer.


So .... My take on this is it is pot luck if you get a good one. The product QA/QC is clearly very poor. I would imagine if you get a good one, you have a bargain; if you get a bad one, you have a bunch of spare parts.
Be prepared to be disappointed and you will hopefully be pleasantly surprised; immediately check when it arrives and don't accept offers of parts to repair - these are sold as brand new fully working and should not need repairing out the box.
If you are a Concierge member on eBay, remember to contact them if a problem - they will ensure you don't lose out (but still have to report a fault within a month - that is how long the guarantee is essentially).


Buying from China generally ... I buy a lot direct from China and usually things are fine. Very little hassle apart from the odd short shipment  ("send us a photo ......" How do you photograph something that didn't turn up?). I try and use the same sellers where possible for repeat orders and they make sure they send the right stuff and give me discount as a regular customer.
But expensive (over say £50 unit price?) Items I am wary of as the QC generally is worse as you go up in cost weirdly.


----------



## wildebus

Nabsim said:


> Put a thermostat control in circuit and you will be able to leave it running, ours is just on and off as needed to keep the set temperature when we use it


That would work (and does work) with a Eberspacher but these clone heaters have no thermostat control mechanism. If power is removed (say from a thermo-controller cutting in) then when power back on it doesn't restart by itself.
There is a guy in New Zealand who added a remote feature that could do it .... He made an remote-control actuator with a stick that would press the on/off button!

The temp control is sort of achieved by changing the fuel pump frequency - less pump cycles per second, less fuel, less heat out.


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## Dowel

wildebus said:


> Be aware that these heaters come with ZERO warranty and the sellers will do and say anything to try and stop you asking for money back if faulty. ...... So .... My take on this is it is pot luck if you get a good one. The product QA/QC is clearly very poor. I would imagine if you get a good one, you have a bargain; if you get a bad one, you have a bunch of spare parts.




Thanks for those comments, a fair assessment which I think you have covered before.
Was it on this forum that someone posted
“If you want a heater buy an Eberspacher, If you want a hobby buy Chinese”?

The bottom line for some will be that 4 Chinese heaters could be bought for the price of one Eber.

And then despite the EU fine on Eberspacher for price fixing I have seen no drop in their prices.

The Russian Planar distributed in UK looked affordable but if one needs a comprehensive installation the additional parts beyond the Planar basic kit (£420 IIRC) bring the total up to near the Eber’s and Webasto

I must look in again on the Facebook page for these Chinese heaters but I find sorting the useful from the rest time consuming!


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## Nabsim

Not sure if it was earlier in this thread or a different one where someone posted you can get them supplied and fitted in UK somewhere for something over £200. I would have thought if you want one that is a better option then it’s not you has to sort out the problems.

If you can’t control by thermostat though are these type actually suitable in a van in winter? There are times some folks like heating on all night, I know that wouldn’t be able to stay in our van much over half an hour if our Eberspacher was on full belt. It is a DT4 though so 4kw is a fair bit of heat output in a 7.8meter van


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## wildebus

It was on the facebook group that some one said about  buying a heater or a hobby - and that statement I think is true.
Yup - get 5 of these for the price of one eber - it doesn't automatically make them better value though.
It is a matter of the _appropriate _standard of quality.  if you need a car to go to church once a week, an old banger would do the job and ITS quality is fine - no need to go better.  If you did 100,000 miles a year, having to keep finding an new old banger all the time as the old ones break down is not such a clever plan.
If you are someone that relies on a heater working and it is not just an inconvenience, then personally I would say DO NOT buy one of these UNLESS you are also someone who can swap one out quickly and easily.  

I can fit these heaters.  I can swap out one heater for another in about 30 minutes.  But the thing is I really don't want to!  I just want to switch it on and have it work  (i.e. I bought a Heater, NOT a hobby).  
If you are someone that would need to pay a third party to fit or remove/replace a diesel heater then buying one of these could be a real false economy UNLESS the price you paid includes that service for the first 12 months.
There is a company in Fife that is offering supply & fit with 12 month warranty for £299.  That is a bargain (I would charge more than that just for the fitting as I don't like crawling under vans for hours).
PS.  to get the 'proper' install you need to add silencers - they are an extra on the £299.  plus fuel drop pipe, etc likely wanted which is extra as well.  I suspect the £299 will really be more like £450 at the end of the day, but even then still a good price for a full supply and fit.


For the amount of actual use I got from my Eberspacher D2, it cost me around £50 a night.  that is too much! If I were full-timing and so using the Eber maybe 8 months a year if travelling in the UK  (I like to be warm) than the extra money for a pretty-sure-to-be-working heater is worth it IMO.
If it is just an annoyance, then I will just cuss, and drag out another heating option I carry with me for that night and sort out the heater when I get home.

End of the day: 
Would I fit one of these heaters for myself again? Probably if the circumstances were appropriate (One will be going in a shed and easily accessible to fiddle with)
Would I fit one commercially?  No
Would I fit one for a friend? Yes, but only for those who would accept that it is fitted with no guarantee, no warranty and no promises of reliability and if it stops working, don't come back to me to complain.


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## mistericeman

wildebus said:


> It was on the facebook group that some one said about  buying a heater or a hobby - and that statement I think is true.
> Yup - get 5 of these for the price of one eber - it doesn't automatically make them better value though.
> It is a matter of the _appropriate _standard of quality.  if you need a car to go to church once a week, an old banger would do the job and ITS quality is fine - no need to go better.  If you did 100,000 miles a year, having to keep finding an new old banger all the time as the old ones break down is not such a clever plan.
> If you are someone that relies on a heater working and it is not just an inconvenience, then personally I would say DO NOT buy one of these UNLESS you are also someone who can swap one out quickly and easily.
> 
> I can fit these heaters.  I can swap out one heater for another in about 30 minutes.  But the thing is I really don't want to!  I just want to switch it on and have it work  (i.e. I bought a Heater, NOT a hobby).
> If you are someone that would need to pay a third party to fit or remove/replace a diesel heater then buying one of these could be a real false economy UNLESS the price you paid includes that service for the first 12 months.
> There is a company in Fife that is offering supply & fit with 12 month warranty for £299.  That is a bargain (I would charge more than that just for the fitting as I don't like crawling under vans for hours).
> PS.  to get the 'proper' install you need to add silencers - they are an extra on the £299.  plus fuel drop pipe, etc likely wanted which is extra as well.  I suspect the £299 will really be more like £450 at the end of the day, but even then still a good price for a full supply and fit.
> 
> 
> For the amount of actual use I got from my Eberspacher D2, it cost me around £50 a night.  that is too much! If I were full-timing and so using the Eber maybe 8 months a year if travelling in the UK  (I like to be warm) than the extra money for a pretty-sure-to-be-working heater is worth it IMO.
> If it is just an annoyance, then I will just cuss, and drag out another heating option I carry with me for that night and sort out the heater when I get home.
> 
> End of the day:
> Would I fit one of these heaters for myself again? Probably if the circumstances were appropriate (One will be going in a shed and easily accessible to fiddle with)
> Would I fit one commercially?  No
> Would I fit one for a friend? Yes, but only for those who would accept that it is fitted with no guarantee, no warranty and no promises of reliability and if it stops working, don't come back to me to complain.



Pretty much spot on mate..... 

I happily paid the eberspacher price as we are away most weekends even through the winter... And usually off grid
 I don't like being cold... It makes me miserable... And I built our van to be happy in. 
Push button reliable heat was worth the extra over the Chinglese heater lottery in my book.


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## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Pretty much spot on mate.....
> 
> I happily paid the eberspacher price as we are away most weekends even through the winter... And usually off grid
> I don't like being cold... It makes me miserable... And I built our van to be happy in.
> Push button reliable heat was worth the extra over the Chinglese heater lottery in my book.



How old is your Eber now.?


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## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> How old is your Eber now.?



3 years....


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## wildebus

mistericeman said:


> 3 years....


I presume you are plumbed into the main fuel tank?
Just wondering as the Chinese heaters are apparently best run on Paraffin ideally, followed by Kersone as a very close second with Diesel in 3rd place as it is the dirtiest (word is to feed it kerosone every so often if run on diesel, but how someone is meant to do that when plumbed into a main tank I don't know)

I bought my Eberspacher D2 originally to install in my VW T4 but never got around to fitting it in there as I used to run the van on SVO  (Veg Oil) and the Ebers absolutely don't like the Veggie fuel.
I run my chinese heater on standard heating oil aka Kerosene from a standalone tank.


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## mistericeman

wildebus said:


> I presume you are plumbed into the main fuel tank?
> Just wondering as the Chinese heaters are apparently best run on Paraffin ideally, followed by Kersone as a very close second with Diesel in 3rd place as it is the dirtiest (word is to feed it kerosone every so often if run on diesel, but how someone is meant to do that when plumbed into a main tank I don't know)
> 
> I bought my Eberspacher D2 originally to install in my VW T4 but never got around to fitting it in there as I used to run the van on SVO  (Veg Oil) and the Ebers absolutely don't like the Veggie fuel.
> I run my chinese heater on standard heating oil aka Kerosene from a standalone tank.



Yes its been on main tank diesel since I fitted it.... Serviced once with new glow pin and atomiser mesh/fuel pump filter etc. 
They ALL apparently run cleaner on kerosene/parrafin etc but I can't be doing with pfaff of seperate tanks and fuels so it just gets plain old diesel. 

I love pushing the button and having instant pfaff free warmth... It ran almost none stop over last years xmas/new year break.... Not missed a beat.


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## Fazerloz

.The biggest problem with them running dirty is because they are cheap to buy people are buying units that are too big for their vans ie 5kw as against 2kw. Then have to run them on low settings all the time causing a build up of soot in the combustion chambers. They wouldn't get this if they had bought a 2kw heater and run it at a higher setting. As usual a bit of greed, thinking I can have one twice the size for only a few quid more when in reality all it is doing is making a problem.
Nobody buys a 5kw Eber if they don't need 5kw at £2000. Whereas the 5Kw Chinese heater can be had for as little as £120. But they are doing themselves no favours by buy 5kw when all they need is 2kw.
Mine got off to a shaky start but since then it hasn't been a moments problem. Through the summer I have run it a couple of times a month on full heat for about 30 mins a time.


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## wildebus

Yup, it is a case where less really is more 

I run mine on Kerosene for a few reasons - cleaner running, much less than half the price and to drop my tank to fit a standpipe I would have had to remove a lot of extra metalwork due to the pull-out side step installation.
I am planning to add a low-fuel warning light to my little tank to avoid running dry (I worked out the 5L tank should give me around 35 hours of runtime so not too bad)


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## skippy

I have been running my chinese erber clone for 5 years did have problem once at about 18 months old contacted china with fault code told me to check connector pins in harness joint spot on .Run mine on red (free) if not kero red mix 16 ltr tank 2kw in mwb crafter with 3 outlets cant fault it.
 Fitted diesel heater after previous van regulater froze in winter with cooker going result no heat or cooker swore next van will be split fuel.


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## wildebus

Been testing out my heater for the last two days, going out to start it, running for a few hours, then off and repeat a few hours later.
This one (the THIRD heater I have installed in this van) has been perfect so far.  I did think it had failed a couple of times, but it was just I couldn't hear it!  A major difference from the other two.

The difference between this and the other two?  Nothing! other than the physical heater inself.  I used exactly the same components under the van including the fuel pump and pipe routing, and the exact same wiring loom and controller for all three heaters.  So it is purely the actual heater unit that has been changed - and why I made the comment about poor QA/QC


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## tailgate

so without looking through all the replies.... would one of these 5kw keep a 7 mtr motorhome reasonably warm.?

only considering as a back up ...12 kg of gas doesn't last long with alde heating system.

and most important safety ...although would never leave running while away from van or asleep is the general view that they are safe to use or not?

and best place found so far to purchase


cheers folks


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## Les Haro

tailgate said:


> so without looking through all the replies.... would one of these 5kw keep a 7 mtr motorhome reasonably warm.?
> 
> only considering as a back up ...12 kg of gas doesn't last long with alde heating system.
> 
> and most important safety ...although would never leave running while away from van or asleep is the general view that they are safe to use or not?
> 
> and best place found so far to purchase
> 
> 
> cheers folks



Go FB Chinese diesel vehicle heaters. Read all back stuff before asking a question or you will be referred to all back stuff. Too many lazy internetters expect other people to do all the work for them, and you don't want to be told that online. note can also be installed sideways. You can also turn down the fuel to use less.


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## Fazerloz

tailgate said:


> so without looking through all the replies.... would one of these 5kw keep a 7 mtr motorhome reasonably warm.?
> 
> only considering as a back up ...12 kg of gas doesn't last long with alde heating system.
> 
> and most important safety ...although would never leave running while away from van or asleep is the general view that they are safe to use or not?
> 
> and best place found so far to purchase
> 
> 
> cheers folks



I would refer you to my post number 181


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## Dowel

tailgate said:


> so without looking through all the replies....



I am at a similar stage as you, want a heater but still weighing up the pros and cons. I have been following this and similar threads including the boaters ones.

The general view on size is small is better than overlarge as running them on a low setting leads to sooty deposits and running problems. My van is a high top but only 5.2m long and insulated so I would be looking for a 2kw heater. From what I have seen  a 5kw heater should be ok for you although in addition to size you should consider how well it is insulated etc. There is a rough table of heater sizes at this Webasto page:
Webasto: Heating  solutions for motorhomes and caravans
Running on kerosene or paraffin is reported to give cleaner running but you would need a separate tank rather than feeding from the vehicle fuel tank.

If properly installed they are very safe. They have been used in work vans, welfare vans and truck sleeper cabs for years. The combustion intake air and exhaust are discharged externally and are completely separate from the hot air circuit which heats the van.  If needed or preferred the heater can be fitted outside of the body, commonly hung underneath.

Safety concerns have been aired elsewhere and one person reported they had obstructed the heating air flow to simulate an accidental blockage and the result was that the heater shut down rather than bursting into flames.

Diesel fuel is safer than LPG, it doesn’t light easily and does not easily form an explosive mixture.

You are more likely to find discussion of good vendors on the facebook page than here.

Hope that encourages you to read through all the posts and form your own opinion as I  have to nip back to the dementia ward before they notice I am missing, caveat emptor!


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## wildebus

To give a feeling of heater abilities... 
My van is a LWB High Roof VW LT - so 6.3M long externally.  It is 'open plan' inside with full windows (single glazed) all around and I have no coverings on them right now so thermally very inefficient.
I put the heater on today when the internal van temp was 11 Deg C.  (I planned to do some work inside and wanted it warmer!)
about 3-ish hours later, I went out to turn the heater off (never did the work :rolleyes2 and the internal temp was 24 Deg C.

Heater is nominally a 2kW model.  It wasn't running at full.
Fuel Use - been running the heater quite a bit over last few days just checking it is reliable after installing.  Don't know how many hours for sure - maybe 15? - and my fuel tank is now coming close to half full - but having said that it is only 4L in size!


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## wildebus

Had a bit of fun yesterday with the Chinese Heater I installed in the T5 a few months ago now.  Added a Remote Control (via SMS Text Messaging) so can turn on and off from anywhere (and this is a proper on and off, so will carry out the correct warm-down process).
Next step will be to add a proper Temperature Control Feature (the lack of the heater to respond to temperature settings is maybe the biggest operational flaw of these heaters so adding this will be a bit of a game changer)


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## vwillow

*diesel heater*

hi, i have been using a chinese heater for a couple of months, read all the scare stories but decided if they can land on the moon they can probably heat my T4. 
It was easy to fit and despite the strange grammar, simple to operate. 2kw would probably have been adequate as 5kw is used mostly on min. setting. It will heat a frozen windscreen van to 20'c + in 15 minutes with one push of a button.
Long term, who knows but on paper and initial impression all good ! and with a saving of around a grand on a new germam item I'll keep you posted


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## Deleted member 79302

*Noise*

Can anyone tell me are these heaters noisy thanks


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## Fisherman

The one in my Chausson 510 sounded like a jet taking off for about ten minutes. then it did quiet down a fair bit.
Also I found that it took a good charge from my battery when wild camping.
I used to run the engine for ten minutes adding to the noise.


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## mistericeman

Not IF correctly fitted AND fitted with inlet/exhaust silencers...
Setting to a sensible temp (they go through a initialisation run from cold ramping up to full speed... Set sensibly they just modulate rather than taming up and down) 
Ours is almost inaudible from more than 1m away.


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## Fisherman

mistericeman said:


> Not IF correctly fitted AND fitted with inlet/exhaust silencers...
> Setting to a sensible temp (they go through a initialisation run from cold ramping up to full speed... Set sensibly they just modulate rather than taming up and down)
> Ours is almost inaudible from more than 1m away.



I am probably spelling this wrong, ours was an esbarcher.
my mate has a V6 Camper and like yourself his is not as noisy as ours was.
He had it fitted only last year and swears by it.


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## mistericeman

Fisherman said:


> I am probably spelling this wrong, ours was an esbarcher.
> my mate has a V6 Camper and like yourself his is not as noisy as ours was.
> He had it fitted only last year and swears by it.



They are IMHO... The best form of heating in a van/motorhome  in terms of reliable push button/clean/safe/reliable and cheap to run comfort.
Having had one in the transit and having a gas convector fire (with blown air) 
I find the fuel consumption of the eberspacher far better.


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## Nabsim

mistericeman said:


> Not IF correctly fitted AND fitted with inlet/exhaust silencers...
> Setting to a sensible temp (they go through a initialisation run from cold ramping up to full speed... Set sensibly they just modulate rather than taming up and down)
> Ours is almost inaudible from more than 1m away.



I agree, our eberspacher is the same since I fitted exhaust and inlet silencers to ours.


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## Fisherman

mistericeman said:


> They are IMHO... The best form of heating in a van/motorhome  in terms of reliable push button/clean/safe/reliable and cheap to run comfort.
> Having had one in the transit and having a gas convector fire (with blown air)
> I find the fuel consumption of the eberspacher far better.



I can only state what I found.
I don’t think chausson fitted any silencers.
Mine was very noisy, and did take a lot out of the battery during the first few minutes.
I was advised by the dealer and on here  to turn on my engine due to the high load on the battery.

I now have the truma combi 6kw system gas/ electric. With the electric on hook up there is no noise at all apart from the fan, on gas there is a slight noise, barely noticeable. I find that the new van heats up faster than my old van. Also my battery loses hardly any power when using gas whilst wild camping.


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## alcam

Fisherman said:


> I can only state what I found.
> I don’t think chausson fitted any silencers.
> Mine was very noisy, and did take a lot out of the battery during the first few minutes.
> I was advised by the dealer and on here  to turn on my engine due to the high load on the battery.
> 
> I now have the truma combi 6kw system gas/ electric. With the electric on hook up there is no noise at all apart from the fan, on gas there is a slight noise, barely noticeable. I find that the new van heats up faster than my old van. Also my battery loses hardly any power when using gas whilst wild camping.



Had one on my chausson had to check exhaust to see if it was on ! Don't remember any battery problem .
Thought it was great , had gas bottles at the time . Meant very low gas use


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## Fisherman

alcam said:


> Had one on my chausson had to check exhaust to see if it was on ! Don't remember any batteriy problem



Sorry but as I have stated I lost 20-25% charge in ten minutes and if I turned it on outside my home in winter before heading out, I could hear it from inside my home.
My mate has the same system in his v6 camper, and his is much quieter.
This was my first van, and I had nothing to compare it with.
Possibly it was not installed properly, I don’t know.

Why did maxusmicky as if it was noisy.


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## Fisherman

Just googled noisy Motorhome diesel heaters.
The internet is littered with posts like this.

Tried my Eberspacher heater out for first time yesterday. I have just one knob to turn it on & off and it goes up from warm to hot. No sign of any thermostat to control it. It runs of of my fuel tank. It seems very noisey from outside. I wouldn't want to upset any neighbouring camper vans. Has anyone got experience of these? 

But there are also plenty who agree with comments on here about them being quiet.


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## Fazerloz

Start your generator and run the sog unit on your toilet and nobody will be near enough to hear your heater. :have fun:


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## mistericeman

Fisherman said:


> Just googled noisy Motorhome diesel heaters.
> The internet is littered with posts like this.
> 
> Tried my Eberspacher heater out for first time yesterday. I have just one knob to turn it on & off and it goes up from warm to hot. No sign of any thermostat to control it. It runs of of my fuel tank. It seems very noisey from outside. I wouldn't want to upset any neighbouring camper vans. Has anyone got experience of these?
> 
> But there are also plenty who agree with comments on here about them being quiet.



There are a plethora of controllers available from old and basic to more modern and complex.... 

And probably the same when it comes to installation practice.... 
I'm a little lost as to the purpose of your post regarding googling "noisy motorhome diesel heaters" 

It's along the lines of googling inconsiderate motor home users /grey water etc etc. 

Fit an eberspacher properly and it's not a problem.... Lash in a cheap Chinese copy and expect issues.


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## Fazerloz

_Lash in a Eber and expect the same issues._


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## Fisherman

mistericeman said:


> There are a plethora of controllers available from old and basic to more modern and complex....
> 
> And probably the same when it comes to installation practice....
> I'm a little lost as to the purpose of your post regarding googling "noisy motorhome diesel heaters"
> 
> It's along the lines of googling inconsiderate motor home users /grey water etc etc.
> 
> Fit an eberspacher properly and it's not a problem.... Lash in a cheap Chinese copy and expect issues.



Why are you lost.
All I am trying to do is highlight that not everyone has found diesel heaters quiet.
If you think I am lying then so be it.


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## mistericeman

Fisherman said:


> Why are you lost.
> All I am trying to do is highlight that not everyone has found diesel heaters quiet.
> If you think I am lying then so be it.



Take a chill pill chap.....

All I'm saying IS that correctly installed AND fitted with silencers on both the inlet/exhaust and temps set sensibly... 
They aren't noisy.... 
That's from personal experience NOT Google expertise. 

I'm so confident of that.... That when I have time ill be decommissioning the gas blown air on the Swift and replacing it with ANOTHER eberspacher.


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## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Take a chill pill chap.....
> 
> All I'm saying IS that correctly installed AND fitted with silencers on both the inlet/exhaust and temps set sensibly...
> They aren't noisy....
> That's from personal experience NOT Google expertise.
> 
> I'm so confident of that.... That when I have time ill be decommissioning the gas blown air on the Swift and replacing it with ANOTHER eberspacher.



I would add the Eber to the system rather than remove, but obviously your choice.


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## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> I would add the Eber to the system rather than remove, but obviously your choice.



Exactly what I'm doing..... The eber is going into the space vacated by the original single leisure battery THEN ducted into the gas fire heat exchanger housing.... 
Though I strongly suspect the gas fire will never be used again.


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## Fazerloz

mistericeman said:


> Exactly what I'm doing..... The eber is going into the space vacated by the original single leisure battery THEN ducted into the gas fire heat exchanger housing....
> Though I strongly suspect the gas fire will never be used again.



Have you thought about mounting it under the van or have you plenty of spare space.


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## mistericeman

Fazerloz said:


> Have you thought about mounting it under the van or have you plenty of spare space.



Original leisure battery lived in a conveniently placed compartment under the floor ;-)


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## Fazerloz

Update...... Today i fired up the heater for the first time this autumn since last spring. It fired up and ran all day no problems. Since the initial plug problems were  sorted the only thing done to it has been to replace the plug gauze that sooted up due to me trying old engine oil in it. So still going strong and will be pretty much in daily use now until spring . I hope this isn't the kiss of death.


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## yeoblade

I use one in the garage occasionally, very hot!, Mine randomly starts the fan is I don't disconnect the power leads, other than that it's a good'un, not cold enough down here yet, 20c in Zummerset today. 
£70 on eBay, but because of the fault I asked for a replacement, they just refunded my £70 and never asked for it back


----------

