Really interesting. I watched all three videos, including the one where he takes it to bits.
Clearly, the drawbacks are the noise and the power consumption, particularly at startup. You'd want to install a small one so it won't keep having to switch off and on, with the power overhead of the glowplug. But certainly worth considering if you need heat and don't have gas.
If it really uses half a litre to one litre per hour for 1.5 to 2kw, it doesn't seem specially efficient. A litre of diesel should give 10KWh of heat.
I'd expect better than 30% efficiency. Perhaps I misremember what he said it consumes (it is in the second video of the series).
Are there any cheap chinese knock-offs of the Truma 2600 LPG equivalent?
I watched the video but can't remember all the details but .....
Noise ... he had EVERYTHING in the workshop, so the noise check was not accurate. In practice, if you needed a heater you would have windows and doors closed, and you would have any exhaust and combustion inlet outside - so the noise would be a lot lower than his tests.
I find the noise from my heater perfectly acceptable. I have been told it is no more intrusive than a Truma (IIRC)
Fuel Consumption... if it is the video I am thinking off, he had his fuel in a little blue bowl? if that is the case, he couldn't really check the consumption. I
HAVE checked the fuel consumption and I found the consumption to be between 0.125L and 0.25L per hour when running Kerosene depending on heat output.
Power Consumption... I can't recall his figures, but my figures would say the power consumption is within expected and reasonable limits. Upto 9A when starting up (goes to the glowpin) lasting around 5 minutes; followed by around 1A in run mode; then upto around 9A (maybe less. can't recall exactly) for around 2-3 minutes on the cooldown mode when turning off.
You don't have turn the heater off when it is up to the temp you need, you can turn the fuel pump down to the minimum as an option - depending if you think you will be upping the temp again. choice becomes a matter of experience of the heater in your own van. (for example, I have lots of single-glazed windows so I loose heat quicker than many motorhomes so I might think I need to put the heater on again soon - so maybe I just turn it down instead of off, as a 'maintanance mode' - and that is exactly what I do)
