Thread: Diesel heater as an option?

I think that would work well. You wouldn't need a very big one though. I doubt you'd need a second battery unless you wanted to run it all day off the cranking battery without running the vehicle. They draw about 8 amps on startup for about 2 minutes or so until combustion is self sustaining then drop back to what the fan draws - around an amp on mine going about half speed. I've been thinking of sticking one in my 101 when I do the camping fitout. I run a 5KW one in my caravan which is awesome, but overkill. For a small cabin like yours, a 1.5 to 2KW would more than do I think, but bigger units will just run the fan and diesel flow slower once the cabin is warm.

Go for it I say.

I was wondering why you would even need a heater that works , then I saw you live in Tassie .

I have 4x 12v ceramic elements (like a hair dryer) inside the Smiths heater box on my EV Landy , But only used once to pass the Engineers report / RWC ADR requirement for a working demister.

May not be good enough for Hobart .

12v ceramic element | eBay

Well, doing a google search and looks like this is now more comon place given these heaters are cheap (under $200)

An example here of someone that has put one in.

Looks like I will go this way

Edit - checked out a few vids on the operation of these units and i can say that they put out some noise. Now this noise, on top of the series noise will perhaps be too much? Also, it looks to me that once started its meant to be run for some time, so having the fan on lowest setting enables that but is that a flexible enough solution... i guess one can open a window slightly to adjust temps but again not sure. So ill investigate further...

One might be good in the L322 (petrol engine) as the stock heater is almost worthless. (:

Originally Posted by Cap

Well, doing a google search and looks like this is now more comon place given these heaters are cheap (under $200)

An example here of someone that has put one in.

Looks like I will go this way

Edit - checked out a few vids on the operation of these units and i can say that they put out some noise. Now this noise, on top of the series noise will perhaps be too much? Also, it looks to me that once started its meant to be run for some time, so having the fan on lowest setting enables that but is that a flexible enough solution... i guess one can open a window slightly to adjust temps but again not sure. So ill investigate further...

Mine is very quiet. The exhaust makes a low rumble, but you can’t hear it inside the caravan and there’s no engine running there. I might not want to be in a tent right next to one with it going full bore, but it’s not loud, and certainly couldn’t be overheard above the engine running. The fan makes no more noise than any HVAC fan, and probably less when running on lower settings. Temp can be adjusted down low, but if it is still too hot, it shuts off in a around a minute or so - it turns the fuel off straight away but the fan runs for around 2 minutes to cool the unit down. It isn’t as flexible as a normal heater, but I don’t think you’ll have any issues regulating the temp in a series to be honest.

You could always just go with a basic 12v water heater.12V 4 Ports Car Universal Under dash Heater Heat Defroster Demister W/ Switch 6954189828662 | eBay

Originally Posted by goingbush

I was wondering why you would even need a heater that works , then I saw you live in Tassie .

I have 4x 12v ceramic elements (like a hair dryer) inside the Smiths heater box on my EV Landy , But only used once to pass the Engineers report / RWC ADR requirement for a working demister.

May not be good enough for Hobart .

12v ceramic element | eBay

The heater demister requirement came in some time in the seventies. If it had a round heater originally it is not an RWC requirement. Round heaters were a factory option only up to chassis suffix 'E' on Series 2a, when they were replaced by a rectangular heater, although aftermarket round heaters were often fitted to vehicles sold originally without a heater later than that - but these would have only been sold without a heater before RWCs required this.

And unless I am mistaken the RWC requirement is for demisters, not a heater!

Another option would be to build a rectangular heater like those fitted to Series 2a after the round heaters, using a readily available square core. This would require about the same amount of fabrication as the proposed diesel heater installation.