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Old 11-15-2018, 11:55 PM   #1
Skoolie
 
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Heater questions

I have come across the 12 volt diesel heaters being sold on eBay for around $200 for the 8kw version.

Would these be a good investment to heat the interior?

I'm wanting to get the bus interior warm while the engine warms up which can take a while depending on outside temps.

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Old 11-17-2018, 09:33 PM   #2
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Found a Watts to BTU converter. The heater has a converted output of 27k BTU.

So far, I've discovered that there have been no fires attributed to the heater. It must be run on high for 30 or so minutes to burn out all the carbon build up from using it on low. I intend to use it on high only. The design and maintenance of it is simple. Parts are available. Same thing sold under many brand names.
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Old 11-21-2018, 01:53 PM   #3
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They look good to me

I purchased a 6kw to help take the bite off while I build. If I like it a ton I may get another 5Kw for the rear and have dual heat zones for when it's being used. They are more cost effective than any other heater that will also produce dry heat and be easy to install IMHO. Also, something to be said for having a thermostat. I am waiting for it to arrive from China now.
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Old 11-21-2018, 02:01 PM   #4
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Good deal Mike. I found it on eBay shipped from California. Still free shipping but a few dollars more in cost. Could you time the warm up? I've not added any insulation to my bus. I'm guessing it will take about 30 minutes to pre-heat.
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Old 01-09-2019, 10:30 AM   #5
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Update

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrionsComfortBus View Post
Good deal Mike. I found it on eBay shipped from California. Still free shipping but a few dollars more in cost. Could you time the warm up? I've not added any insulation to my bus. I'm guessing it will take about 30 minutes to pre-heat.
Well as I thought, install was pretty easy. I have to clean it up a bit but it's functional. As far as how long it takes to heat up, I have not gone that far yet BUT I can say that in 10 min it raised the temp from 39 to 47 in my uninsulated bus. More will follow.
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Old 01-09-2019, 10:37 AM   #6
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I've got a 5kw version still in the box. I've done quite a bit of research and am preparing to assemble, test, install, and review the unit soon. One thing I've found is that while you can buy them with a lot of different brand names on the box, they're likely all made in the same factory. The kits you buy differ mostly on the accessories included. They produce a lot of heat but may require some configuration before doing so, and when the thermostat hits its target temperature it doesn't shut off, just reduces to a minimum level that likely produces more heat than you would want.

Interestingly, a lot of people have ordered 2KW units and received 5KW units with a 2KW sticker on them. A bonus if you bought the 2kw for price concerns but not if you bought it for space concerns!
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Old 01-09-2019, 10:38 AM   #7
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Heater

I picked up a wood stove from Tractor supply for under 500$ on Black Friday. Heating issue is gone and its cheap to fill.
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Old 01-09-2019, 01:08 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brokedown View Post
I've got a 5kw version still in the box. I've done quite a bit of research and am preparing to assemble, test, install, and review the unit soon. One thing I've found is that while you can buy them with a lot of different brand names on the box, they're likely all made in the same factory. The kits you buy differ mostly on the accessories included. They produce a lot of heat but may require some configuration before doing so, and when the thermostat hits its target temperature it doesn't shut off, just reduces to a minimum level that likely produces more heat than you would want.

Interestingly, a lot of people have ordered 2KW units and received 5KW units with a 2KW sticker on them. A bonus if you bought the 2kw for price concerns but not if you bought it for space concerns!
got any pics?
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Old 01-09-2019, 03:13 PM   #9
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Bench test

Quote:
Originally Posted by brokedown View Post
I've got a 5kw version still in the box. I've done quite a bit of research and am preparing to assemble, test, install, and review the unit soon. One thing I've found is that while you can buy them with a lot of different brand names on the box, they're likely all made in the same factory. The kits you buy differ mostly on the accessories included. They produce a lot of heat but may require some configuration before doing so, and when the thermostat hits its target temperature it doesn't shut off, just reduces to a minimum level that likely produces more heat than you would want.

Interestingly, a lot of people have ordered 2KW units and received 5KW units with a 2KW sticker on them. A bonus if you bought the 2kw for price concerns but not if you bought it for space concerns!
I reallllllllyyyyyy recommend testing it in a well ventilated garage. The amount of machining oil left on these things is a lot that burns off on the first cycle. But it smells. I had my garage door open and it still stunk. Other than that, I hope you are as pleasantly surprised as I am.
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Old 01-09-2019, 03:46 PM   #10
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I'll be doing a full burn in in my workshop.. aka the great outdoors! I'll just set it all up on a table and let it do its thing. I'm no stranger to the sweet smell of machining oil and assembly lube!

Weather permitting i'll be tackling this project over the weekend and will share some photos and such afterwards.
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Old 01-13-2019, 05:14 PM   #11
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Times heat

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrionsComfortBus View Post
Good deal Mike. I found it on eBay shipped from California. Still free shipping but a few dollars more in cost. Could you time the warm up? I've not added any insulation to my bus. I'm guessing it will take about 30 minutes to pre-heat.
So I did time my heater in my 38ft uninsulated bus in the shade. Started out at 33F and ran it for 2 hrs with a roof vent open to help dry it out. At the end it was 51F.
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Old 01-14-2019, 07:56 AM   #12
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My bench test went very well. My heater came with absolutely 0 instructions! Fortunately there is a lot of documentation online from past buyers. I'm handy enough to figure out how it all hooked up but the control module is not at all obvious how to use it. Took somme video but probably mostly recording new material for the review...
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