Tapping side of diesel tank

[heimlich]

I mounted my diesel heater towards the middle of the bus right next to the side of the diesel tank. The place where one would usually tap is next to the front door where the hole in the floor is. That seems like a little too far to run the fuel line. I was thinking of tapping into the side of the diesel tank. Has anyone seen this done? My only concern is the hose line coming off and my diesel draining out but I'm sure there is a solution to it.

 

[Cheezewhiz]

If you got one of the cheap chinese heaters (like I dis) this thread has some solid info:

https://diysolarforum.com/threads/chinese-diesel-heater-questions.54856/

Tl;dr: run the bitch at full bore as often as possible, and for 20 minutes before turning it off.

You'll still have to disassemble and clean and replace some small bits fairly regularly.

Mind the exhaust, straighter/shorter is better, amd make sure the weep hole is the lowest point



As for tapping into your tank, why not plumb a tee fitting into the fuel line?

Maybe the (presumably an elbow) fitting right at the top of the tank?

I used the tank that came with the heater kit, and rather than trust the shitty fittings they gave me to puncture the bottom of the tank with, carved a hole in the top and dropped the line in that way.

 

[heimlich]

It seems best not to plumb into the vehicles lines. They go the opposite way so at that point I could just tap into where they come out.

 

[Cheezewhiz]

Yeah, that's what I mean. Whatever fitting that the main fuel line connects to the tank.

Stick a tee on that, then you don't have to deal with putting another hole in the tank and all the possible mess from that.

Shockingly enough, the pumps on those heaters aren't great, so it's ideal to set them in line with the bottom of the tank they feed from. Part of why I used the little tank that came with it instead of plumbing in from the main fuel tank-they're aways away from each other. Course it would be nice, fill both with one nozzle, and have 100 gallons of heater fuel. Ah well

 

[turf]

how far do you want to run you line... or what are you trying to limit it to?

the volume of fuel is tiny.... those pumps put out a few milliliters per click.
from my fuel tank to my heater is probably close to 20' and no problems....i also protected the line with a run of pex. so my 20' of fuel line runs throu 19.5' of pex, to the rear of the bus.

its worked fine until now.

my diesel heater failed last year and i havent been able to light it.... troubleshooting diagnosed the fuel pump as the problem. going to replace the pump this week, but i doubled checked the line and it survived the last ~12 years real well.

the new pump is rated at 5ml


here is a video of my failed pump.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kPevxfXB3NmxYfCb6

 

[s2mikon]

I did not plumb in to my motor fuel tanks for a number of reasons. First I like to add 2 cycle oil and stana dyne additive to my fuel and I don't want to burn that in my heater. Second I always burn 1 tankful of kerosene through the heaters per year. I installed them in 2019 and haven't had to clean them yet. I installed a 5 gallon aluminium fuel cell for each one and moved the pumps right next to the tanks and lengthened the wires to accommodate. I also have 2 of these heaters for my darkroom and used the mickey mouse tanks that come with them and I'm on my 3rd year and the tanks are shot. I'm installing a real fuel tank next week.

 

[heimlich]

I do not want to plumb into the engines fuel lines. I've read it might take away the prime from it. I don't want to mess with the busses engines fuel system. I don't mind taking a straw and sipping out of the same cup though.

I do need to run a line for a generator as well. I have a diesel generator going under the bus next to the tank as well. Maybe I just need a separate diesel tank for the both of these.

Has anyone tapped into the side of their bus diesel tank?

 

[s2mikon]

If you run a 2nd tank for the genset and the heaters you can use red diesel in it. You don't save much but it is still a savings.

 

[Cheezewhiz]

I always burn 1 tankful of kerosene through the heaters per year. I installed them in 2019 and haven't had to clean them yet.

Okay, that's awesome to hear. Do you fill the tank with kero and run it straight on that, or mix it in?
How much use do you put them through?

The guide from the other forum says he gets 2-3 weeks of 24/7 runtime before they need cleaning, but had no opinion about running any kind of cleaning agent through.


And heimlich, that's totally understandable. I'd go in through the top of the tank if possible, or at least as close as you can get. Unless you get a threaded fitting real welded on (and **** that hassle) it will be a failure point if it's below the fuel level.

Put a magnet on your drill bit.

My bus has a manual pump built into the fuel filter housing, so it's super easy to reprime. So does my stepvan, but it's awkward to get to. You might check for one

 

[s2mikon]

How much I use them per year varies. So far this year about 8 hours. Last year about 40-50 hours. The 2 years before all winter long. This winter has been so mild I haven't hardly used them.
I have drain valves on the bottom of the tanks, so I wait until it is down to 1/4 full and then drain it into a 10 litre fuel can and then refill half to full of red kerosene depending upon how much I used it and burn it down almost dry and then refill with red diesel. I keep red kerosene around because I also use kerosene heaters at times. Keeping kerosene heaters tuned up and burning clean is also an art with a learning curve.

 

[Iceni John]

Have you checked if there's a spare threaded port in the top of your diesel tank? I had an unused 1/2" port in the top of mine, so I made a dip tube from some 3/8" OD stainless tube soldered (yes, you can solder stainless steel) into a 3/8" FPT brass fitting, then the 3/8" fuel line from there goes to a pair of Amerine gear pumps that push fuel to each heater's 10L day tank. I have a momentary-On toggle switch by each day tank that actuates a relay to send power to the gear pump: it takes me only a few seconds to fill up a day tank. Easy!

Just bear in mind that the heater's metering (impulse) pump doesn't suck fuel as well as pushing it, so put the pump closer to the tank than the heater itself. The supplied fuel filters are junk, so buy a cheap small-engine filter instead and put that immediately before the metering pump. Do NOT use anything except the correct 2mm ID fuel supply tube between the pump and the heater - some heaters have god-awful green tube that's too large and will crack and leak eventually. The pump MUST be pointing slightly up (between 20 and 35 degrees up works well) to help cavitation bubbles leave the pump.

Most problems with these heaters are caused by poor installations, but some of the cheapest heaters are more prone to carbon build-up than others, which can only be solved by reprograming the fuel/air ratios a bit leaner (or a lot leaner if you use them at higher elevations!). Like diesel engines, these heaters are not stoichiometric, so more air is always better than insufficient air, even at sea level. However, don't have the fan run faster than 4500 RPM, or the bearings will die sooner.

John

 

[heimlich]

I haven't looked at my current tank. It was so far away I dismissed it as an option.

I am going to try to put a seperate tank behind right rear tire. Hopefully I can find a diesel tank for that area and plumb to it.

 

[Brian S-SKO]

My Ford E450 had an auxiliary tap next to the fuel line. Took me a while to figure it out. Just plugged right into it. If i get below 1/3 of a tank it loses prime, which has turned out to not be a problem.

 

[Diesel bus fun]

Some fuel tanks hav a ports that might be plug from factory , on most semi trks there is a vent port & a person could tap into it…. On eBay type rigmaster pick up tube might show up that way

 

[Cheezewhiz]

More things will safely hold diesel than gasoline.

 

[Rob_386]

If you got one of the cheap chinese heaters (like I dis) this thread has some solid info:

Chinese diesel heater questions

Tl;dr: run the bitch at full bore as often as possible, and for 20 minutes before turning it off.

That's actually a common myth, and will cause it clog up sooner, especially if you are at altitude. I tested it in this video