For all you diesel heater afficionados

[AccidentalOverlander]

Socks with Sandals, Vanlifer in the UK (would love to see Bob Wells interview him), met up with one of his subscribers to show an ingenious diesel heater setup:

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Wow, that's really cool! I wonder if anyone else has something like that. I just installed my diesel heater and the ticking is not that bad, but it's definetely there!

 

[PeterPiper]

Someone else was FIRST to achieve a silent pump.

Mounted inside a PVC pipe that was vacuumed to .002 atmospheres.

No one can hear you "click" in space.

 

[hugemoth]

Just a note that there are some all in one 5kw diesel heaters on eBay for 49.99 and free shipping. Might be a good deal for someone.

 

[kklowell]

That's about as low a price as I would think we'd ever see.

 

[Camper]

I can't find them, please send the link.

 

[kklowell]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203355821204?hash=item2f58f39494:g:kboAAOSw5lZgfk0b will get you there

 

[PeterPiper]

That's just freaking NUTS !

They were a fantastic deal at $100 MORE !



Summer time....sales have slowed.  Betcha the prices will shoot back up in September.

 

[hugemoth]

Yes, people are probably not thinking about heaters when it's hot outside. Can't imagine them ever being cheaper than $50

 

[PeterPiper]

Right?
They must be unloading overstock or something.  I know millions of them have been sold.  They're VERY popular.
I'm thinking of buying a few more just to put in storage !

 

[bullfrog]

Buy several so you will have spare parts! Lol!!! The old gasoline heaters in VWs got pretty hard to find parts for at one time and it got really expensive to buy replacement switches and injectors.

 

[Camper]

I bought an all in one last spring for my cargo trailer. Think I will buy a couple at $49 just to hang on too. They can't last long at that price, unless the guy owns the factory.

 

[PeterPiper]

You have discovered electricity I take it ???     lol Hey, at least they not designed with planned obsolescence like new cars and new appliances are today.

VW's......
You're talking about the heater BOXES ?
VW beetles up through 1979 had these metal boxes wrapped around the exhaust pipe to collect heat.
It was a rather ingenious design for the time.

 

[nature lover]

I remember the gasoline heater in The VW not just a heater box, it was in the The Square back. I don’t remember them in the beetle. But I will say for sure there was a gasoline heater produced by VW. it literally burned drops of gasoline from the gas tank. do I remember wrong? I have discovered electricity, but not on my own; Benjamin Franklin help me with that.

 

[PeterPiper]

I've worked on literally hundreds of VW's in the 70's and 80's and can't recall coming across one.  (gasoline heater)

But yeah, many had them.

Benjamin Franklin eh?  My you are amazingly old.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Those VW exhaust heaters were great until you got a exhaust leak.  Then they would asphyxiate you.
I put an aftermarket one in a bug. It would heat without the engine running - we used it as a warming shed while playing hockey.

 

[bullfrog]

The gasoline heaters were offered in all VWs including the Bug in which it sat almost touching the gas tank. Being very similar to todays diesel heaters it had a combination electric fan on one end and the fuel pump on the other. A combustion chamber enclosed by a heating chamber which recirculated air passed through from inside the vehicle. The fuel pump supplied an injector with a spray nozzle pointed into the heating chamber with a set of electrodes that ignited the fuel creating a tremendous amount of heat if adjusted correctly. The pump got it's fuel from a tee in the main gas line and the heater could be run while parked without the engine running until the battery died, which means a couple hours as most were 6 volts. Many of the commercial airplanes used a similar heater well into the 1980s I believe. In the bus they were mounted in the engine bay on the opposite side of the battery with the exhaust pointing straight down. On a very cold day I had mine on and being thermostatically controlled it was off when I arrived at the grocery store parking lot and forgot to turn it off when I went in. I was shocked to see it had come on and fouled the ignitor somewhat and causing it to run very rich producing a large black cloud of smoke that covered a large portion of the parking lot. Fortunately I got in and drove away just before the fire department arrived.

 

[hugemoth]

The $50 diesel heaters are back on eBay if anyone is interested.

 

[hugemoth]

Caution

The 10 L diesel tank that was supplied with my diesel heater has been in use and mounted outside exposed to the sun for 6.months. I noticed today that it has split along the top seam.The rest of the seam is still intact so no fuel has leaked.

I advise checking the tank regularly or replacing it with a diesel jerry can.

 

[66788]

You get what you pay for.   $50.00 is too much IMO, but these threads are entertaining.