Looking for opinions on heaters

[notmad]

I love Slim Potatohead. He likes to tinker with different things. Makes sense he'd try the cheap diesel heater. And if it turns out to suck and be a pain and unreliable, then he's done a service to everyone who is thinking about doing it. It may not be good, but I think I'd take it over his pellet stove experiment and waking up through the night to feed it more pellets.

 

[jacqueg]

 As for the weak power source, why would a full time RVer not have a functioning solar setup mounted on his trailer?

He's not a full-timer. He has a perfectly nice suburban house, and has no plans to leave it permanently.

And he does have solar panels. 

I have no idea whether what he is trying to do with this heater makes any sense at all. I do remember though that after he tried using a small wind turbine to generate power, he concluded it was non-practical, and let all of us know about it. So I'm pretty confident that he will do the same if his heater experiment proves to be a bust.

Also - Slim's videos are never interrrupted by ads, which I take to mean that he is not monetizing his videos as much as others do.

 

[66788]

He's not a full-timer. He has a perfectly nice suburban house, and has no plans to leave it permanently.

And he does have solar 

Also - Slim's videos are never interrrupted by ads, which I take to mean that he is not monetizing his videos as much as others do.

The fact that he is not a full time explains quite a bit.   No reasonable full timer would engage in such a boondoggle as he did.

Note:   If you use the "Brave" browser to view YouTube videos you won't see any ads at all, even on the free movies with ads.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

 . . .No reasonable full timer would engage in such a boondoggle as he did. . .

And why would that be?

 

[66788]

And why would that be?

See post #60 this thread.

 

[vanpocalyptic]

I have a Webasto diesel heater (the one the knock-offs are designed after) and it is just like a furnace in your house. I have Mr, Buddy as well and it is night and day. I got lotsa sleeping bags too, but this is my home and I want to cook dinner in a t-shirt and not winter camp every night!

The amount of diesel it consumes varies with temp obviously, but it is so little that after 2 months I am still not sure how much it takes (way more efficient than feeding my Mr. Buddy propane or lowering a generator with a space heater). Maybe average about a litre a day. I have a 25L tank and it is way overkill. It does use maybe 25Ah on a cold day but my daily driving with 50ah DC/DC charger keeps it charged without solar.

As for the pump ticking, it just doesn't bother me at all.

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk

 

[StarryNights]

I installed a Chinese 2K unit in my Sprinter last year and it has worked flawlessly. Sips fuel and battery power and I can hardly hear the pump. You can only smell Diesel outside a bit on startup and shutdown. While running, mine burns clean with no smell at all.

Slim Potatohead's review seemed way overly critical for a solution that seemed to exceed his electric and fuel consumption goals. Pump noise can be reduced by mounting on a dampening material instead of directly to frame.

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

  . . . POS Chinese diesel heater with a plethora of inherent problems . . . power it with a POS small "solar generator" . . . and finally determines that the nasty clicking noise that the fuel pump makes is too loud for his taste.

Of course anyone with half a brain could figure that out before they even bought the damn thing . . . why would a full time RVer not have a functioning solar setup mounted on his trailer?

 . . . No reasonable full timer would engage in such a boondoggle as he did . . .

Denigrating someone for experimenting to determine if something meets a need doesn't add anything to the discussion.

It would be helpful if you would explain:
 - why you think the Chinese diesel heaters are a POS.
 - what are the "plethora of inherent problems"?
 - why is powering it with a "POS solar generator" dumb?
 - what solar setup would you recommend for a small trailer in the winter?
 - why would one with 'half a brain' be able to figure it out without trying it?
 - what insights do 'reasonable full timers' have that us part timers don't?

I found his videos helpful; it prompted me to rethink a couple of things.

 

[highdesertranger]

ok I think we all need to calm down. highdesertranger

 

[bagabum]

I love Slim Potatohead.  He likes to tinker with different things.  Makes sense he'd try the cheap diesel heater.  And if it turns out to suck and be a pain and unreliable, then he's done a service to everyone who is thinking about doing it.  It may not be good, but I think I'd take it over his pellet stove experiment and waking up through the night to feed it more pellets.

I'm with you. I love Slim's videos, also "Gonagain". Slim tries things out and you can see if it is for you or not, he also has tried a windmill , etc.   Everybody and their brother reviews power supplies but Slim builds things. Cant wait for next episode as he builds something I may want to copy.

 

[notmad]

I'm with you. I love Slim's videos, also "Gonagain". Slim tries things out and you can see if it is for you or not, he also has tried a windmill , etc.   Everybody and their brother reviews power supplies but Slim builds things. Cant wait for next episode as he builds something I may want to copy.

I'm a fan of Gonagain too.

Is there a thread on YT channels?
(my favs are Slim, adventurevanman, foresty forest, and of course cheaprvliving. - I watch a few others too lexnriot, down2mob, vancity vanlife, matty van halen, catherine gregory, kira and the survival pod, suv rving, goneagain, rolling earthship)

 

[jacqueg]

Here's a curren[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]t one -[/font] 

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=42106

Pre[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]t[size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]ty sure you can find others if you look.[/font][/font][/size]

 

[izifaddag]

Hi Truman,
This what I do for heating.
I have 3 electric heaters. A 250 watt mini heater, a 500 watt with a thermostat and the big gun a 700/1500 watt unit again with a thermostat.
I use a Champion 2000 generator in combination with 200ah of battery with 1000watts in solar.
I have a Buddy heater 4000/8000 btu unit with a 20lbs tank.
The result is a juggling act.
As has been said already it is best to follow the weather. Currently I am in the desert by the Mexican border. So in the day the sun shines and no heating is needed. In the evening I will turn on the Buddy @ 4000 btu (I never use the higher setting) then when the camper is warmed up - which is rapid - I turn it off. Rinse and repeat.
When it is a bit colder I leave the generator running and generally use the 500 watt electric heater which is usually enough. Next step is to add the 250 watt unit. I don't do that often. 500 is generally plenty.
With shorepower I will use the big gun. Hardly ever on 1500 however.
As for the diesel heaters I used one for years. I had an Espar - the massively over expensive one - in my truck. It sipped diesel and blasted heat out. I have been in -20 in Wyoming and had to turn it off and crack a window. 
The Buddy propane heater I bought in September when I got caught in a freak snow storm in Colorado. Very glad I did. I don't have a condensation problem, it is very economical and I turn it off when I go to bed. Sometimes I will use the 500 watt electric heater overnight.
I have researched the Chinese versions of the Espar extensively and I have yet to see anything bad about them. I fully intend buying one. The Buddy heater was always meant to be a back up heater I never envisioned it as a primary heat source. Once I have done a bit of carpentry that has gone to the top of the to do list that heater is going to be purchased and installed.
I agree with a previous poster. You really need multiple ways of heating. With this lifestyle redundancy is critical. Multiple ways to provide power, heating and cooling, cooking etc are critical.
BTW I thoroughly recommend the Champion 2000 generator (I have the black one). My Honda is going to be sold and I am going to buy a 2nd Champion for back up power.
The diesel heaters are extremely economical with the fuel. If I end up filling that plastic tank twice in a season I will be very surprised. The only criticism I have of them is that the fuel pump is a little fussy. You have to mount it at about a 45 degree angle and it can generate an annoying ticking noise. I am going to sound proof mine.

 

[user 37446]

Something like what Slim Potatohead is doing? He just released a 2 part video of his experience and experiments in using a suitcase diesel with his fiberglass trailer. Very interesting.
 Part 1 : Diesel Suitcase Experiment
 Part 2 : Diesel Suitcase Experiment

Seemingly uses very little diesel and about 27% of his small Jackery's power using the heater about 15 hours a day to keep interior temp around 55-60°.

In the end he really wasn't thrilled with it, but then he doesn't like diesel smell, the ticking fuel pump and he didn't want to cut several holes in his unit. Others who don't have those same concerns may find the diesel bunk heater to be just fine.

As opposed to "some" other(s) here, I appreciate his methods and willingness to show us what worked for him and what did not. It might help someone else, that's the whole reason he posts his experiences. If you can learn from it great, if you don't then just move on'.

 

[GntlStone]

I appreciate his methods and willingness to show us what worked for him and what did not. It might help someone else, that's the whole reason he posts his experiences. If you can learn from it great, if you don't then just move on'.

As do I. I just finished watching his ammo can wood/pellet stove/oven build. I'd like to build one of those.