The fuel pump and the fan motor wear out the quickest on all of my heaters. Make sure to have extra fuel atomizers on hand. I found fastest way to clean out blast tube from soot is to use propane torch to cook it out then compressed air to blow out .
@@MispronouncedAdventures Yeh they go bad just like everything else. I have taken these apart and fixed them over the years many many times . Make sure to get replacement screens they get funked up .
The Z designation on the bearing means it has a metal shield holding the grease in. A ZZ bearing means it has those metal shields on both sides which is what you need on the heater. You also come across RS or 2RS bearings which means they have rubber shields instead of metal ones. They probably wouldn't stand the heat in this application.
@@stevecarlisle3323 I had considered ceramic, but I couldn’t find any examples where people had to use them in a diesel heater for these particular circumstances. So I choose a more known and tested option.
Good to know, esp as I have a Kirby vacuum cleaner! The motors & therefore bearings on these I don't think experience much heat - if anything - experience a lot of very cold.
Oooooh that bearing went in far too easily! The old one has been spinning in the housing. A bit of red loctite (bearing retainer) should have been put in or this one will spin it out even more. - Even a dribble of super glue will work. also- when you fit new gaskets- wipe them with a little oil so that they will release next time. -Tips from an old fart engineer.
Thank you for the tips. I agree I did notice it went in very easy ( it’s not so loose, would drop out if you inverted it ) I do wonder if the old one was a similar fit. It just had so much motor brush dust deposits that it filled in all the gaps.
As a side note for the gasket you could use a liquid high temp gasket which just comes in a tube. They work great in situations you might not beable to get a gasket.
In order to reuse gaskets on our racecars, we used to apply antisieze to both sides of the gasket. Silicone spray would probably also work in this application.
@@MispronouncedAdventures Hey there, 'm thinking about getting one of these Amazon has the 8Kw unit for 97$$ right now... A utuber claims you can use waste oil or pretty much anything but gasoline🤣 So I throw away a lot of fryer oil, do you think that would work in it??
@autojohn-pu1vf the 8kW Chinese units are just a 5kW unit with a high max allowed pump and fan speed ( the 5kW unit are a copy of the 4kw western versions). You won’t get 8kW out of it and running it at max will not be good for it. As for alternative fuels, yes. Pure Kero works, as for waste type oil its normally mixed with diesel to help the burn. But it will be a dirty burn and like need setting changed to burn well. I do have one which runs on gasoline or diesel but it uses a proprietary internal burner
@@MispronouncedAdventures TY for the quick response, I won't be able to use the furnace🥶until I fix mold in the house making me sick, and got my bed in front of the fireplace... So are these settings a screw adjustment, like a carburator? and your saying the fry oil will mix with the diesel OK???? This may be a permanent solution to all the money I waste heating a huge house (even with all the extra vents shut) when I only go in a few rooms normally.
Great video! I think you proved that by using the heater all the time keeps it in best shape! Also - a man after my own heart - someone that carries a spare heater. I run eberspachers (thats all you could buy 12 years ago when i had to replace my heater) but when they give up the ghost i will be moving over to a chinese model. New sub here!
Thank you for subscribing. I definitely with the heater are well installed and you buy a good one from maybe of the different companies then they can run just, But definitely carry a spare one just in case
@@MispronouncedAdventures I need to dissect some Webasto heaters on some Ford Transits from between 95-99 that have probably been sitting too long... An inverter from 12V DC to 230V AC works as a spare heating fan plus the regular compartment heater. For longer distances, a separate generator may be needed and or extra batteries...
I was always thinking I’d be looking at one of the more expensive diesel heaters in my next van but after seeing your set up with that better controller I might have to re consider. Helpful video!
@@MispronouncedAdventuresThis means Chineese are going slower but surely advancing in tech in compare to Western one. They are already slowly taking over car industry as any other.Well...when the profits are above all this is what you get at the end.
Ive had one of these heaters in my Garage Office for about 9 years and it gets heavily used most days. Mine is a 24Volt version to match my Battery Bank and Im on my third glow plug which is the only problem I have experienced. The glow plugs are supposed to be a special 24 volt plug but I cant see any difference between the the 12 and 24 volt plugs so they may be pulling my leg on that one. Last time I pulled the heater apart I was expecting to see unimaginable filth as per some You tube videos but was quite surprised to see how clean it was. The last time I ordered a new glow plug I ordered 2 for another spare and it came with replacement gaskets. So should be good for another 9 years 🙂. To stop that annoying fuel pump tick I hang the pump on 2 strong cords stretched apart, rather than using the rubber mount provided. The tick then doesnt get amplified by the wall or frame that it would normally be mounted to. Significantly quieter.
Indeed, the glow plugs are known as one of the more consumable parts in long-term use. I don’t know if there’s a difference between the 12 v and 24 V glow plugs. If there is I don’t imagine it would be visible, I would’ve thought it would be the winding of the coil inside of the glow plug itself which you can’t see would be different for each voltage. However, it might just be the same. Heaters set up well and used often are usually pretty clean inside. As for my pump it’s loosely mounted so I don’t hear the tick that much inside the van.
the heaters are so cheap having a few spare glow plugs and a little extra fuel line (all fuel lines harden over time) to keep it running is a worthwhile investment..... I'm loving mine so far, it's kept me toasty up here in the cold north so far, loving the thing
So you have two heaters, one that you have installed, and another one dissasembled on the worktop? Its always good to have spares at hand anyways, but curious why you have two units?
I have more than two units. I’ve got the original one I installed in the van with the 2000 hours run hours which I disassembled, cleaned, fixed bearing and reinstalled. The second unit you saw was my spare I original borrow from work ( which I got to keep ) which is a whole spare unit or parts for when I was in the arctic winter last winter . I also have another I got to review.
If you use the new gasket as a template and cut one from a cardboard box (cereal is brilliant) and seal it with gasket sealant it would have been a better job mate and you still have the new gasket for your other heater
That motor commutator looks brand new still. Really impressed how good everything is. Bet if you just run it at full for an hour every now and then you burn it clean instead of disassembling it
Thank you. I did know that part was called the motor commutator, I had no idea at all what to call it. Some people will do a hot burn. Mine is on a thermostat so I run at max for 30 minutes to get up to temp normally. I’d consider it pretty clean
The fan error you had in the arctic could have been something to do with your solar charge controller adjusting to colder temps if you have it running from that and not directly to battery
@@MispronouncedAdventuresthe aurora explanation has a nice ring to it. The fact that it has only happened once could almost be a confirmation. The stream of charged particles looks dense in the sky, but each particle is miniscule. The odds of one hitting the right part of the controller are tiny, but not inconsequential. It also sounds better than "a glitch"...
Trucks in the EU run the same diesel heaters and my pops had stories of them not firing up in -30 temperatures what they'd do is mix in a bit of gasoline. But it was only -15 for him so dunno.
i have roughly 14,000 hours on my chinese diesel heater. I've cleaned it out once. Bearings make a little noise when it's cold but once it warms up it's quiet. It's running great even right now. I have 3 spare fans i bought when i first got it and haven't used any of them yet. I have new 2 spare pumps I haven't used either of those yet. I got a couple glow plugs i haven't used. 1 Bag of 10 fuel atomizers I only used 1 when i cleaned it the first time. Best $150USD I ever spent and it runs almost 24/7 in the cold weather from about October till the end of April. I can get 10 of these for the price of one of name brands. I run mine at my Custom Low Setting of 2.5Hz, 2500 RPM, 1280 Feet Elevation, heat exchanger stays around 180-190C (356 - 374F) with outdoor temps at -4C ( 24F )
There are great units when you get good ones, installed well and tuned for your needs. I will being heading back to the Arctic this winter is looking for -40c with it. ( and spares )
After seeing several videos about this kind of heater including this one I've been thinking about getting one of these heaters . The lack of build up is pretty impressive. I just wish they came in bigger sizes or had a higher BTU output. I have a large shop and heating it with propane has gotten really spendy as of late . I definitely like the flexibility of being able to use other fuels besides diesel .I've seen videos where people are using waste oil and other kinds of oil and this thing just keeps chugging along . Seems pretty impressive for the money plus it's possible to rebuild it ? That's a big selling point to me especially considering how many items being sold these days have to be tossed in the trash once they break down .
Yeah I was very impressed with the lack of build up. There are lots of 5kw units sold as 8kw, however I have seen some rare photos of a real 8kw unit before. But it would be probably easier to buy and run 5kw for a large spare. That being said I had heated a large work shop using 5kw I’ve also a good point on. You can just buy a whole need unit if need be
I can't imagine heating with diesel would be cheaper than propane. Propane is about $2.80 a gallon where I live and diesel is $5 a gallon. While diesel has about 45% more btus per gallon than diesel its almost double the price.
@@randybobandy9828 in the UK diesel is the cheaper option. Kerosene even cheaper again. But the downside of kerosene is that you have to have a tank whereas the diesel can come from the vehicle tank.
Ironically, even though this is marketed as a DIESEL heater, I suggest using Kerosene instead because Diesel is just no good. Kerosene burns hotter, cleaner, and it is significantly cheaper than even Red Diesel. My heater internals are clean as a whistle and I've had it for about 3yrs now. Diesel produces a lot of soot because it has a high sulphur content. Kerosene has been used as a source of heating since the 1500s for good reason.
I wouldn’t necessarily say diesel produces lots of soot. definitely can do on heaters which are poorly set up or tuned. As mine are now on 4000 run hours and clean. Depends location as well. If I were setting up a domestic property / stationary use , then a large kerosene tank would definitely make sense. but for me the convenience of having it plumbed directly into the vehicles main fuel tank is optimal for me
Other's have mentioned RTV, but it's something to have in an emergency kit for your van. it's gasket in a tube. RTV stands for Room Temp Vulcanization, so once it's set, it's propper rubber. you can use it to fix a lot of problems in an emergency. I've even seen it used to fix tents if the fabric will bond with it
I actually enjoyed your video. Factual and no ridiculous claims made. Many others, out there, just don’t know how these things work - like claiming the 8kW output, which cannot exist in this range of heaters. Your extra bends and length of the exhaust may make a difference to the operation - a carbon monoxide tester would help but we do not know how it was coping before. A couple thousand hours from chinesium bearings is likely good. You noted the armature had been balanced - but then they may have added poorly balanced fans on the shaft. Some better(?) fans may have extra weights attached to improve fan balance. With regard to the bearing fitment, one bearing should be press fit in its housing and the other needs to be a sliding fit to accommodate expansion between the bearings (fixed bearings would wear prematurely as they would have no end-float and thus load the bearings, axially as the temperature varied. Running on heating oil (28 seconds Redwood kerosene) seems to be an acceptable alternative to diesel (the fuel the machine is designed for). The calorific value of the kero is a little lower than that of diesel, thus producing a slightly leaner burn. This may help where excessive bends and/or extra length of ducting is introduced. That grade of kerosene seems to have adequate lubrication to protect the pump from early failure. The Eberspacher installation details, for their heaters, provide details of cross-section increases required - to maintain the gas flows within specification tolerances. Well worth checking out, if non-standard ducting/pipework is used. Good luck with continued reliability of your heater. Do note that the afterburner is only compatible with some motherboards - not the latest cheaper issue, which does not have any facility for altering the fuel:air ratio. Keep up the good work!
Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? When you showed the exhaust, I noticed it dd not extend out from under your vehicle. That will trap fumes. It should extend out. Great video though. I learn a lot from people like you who share the rebuilds.
I do have a monoxide monoxide detector in the vehicle. I know what you’re saying regarding the fumes however, it does extend and blows out the bottom of the vehicle. It doesn’t show very well in the video . I can see under my thermal cameras where the plume goes out and leaves the vehicle. Glad the videos was helpful
The gasket seal on the intake fan side can be replaced with a home made gasket made from thin card like cereal packets. Smear both faces of the gasket with copper grease and they will release easily.
Hi Alex just watch your diesel heater strip down video and I happen to see the afterburner controller am I looking to get one soon would you consider making a dedicated video on the controller showing all the features that it has and how its cost to ship it of to the UK Thanks Bailey
I might look into doing a Afterburner video. I was going to do one two years ago when I got it but they stopped selling it too the uk ( selling here in the uk again ) so it’s didn’t seem fair to it when I was just a uk audience
If the outer gasket is not metal like the inner you could probably make one out of boxboard (thin non corrugated cardboard) tracing it out and cutting it with a razor blade. I have made paper engine gaskets that way before. Old truck of mine I used an ice cream sandwich box. I made sure it said ice cream sandwich on the gasket for the next poor bastard who took it apart one day
@@MispronouncedAdventures it looks like the outer gasket is not really necessary as long as both metal surfaces are straight. There is just fresh air on the other side of the gasket, a tiny leakage doesn't matter...
So someone (me) decided to play with my heater settings and found a pretty low setting where the heater was barely audible. "This will be good while I'm working on the van." The amount of carbon when I dismantled it after it stopped working was insane! Don't mess with the default settings guys 😏 I needed to buy a new burn chamber to fix it. Which was about £25.
I do understand lot of people play with settings. not done it myself as it’s always worked so far for me as stocks. But definitely not all heaters are the same
Really useful video and gives some confidence in the heater - not bad at all for 2 years. Love the tray on the worktop - what a great idea! All the best, David 👍
Glad you found the video helpful! As for the tray I thought the soot would take forever to get out the pours of the wood work too if I didn’t. Plus to stops bolts, tools and parts going everywhere
Might i suggest you use 625-2RS bearings. .They are totally sealed, unlike the 625ZZ items. Just a thought. I can't believe temperature would be a problem, given the position they are in. If there was excessive heat, the poor old commutator wouldn't survive !
Do you run the heater with default settings or did you customize the pump frequency and fan speed? Would be interesting to see which settings worked for you.
I was a little disappointed the important bits , removing and fitting bearings were just glossed over. I have one of these heaters and was hoping to see clearly what I had to do. Was still interesting but just not clear on the important bits.
Yellow jacket was only on the bearing near the internal combustion fan. The other bearing was inside the motor housing near the Brushes and had no yellow jacket.
Are use the normal ticking fuel pumps, but it is loose mounted on a rubber grommet under the van so it’s a very dull thud. I actually find it quite reassuring and like it as I know what he’s doing on its thermostat.
I run the planar 44d diesel heater as my main heat in my 32ft motorhome . I now have 5 years run time on it. I start it in the fall and it runs non stop till spring. So it's running 24/7 for 6 months non stop. And zero problems. I had webasto and eberspacher but always had a problem getting parts. Someone told me about the planar brand which were originally made for Russian military vehicles in antarctic. Sure you can buy 5 or 6 heaters made of Chineseium Scrap metal for the price of a planar. But I like doing a job once and being done. I am still running the original exhaust. Controller. Fuel pump and fuel line. I do remove my filter every year and blow it out as its a serviceable filter. I have found this heater to operate 75deg f running %15% used oil from my diesel Mercedes after it has sat for 6 months and filtered. I found the extra heat keeps the burn chamber from sooting. I also add a few oz of LIQUI MOLLY DIESEL ADDITIVE which seems to help with soot and keeping the glow screen clean. I also heated my 28ft cabin cruiser for 7 years with one of these heaters and heated my 42ft double cabin 2 bath hatteras classic yacht with the larger heater. Personally I love diesel heaters but with today's fuel prices at $5.85 a gallon This year I have used propane heat. What parts do you live and what are fuel cost there. Here in america creepy & crooked joe biden has made a real mess of our country. Under trump we were totally energy dependent and exporting reserves But biden destroyed that his first day in office. Hopefully the world will get back to normal after he is gone and russia/Ukraine is over. It looks like you have a lifestyle close to mine being free and exploring. I wish you well and safe happy travels. I will sub to you and check out further content from you. Take care and be safe. Robert
You are correct. my joke is playing on a common misconception ,the bacteria which causes tetanus is found in soil ( amongst other places ),. the association with rust, being things, like rusty nails / metal are be a great surface is left on/in the ground for the bacteria to grow on, and then being stepped on penetrate deeply into the persons body, potentially leaving the bacteria behind. I still can’t imagine the rusty exhaust is the most sterile thing to be accidentally cut by, or maybe it is, not much can survive 150° plus
I always think when someone says they're going to tear something down sounds brutal, where's dismantling something sounds miles better. None the less you've done a great job.
Very interesting. My Diesel Heater in my old Motorhome has been running on a mixture of fuels but not Diesel. Parrafin, Kerosene and Domestic Heating Oil. Basically it was cheaper than Diesel. But not now. 3 years on and inside Silencer is clean as a whistle inside. Cheers from old George in the UK
Not sure what you mean? The RUclips algorithm always pushes more video based around heating generally at this time of year because more people are search for videos about it
Really a cool video. I have been thinking of a unit ... for a stationary radio station . .. and this is encouraging me. I know this is running by the time the video comes out but those types of gaskets I make with a small ball ping hammer.. I sure you know how to do that. Sometimes you can take old gaskets and soak the first boiled water (not kept boiling) and let them soak up for a day or two and then let dry .. . they will recompress to the fit.
I am incredibly happy to see you running the Afterburner. I've installed 7 of these heaters now and won't install one without the Afterburner. Ray Jones is a god. Thanks for the link to the exhaust - I hadn't seen this style option before.
100%. I pretty much wouldn’t use a run one of these heaters without the afterburner. I don’t even find the other big brands control systems comparable in functionality.
The third party aftermarket controller for Chinese diesel heaters is called a “Afterburner” which does occasionally add to confusion with the name, afterburner used on a type of jet engine
Give mate, we just bought a traffic and there is a diesel heater underneath pull out bed the guy built but jo exhaust so I dont want to use it ,, where do you cut a hole for the exhaust fumes ? Thanks George
For soot which hard to remove? Most of this dust came off with toothbrush. But I could definitely see you on a far dirty air heater extra things require.
Factory settings caused mine to soot up within a couple of weeks. I probably removed about a kg of soot which was insane. I did watch alot of videos as far as tips for setup and made sure It I had it all covered. Ultimately I had to lean out my air/fuel mixture to have it burn cleanly, but still get maximum heat. It was annoying to have to do that so early, but I had alot of fun seeing the inner workings of the heater.
I think part of the issue as there are so many different ECU / controllers use which control all of the components, fan motor, pump speed, temperature sensors, and so on that they are not all equal. Some heaters with standard settings seem to work absolutely fine whilst a different heater with a different board/controller on a standard settings might not
@@MispronouncedAdventures Exactly, with these heater systems looking seemingly identical I would assume variations in electronic components and lower level qc is what causes the huge variations in performance even withing the same batch. I was prepared to have to mess with it, just didn't think it would be that quick lol.
I think it’s more the ECU’s variation than quality control issues. I mean obviously there are quality control issues overall and they do make issues , but I don’t think in most cases affect performance. Or at least the quality control issues in the cast body parts shouldn’t effect performance to much
I had almost the exact same experience. Not only were the factory settings way higher than what is typically recommended for these heaters, the fuel pump itself was pumping way more than it should. I think this was the seller's way of turning the 5kw heater into an '8kw' one. I had to dial the settings way down and buy a normal fuel pump to sort that out.
Even the western Webasto and Espar use brushed motors only till recently and I think that’s only on new models. Autoterm use brushless. it’s not a upgrade you can make to a CDH with a whole need ECU. Given my Heater ( the one in the video ) in now 6000 run hours I’m impressed
Depends how well the motor is made. Isn’t the armature the windings on the motor? Do you mean the commutator. If so even on the ever popular Maxxfan used for ventilation in vans a lot. I’ve seen photos of the commutator worn out before the brushes.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I have worked with many series wound motors and the windings in the armature have gone bad, and I have had to turn down the commutator when putting in new brushes. appliance repair was my way of life before I became an electronic technician.
I run afterburner on my diesel heater and its so much more adjustable and lots of realtime status info aand makes these heaters much easier to tune to your reuirements It also allows better temp control with the optional remote temp sensor and you can use it from phone app or web page on your internet connecction Having said that the standard controller work ok too just less tunable
Question - I just installed my Chinese diesel heater. Runs great but I want to order spares for it ( glow, atomizer, bearings, gaskets ) etc. Will any parts work or do they need to be manufactur specific parts? Great video, thanks for that.
18:50 Do the glowplugs ever fail? Sure would be simple to install one while the unit is out of van. I'm an old fart and would do anything not to work on the heater underneath the countertop.
Glow plugs do fail, but I went for the don’t fix what isn’t broken policy. Hopefully it will remain good. They can be installed under a van, some company make boxes for them
Hey dude, nice video! A question: what is your indoor/outdoor thermometer? I am looking for something similar (especially the blue-ish backlight).... Thanks! Keep the videos coming!!
Interesting. I am going to fit one to my workshop to keep it warm... Though I will probably see if I can get it to run on kerosene and switch to waste oil as that is free.
They run on Kero no problem, it’s a lot cleaner. I’ve heat of people using waste oil but I haven’t researched into that personally in case any settings need to be tweaked
You can quiet the tick down if you insulate fuel pump. And make lines very hard. Pump makes majority of the noise so i would start by insulating it first.
Head gaskets are typically metal, so unfortunately no. Although, If you were to have a laser cutter, you could get the correct grade and thickness of sheet steel and cut them out.@@illidari12211
@@illidari12211Head gaskets are are generally very specialized multilayer parts. On some more decadent 2-stroke and other smaller engines they can still be prettt simple. Still usually something with steel.
Now that the patents have run out and these heaters are $100-$180 (USD) vs. $1,500-$2,500... what's the point of even going through all that work to "fix" them when you can Amazon one to you, same/next day and pop a new one in??? Noticed you had to cannibalize another heater for its gasket, so yeah, what's the point???? :) That being said, REALKY enjoyed the breakdown of the parts and what's actually IN the darn things!!! :)
I’m glad someone who actually realises it’s a patent expiring opposed to just a copy. Yes, if I was in a bit of a time restraint, I had to leave the following day for four weeks needed the heater so I cannibalised a spare gasket. If I had a couple days I’ll just order a new gasket online and I will at one point to repair it. the reason I repaired opposed to replaced is not all of these heaters are equal from the manufacturers some run for years some I’ve seen for a few hours so I’d rather repair one. I know is working well in my van than put in a new heater.
how does the atomizer work in these? does it just divide the incoming fuel into many many tiny passages of some thingamabob atomizer at end of fuel input? is there a pressure increase by changing feed port size or something pre thingamabob atomizer?
Good question, my understanding was that the dose of fuel push forward by the dosing pump ends up on the mesh and then spreads out across the mesh which increases its surface area making it easier to be ignited
@@MispronouncedAdventures from what learned since I left question for you. It appears the diesel is squirted thru small orifice.. so injected-ish. onto the screen. Heat of the screen helps it become fumes... (aka- "atomized"). Fumes are blown then thru a path that circles around end plate of the burn chamber where air is introduced for combustion and then into a high heat area ... possibly even thru another mesh type material inside end closure at bottom of burn chamber where things are hot enough to ignite it.
So I wasn’t correct but had some areas right, the diesel spurted onto the mesh/screen which increases the surface area which helps it become fumes, those are then pulled into the phone chamber and ignited. As for a second mesh, I think the webasto units have a mesh inside the burn chamber whilst the Chinese don’t
If you want to go down the Chinese route then I would recommend Halcory or lavanar. My person model is an older Maxpeeding rods. if you have a slightly higher budget, I would recommend going for a a Autoterm
Just like yourself I love to experiment with these Chinese heaters, currently running two of them to heat my home with the electrical power provided by solar power stored in batteries. Love the videos.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I have been using a medical dose feed pump with limited success but I think I can improve on it with different gearing, these pumps produce none of the deadly bubbles in the fuel line but their stock RPM is just too low
Speaking of afterburner, have you ever put a radiator on that exhaust so that you capture some more heat on its way out and would there be any back pressure issues on a fan type ignition system like that? I'd like to put a thin little radiator under my water tanks.
I will give you that, that was a wonderful Segway to exhaust recovery question. That is an area I have not played with. I don’t really want to make any restrictions on the exhaust as I’m very happy with how the heater has been running. But interesting idea, I definitely think ways of keeping water tanks warmer for “free” is a good Idea
I've watched a lot of video's on these heaters. This gent who has several videos on these, can't remember which, suggested to avoid any back pressure, and to keep the exhaust as short as possible, within reason.
I did a curious test on one of these little guys as they do seem to not burn all that efficiently. Probably due to the low pressure in the combustion chamber. So, I got a small catalytic converter and got it welded up right against the exhaust(they need to be HOT to work). It didn't do much at high power settings.. But at lower powers the exhaust after the cat was 120-170c hotter meaning there was a lot of unburnt fuel (and still enough oxygen) in the exhaust to burn in the cat. Being ever the curious engineer I wondered how much of that heat I could scavenge. I got a guy at work to weld up a counterflow water chiller for the exhaust, added a high temperature pump and a large computer water-cooling radiator to it. Turns out we could scavenge almost one extra kilowatt from this setup. It was fun as a experiment, but not very practical. Pros!... Free extra heat!... Cons... cooling the exhaust caused water to condense and the exhaust pipe would constantly gum up with this sticky tar like goop every 50 hours or so. Other con, If you had to pay somebody for all the man hours and materials, it'd cost more than the heater itself by multiples. In conclusion it was a fun experiment, but really not all that practical. It also had a tendency to boil the cooling water and blow pipes off on hotter days :P
Really interesting video, great stuff. I must say however, that putting a heater next to a fridge seems like an oversight, usually you'd want your fridge away from any heat sources.
It’s not really near. It’s a completely different air mass from the fridge. So heat radiating off the heater and it’s venting in that cupboard doesn’t affect or come in contact with the compressor or the fridge itself. But I do see why people think that when they see the layout in the video
A jacketed exhaust pipe could give you a hot water tank. Plumb it in a wall and out the roof so it doesn't take up any more space and is insulated. Would also radiate heat making the system more efficient.
Heating water via exhaust heat / on the exhaust pipes isn’t practical in a van. You need to make holes to get water pipes out of the van into the heat exchanger on the exhaust pipe, and then back in again. In winter, if the heater was ever turned off, it would be susceptible to freezing the water which is still in the pipes and damaging it. I use a bobil vans hot water system, which is a heat exchanger based inside the van on the hot air ducting
That sounds like a recipe for fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Exhaust pipes should always be installed outside. Also, the exhaust pipe will eventually clog up if it isn't allowed to heat up properly.
Nice video. :) Come on..when you got the Aurora to watch who cares for a damned fan error? ;) I'm thinking of installing such a heater. Thanks for the tip about the new display...I'll have to look into that. For the sealing..well, you can get gasket paper to cut your own seals or (and this is the easy way) ... buy some liquid sealing. You can get that kind of stuff in every automotive shop. It's a quick and dirty way to seal things together and it can withstand well above 200 degrees C. It will hold even on this heater.
Definitely that was thoughts on that evening can’t fix the heater might as well enjoy myself and the Aurora Good to know, there are definitely plenty of options for making gaskets if you ever really stuck
Just checked back on Artic adventure. I use evans waterless coolant and it never freezes until below -40 .Might be worth considering. Glad your heater was a easy fix
Cheers I will look into that. I was going to looking into a waterless ones I’ve heard of or a 60/40 mix glyco/water mix . As I’m finding for -40c this winter
@@MispronouncedAdventures Don't know what you're currently running, but mixing the the coolant heavier, favoring the the coolant, may get the freeze point down far enough. Possibly 75/25 or somewhere in that ballpark. Also, at least here stateside, that muffler would considered a glasspack muffler. Cherry Bomb is the most recognizable brand name. Made me chuckle seeing one for a heater.
Thank you for sharing. You mentioned the heater control and web interface for gathering data. Can you share who built that? I thought I heard an Australian guy called Ray :)
Hey. Yeah it’s a project called a “afterburner”, Facebook group or google “Chinese diesel heater afterburner controller” should put you onto the right information
Great videos. I'm just getting into these heaters and your vids are helpful. Tip: I'm a Biker so you can make your own gaskets from cheap gasket paper if you need to and gas seal with High temp RTV.
Glad it was helpful. one or two people have also mentioned the cardboard gasket. Definitely something I would like to have a go at just to learn a new skill and option in a predicament
@@MispronouncedAdventures I've just had a thought. I've used Redex fuel cleaner in my Motorcycles for over 40 years as it keeps the carbs/fuel injectors and fuel line clean. It also prevents carbon build up in cylinders. I'm wondering if it would extend the service point of these heaters e.g a little shot now and then :)
I saw a vid of a guy who run it on high 15 minutes before shutting it off. Said he's never cleaneded in in like 5 years? and it's had no problems. Doesn't seem stupid at all.
There are two school of thoughts on that one. Some believe in it, others go if they soot already in there, you’re not gonna burn off carbon. I don’t have an answer. Mines almost 4000 run hours now, and pretty clean. My thoughts that principal would be if you’re low output burn is causing it to soot up then it needs tuning for a better burn on low.
cool video, but for 80 bucks, i got to wonder if not just putting in the spare would be better? you did get 2K hours. I'm much more interested in the performance data than the mechanical tear down. But ok anyway.
I have a full spare with me anyway. As I take the van up the Arctic. But if it working well I’d rather repair and no replace. What sort of performance data are you after?
You could also pack the new bearing with DISC BRAKE GREASE it's synthetic, works from -50 to +400 F and has graphite, poly, and teflon in it. As for the seal, copper coat gasket sealer RTV has a tempt rating of 420 deg F.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I believe it would, I've been regreasing any bearings that used regular grease with disk brake grease (except the wheel bearings in cars and trucks due to the weight) with the stuff and the general response is that the vehicle steers better and sounds better (u-joints, steering knuckles, pivots, etc.)
@@MispronouncedAdventures On small bearing like that, I've had success using a syringe with a needle that I cut off flush with an abrasive disc on a dremel. but is the metal shields are too tight it may not work.
Just tripped over your video.I am assuming you need a mains hook up or generator the supply the DC current required for this heater? That being the case,you would need to factor in that amount of power into working out the efficiency of the heater.
No hook up or generator needed. It’s runs off DC power from the leisure batteries and fuel from the vans main tank. Battery recharged via solar or the engine as a by production driving
A different point point of view would be to just replace the heater with a new one. I can appreciate the effort that you went through to replace the bearings and the exhaust parts. I just paid $128 USD delivered for a VEVOR 8KW self contained unit. 2000 hours would be 0.064 USD per hour machine time not counting fuel. The one like yours, 5KW, and without the housing, are cheaper. If you spent a couple of hours actually replacing the bearings and finding the gasket you have $40-60 into the actual repair, I am assuming that the bearings were about $10 each, plus whatever it cost you to get the new exhaust pipe and muffler. The time for repair you could say was free, on the other hand you could have been doing something else maybe more profitable and avoided the risk of breaking something more costly. You still haven't replaced the fuel pump and your motor armature is worn along with the brushes. The labor to remove and replace (r&r) the unit would be the same new or replacing your old unit. If you factor in the possibility that the motor will fail in less than 2000 more hours with additional r&r time and parts, replacing with a new one might be more cost effective and trouble free(er).
Swapping the whole unit is definitely a option but I’ve found not all all Chinese Heater are equal. Some will run for year no issues, other maybe only a few hours before sooting up. I’d personally be happier with replacing and repairing than swapping in a whole new unit
@@MispronouncedAdventures Isn't that the problem nowadays. Products used to be made so that they could be dissembled, repaired with parts you could actually purchase, then reassembled without worrying if you were going to break it just taking it apart. Armatures were thicker so that they could be turned and re grooved to go again for the same period as the first time. Brushes were longer, bearings were good ball bearings that could be greased if there was room. Now repairing something is rebooting your computer to see if it works again. Not all progress is progress.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I purchased my diesel heater based on reviews which means that it was reviewed but will not actually do the same as the review unless I get lucky.
@@MispronouncedAdventures It's also worth considering that those bearings will most likley last many many times longer than the pre-installed ones. In the factory I work it it isn't uncommon for NHK bearings to last the life of the motor. Usually if it's brushed, the commutator will wear through before you get a bad bearing. I was quite surprised to note it wasn't a brushless motor though.. But considering the low wear I'd imagine with the Japanese bearings, next service you will have to do is replace the brushes in maybe another 10,000 hours.
A sealed bearing would be better than a shielded bearing given your running into contamination failures. SS bearing. They shouldn't be failing after only 2000hrs they are seeing almost no load at all.
That makes sense you me. I guess at the time I didn’t know too much about the different types so I thought it would be better to do a like for like swap with a high quality part
Good spot. Sort of. One side goes into the Habitation. The other route goes thought the bobilvan hot water heater exchanger and then into the habitation. If I close the habitation went it goes into the shower room / drying room
@@MispronouncedAdventures cool (or warm), I’m thinking of using this setup for the option to have fresh air or to recirculate internally. Main thinking is ventilation but it’s a bit of experimentation really.
That can be done, but it would decrease efficiency of the unit. But I’m all for experimentation. I guess you would only want the fresh air in the summertime anyway.
I have Chinese diesel heater I am using it for 6 years I Ben -35 Fahrenheit in north states and still working perfect I only change the Exos heater pipe and that all I only started one time every month in the summer for 10 minut.
It’s a good question. It’s not so much it’s “made in china” that’s not really important in the term of the names. Is just the common way people categorise diesel heaters. Most who have a western brand heaters people just say the 3 brands names, Espar, Webasto or Autoterm ( not the particular model ) but are distinctly different and unique designs for each brand. brand name doesn’t really work for the Chinese made heaters as there are more brand name than you can probably count, but generally they’re all the same unit / design based off the expired Patent of the Espar D4.
Your exhaust points directly into engine bay? The muffler does make it a bit quieter, which, if I’m parking somewhere urban in the winter, is appreciated.
Gasket sets are pennies considering they prevent combustion gasses from being free to assist your sleeping I cant fathom the mental process people go through sometimes
Indeed new gaskets sets are pennies. Not quite sure who the “mental process people” part to meant for? People who want to make their own gaskets and not use premade sets?
These have now been refused import licences & and the last container shipment was sent back 😢 hence why no new stock anywhere - major concerns re exhaust fumes etc apparently 🤔🙄
Not at all to do with units themselves , that story was all over a lot of the groups for these. the refusal at the uk border was a around a 1000 / batch of vevor brands ones. The reason for refusal was the instruction manual not being an acceptable standard, it was missing some particular bit of information, which I think was something to do with exhaust pipe distance from something
What is the main failure point of Chinese diesel heater you have experienced?
@@geminiman6938 that's really a consumable really though, you have to expect to need to replace these. Same in my wood pellet stove
The fuel pump and the fan motor wear out the quickest on all of my heaters. Make sure to have extra fuel atomizers on hand. I found fastest way to clean out blast tube from soot is to use propane torch to cook it out then compressed air to blow out .
@@gloknor interesting I very rarely hear people talk about pump failure, water ingress into the plug area?
@@MispronouncedAdventures Yeh they go bad just like everything else. I have taken these apart and fixed them over the years many many times . Make sure to get replacement screens they get funked up .
Cheap nasty m/b and controller giving nasty unusable settings
The Z designation on the bearing means it has a metal shield holding the grease in. A ZZ bearing means it has those metal shields on both sides which is what you need on the heater. You also come across RS or 2RS bearings which means they have rubber shields instead of metal ones. They probably wouldn't stand the heat in this application.
Thank you. I had been wondering the z & zz. I knew Z was metal. I just didn’t know both.
Thats why you but the CERAMIC bearings for upgrade
@@stevecarlisle3323 I had considered ceramic, but I couldn’t find any examples where people had to use them in a diesel heater for these particular circumstances. So I choose a more known and tested option.
Good to know, esp as I have a Kirby vacuum cleaner!
The motors & therefore bearings on these I don't think experience much heat - if anything - experience a lot of very cold.
@@Lucentlens yeah I don't think rubber seals would be a problem. If the motor got hot enough to melt the seals you have bigger problems
Thank you for making this video! I really love when people take the time to make and edit these.
No problem, thank you for watching
Oooooh that bearing went in far too easily! The old one has been spinning in the housing. A bit of red loctite (bearing retainer) should have been put in or this one will spin it out even more. - Even a dribble of super glue will work. also- when you fit new gaskets- wipe them with a little oil so that they will release next time. -Tips from an old fart engineer.
Thank you for the tips. I agree I did notice it went in very easy ( it’s not so loose, would drop out if you inverted it ) I do wonder if the old one was a similar fit. It just had so much motor brush dust deposits that it filled in all the gaps.
As a side note for the gasket you could use a liquid high temp gasket which just comes in a tube. They work great in situations you might not beable to get a gasket.
Quite a few people have mentioned this option if you ever in a bind
you dont need high temp anything 99 percent of that is marketing BS most goos in a tube are exactly the same
In order to reuse gaskets on our racecars, we used to apply antisieze to both sides of the gasket. Silicone spray would probably also work in this application.
Once I bought one big sheet of gasket, about size 1000*1500 mm. I just cut from there the needed size. The whole sheet was cheap.
I love seeing someone actually fixing something instead of just throwing it away and replacing it.
Thank you like to learn how to fix things
Totally agree. This should be the way forward, fix not replace.
@@MispronouncedAdventures Hey there, 'm thinking about getting one of these Amazon has the 8Kw unit for 97$$ right now... A utuber claims you can use waste oil or pretty much anything but gasoline🤣 So I throw away a lot of fryer oil, do you think that would work in it??
@autojohn-pu1vf the 8kW Chinese units are just a 5kW unit with a high max allowed pump and fan speed ( the 5kW unit are a copy of the 4kw western versions). You won’t get 8kW out of it and running it at max will not be good for it.
As for alternative fuels, yes. Pure Kero works, as for waste type oil its normally mixed with diesel to help the burn. But it will be a dirty burn and like need setting changed to burn well.
I do have one which runs on gasoline or diesel but it uses a proprietary internal burner
@@MispronouncedAdventures TY for the quick response, I won't be able to use the furnace🥶until I fix mold in the house making me sick, and got my bed in front of the fireplace...
So are these settings a screw adjustment, like a carburator? and your saying the fry oil will mix with the diesel OK????
This may be a permanent solution to all the money I waste heating a huge house (even with all the extra vents shut) when I only go in a few rooms normally.
It may be worth directing the exhaust slightly further away from the chassis, to avoid acid products of combustion causing corrosion.
Hard to see the finished mounting of the exhaust mounting in this video, but the exhaust plume comes out from underneath the skirt of the van
Great video! I think you proved that by using the heater all the time keeps it in best shape! Also - a man after my own heart - someone that carries a spare heater. I run eberspachers (thats all you could buy 12 years ago when i had to replace my heater) but when they give up the ghost i will be moving over to a chinese model. New sub here!
Thank you for subscribing. I definitely with the heater are well installed and you buy a good one from maybe of the different companies then they can run just,
But definitely carry a spare one just in case
@@MispronouncedAdventures I need to dissect some Webasto heaters on some Ford Transits from between 95-99 that have probably been sitting too long...
An inverter from 12V DC to 230V AC works as a spare heating fan plus the regular compartment heater. For longer distances, a separate generator may be needed and or extra batteries...
I was always thinking I’d be looking at one of the more expensive diesel heaters in my next van but after seeing your set up with that better controller I might have to re consider. Helpful video!
The afterburner in my eyes makes the Chinese heater have better functionality than the western brands
@@MispronouncedAdventuresThis means Chineese are going slower but surely advancing in tech in compare to Western one. They are already slowly taking over car industry as any other.Well...when the profits are above all this is what you get at the end.
@@The_Touring_Jedi Chinese heaters normally are just okay. The afterburner controller was a project by Australian to make the Chinese heaters better
Ive had one of these heaters in my Garage Office for about 9 years and it gets heavily used most days. Mine is a 24Volt version to match my Battery Bank and Im on my third glow plug which is the only problem I have experienced. The glow plugs are supposed to be a special 24 volt plug but I cant see any difference between the the 12 and 24 volt plugs so they may be pulling my leg on that one. Last time I pulled the heater apart I was expecting to see unimaginable filth as per some You tube videos but was quite surprised to see how clean it was. The last time I ordered a new glow plug I ordered 2 for another spare and it came with replacement gaskets. So should be good for another 9 years 🙂. To stop that annoying fuel pump tick I hang the pump on 2 strong cords stretched apart, rather than using the rubber mount provided. The tick then doesnt get amplified by the wall or frame that it would normally be mounted to. Significantly quieter.
Indeed, the glow plugs are known as one of the more consumable parts in long-term use. I don’t know if there’s a difference between the 12 v and 24 V glow plugs. If there is I don’t imagine it would be visible, I would’ve thought it would be the winding of the coil inside of the glow plug itself which you can’t see would be different for each voltage. However, it might just be the same.
Heaters set up well and used often are usually pretty clean inside. As for my pump it’s loosely mounted so I don’t hear the tick that much inside the van.
the heaters are so cheap having a few spare glow plugs and a little extra fuel line (all fuel lines harden over time) to keep it running is a worthwhile investment..... I'm loving mine so far, it's kept me toasty up here in the cold north so far, loving the thing
So you have two heaters, one that you have installed, and another one dissasembled on the worktop? Its always good to have spares at hand anyways, but curious why you have two units?
I have more than two units. I’ve got the original one I installed in the van with the 2000 hours run hours which I disassembled, cleaned, fixed bearing and reinstalled. The second unit you saw was my spare I original borrow from work ( which I got to keep ) which is a whole spare unit or parts for when I was in the arctic winter last winter . I also have another I got to review.
If you use the new gasket as a template and cut one from a cardboard box (cereal is brilliant) and seal it with gasket sealant it would have been a better job mate and you still have the new gasket for your other heater
Very true, a few people have said the cereal box cardboard does make good gaskets
Thank. Good to learn that.
That motor commutator looks brand new still.
Really impressed how good everything is.
Bet if you just run it at full for an hour every now and then you burn it clean instead of disassembling it
Thank you. I did know that part was called the motor commutator, I had no idea at all what to call it.
Some people will do a hot burn. Mine is on a thermostat so I run at max for 30 minutes to get up to temp normally. I’d consider it pretty clean
The fan error you had in the arctic could have been something to do with your solar charge controller adjusting to colder temps if you have it running from that and not directly to battery
I’m not sure that will be the case. The solar charger controller wouldn’t have anything to do with the PWM of the fan
I bet the Aurora is guilty for the error. The fan speed sensor is a hall sensor (aka magnetic field sensor) and most likely hates auroras.
Hmm that’s an interesting thought. It’s worked every other Arctic winter night with aurora
@@MispronouncedAdventuresthe aurora explanation has a nice ring to it. The fact that it has only happened once could almost be a confirmation.
The stream of charged particles looks dense in the sky, but each particle is miniscule. The odds of one hitting the right part of the controller are tiny, but not inconsequential.
It also sounds better than "a glitch"...
Trucks in the EU run the same diesel heaters and my pops had stories of them not firing up in -30 temperatures what they'd do is mix in a bit of gasoline. But it was only -15 for him so dunno.
i have roughly 14,000 hours on my chinese diesel heater. I've cleaned it out once. Bearings make a little noise when it's cold but once it warms up it's quiet. It's running great even right now. I have 3 spare fans i bought when i first got it and haven't used any of them yet. I have new 2 spare pumps I haven't used either of those yet. I got a couple glow plugs i haven't used. 1 Bag of 10 fuel atomizers I only used 1 when i cleaned it the first time. Best $150USD I ever spent and it runs almost 24/7 in the cold weather from about October till the end of April. I can get 10 of these for the price of one of name brands.
I run mine at my Custom Low Setting of 2.5Hz, 2500 RPM, 1280 Feet Elevation, heat exchanger stays around 180-190C (356 - 374F) with outdoor temps at -4C ( 24F )
There are great units when you get good ones, installed well and tuned for your needs. I will being heading back to the Arctic this winter is looking for -40c with it. ( and spares )
Thanks for those settings (just-in-case).
They must have got all the electronics welded in correctly very rare. It will let you down when you realy need heat.
After seeing several videos about this kind of heater including this one I've been thinking about getting one of these heaters . The lack of build up is pretty impressive.
I just wish they came in bigger sizes or had a higher BTU output. I have a large shop and heating it with propane has gotten really spendy as of late .
I definitely like the flexibility of being able to use other fuels besides diesel .I've seen videos where people are using waste oil and other kinds of oil and this thing just keeps chugging along . Seems pretty impressive for the money plus it's possible to rebuild it ? That's a big selling point to me especially considering how many items being sold these days have to be tossed in the trash once they break down .
Yeah I was very impressed with the lack of build up.
There are lots of 5kw units sold as 8kw, however I have seen some rare photos of a real 8kw unit before. But it would be probably easier to buy and run 5kw for a large spare. That being said I had heated a large work shop using 5kw
I’ve also a good point on. You can just buy a whole need unit if need be
They are cheap enough you could buy two for your shop. I don't think I would try used oil though
I can't imagine heating with diesel would be cheaper than propane. Propane is about $2.80 a gallon where I live and diesel is $5 a gallon. While diesel has about 45% more btus per gallon than diesel its almost double the price.
@@randybobandy9828 in the UK diesel is the cheaper option. Kerosene even cheaper again. But the downside of kerosene is that you have to have a tank whereas the diesel can come from the vehicle tank.
@stephenlipton525 wow that's crazy. Why is propane so much?
Ironically, even though this is marketed as a DIESEL heater, I suggest using Kerosene instead because Diesel is just no good.
Kerosene burns hotter, cleaner, and it is significantly cheaper than even Red Diesel. My heater internals are clean as a whistle and I've had it for about 3yrs now.
Diesel produces a lot of soot because it has a high sulphur content. Kerosene has been used as a source of heating since the 1500s for good reason.
I wouldn’t necessarily say diesel produces lots of soot. definitely can do on heaters which are poorly set up or tuned. As mine are now on 4000 run hours and clean.
Depends location as well. If I were setting up a domestic property / stationary use , then a large kerosene tank would definitely make sense. but for me the convenience of having it plumbed directly into the vehicles main fuel tank is optimal for me
Other's have mentioned RTV, but it's something to have in an emergency kit for your van. it's gasket in a tube. RTV stands for Room Temp Vulcanization, so once it's set, it's propper rubber. you can use it to fix a lot of problems in an emergency. I've even seen it used to fix tents if the fabric will bond with it
Thank you. I have definitely been educated on many different solutions for gasket repair because of this video.
I live in Canada, and use one of these diesel heaters in my RV, when it get's below -30, I mix 50/50 diesel and kerosine the heater runs flawlessly
Aye quite a few people do fuel mixes. For the cold with there diesel doesn’t come with additives
I actually enjoyed your video. Factual and no ridiculous claims made. Many others, out there, just don’t know how these things work - like claiming the 8kW output, which cannot exist in this range of heaters.
Your extra bends and length of the exhaust may make a difference to the operation - a carbon monoxide tester would help but we do not know how it was coping before.
A couple thousand hours from chinesium bearings is likely good. You noted the armature had been balanced - but then they may have added poorly balanced fans on the shaft. Some better(?) fans may have extra weights attached to improve fan balance.
With regard to the bearing fitment, one bearing should be press fit in its housing and the other needs to be a sliding fit to accommodate expansion between the bearings (fixed bearings would wear prematurely as they would have no end-float and thus load the bearings, axially as the temperature varied.
Running on heating oil (28 seconds Redwood kerosene) seems to be an acceptable alternative to diesel (the fuel the machine is designed for). The calorific value of the kero is a little lower than that of diesel, thus producing a slightly leaner burn. This may help where excessive bends and/or extra length of ducting is introduced. That grade of kerosene seems to have adequate lubrication to protect the pump from early failure.
The Eberspacher installation details, for their heaters, provide details of cross-section increases required - to maintain the gas flows within specification tolerances. Well worth checking out, if non-standard ducting/pipework is used.
Good luck with continued reliability of your heater. Do note that the afterburner is only compatible with some motherboards - not the latest cheaper issue, which does not have any facility for altering the fuel:air ratio. Keep up the good work!
Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? When you showed the exhaust, I noticed it dd not extend out from under your vehicle. That will trap fumes. It should extend out. Great video though. I learn a lot from people like you who share the rebuilds.
I do have a monoxide monoxide detector in the vehicle. I know what you’re saying regarding the fumes however, it does extend and blows out the bottom of the vehicle. It doesn’t show very well in the video . I can see under my thermal cameras where the plume goes out and leaves the vehicle.
Glad the videos was helpful
The gasket seal on the intake fan side can be replaced with a home made gasket made from thin card like cereal packets. Smear both faces of the gasket with copper grease and they will release easily.
I’ve learnt a lot from the comments about how homemade gaskets can be made
@@MispronouncedAdventures I used to be able to buy sheets of "gasket paper" in England. whether any car parts place has any now......
Hi Alex just watch your diesel heater strip down video and I happen to see the afterburner controller am I looking to get one soon would you consider making a dedicated video on the controller showing all the features that it has and how its cost to ship it of to the UK
Thanks Bailey
I might look into doing a Afterburner video. I was going to do one two years ago when I got it but they stopped selling it too the uk ( selling here in the uk again ) so it’s didn’t seem fair to it when I was just a uk audience
If the outer gasket is not metal like the inner you could probably make one out of boxboard (thin non corrugated cardboard) tracing it out and cutting it with a razor blade. I have made paper engine gaskets that way before. Old truck of mine I used an ice cream sandwich box. I made sure it said ice cream sandwich on the gasket for the next poor bastard who took it apart one day
I had been told this by a few people that I could make my own if I really need too with thin cardboard
@@MispronouncedAdventures it looks like the outer gasket is not really necessary as long as both metal surfaces are straight. There is just fresh air on the other side of the gasket, a tiny leakage doesn't matter...
Zz may be zig zag?😊
Thanks for your thorough video!!
No worries, hope it was helpful
So someone (me) decided to play with my heater settings and found a pretty low setting where the heater was barely audible. "This will be good while I'm working on the van." The amount of carbon when I dismantled it after it stopped working was insane! Don't mess with the default settings guys 😏
I needed to buy a new burn chamber to fix it. Which was about £25.
I do understand lot of people play with settings. not done it myself as it’s always worked so far for me as stocks. But definitely not all heaters are the same
Those chineese heaters only started being manufactured a few years ago when some patent expired, as far as i know
You are very much correct, as far as I’m aware, it was a patent expiration
I searched endlessly for a video with full info on bearings. Legend for making this video
Glad it’s been helpful!
so you have not had fuel gelling issues with your fuel filter being outside?
No, all fuel in the Nordics is pre treated / winter grade at pumps.
Really useful video and gives some confidence in the heater - not bad at all for 2 years.
Love the tray on the worktop - what a great idea!
All the best,
David 👍
Glad you found the video helpful! As for the tray I thought the soot would take forever to get out the pours of the wood work too if I didn’t. Plus to stops bolts, tools and parts going everywhere
Yep, I use an old metal cookie sheet with some scattered magnets to help catch errant screws
why dont you connect the heater exhaust to the vehicle exhaust, then it will never have a chance to plug.
I can’t imagine the back pressure from the vehicle far larger exhaust would be great for the unit or operation
Outstanding repair video! I had to download it for my off-line files.
Thank you, lovely comment:)
Might i suggest you use 625-2RS bearings. .They are totally sealed, unlike the 625ZZ items.
Just a thought. I can't believe temperature would be a problem, given the position they are in. If there was excessive heat, the poor old commutator wouldn't survive !
I will look up these bearing. It’s a area which is near to me. But I can’t imagine they get hot
Do you run the heater with default settings or did you customize the pump frequency and fan speed? Would be interesting to see which settings worked for you.
I left mine stock, I’ve personally never tuned the heater as I’ve always been it’s had worked well for me
I was a little disappointed the important bits , removing and fitting bearings were just glossed over. I have one of these heaters and was hoping to see clearly what I had to do. Was still interesting but just not clear on the important bits.
I am sorry you fill that way. The in and out of the bearing was just tapping it in and out.
@@MispronouncedAdventures they can go either way round? Was there a yellow jacket on both?
Yellow jacket was only on the bearing near the internal combustion fan. The other bearing was inside the motor housing near the Brushes and had no yellow jacket.
Going with the double Z bearings is good, the extra Z is high speed high temp.
Good to hear! Glad it was a good pick going for the ZZ
@@MispronouncedAdventures I use the same in the 24v 100A military alternator in my 6x6 ambulance
do you use the fuelpump that make that irritating ticking sound? or do you know of one that is silent?
Are use the normal ticking fuel pumps, but it is loose mounted on a rubber grommet under the van so it’s a very dull thud. I actually find it quite reassuring and like it as I know what he’s doing on its thermostat.
I run the planar 44d diesel heater as my main heat in my 32ft motorhome .
I now have 5 years run time on it. I start it in the fall and it runs non stop till spring.
So it's running 24/7 for 6 months non stop. And zero problems.
I had webasto and eberspacher but always had a problem getting parts.
Someone told me about the planar brand which were originally made for Russian military vehicles in antarctic. Sure you can buy 5 or 6 heaters made of Chineseium
Scrap metal for the price of a planar. But I like doing a job once and being done.
I am still running the original exhaust. Controller. Fuel pump and fuel line. I do remove my filter every year and blow it out as its a serviceable filter.
I have found this heater to operate 75deg f running %15% used oil from my diesel
Mercedes after it has sat for 6 months and filtered. I found the extra heat keeps the burn chamber from sooting. I also add a few oz of LIQUI MOLLY DIESEL ADDITIVE which seems to help with soot and keeping the glow screen clean.
I also heated my 28ft cabin cruiser for 7 years with one of these heaters and heated my 42ft double cabin 2 bath hatteras classic yacht with the larger heater.
Personally I love diesel heaters but with today's fuel prices at $5.85 a gallon
This year I have used propane heat. What parts do you live and what are fuel cost there. Here in america creepy & crooked joe biden has made a real mess of our country. Under trump we were totally energy dependent and exporting reserves
But biden destroyed that his first day in office. Hopefully the world will get back to normal after he is gone and russia/Ukraine is over. It looks like you have a lifestyle close to mine being free and exploring. I wish you well and safe happy travels.
I will sub to you and check out further content from you. Take care and be safe.
Robert
I am a fan of the Planar ( now Autoterm ) units, I’ve fitted a few. I think they are some of the best options available for price and quality
Oooh - way better mpg from premium diesel ? Can you / have you illustrated this - and maybe the sums on any savings?
I saw about a 7% increase on cost vs a 15-20% increase in MPG. but that’s just me and my van
DooD you don't get tetanus from rust, you get in from the ground where animal feces has been droped
You are correct. my joke is playing on a common misconception ,the bacteria which causes tetanus is found in soil ( amongst other places ),. the association with rust, being things, like rusty nails / metal are be a great surface is left on/in the ground for the bacteria to grow on, and then being stepped on penetrate deeply into the persons body, potentially leaving the bacteria behind. I still can’t imagine the rusty exhaust is the most sterile thing to be accidentally cut by, or maybe it is, not much can survive 150° plus
I always think when someone says they're going to tear something down sounds brutal, where's dismantling something sounds miles better. None the less you've done a great job.
That’s a good point on the use of the wording
Where did you get your afterburner from?
It’s a Facebook group where you can find out about the project
Very interesting. My Diesel Heater in my old Motorhome has been running on a mixture of fuels but not Diesel. Parrafin, Kerosene and Domestic Heating Oil. Basically it was cheaper than Diesel. But not now. 3 years on and inside Silencer is clean as a whistle inside. Cheers from old George in the UK
Yeah the heaters are great for running a few things. I know a few who run just kero in them. Very clean burn
I feel like RUclips has started selling Chinese diesel heaters
Not sure what you mean? The RUclips algorithm always pushes more video based around heating generally at this time of year because more people are search for videos about it
Really a cool video. I have been thinking of a unit ... for a stationary radio station . .. and this is encouraging me. I know this is running by the time the video comes out but those types of gaskets I make with a small ball ping hammer.. I sure you know how to do that. Sometimes you can take old gaskets and soak the first boiled water (not kept boiling) and let them soak up for a day or two and then let dry .. . they will recompress to the fit.
I was pretty surprised with how brittle the green gasket had become, but I have seen that happen before. They grey ones seems a different material
@@MispronouncedAdventures Is it possible that I can find the same or updated same unit you used? Maybe a model number etc. ... ? pat
Believe it or not electrical conduit pipe fits the exhaust system. Way cheaper and massively stronger
I didn’t think that. I take it they are the 24mm area?
I am incredibly happy to see you running the Afterburner. I've installed 7 of these heaters now and won't install one without the Afterburner. Ray Jones is a god. Thanks for the link to the exhaust - I hadn't seen this style option before.
100%. I pretty much wouldn’t use a run one of these heaters without the afterburner. I don’t even find the other big brands control systems comparable in functionality.
What is the afterburner part you speak of
@@justmyopinion5234 the Controll Pannel is called Afterburner I guess
The third party aftermarket controller for Chinese diesel heaters is called a “Afterburner” which does occasionally add to confusion with the name, afterburner used on a type of jet engine
Give mate, we just bought a traffic and there is a diesel heater underneath pull out bed the guy built but jo exhaust so I dont want to use it ,, where do you cut a hole for the exhaust fumes ? Thanks George
We use vinegar to clean combustion chamber in domestic boilers
For soot which hard to remove? Most of this dust came off with toothbrush. But I could definitely see you on a far dirty air heater extra things require.
Factory settings caused mine to soot up within a couple of weeks. I probably removed about a kg of soot which was insane. I did watch alot of videos as far as tips for setup and made sure It I had it all covered. Ultimately I had to lean out my air/fuel mixture to have it burn cleanly, but still get maximum heat. It was annoying to have to do that so early, but I had alot of fun seeing the inner workings of the heater.
I think part of the issue as there are so many different ECU / controllers use which control all of the components, fan motor, pump speed, temperature sensors, and so on that they are not all equal. Some heaters with standard settings seem to work absolutely fine whilst a different heater with a different board/controller on a standard settings might not
@@MispronouncedAdventures Exactly, with these heater systems looking seemingly identical I would assume variations in electronic components and lower level qc is what causes the huge variations in performance even withing the same batch. I was prepared to have to mess with it, just didn't think it would be that quick lol.
I think it’s more the ECU’s variation than quality control issues. I mean obviously there are quality control issues overall and they do make issues , but I don’t think in most cases affect performance. Or at least the quality control issues in the cast body parts shouldn’t effect performance to much
I had almost the exact same experience. Not only were the factory settings way higher than what is typically recommended for these heaters, the fuel pump itself was pumping way more than it should. I think this was the seller's way of turning the 5kw heater into an '8kw' one. I had to dial the settings way down and buy a normal fuel pump to sort that out.
@@iguanamoat How do you define a 'normal fuel pump'? I'm learning as much as I can, so as to not mess my new heater up. Thanks in advance.
Dont you think they place a small drop of glue on different side of the seal, so it will break in two parts for sure?
Hmm interesting idea. I’ve only seen the green ones crack
The permiation of AVE quotes/phrases in any channel that does anything even remotely mechanical always makes me smile. Thanks for sharing!
😊 glad it was enjoyed!
hi good video and i love to ear a british man swair lol
I aim to please
Vaseline on each side of the gasket makes for an easy release. I do this on thermostat housing gaskets. Works great
Good to hear, a few have mentioned similar
Why is there a brushed dinosaur electric motor when brushless motors are available ?maybe your next upgrade?
Even the western Webasto and Espar use brushed motors only till recently and I think that’s only on new models. Autoterm use brushless.
it’s not a upgrade you can make to a CDH with a whole need ECU.
Given my Heater ( the one in the video ) in now 6000 run hours I’m impressed
That new muffler, the Amazon page says "currently unavailable" and in those cases, no price is displayed - how much was that unit?
That’s a pain ill redo the links
£25 in Amazon with prime next day or £16 in eBay for a week or so
Wow. That's cheap!
The carbon brushes will wear out long before the armature !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Depends how well the motor is made.
Isn’t the armature the windings on the motor? Do you mean the commutator. If so even on the ever popular Maxxfan used for ventilation in vans a lot. I’ve seen photos of the commutator worn out before the brushes.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I have worked with many series wound motors and the windings in the armature have gone bad, and I have had to turn down the commutator when putting in new brushes. appliance repair was my way of life before I became an electronic technician.
Hi mate nice video, where did you get the afterburner programer from?
There is a website or the Facebook group for it
I run afterburner on my diesel heater and its so much more adjustable and lots of realtime status info aand makes these heaters much easier to tune to your reuirements
It also allows better temp control with the optional remote temp sensor and you can use it from phone app or web page on your internet connecction
Having said that the standard controller work ok too just less tunable
Question - I just installed my Chinese diesel heater. Runs great but I want to order spares for it ( glow, atomizer, bearings, gaskets ) etc. Will any parts work or do they need to be manufactur specific parts? Great video, thanks for that.
I’ve seen many people mix and match parts from these heaters across many Brands
The gaskets contains asbestos and so do the little pads in the case
Make sense, great heat retardant material. Just don’t breath it dust form
asbestos has not been used in gaskets for 30 years, it's a simple graphite gasket
18:50 Do the glowplugs ever fail? Sure would be simple to install one while the unit is out of van. I'm an old fart and would do anything not to work on the heater underneath the countertop.
Glow plugs do fail, but I went for the don’t fix what isn’t broken policy. Hopefully it will remain good.
They can be installed under a van, some company make boxes for them
A good advert for Chinese heaters. They are that good I have one in the van and two in my sheds. Crackin.
I think it’s shows some are better then others and how important install is
Hey dude, nice video! A question: what is your indoor/outdoor thermometer? I am looking for something similar (especially the blue-ish backlight).... Thanks! Keep the videos coming!!
Thermopro, there is a Amazon link in the video description you can find a list with it there
@@MispronouncedAdventures Thanks!
Interesting. I am going to fit one to my workshop to keep it warm... Though I will probably see if I can get it to run on kerosene and switch to waste oil as that is free.
They run on Kero no problem, it’s a lot cleaner. I’ve heat of people using waste oil but I haven’t researched into that personally in case any settings need to be tweaked
@@MispronouncedAdventures Many thanks. I didn't see a link to the after burner controller, is that on your general Amazon page?
The Afterburner is a project over a product. If you find the Facebook group for it, you can learn how to get one from there
@@MispronouncedAdventures Many thanks. Have you got a search term to find the group or would "afterburner heater control" do?
That should work. I think the group name is something like “ advanced afterburner controller for Chinese diesel heaters“
You can quiet the tick down if you insulate fuel pump. And make lines very hard. Pump makes majority of the noise so i would start by insulating it first.
I find my tick pretty quiet but I mounted it in x way to do so
Always make a copy of every gasket on paper so that in the future you can just have a supply of gasket material and make any gasket you need
Makes sense to me. Wasn’t something I knew at the time
Does this work for car head gaskets? Not familiar with that stuff so I'm curious
Head gaskets are typically metal, so unfortunately no.
Although, If you were to have a laser cutter, you could get the correct grade and thickness of sheet steel and cut them out.@@illidari12211
@@illidari12211Head gaskets are are generally very specialized multilayer parts. On some more decadent 2-stroke and other smaller engines they can still be prettt simple. Still usually something with steel.
Now that the patents have run out and these heaters are $100-$180 (USD) vs. $1,500-$2,500... what's the point of even going through all that work to "fix" them when you can Amazon one to you, same/next day and pop a new one in???
Noticed you had to cannibalize another heater for its gasket, so yeah, what's the point???? :)
That being said, REALKY enjoyed the breakdown of the parts and what's actually IN the darn things!!! :)
I’m glad someone who actually realises it’s a patent expiring opposed to just a copy.
Yes, if I was in a bit of a time restraint, I had to leave the following day for four weeks needed the heater so I cannibalised a spare gasket. If I had a couple days I’ll just order a new gasket online and I will at one point to repair it. the reason I repaired opposed to replaced is not all of these heaters are equal from the manufacturers some run for years some I’ve seen for a few hours so I’d rather repair one. I know is working well in my van than put in a new heater.
Excellent video containing great information as usual 👍👍👍👍👍
Glad it was helpful
how does the atomizer work in these? does it just divide the incoming fuel into many many tiny passages of some thingamabob atomizer at end of fuel input? is there a pressure increase by changing feed port size or something pre thingamabob atomizer?
Good question, my understanding was that the dose of fuel push forward by the dosing pump ends up on the mesh and then spreads out across the mesh which increases its surface area making it easier to be ignited
@@MispronouncedAdventures from what learned since I left question for you. It appears the diesel is squirted thru small orifice.. so injected-ish. onto the screen. Heat of the screen helps it become fumes... (aka- "atomized"). Fumes are blown then thru a path that circles around end plate of the burn chamber where air is introduced for combustion and then into a high heat area ... possibly even thru another mesh type material inside end closure at bottom of burn chamber where things are hot enough to ignite it.
So I wasn’t correct but had some areas right, the diesel spurted onto the mesh/screen which increases the surface area which helps it become fumes, those are then pulled into the phone chamber and ignited.
As for a second mesh, I think the webasto units have a mesh inside the burn chamber whilst the Chinese don’t
What I've seen from other is that the main issue is the screen for the glow plug clogging.
You can pick it out and just burn it clean
Yes. The atomiser / mesh can be an issue but overall mine was clean so I left it
I have cleaned them a couple of times by heating them to cherry red with the blow lamp and they are restored back to full function.
Looking to purchase my first diesel heater. Which brand/make are the best and which ones to completely avoid?
If you want to go down the Chinese route then I would recommend Halcory or lavanar. My person model is an older Maxpeeding rods.
if you have a slightly higher budget, I would recommend going for a a Autoterm
Just like yourself I love to experiment with these Chinese heaters, currently running two of them to heat my home with the electrical power provided by solar power stored in batteries. Love the videos.
Yeah definitely a few things I’d like to play with with those heater if I had more time
@@MispronouncedAdventures I have been using a medical dose feed pump with limited success but I think I can improve on it with different gearing, these pumps produce none of the deadly bubbles in the fuel line but their stock RPM is just too low
Thanks for your time.
Thank you for yours
Speaking of afterburner, have you ever put a radiator on that exhaust so that you capture some more heat on its way out and would there be any back pressure issues on a fan type ignition system like that? I'd like to put a thin little radiator under my water tanks.
I will give you that, that was a wonderful Segway to exhaust recovery question.
That is an area I have not played with. I don’t really want to make any restrictions on the exhaust as I’m very happy with how the heater has been running.
But interesting idea, I definitely think ways of keeping water tanks warmer for “free” is a good Idea
I've watched a lot of video's on these heaters. This gent who has several videos on these, can't remember which, suggested to avoid any back pressure, and to keep the exhaust as short as possible, within reason.
I did a curious test on one of these little guys as they do seem to not burn all that efficiently. Probably due to the low pressure in the combustion chamber. So, I got a small catalytic converter and got it welded up right against the exhaust(they need to be HOT to work). It didn't do much at high power settings.. But at lower powers the exhaust after the cat was 120-170c hotter meaning there was a lot of unburnt fuel (and still enough oxygen) in the exhaust to burn in the cat. Being ever the curious engineer I wondered how much of that heat I could scavenge. I got a guy at work to weld up a counterflow water chiller for the exhaust, added a high temperature pump and a large computer water-cooling radiator to it. Turns out we could scavenge almost one extra kilowatt from this setup. It was fun as a experiment, but not very practical. Pros!... Free extra heat!... Cons... cooling the exhaust caused water to condense and the exhaust pipe would constantly gum up with this sticky tar like goop every 50 hours or so. Other con, If you had to pay somebody for all the man hours and materials, it'd cost more than the heater itself by multiples. In conclusion it was a fun experiment, but really not all that practical. It also had a tendency to boil the cooling water and blow pipes off on hotter days :P
Really interesting video, great stuff. I must say however, that putting a heater next to a fridge seems like an oversight, usually you'd want your fridge away from any heat sources.
It’s not really near. It’s a completely different air mass from the fridge. So heat radiating off the heater and it’s venting in that cupboard doesn’t affect or come in contact with the compressor or the fridge itself. But I do see why people think that when they see the layout in the video
A jacketed exhaust pipe could give you a hot water tank. Plumb it in a wall and out the roof so it doesn't take up any more space and is insulated. Would also radiate heat making the system more efficient.
I already have hot water from the diesel heater from the hot side. Heat recovery from the exhaust side is not really practical in vans.
@MispronouncedAdventures can you explain what you mean?
Heating water via exhaust heat / on the exhaust pipes isn’t practical in a van. You need to make holes to get water pipes out of the van into the heat exchanger on the exhaust pipe, and then back in again. In winter, if the heater was ever turned off, it would be susceptible to freezing the water which is still in the pipes and damaging it.
I use a bobil vans hot water system, which is a heat exchanger based inside the van on the hot air ducting
That sounds like a recipe for fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Exhaust pipes should always be installed outside. Also, the exhaust pipe will eventually clog up if it isn't allowed to heat up properly.
Nice video. :)
Come on..when you got the Aurora to watch who cares for a damned fan error? ;)
I'm thinking of installing such a heater. Thanks for the tip about the new display...I'll have to look into that.
For the sealing..well, you can get gasket paper to cut your own seals or (and this is the easy way) ...
buy some liquid sealing. You can get that kind of stuff in every automotive shop. It's a quick and dirty way to seal things together and it can withstand well above 200 degrees C. It will hold even on this heater.
Definitely that was thoughts on that evening can’t fix the heater might as well enjoy myself and the Aurora
Good to know, there are definitely plenty of options for making gaskets if you ever really stuck
Just checked back on Artic adventure. I use evans waterless coolant and it never freezes until below -40 .Might be worth considering. Glad your heater was a easy fix
Cheers I will look into that. I was going to looking into a waterless ones I’ve heard of or a 60/40 mix glyco/water mix . As I’m finding for -40c this winter
@@MispronouncedAdventures Don't know what you're currently running, but mixing the the coolant heavier, favoring the the coolant, may get the freeze point down far enough. Possibly 75/25 or somewhere in that ballpark.
Also, at least here stateside, that muffler would considered a glasspack muffler. Cherry Bomb is the most recognizable brand name. Made me chuckle seeing one for a heater.
I’ll probably running a 60/40 mix which is around -53c I’ve got s few Finnish friends who can advise me on what they use
Thank you for sharing. You mentioned the heater control and web interface for gathering data. Can you share who built that? I thought I heard an Australian guy called Ray :)
Hey. Yeah it’s a project called a “afterburner”, Facebook group or google “Chinese diesel heater afterburner controller” should put you onto the right information
Great videos. I'm just getting into these heaters and your vids are helpful. Tip: I'm a Biker so you can make your own gaskets from cheap gasket paper if you need to and gas seal with High temp RTV.
Glad it was helpful. one or two people have also mentioned the cardboard gasket. Definitely something I would like to have a go at just to learn a new skill and option in a predicament
@@MispronouncedAdventures I've just had a thought. I've used Redex fuel cleaner in my Motorcycles for over 40 years as it keeps the carbs/fuel injectors and fuel line clean. It also prevents carbon build up in cylinders. I'm wondering if it would extend the service point of these heaters e.g a little shot now and then :)
I have no idea to be honest, but I do use premium diesel which does have cleaning additives in so could be related two why I have a clean burn chamber
there would be the copper/very thin can(diy) gasket option . Very durable !!
Nice vids,😊no point to TaKe to service,just buy new,jus bought 4 my self,5kw 145€😊
I prefer it repair for £6 but each to there own, the units are cheap so you can replace as well
I saw a vid of a guy who run it on high 15 minutes before shutting it off. Said he's never cleaneded in in like 5 years? and it's had no problems. Doesn't seem stupid at all.
There are two school of thoughts on that one. Some believe in it, others go if they soot already in there, you’re not gonna burn off carbon.
I don’t have an answer.
Mines almost 4000 run hours now, and pretty clean.
My thoughts that principal would be if you’re low output burn is causing it to soot up then it needs tuning for a better burn on low.
Wow 😮 how clean was that!!!
Yeah I was expecting a mess which is why I had the gloves on!
@@MispronouncedAdventures air fuel ratio seems very well tuned 👍
I’ve never tuned it but its worked out well.
cool video, but for 80 bucks, i got to wonder if not just putting in the spare would be better? you did get 2K hours. I'm much more interested in the performance data than the mechanical tear down. But ok anyway.
I have a full spare with me anyway. As I take the van up the Arctic. But if it working well I’d rather repair and no replace.
What sort of performance data are you after?
Another great and informative video 👍
Thank you help it’s helpful
@@MispronouncedAdventures definitely, will probably have to clean mine out soon, it's been running similier time to yours
Gasket comment. An RTV compound with high heat would be fine.
I’m going to have to look this up because I’m not familiar with it, thank you
You could also pack the new bearing with DISC BRAKE GREASE it's synthetic, works from -50 to +400 F and has graphite, poly, and teflon in it. As for the seal, copper coat gasket sealer RTV has a tempt rating of 420 deg F.
Would that be to increase the lifespan of the bearing?
@@MispronouncedAdventures I believe it would, I've been regreasing any bearings that used regular grease with disk brake grease (except the wheel bearings in cars and trucks due to the weight) with the stuff and the general response is that the vehicle steers better and sounds better (u-joints, steering knuckles, pivots, etc.)
I wonder if you can grease these tiny ones as the metal shielding I think makes it a sealed unit
@@MispronouncedAdventures On small bearing like that, I've had success using a syringe with a needle that I cut off flush with an abrasive disc on a dremel. but is the metal shields are too tight it may not work.
Not DISC BRAKE GREASE but DISC BRAKE WHEEL BEARING GREASE.
Just tripped over your video.I am assuming you need a mains hook up or generator the supply the DC current required for this heater? That being the case,you would need to factor in that amount of power into working out the efficiency of the heater.
No hook up or generator needed. It’s runs off DC power from the leisure batteries and fuel from the vans main tank.
Battery recharged via solar or the engine as a by production driving
A different point point of view would be to just replace the heater with a new one.
I can appreciate the effort that you went through to replace the bearings and the exhaust parts. I just paid $128 USD delivered for a VEVOR 8KW self contained unit. 2000 hours would be 0.064 USD per hour machine time not counting fuel. The one like yours, 5KW, and without the housing, are cheaper.
If you spent a couple of hours actually replacing the bearings and finding the gasket you have $40-60 into the actual repair, I am assuming that the bearings were about $10 each, plus whatever it cost you to get the new exhaust pipe and muffler. The time for repair you could say was free, on the other hand you could have been doing something else maybe more profitable and avoided the risk of breaking something more costly. You still haven't replaced the fuel pump and your motor armature is worn along with the brushes. The labor to remove and replace (r&r) the unit would be the same new or replacing your old unit. If you factor in the possibility that the motor will fail in less than 2000 more hours with additional r&r time and parts, replacing with a new one might be more cost effective and trouble free(er).
Swapping the whole unit is definitely a option but I’ve found not all all Chinese Heater are equal. Some will run for year no issues, other maybe only a few hours before sooting up. I’d personally be happier with replacing and repairing than swapping in a whole new unit
@@MispronouncedAdventures Isn't that the problem nowadays. Products used to be made so that they could be dissembled, repaired with parts you could actually purchase, then reassembled without worrying if you were going to break it just taking it apart. Armatures were thicker so that they could be turned and re grooved to go again for the same period as the first time. Brushes were longer, bearings were good ball bearings that could be greased if there was room. Now repairing something is rebooting your computer to see if it works again.
Not all progress is progress.
@@MispronouncedAdventures I purchased my diesel heater based on reviews which means that it was reviewed but will not actually do the same as the review unless I get lucky.
@@MispronouncedAdventures It's also worth considering that those bearings will most likley last many many times longer than the pre-installed ones. In the factory I work it it isn't uncommon for NHK bearings to last the life of the motor. Usually if it's brushed, the commutator will wear through before you get a bad bearing. I was quite surprised to note it wasn't a brushless motor though.. But considering the low wear I'd imagine with the Japanese bearings, next service you will have to do is replace the brushes in maybe another 10,000 hours.
I will wager you could have replaced that gasket with copper form a gasket material. Easy Peezy.
It wasn’t a skill set I had at the time, but it seems people with experience of making gaskets could make their own.
You just knew the new exhaust was coming apart once we saw the 2 screws.... 😏
It definitely was?
A sealed bearing would be better than a shielded bearing given your running into contamination failures. SS bearing. They shouldn't be failing after only 2000hrs they are seeing almost no load at all.
That makes sense you me. I guess at the time I didn’t know too much about the different types so I thought it would be better to do a like for like swap with a high quality part
I notice you have a Bowden cable/switch, do you use that to zone where the heat goes internally?
Good spot. Sort of. One side goes into the Habitation. The other route goes thought the bobilvan hot water heater exchanger and then into the habitation. If I close the habitation went it goes into the shower room / drying room
@@MispronouncedAdventures cool (or warm), I’m thinking of using this setup for the option to have fresh air or to recirculate internally. Main thinking is ventilation but it’s a bit of experimentation really.
That can be done, but it would decrease efficiency of the unit. But I’m all for experimentation. I guess you would only want the fresh air in the summertime anyway.
You can use high temp RTV seal maker. Comes in a tube and it’s red. We use it all the time at 500 F in America.
Thank you, this wasn’t stuff I was aware of quite a few commenters have mentioned it
I have Chinese diesel heater I am using it for 6 years I Ben -35 Fahrenheit in north states and still working perfect I only change the Exos heater pipe and that all I only started one time every month in the summer for 10 minut.
They are great unit when you get a good one. 3 years with this one and two Arctic winters
Which bearings you used? Any part number? Size? Type?
625ZZ EZO Miniature Bearing 5x16x5 Shielded
So why does everyone say "Chinese" diesel heater? It's not like every other powered item doesn't come from China !
It’s a good question. It’s not so much it’s “made in china” that’s not really important in the term of the names. Is just the common way people categorise diesel heaters. Most who have a western brand heaters people just say the 3 brands names, Espar, Webasto or Autoterm ( not the particular model ) but are distinctly different and unique designs for each brand. brand name doesn’t really work for the Chinese made heaters as there are more brand name than you can probably count, but generally they’re all the same unit / design based off the expired Patent of the Espar D4.
Mine is run underneath at a slight down angle, and points directly at the engine block. There's really no need for a muffler
Your exhaust points directly into engine bay? The muffler does make it a bit quieter, which, if I’m parking somewhere urban in the winter, is appreciated.
Gasket sets are pennies considering they prevent combustion gasses from being free to assist your sleeping
I cant fathom the mental process people go through sometimes
Indeed new gaskets sets are pennies.
Not quite sure who the “mental process people” part to meant for? People who want to make their own gaskets and not use premade sets?
These have now been refused import licences & and the last container shipment was sent back 😢 hence why no new stock anywhere - major concerns re exhaust fumes etc apparently 🤔🙄
Not at all to do with units themselves , that story was all over a lot of the groups for these. the refusal at the uk border was a around a 1000 / batch of vevor brands ones. The reason for refusal was the instruction manual not being an acceptable standard, it was missing some particular bit of information, which I think was something to do with exhaust pipe distance from something
A drop of medium strength loctite on those splines would have been a good idea.
As in on the fan onto the shaft?