Things Are Heating Up! | Installing A Diesel Heater In Our Off-Grid Truck Camper
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ค. 2024
- We are back working on our truck camper! This time, we install a diesel heater to keep us toasty warm on our future winter trips. It will also allow us to continue working on the inside of the camper during the freezing months ahead.
Want more content? Like and follow our Facebook page for behind the scenes posts, photos, and more!: profile.php?...
If you would like to donate any amount to us, to help us continue to create content, it would be greatly appreciated! You can do so here: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
Products in this video:
Diesel Heater: amzn.to/3QRtlx9
Battery: amzn.to/3SFWYDf
Camera Equipment:
Camera + Lens: amzn.to/3ZkTp68
Microphone: amzn.to/3VUKg1o
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
All music in this video is from Epidemic Sound. Here is our referral link if you'd like to get a free one month trial: share.epidemicsound.com/l439a9
You can reach us at:
Mail:
Matt & Emily
PO Box 872411
Wasilla, AK 99687
Email:
AGlimpseOfAlaska@Gmail.com
We would love to hear from you!
Hi, we are Emily and Matt, and welcome to A Glimpse of Alaska! In September 2022, we (along with our puppy Aurora) made the nearly 5,000 mile drive from our home in Florida to our new home: Alaska. We created this channel to document and share our adventures in this wonderful state.
We appreciate each and every person who spent time out of their day to watch this video! If you enjoyed this video, please consider liking and subscribing to our channel. We will be continuing to document all of our Alaskan adventures including hiking, fishing, gardening, working on our homestead and so much more!
Chapters:
00:00 - POV: A Bird Lands On You
00:19 - How We Are Heating Our Truck Camper
02:36 - An Honest Disclaimer
03:22 - Where We Are Placing The Heater & Why
04:19 - Laying Out The Parts
07:11 - Installing The Bottom Pieces
09:00 - Drilling A Hole And Mounting The Heater
11:01 - Installing The Fuel Parts
13:19 - All About The Battery
15:34 - Installing The Wiring Harness
17:13 - Testing The Heater
18:22 - Mounting Everything Into Place
19:57 - A Final Overview
28:04 - A Snowy Surprise
28:28 - Thanks For Watching! - บันเทิง
Check out a simple living alaska? They wrapped the exhaust pipe with some kind of motorcycle exhaust wrap because of how hot the pipe gets- extremely hot. They have installed several around their place this video was recent work on installing one for their chicken coop.
Why though? What does it do? The exhaust needs proper clearance when passing though a wall, I’m trying to understand what purpose the wrap would serve. Serious question.
Carolwhittens235 exactly what I was going to say 🙂
@@edwardjanowiakthe exhaust pipe gets really hot and they did it to prevent any problems
What kind of problems? Still trying to understand the purpose.
@@edwardjanowiak It appears that the exhaust is run through a wood wall ? gets hot enough long enough could very well start a fire. That would be reason enough for me.
A few take aways and recommendations ....the heat output should be close to the floor since heat rises and with the forced air you can direct the heat to the opposite corner for more even heating. The thermostat should be away from the heat vent and away from the door/windows would be best. The air inlet for the heater may need unrestricted air which would be easily solved with a grate on a cabinet door. It would probably be a good idea to wrap the exhaust with some exhaust wrap to help with the heat and protect the fuel line. Lastly ive heard many people have issues with the muffler plugging up and end up removing them. Just keep an eye on it and time will tell if that issue has been resolved on newer units.
I noticed that too. I would also add that diesel fuel gels in very cold weather. (10 f) Being in Alaska I think I would have mounted the fuel tank in an area that stays warm enough to keep it from gelling.
@@WanderingNC Won't gel with treated fuel, which is what is exclusively sold in Alaska in the winter. Diesel fuel tanks for trucks and other vehicles are mounted outside. And if someone doesn't 100% trust that the fuel they are purchasing is treated, then a splash of anti-gel product in that small tank will keep everything flowing.
@@anthonyc1883 Roger that. Y'all did a great job on that btw. I should have mentioned that. Great stuff.
Chinese diesel heaters DO NOT have thermostats allowing the heater to cycle off and on! They use a cycling feature allowing for fuel rate. A lower number means less fuel,pump operates slower and lower temps. Higher numbers will provide more fuel,pump runs faster giving more heat. Less fuel =lower temp, more fuel=higher temp you control it not a thermostat.
Just to be clear, propane furnaces exhaust ALL combustion byproducts (including all water vapor) outside. The only thing that stays inside is the heat, which is transferred from surfaces of the sealed combustion chambers.
Stoves and gaslights are the main concern because, unlike furnaces and water heaters, they have exposed flames in the living space.
I appreciate your standards about sponsoring the heater. Thank you for that!
yes, refreshing.
I don’t think you want your thermostat right for the hot air is coming out and it’s way too high hot air rises. You should have it a lot lower.
FYI diesel heaters DO NOT have thermostats it's just a controller! If it were a thermostat it would cycle the heater on and off as needed. You simply turn the heater on set the controller number to it's fuel flow and that's it. Be aware you don't want to go too far below it's lowest setting as it can soot up the glow plug and your fire chamber.
When the bird was on the camera a humming bird went by me 😊 1st time seeing one here in Fl. Thought it was neat. Great job on explaining the heater install Matt.
Awesome!! 😎
therostate may not keep heater running because its to close to the vent opening
I have an old travel trailer tiny house conversion that looks like that. Leaks are a major problem with those old style campers. I recommend sealing all seams, then cover them with eternabond tape. It worked for me.
The way you explained the placement of everything and used the arrows was absolutely outstanding! This is the best video I’ve ever seen on these diesel heaters
Thank you so much!! Your words mean the world to us 😊
Also run the heater on high at least a hour every day to keep soot from building up in the combustion chamber and it should be good for a long time
I would drop heater exhaust lower inside the truck ( hot air rises) . Also I would make sure thermostat is far away from heater exhaust ( to give a more accurate reading) . Also I would wrap the outside exhaust with flame retardant wrap( as it gets extremely hot plus barrier to fuel line).
I'd echo the comments on the need (or preference) to have the vent low. Also can have an air intake inlet high to circulate hotter air getting more efficiently. Battery seems like a huge overkill but I can imagine that there's not a lot of solar charging in winter time. All in all - great installation and I'm sure you will enjoy the warm camper. These things are great!
you guys rock. thanks for not advising for useless and trash equipment. keep going. wish you best in all coming adventures. waiting all.
Just the smile on her face after she mentions the birds? Is Amazing.
I don't recommend using those alligator clips. Mount the power more securely you don't want the heater loosing power while running as it can damage the heater. Also having the heater outlet that high isn't as efficient as heat rises.
Love your videos. Please be careful the diesel heater exhaust gets very hot causing a fire hazard Also, people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning please use caution be safe and enjoy 😉
Being in Alaska if I was you it might be a great idea to buy an extra heater and keep it for a backup if you ever need it instead of waiting for parts.
u guys shoulda zoomed in on your faces when that bird landed lol
You are right! We are still in awe of that moment and talk about it frequently!
I’ve had my Chinese diesel heater for 5 years and I’ve just had to put new gaskets and glow plug and clean it out this year for the first time. And I only paid 100 for it and the gasket kit off amazon only cost like 11.99. So it’s totally worth it.
The mounting plate has a slot for the wiring that goes to the diesel pump. You didn't have to drill a separate hole. Love the video though!
Good job explaining the installation process. It looks like it'll be perfect for you two.
Thank you! So far it’s been great! 😊
My brother lives in Alaska ❤❤❤… stay warm new to your channel 😊
Legit I'm a firefighter and we had a call of a guy who did this install in his camper. He's dead now. Camper caught on fire and he couldn't escape out the bunk area.
Heat rises so installing the vent high on your wall will make the floor cold. Also, invest in a co2 detector. Better the be safe than sorry.
I didn't hear how you will charge the battery.. Perhaps you will install the means to charge it from the trucks 12 volt system when driving??? Also this type of battery cannot be charged when it is below 32 F. Good video and good sound quality.
I believe that you can take product sponsorships as youtubers with a clear understanding that your review will be totally honest.
Props to both of you for not excepting the sponsorship and keeping your self honest
I was doing a little research on your heater and found the following in an article:
Moreover, the green diesel fuel pipe, after about one year of use, will deteriorate.
And the aging of the fuel pipe is a very serious safety hazard. If you have purchased a diesel heater using the green fuel pipe, we recommend that you replace the transparent fuel pipe.
Just FYI. Love your channel 👌👍
T Stat should not be that close to the vent
Really? How odd that after 3 years, mine is still in like new condition. DUH!
Those green fuel lines wear and crack quickly, it should be replaced. Also, never disconnect your heaters power without the proper shutdown process. The heater will melt. The cheap diesel ones work fine - mines been running for 3 years - 6 months of the year without ever being shut off. If you get a dud it'll die quickly otherwise it'll last just fine. Congrats on your camper, have fun with the renos.
Looks great guys. One suggestion would be to add a heating pad for the lifepo4 battery to keep it warm.
The battery is self heating 😀
@@AGlimpseOfAlaskaGreat choice
You dont think an un-insulated heat duct in the same cabinet will keep it from freezing??? WOW!!
I love the integrity behind not choosing to accept the sponsorships!
Thank you. We may do sponsorships in the future, but we will always be 100% honest, and if we can’t, then we won’t be doing them! 😊
sweet to see you giving new life to your retro camper and I am looking forward to your upcoming winter adventures - nice that you'll be warm and cozy in there! have fun! ❤
Thank you! 😊
✨good character & integrity , hold that close , it will build upon itself and serve you well for your entire life .✨ Happy Holiday Season ~peace~
Thermostat next to heat discharge ? It will turn off a lot. I would want it far away so heat fills whole camper !
I shouldn’t have called it a thermostat. It is not. These cheap heaters can’t be set to a certain temperature. They only can be set to different hertz levels. -Matt
You two are very smart and great teachers of your projects as well as being fun and adorable .The cabinet was made for that battery. Another great job and video !! Thank you, Happy Saturday :)
Thank you so much!!! When we first put the battery in that compartment we couldn’t believe it! Happy Saturday!
Thank you , happy week :)
Just a thought I would run the exhaust through the bottom of the truck bed so it’s away from your intake.
The first 17 seconds were astonishing. Both of them dropped their jaws to see birds landing on you. :) ♥♥
Great video guys.That will be a great addition to the camper
Just watch your video ....awesome! I have the exact same heater in my garage, I've had it for 3 years and it's running off of a 100 amp hour chin's life04 battery and two solar panels using a renogy rover 40 controller. I have had zero problems with it and the biggest issue with these seems to be in the installation and you guys are pretty much spot on right. Only thing I did different was to replace the fuel line from the pump to the heater using the hard white line but I still have the old line going from the fuel tank through the fuel filter and to the fuel pump. Again great job you two very informative and well done.
i need to do this to my bigfoot camper :)
Great Video Nice Job Install The Heater
They are not all the same, I’ve had many of them, vevor is one of the good ones, except that green fuel is garbage. Use the hard nylon type! Shorten the power wires, leaving them that long will cause issues, most guys use larger wire.
Incredible Ethics! Raised right :) May I suggest that y'all get a Carbon Monoxide detector - just to be safe! WTG!!! Loving your camper!
We have 2 from 2 different brands for redundancy 😊
I recommend also getting a spare fuel pump as that is the most vulnerable part from what I have heard. I would also replace the fuel line and keep one in reserve and maybe even wrap it in some protective cover as it is vulnerable so out in the open. I agree that these heaters are a very cheap and economical way of heating the camper.
We do plan on getting spare parts for basically everything, including the things you mentioned. Just waiting on shipping…
Great video guys thanks.
The only thing I can see is the thermostat to close to the heat vent the hot air coming out of the vent can make the heater turn off and the camper is still cold. And your heat vent should be near the floor heat rise with the vent at the floor your thermostat will work fine where it is. You could have a aluminum tank made to fit in between the truck and the camper to the wheel well to the back of the truck that would be a big tank it would last. If you get a 200w Soler panel put it on the roof of your camper you could off grid camping
I've been using one in my bus for two heating seasons now best little heater I own
Hydronic heater is the best option to go , u have hot cabin hot water and warm engine.
Your going to need to put the diesel tank inside. Because the diesel needs to be warm or it will gel in cold temps
Great video. Great information.
So seems reasonable to say that it’s the perfect sized heater for that kinda space. Thanks for posting!
Great video👍
They have one that heats water too if you would like to upgrade one day
Ive used these Vevor heaters in a couple of my builds. From my experience the green line should just be thrown away. Go to the auto store and get yourself some 3/16 fuel line, it will be thicker and much higher quality especially since your's will have some sunlight exposure. With some light effort you can change the thermostats to be set to Celsius rather then a Hz setting as well. Keep up the good work, I also prefer these heaters over a Webasto or the like for a price standpoint.
Hey that was good i never mounted one of those your good that is for sure No Mat it was intersting video to me thanks
great video, keep up the good work.
U should put the pump and tank inside the camper cuz it will freeze other wise u will have to replace alot of fuel pumps
This was a great video, not boring at all ...your both amazing.🇨🇦😊
Fuel additive in there to keep the fuel from jailing and cold nights
I’ve used a couple of these in my RV ur gonna hate the tick tick tick of the fuel pump at night use a pool noodle to wrap the pump then mount it also heat rises put ur vent down low close to the floor
Also diesel gels up in the cold I wrap the fuel line outside
Great video guys. Nice to see accurate information shared without any nonsense. many thanks.
Sorry to tell you but flex seal is a huge mistake. It's has zero UV rating. It will litterly turn to dust over time do to this fact. Also it's not rated for low temps it will harden and break off like old window putty. You should have used dicor. Sealant and eturnabond seam sealer ( tape ) make sure you get anti-gel for the diesel fuel. also quickly ditch that green fuel hose it will become brittle and shatter it's not fuel rated hose
Good Luck with your camper renovation and new heater.
Definitely not boring. Thanks for sharing 😊
Yiu should mount your thermostat away from the heater and lower than eye level. Mount the thermostat by your bed
Because they are cheap i know some people buy an extra unit as a spare. If it should fail in the middle of a storm just replace the unit, get some sleep and worry about it when you're ready to.
You are limited on space in truck campers. Better off buying a used dickinson marine wood or propane and installing it as a 2nd heat source.
I ran a diesel heater in my Alaska 1970 Truck Camper rebuild. Had to go to Mr. Jones in Australia with the Afterburner to control the thermostat. Watch our first videos taking it out and it got schvetty in there fast. Mine is an 8KW and it will heat it up ultra fast. Good job! Hope to run into you sometime out there. Alaska is an AMAZING place...can't get enough of it.
8KW is impossible. the 22ml pump can not deliver that mush fuel, even if it could, the fan would have to run at 8400 rpm, these can run at 5000 rpm max. You have a 5kw heater. Dont believe me, look it up.
@@canadianwarrior2108 I have no reason to doubt you. The unit I purchased was classified as an 8KW. I don’t claim it produces 8KW. That’s what it said on the label. 😊
If you run a trailer lighting plug from your truck to your battery you will be able to recharge the battery while driving. Good install, saw other comments on anything I’d recommend changing about location, but if it works well for you then who cares. Love your video overall.
I once had a truck camper very similar to that. That heater should keep the camper toasty. I used a regular kerosene heater and i woke up sweating. I had to open a window.
Warm feet are EVERYTHING! It is easy to negate the quality issue by installing TWO cheap Chinese diesel heaters. Which I have always done and I have never been without heat. I recommend two 2k unit.
Great job you guys I'm a maintenance tech and you might have that thermostat too close to your source of heat
You might want to insulate bottom sides of camper may with pink foam board when you drilled to intall heater board looked pretty thin good luck stay warm😊
Good video. I enjoyed the install of the diesel heater. I like your camper. Show us more of the camper it in the future.
Nice job that’s a good start to keep warm
Thank you for posting this! I was just looking at purchasing a diesel heater and your honest opinion on this product has helped me in my decision.
keep the videos coming. Thanks again !
You guys are great keep the videos coming!
glad ur safe and no bird made a nest in ur mouths lol ur shock look prices less , mine was open tooo lol take care and always pray beleive recieve ✝
Big like 👍🏻. I would have put th fresh air intake farther away from the exhaust. So it doesn't suck in the exhaust fumes.
you should run the duct out as close to the floor as you can..
I don't know squat about pickups or their campers, but when you get about insulating the 'new' cabin insert---what about the gaps between he camper vs the sides of the truck bed? Styrofoam blocks? I do like the forest brown color vs the sad grey (I would have liked your green of the container) and your excitement about fixing up the camper is infectious. Well done, 'youngsters' !
Awesome video! Just an FYI, Looks like you hooked the fuel filter on backwards.
Well that sucks you didn't show the whole process of putting that nipple into the gas tank for the fuel line. I wanted to see exactly how difficult it was to put that in there lol.
Nice truck! That scares me to see you use that clear green fuel line. So many found that to be unsafe. It can swell up and leak, causing a fire being so close to the exhaust which gets close to 500 degrees! Get some better quality line if you want to be safe.
Your thermostat needs to be as far away as possible
Yeah, I was thinking about that too.
I shouldn’t have called it a thermostat. It is not. These cheap heaters can’t be set to a certain temperature. They only can be set to different hertz levels. Therefore it doesn’t matter where the thermostat is placed. -Matt
You should have looked into battleborn batteries 250 amp hours probably would have only weighed about 30 lb. And you can empty them all the way to zero without hurting them and they have their own built-in heater to keep them warm in Arctic temperatures. Don't know if I would have cut that exhaust pipe short like it though lol Hope the diesel fumes don't make its way back into your camper lol.
They have essentially the same battery, except for $1700.00 instead of $4200.00
I would use the warm air from inside the camper rather than heating cold air from outside ! Recirculate ?
Great video you two! I love those campers. Brings back memories. On a side note those fuel tanks don’t last long so what I ended up doing was using a 5 gallon plastic fuel jug and ordered a diesel heater fuel tank “stand pipe” to install in it. Check it out. Thanks for your videos!🇺🇸🙏
Please make sure that exhaust pipe is not touching anything in that cabinet it gets really hot, and why put the heat duct so high since heat rises ijs.
Thermostat is too close to heat out put it will shut heater down before camper is warm 👍
Great job y'all! I've lived through a couple Colorado winters in my van primarily heating with one of these diesal heaters and it keeps its toasty warm. I also have a Webasto hydronic heater and the cost to replace the burner inside the heater was $250+ alone, so I find these Chinese diesel heaters more cost-effective to run constantly.
A couple of thoughts from my perspective:
1. See if you can tune the heater's Hz to RPM ratio (You can find some guides online) this helps prevent soot build-up if you're at altitude.
2. Consider cutting an intake hole somewhere in the cabinet; It currently looks like the heater is just pulling air from around the cabinet doors/possibliy limiting the airflow.
3. As other's have mentioned, the heat output should probably be lower, if you lower it maybe just put a soffit vent on the old hole?
4. Since the exhaust pipe is close to the truck body maybe add a heat shield or wrap the exhaust pipe to protect the body paint.
Great video :)
I enjoy your videos. Should you have a carbon monoxide monitor?
We have 2 from 2 different brands to be extra careful. We may show them in the future
Liked and subbed ❤❤ looks awesome
You should have had it come out some where low heat rises I have a 8kw
I have some experience with this kind of heater and you really need to put the heat vent really low, at floor level. If not your feet are going to freeze. Just saying
May want to add some type of heat insulation wrapping around the heat exhaust ? or you may end up with melted wires that are right underneath it. Melted wires may cause a short, sparks, fire ? Better to be a bit safe than sorry. Wrap the actual exhaust as well, you really do not want that touching any wood surface. Stay safe.
Please be sure you get a carbon monoxide detector to keep inside the camper!
That fuel line can not be anywhere near or for heavens sake not touch the exhaust pipe The exhaust pipe itself gets extremely hot and will cause a fire for sure if not properly protected.
hint move theromstat away from heat vent oops :) or 95 near vent then negative 2 otherside joke but u will see , looking great , nice info install , ;like pro commentators kool
anti gel for diesel in extreme cold?
That’s a 1992 F150 pickup Truck……..how will you be able to to recharge the battery will be your next project.I suggest a solar power system.
Lol the bird does not want to be filmed.