Chinese diesel heaters

ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Does everyone who buys these things end up having to fiddle around with them, or are they more likely to be plug and play?


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Mine was simple to install, besides directions in Chinese ..
YouTube helped alot ..
But , I got the All-in 1 unit for $200...shipped to my door .
Has , does and is still working properly. I have parked beside others with the Espar heater , mine was quieter , just as Warm , ran about 12 hours on a gallon of diesel fuel.
But for me $2000. Savings upfront in initial costs prove I made the right choice for me .
But ,RESEARCH, and RESEARCH some more before making a decision..

sent from my Recliner..
 
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Treadmill

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Mine was simple to install, besides directions in Chinese ..
YouTube helped alot ..
But , I got the All-in 1 unit for $200...shipped to my door .
Has , does and is still working properly. I have parked beside others with the Espar heater , mine was quieter , just as Warm , ran about 12 hours on a gallon of diesel fuel.
But for me $2000. Savings upfront in initial costs prove I made the right choice for me .
But ,RESEARCH, and RESEARCH some more before making a decision..

sent from my Recliner..
Where do you get replacement parts from to fix your heater?
 
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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Where do you get replacement parts from to fix your heater?
Why worry about parts? ... for $200 bucks he could get a new one :tearsofjoy:
If replacement parts "would " be needed they can easily be found on Ebay or Amazon and very affordable. Which there are Several do-it-yourself Videos on YouTube.
But at $200. you have the option of Low Cost replacement of whole unit .
I have several Expediter friends that have Espar heating units and they love them . It's to each their own. Kinda like Comparing Sprinters to Transits or Promasters. Each Owner has his/her own reason to which choice.

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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Apparently it's been a good unit.

ntimevan, how long have you had that rice warmer?
15 months ... it had a full 1.3 gallon tank of Diesel fuel in it from last end of April 2019 . I actually remembered it while Trapping in November 2019 , so I turned on the switch and got busy and came back to work out of Van 15 minutes later and it was very Toasty. I let it burn overnight to use up remaining fuel . I have since used it a half a dozen times with "fresh " fuel. I use my Van as a project hauler , Furniture hauler and a couple Overnight trips (slept in van) . In the future I am going to take it out of Van and put it in a new Ice fishing house (that I am building) for season 2020/21 .

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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Roughly guessing.... 90 to 100 times used in the time since I installed it November 2018 .

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xmudman

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Okay, this is what I have so far: nothing. A $200 heater requires a battery setup, although that would also power a Fantastic Fan. It also requires buying a separate fuel, although I’ve done that before with propane.

So what happens in summer? We usually go to a J or Petro to stay inside; that can mean an hour or more of additional travel at the end of a run. Air conditioning? That means a generator, whether your a/c is a good rooftop unit or a cheap window shaker.
So if you have a genny, why not use an inexpensive heater in winter?
This can be a tough choice


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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Okay, this is what I have so far: nothing. A $200 heater requires a battery setup, although that would also power a Fantastic Fan. It also requires buying a separate fuel, although I’ve done that before with propane.

So what happens in summer? We usually go to a J or Petro to stay inside; that can mean an hour or more of additional travel at the end of a run. Air conditioning? That means a generator, whether your a/c is a good rooftop unit or a cheap window shaker.
So if you have a genny, why not use an inexpensive heater in winter?
This can be a tough choice


Sent from my iPhone using EO Forums
I for Several years used the Big Buddy heater setup. 20 lb tank , cracked open the windows, kept warm, but not a light blanket warm while sleeping.
Tried Electric Heaters (several types) with generator running. IMO those did "Not " even take the Chill out of the air at Zero Degrees.
If "I " had known 10 years ago that the Diesel heater types work that good then I would of had more Comfortable nights sleep back then .
Being Cheap isn't always Best ..

sent from my Recliner..
 
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Charity's Van

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
this is my second year with a chinese heater. only issue ive had was dirt in the intake. its been a great unit.i resisted for a while because i thought i wanted a espar gasoline one that could tie into my gas tank. finally price won out. i purchased my heater nad install from reds custom design. he had done many in a promaster and was quick because of that. now that i have one i will diffenetly have one in my future vans too
 
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CharAznable

New Recruit
Driver
I've got one in my Promaster as well that my boss had installed. I've noticed that it takes a few times kicking it on and off for the igniter to work. I thought about replacing it, maybe with a little bit bigger of one like pictured above. I'm sure almost all of these smaller rectangular ones run about the same, but I've seen much better reviews on the stand-up models. I would probably mount mine in the back of the van, though. I like being able to fill up right at the pump instead of with a can. One less thing to carry around and worry about.
 
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Treadmill

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I've got one in my Promaster as well that my boss had installed. I've noticed that it takes a few times kicking it on and off for the igniter to work. I thought about replacing it, maybe with a little bit bigger of one like pictured above. I'm sure almost all of these smaller rectangular ones run about the same, but I've seen much better reviews on the stand-up models. I would probably mount mine in the back of the van, though. I like being able to fill up right at the pump instead of with a can. One less thing to carry around and worry about.
Or just get one that ties into your fuel tank.
 
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Treadmill

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
It's easyer to keep track of fuel usage with a separate tank for your heater.
I think its better with a fuel tank tie in because just in case you forget to fill it up and its -10* outside and its 4 am and you run out of fuel and have to go outside and freeze your arse off while I’m laying in bed cozy and sound alseep waiting for that call.
 
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