Diesel Heater

[huntinfool18]

I’ll have mine out for 3 days straight in a couple weeks. I’ll report back on how long the battery station lasts.  I have no doubts about the set up. I watched one video, the guy ran his on a jackery power station on low power for 30hrs on 1 gallon of fuel and still had plenty of battery. Mine on medium says it’s only drawing 15watts so I guess you can do the math if you want.

[Brian VT]

The battery is the thing I can't wrap my head around. ...If that is a group 31 deep cycle battery than I think I'm out.

I think one post here said he uses a 50ah lithium (lightweight) battery that gets him 18 hours.
A group 31 deep cycle battery would give you the 100ah you'd need for 36 hours, but they're heavy. And a 100ah lithium (lightweight) battery will cost you $700.

[sploke]

One of the videos I just took a quick look at on the Vevor unit says it draws about 10-15w after the initial startup.  Round that up to 20w draw, on a 12V battery that's 1.6A.  Pulling 1.6A for a 36hour straight period is 57.6Ah.  So, you could look for a 60-100Ah lithium battery depending on how much buffer you want.


To run the heater 36hours straight, you're also looking at probably 5gal of diesel fuel as well, which in itself is 35-40lbs.

[GBguy]

One of the videos I just took a quick look at on the Vevor unit says it draws about 10-15w after the initial startup.  Round that up to 20w draw, on a 12V battery that's 1.6A.  Pulling 1.6A for a 36hour straight period is 57.6Ah.  So, you could look for a 60-100Ah lithium battery depending on how much buffer you want.


To run the heater 36hours straight, you're also looking at probably 5gal of diesel fuel as well, which in itself is 35-40lbs.

That draw calculation omits the amperage needed for startup and shutdown which is significant and not to be forgotten when deciding on a power source.

[sploke]

That draw calculation omits the amperage needed for startup and shutdown which is significant and not to be forgotten when deciding on a power source.

That same video mentioned the unit draws about 10A during startup.  Assuming that to be accurate, if you took 20s to start the unit (which seems absurdly long, but who knows I've never used one of these things before) that's only an additional .06Ah consumed to start the unit, well within the margin of error/buffer in my previous example.

[hookset81]

Unless they stink like diesel. I don’t think you can fill a diesel anything without the stink.

I use pump kerosene instead of diesel.  Won't gel and doesn't smell at all.  The heated air won't have any scent at all anyway since you're running through a heat exchanger and the exhaust is outside.  If you do smell diesel at all that means your heat exchanger is not sealed or is cracked, just like in a house furnace situation.  That's really the biggest draw to these is the fact you don't have to worry about CO poisoning like you do a propane heater.

[Finnt]

I'm having trouble with it myself to be honest, on the one hand it seems like it would be awesome to have good, dry heat and less worries about overnights with CO (although you still have to worry about it some with any combustion based heating). The battery is the thing I can't wrap my head around. I've watched literally no end of YouTube videos about diesel heaters and not one has told me how much battery these things consume. I need 36 constant hours and I can't be short. If that is a group 31 deep cycle battery than I think I'm out.

You will spend alot of money for a battery like a jackery lithium batt.and solar panels and dragging a diesel heater around and fuel can of smelly fuel. Those heaters are really made to be mounted down and not bounced around in a sled . You wl spill fuel and get all of your equipment and fishing equipment smelling like diesel. Plus the clicking noise from the fuel pump is crazy,  you will have have additives added to fuel to keep from gelling up. To much work to deal with is not what I want to do out on the ice. I have used one of these diesel for my detached garage and it works good but I built a little lean to to keep out of weather and have a bigger tank and run a vent tube with a booster fan it works good ,have replaced the fuel pump 2 times now and always now have spare one on hand now. I wouldn't want to set one up on a Portable shanty and move it around on trips.you will be investing alot of money in a big jackery box to last 3 days of run time.

[jethro]

To run the heater 36hours straight, you're also looking at probably 5gal of diesel fuel as well, which in itself is 35-40lbs.

Yeah, see now it really has a tough case against propane. The problem I have is I hate Mr. Heater Buddy heaters, and they seem to be the standard fare. Damn things are problematic to me. I do plenty of venting too, but if it's cold I stay comfortable, so I crank it and moisture is an issue. But I can carry backups of everything, including heaters, hoses, thermocouples, tools and propane easier than all that deisel fuel and battery. I'm not sure I can sleep with that damn fuel pump ticking anyway.

[HardH20Fishin]

I use pump kerosene instead of diesel.  Won't gel and doesn't smell at all.  The heated air won't have any scent at all anyway since you're running through a heat exchanger and the exhaust is outside.  If you do smell diesel at all that means your heat exchanger is not sealed or is cracked, just like in a house furnace situation.  That's really the biggest draw to these is the fact you don't have to worry about CO poisoning like you do a propane heater.

Agree with hookset81. The one I built I run a mix of 80/20 kerosene/diesel. You need to run some diesel as the dosing pumps are designed as self-lubricating and will wear out faster if you run just straight kerosene. The 80/20 gives you a cleaner burn for the combustion chamber (hence longer run time between needed maintenance) but the 20% diesel is enough to keep the dosing pump adequately lubricated and the mix does not gel up when cold. Either way, diesel or kerosene or mix, if you ever smell any odors in the airflow then that means the heater itself is bad/cracked. Anyone interested in using diesel heaters should take the time to review the series of youtube videos made by John McK 47 (@johnmck1147).  He covers all the things anyone should know about these heaters. ALL of the complaints I have ever seen from other people about performance issues with these heaters are called out by John on his video series and can be avoided by following his recommendations. Things like type of fuel line used, angle of mounting the dosing pump, placement of the muffler, etc.).  I followed his recommendations and have had zero issues with mine now for 2.5 seasons.

I run mine on a Jackery 500. On startup mine draws 80-90 watts of power for about 2-3 minutes to get the glow plug going, but then only draws about 10-12 watts while running on medium setting....which burns about 3 liters of fuel for about 12 hours of run time....extremely efficient. After 12 hours on medium setting, the Jackery still has about 70%-72% capacity left. Mine fits all in a plano box (heater/pump/etc) and the mods I made keep the dosing pump sound from driving me crazy...can't even hear it in the tent.

[HWeber]

Approximate amp hours for 12 hour run time?

[jethro]

Approximate amp hours for 12 hour run time?

No one seems to really be able to tell me accurately. I'm told (for what that's worth) they consume 1 amp per hour while running and 10 to 12 amps just in that 60 seconds to start-up. I don't know why but the math seems odd to me. I bring 40ah already for 36hrs of off grid camping for lights, Helix 9, USB fan, flat panel LCD, Aqua-Vu etc. so now I need another 48ah of battery? Doesn't seem like enough. And that's if the diesel heater doesn't need to get restarted for any reason.

There's 1000 videos of people ice fishing with diesel heaters but I haven't found one where they actually run until the battery dies.

[GBguy]

That's because if you run the heater until the battery dies, you can burn up the heater. It has to go through a shutdown process which requires additional battery power. So you better hope your battery doesn't have just enough juice based on the calculations, or you'll be buying a new heater.

And unless the technology has improved, battery meters have a hard time accurately showing how much juice is left in a lithium battery because the drop-off from usable stored energy to dead is so quick.

[jethro]

That's because if you run the heater until the battery dies, you can burn up the heater. It has to go through a shutdown process which requires additional battery power. So you better hope your battery doesn't have just enough juice based on the calculations, or you'll be buying a new heater.

And unless the technology has improved, battery meters have a hard time accurately showing how much juice is left in a lithium battery because the drop-off from usable stored energy to dead is so quick.

That makes it even harder to figure out the battery. Now I'm understanding why no one knows how much power these things use.

[Finnt]

That makes it even harder to figure out the battery. Now I'm understanding why no one knows how much power these things use.

If it's really cold the heater has to work harder draws about 3 amps you need alot amphrs like a 700.00 jackery you will never get precise calculation on consumption. Get a small woodstove and run charcoal in it if you want dry heat.

[HardH20Fishin]

Approximate amp hours for 12 hour run time?

No expert, but the factory specs on my Jackery 500 indicates it has 518Wh/144,400mAh/500W....so 144,400mAh=144.4 amp hours. On my first test run (did a YouTube video on it I can post that link if you want) I ran it 12 hrs and it consumed 18% of the fully charged Jackery 500....so it used approximately 26 amp hours for the 12-hour run (144.4 x 18% = 26). Note, it ran continous for the 12 hrs so there was no time the glow plugs had to re-start. The start up consumes the most power, although only for a few minutes, then the power draw to continue operations is really prettly low (at least for the one I built).

The second field test I ran it for the same 12 hrs but that time I recirculated the air so I was able to run it on an even lower setting and the power consumption dropped a little lower (only used about 15% of the fully charged Jackery 500), but the fuel consumption was notably less (only about 2 liters total).

Note that the shutdown cycle uses very little power, all it does is continue running the fan while the unit cools down after shutting off the glow plug.

[thomasthepikehunter]

No one seems to really be able to tell me accurately. I'm told (for what that's worth) they consume 1 amp per hour while running and 10 to 12 amps just in that 60 seconds to start-up. I don't know why but the math seems odd to me. I bring 40ah already for 36hrs of off grid camping for lights, Helix 9, USB fan, flat panel LCD, Aqua-Vu etc. so now I need another 48ah of battery? Doesn't seem like enough. And that's if the diesel heater doesn't need to get restarted for any reason.

There's 1000 videos of people ice fishing with diesel heaters but I haven't found one where they actually run until the battery dies.

The more I look into these, the more I realize they are not all sunshine and roses. I also find it really frustrating that nobody seems to know much about the batteries. Even the specs are random at best. I think part of it is because these heaters were originally never meant for portable use, they were meant for RV's, vans, etc. that you hook to a big deep cycle battery you charge daily and run other stuff on. Running out of juice overnight was never much of a concern, neither was having a 75 pound battery. You would sure hope these units have a low voltage cutoff if there is a chance of burning up, but you can never be sure with cheap chineese products.

I still think these heaters have a future, but as of now I'm not seeing a way to do it without a $500 battery. In your case if you are camping 3 days, I would think taking a small generator out with you would be worth a lot. If you put them 50' away, exhaust pointed away, and some kind of block like a sled between you, the sound really isn't much.

[huntinfool18]

Most of the people who are using a diesel heater are spending multiple days on the ice. The huge upside is you can run them all night without having to worry about not waking up in the morning.
If you are just doing day trip stuff, I would stick with propane

[OldSailor]

Or a wood stove with charcoal and ventilation!! No so good for flip overs!! Sorry!! Just my $.02 worth!! Diesel heaters sound like they are more bother than they are worth for most ice fishing situations.

[HardH20Fishin]

Or a wood stove with charcoal and ventilation!! No so good for flip overs!! Sorry!! Just my $.02 worth!! Diesel heaters sound like they are more bother than they are worth for most ice fishing situations.

The diesel heaters are not a "bother" at all if set up/built adequately. Quite the contrary. My set up all fits inside a plano box and sets up in minutes. It provides very efficient heat, that is dry and doesn't create a sauna of water vapor inside my tent like propane heaters do and takes up the same space that my buddy heater + 20lb propane tank used to take up...but less than 1/2 the weight. No water condensation on the windows or roof/walls and I can recirculate the air as well which further reduces the power & fuel consumption. Now, I will agree that most of the pre-built units out there have a number of issues, and personally I think assembling your own eliminates most of those issues. But just a little bit of education by watching folks like John McK 47 (@johnmck1147) youtube series provides all the info for most folks to build/assemble their own efficient units. Yes, I did initially build mine for camping on the ice, but it is so easy to set up and use that I have used it for long single days on the ice as well when my wife accompanies me and the reduced weight was worth it. I also use it for fall/winter camping off the ice in my roof-top tent and it works great.

If you are looking for quick easy heat for just a couple hours on the ice and don't mind the water vapor issues, propane heat like a buddy heater with a couple 1 lb tanks is fine. But if you are going to be out long enough to bring a 10 or 20 pound propane tank, or wanting to use it at night for camping on the ice, then a diesel heater set up really out performs.

[Jeremyc_1999]

Holly Molly, thats an extra $500 on top of the heater plus all that added weight!!! I never  get a lot of moisture because my shelter is always well vented and I use a small rechargable fan/light combo. I see no reason to spend nearlt $1000 total and have to cary diesel out and try to keep that fuel warm so it doesnt gell up plus the noise is 3 or 4 times louder than the big buddy.

Gelling isn’t an issue and I fished the last two days with a bug buddy and I think the noise is equal. We ran my diesel heater to heat my cargo trailer and took the big buddy out in the hut with us.  I know my eyes are itching like crazy but I’m not sure it’s because of the propane, but that’s the only thing I can think of 

[Jeremyc_1999]

I'm having trouble with it myself to be honest, on the one hand it seems like it would be awesome to have good, dry heat and less worries about overnights with CO (although you still have to worry about it some with any combustion based heating). The battery is the thing I can't wrap my head around. I've watched literally no end of YouTube videos about diesel heaters and not one has told me how much battery these things consume. I need 36 constant hours and I can't be short. If that is a group 31 deep cycle battery than I think I'm out.

I get 18 hours on a 12v 54 AH Dakota Lithium running on high. I would expect you would need double that to get a full 36. I have also been running it on my deep cycle batteries (lead acid) that I typically use for my trolling motor but I’m not sure how long I can get out of one of those.

[Jeremyc_1999]

One of the videos I just took a quick look at on the Vevor unit says it draws about 10-15w after the initial startup.  Round that up to 20w draw, on a 12V battery that's 1.6A.  Pulling 1.6A for a 36hour straight period is 57.6Ah.  So, you could look for a 60-100Ah lithium battery depending on how much buffer you want.


To run the heater 36hours straight, you're also looking at probably 5gal of diesel fuel as well, which in itself is 35-40lbs.

One tank on my heater gets me 30 hrs on high. I have the 8 kw high altitude version with a 1.3 gallon fuel tank so less than 2 gallons will get you 36 hours

[2MuchStuff]

I have a vevor 5kw all in one , it runs  on pump diesel 'the have a winter blend or truckers would be stuck no gelling'
it runs 8 solid hours on a tank full producing more heat than  I need in my hub 4man
my electric comes from a 30ah lipo battery when fully charged I get 2 days of running with out worry
this whole kit weighs a little over 8# for battery and 25# for the heater
I have that in a ammo box with a 20 amp mppt controller . the controller I use with solar panels 2 30watt
which are small enough to carry and on a sunny day give me piece of mind.
my kit sits outside of the hub with a 5foot hose sending the heat inside  the battery is on a longer wire with the heater controller and sits inside the hub  when there is a couple people in there yucking it up you dont notice the noise much
I have a portable flip house this is just to much to deal with for that and use a buddy heater.
I know a man who has a cdh going into his trailer house and heats that just fine.
I use a 8kw to heat my green house when the temps drop ,that has a large heavy battery and solar make up
 

[jethro]

After much deliberation, the battery and fuel situation makes it a non-starter for me camping multiple days on the ice. If I could afford a $700 lithium deep cycle or Jackery device then maybe it would work out weight-wise but for 3 days on the ice in a portable it's just way too much weight. My 100ah group 31 lead acid deep cycle is about 70lbs alone, not to mention the fuel and heater. I can carry propane and heater and even a backup heater for about half the weight of just the battery power alone. I would love that dry heat and not having to deal with those horrible buddy heaters but I'm going to put this dream to bed for now. Unless someone wants to send me a 100ah lithium power source to use?

[hawg]

Jethro, I was thinking about it too, then I got behind a big diesel truck and that thought vanished immediately. 👍

[badger132]

After much deliberation, the battery and fuel situation makes it a non-starter for me camping multiple days on the ice. If I could afford a $700 lithium deep cycle or Jackery device then maybe it would work out weight-wise but for 3 days on the ice in a portable it's just way too much weight. My 100ah group 31 lead acid deep cycle is about 70lbs alone, not to mention the fuel and heater. I can carry propane and heater and even a backup heater for about half the weight of just the battery power alone. I would love that dry heat and not having to deal with those horrible buddy heaters but I'm going to put this dream to bed for now. Unless someone wants to send me a 100ah lithium power source to use?

Lithium batteries have come down a lot in price over the last year. My trolling motor 100 AH was over $700, but you can buy something comparable today for $220. You also need to know that the specs on lead batteries and lithium are different, Lead really only has 50% of the rated capacity as usable- if you take it to zero you are shortening its life- a lithium is OK with running until the BMS shuts down, so you get 100% of rated capacity usable. They are also faster charging. For ice fishing, the only thing to watch is that you should not charge it when the battery is below 32 degrees. Using it in the cold is fine. From the thread below, you might get by with 50 AH, which is even cheaper and lighter.

The way I look at the heater is that the heater itself, plus all the extras, like battery, boxes, tanks, ... are overhead, but all will require a certain amount of fuel to turn into heat. Diesel is actually a pretty dense fuel in terms of BTU/lb, so the longer it goes it looks better relative to propane or wood. The trick is to build something light and handy to burn it.

[GBguy]

Got a link to that 100ah battery for $220? I just looked and the cheapest 50ah I saw was $400.

[HWeber]

You're not looking very hard...
Amazon has 100ah from $169 to $300

[GBguy]

My bad, I was only checking sites selling real batteries 

[HWeber]

My bad, I was only checking sites selling real batteries 

As real as any other Chinese battery. Research the topic a bit.