[kratos]

Hello,I've just recently fitted a 5kw chinese diesel air heater.
It is fitted externally, and I'm going to put some pictures up.
This will not be a step by step installation guide ,but an overview of the position chosen and routing of pipework and electrics etc.
I chose an external fitting to save internal space and reduce interior noise.

 

[kratos]

After fitting,the heater barked up first time after priming the pump twice then pressing start.
The cost breakdown is as follows,
5kw heater £95
S/S bracket £15
Extra exhaust pipe £5
Fibreglass exhaust insulation tube £10
extra jubilee clamps & bolts £6
so in total,£130 fitted (by me on the drive on ramps)

 

[kratos]

After getting under the van and seeing g how much space is available,I chose under the drivers seat for mounting,between the seat base and the pedals.
The position of the hand brush indicates the position and angle of heater.
and the stainless steel bracket underneath.
The drivers seat was removed ,as I needed access to the fixing plate bolt heads under the mat.

 

[kratos]

Heater and bracket on the kitchen table ready for install.

 

[kratos]

Heater located,hot outlet is pictured,the 3" pipe will enter the cab under the passenger seat.
The cold air inlet was left external,and not supplied from the cab area.
I was going to route it into the drivers footwell for intake,but it is positioned in a very well sheltered position.

 

[kratos]

Air inlet and exhaust ( for combustion) fitted.
The air inlet is routed and tied to the chassis and battery box.air filter supplied in kit and fitted to the pipe.
Exhaust and silencer routed.( I bought an extra 50cm length of pipe to get the exhaust gases right to the offside side of the van and away
( not fitted in this pic)
Other picture shows the hot air outlet fitted,and on it's way to under the passenger seat.
Hope it's making sense so far

 

[TOUCHWOODSDEN]

Interesting installation. THanks for sharing

Some comments that I may. I don’t think that fastening the heater silencer to the exhaust pipe is a particularly good idea and I think that long piece of perforated strap is going to snap.

Make sure the heater duct outlet is well supported because it will sag a lot.

It will be interesting to see firstly how it fares because it’s Chinese and inexpensive (n.b. I did not say “cheap”) and secondly because it outside in the elements although I don’t know how much splash there would be in its protected position.

 

[kratos]

Hello,thanks for comments.
The exhaust is temporary fix as I need to route it with my extra 50cm pipework,it arrived this morning ,but its currently pouring down.
That was the best route I had with 50cm.
Regarding the quality,yes ,time will tell.
However,however long it lasts ,for £95 I will just get another lol.
If it was 5 or 6 hundred pound,then that's another story.
By comparison,this 1 metre length of "genuine" eberspracher exhaust insulation ,was one tenth the cost of the heater at just over a tenner
I need to upload some more pics later.
Thanks again

 

[Coire]

Thanks for the write up.

I'm also interested in seeing how this fares against the elements. I'd be tempted to add a bit of heat shielding or simple covering over the unit to protect it from water.

Have you fired it up? How are the noise levels?

 

[kratos]

Van up on ramps , last week

 

[kratos]

So ,twin air outlet coming into van under passenger seat.
Air inlet again ,going up thru floor,gaps filled with sealant.

 

[kratos]

After getting this far,it was time for the stand pipe installation in the fuel tank,
So its errrr tank out,
I cleaned the exterior of the tank around the sender unit before removing it

 

[kratos]

Sender unit removed ,and stand pipe fitted.
The 6" lock nut holding the sender down is very very tight.
I put a permanent marker on the tank and nut to ensure it was realigned upon assembly.
Where I fitted the stand pipe,it only needed to be approx 5" long,ensuring a gap of 2cm to bottom of the tank.

 

[kratos]

Wiring harness,,,,,,
The fuel pump and main heater body are connected outside the van,the excess wiring (maybe a metre or so) was tie wrapped together and put into a pre drilled hole in a chassis cross member.
Well protected from the elements.
The remaining cable is routed to the controller,mounted to the right of the sink unit.
This 3 wire cable needed extending by about 5 foot to reach the digital controller.
All cables hidden inside the black cable tidy behind cabinets.

 

[kratos]

It wasnt a race or too much of a challenge.
I took about 5 hours on the wednesday,installing the heater and pipework.
Then about the same on thursday dropping the tank and finishing the wiring install.

 

[kratos]

With a selection of tools and ramps I found this straight forward,I did the whole van myself,cabinets ,split charge ,lighting etc ,and have thoroughly enjoyed turning the van into it's current presentation.
I hope this maybe of some help to somebody fancying having a diy.
Great forum btw

 

[kratos]

Thanks for the write up.

I'm also interested in seeing how this fares against the elements. I'd be tempted to add a bit of heat shielding or simple covering over the unit to protect it from water.

Have you fired it up? How are the noise levels?

Yes,it started first time,after I primed the pump twice.
The fan and heater makes a bit of noise (outside,notinside) in the first 3-5 minutes while it is getting upto temperature and getting a clean burn.
When it's running and stabilized it is remarkably quite.
When i see quotes for anything from 1200 to 1500 pounds and more for webasto and ebers fitted,,,this has got to be a viable option for the majority.
That's the reason I have a coolbox and not a fridge,No Way was i paying 500 quid for a fridge to keep some milk and a packet of bacon cold for a few days lol

 

[kratos]

As the digital controller display is constantly "on",
Unless you pull thr fuse,,
I decided to switch the controller.
It is the bottom blue switch under the battery voltage indicator
I have ordered new red switch,to distinguish it from the other switches
This is because you must close the heater down properly,from the digital display and NOT by the switch I've installed.
This IS the reason it doesnt come with a switch lol.to protect the heater from false shutdowns and damage due to overheating etc

 

[kratos]

So,additional 50cm exhaust routed and secured.
Exhaust lagging fitted to first part of exhaust where there is wiring ,fuel lines and combustion fresh air intake pipework

 

[Matt.B.]

...The drivers seat was removed ,as I needed access to the fixing plate bolt heads under the mat.

I’m planning on doing the same, but looking at the seat sub frame, only three of the four bolt heads are accessible, how do you get access to the back left head?