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12-02-2021, 10:22 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Oregon Ciry Oregon
Posts: 2,843
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Inexpensive diesel heaters
Anyone had experience with the inexpensive diesel heaters on Amazon and EBay? Am thinking about getting one.
__________________
Larrie
Read detailed trip reports, see photos and videos on my travel blog, luinil.com.
Current van: 2002 Ford E350 extended body camper with Colorado Camper Van pop top and Agile Offroad 4WD conversion.
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12-03-2021, 07:03 AM
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#2
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5
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I just picked up a lavaner pro 2kw. From all the reviews I've read and from the CDH Facebook groups the lavaner pros seems to be the best of the CDHs. They just got a new shipment in for the US and they sell out fast, so I would pick up one from AliExpress soon if you want one.
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12-03-2021, 08:30 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: North of SanDiego
Posts: 233
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I agree that the Lavaner heaters seem to be manufactured to a higher standard and have some amount of factory CQ. If I was to buy another CDH it'd probably be from them. In any case they should all be bench tested before tearing into an install.
This is a good thread to read about installing and using a CDH:
https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...tml#post279334
__________________
2003 E-350, 5.4 V8, 2x4, LSD 4.10, WeldTec 6" lift, SMB, Penthouse
2016 Beta 500 RS
2014 KTM 350 EXC-F
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12-12-2021, 12:04 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Seattle-ish, WA
Posts: 269
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I was also interested in Lavaner given their good reputation. Their Pro model has some component upgrades and is designed to work under high altitude (5-6k feet) which isn't quite as useful for those of us in the west.
They recently launched a Pro Alpine model which is built to work at higher altitude.
I was on the waiting list for the pro Alpine version. Once I was notified that they cleared customs and were in stock in the US, I logged on to order one but it was too late. They later told me that all their US units sold in 2 hours.
I ended up getting a generic one off amazon which arrived in two days and I'll install it this week. I'm hopeful that it will work OK. In fairness, my older espar unit was pretty finicky also.
Good luck.
__________________
2008 SMB EB-52, Quadvan 4x4, 6.0 PSD SOLD
2017 Ford Transit T250 148WB mid-roof w/ Quadvan 4x4
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12-12-2021, 12:40 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: North of SanDiego
Posts: 233
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitburger
I ended up getting a generic one off amazon which arrived in two days and I'll install it this week. I'm hopeful that it will work OK. In fairness, my older espar unit was pretty finicky also.
Good luck.
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Almost all generic CDHs packaged with a digital controller can be programed for a particular altitude.
The install will affect the base settings. Those base settings will dictate the higher altitude settings. I prefer to input those settings myself instead of depending on a unit with default attitude settings that cannot account for my install and could soot up over time.
YMMV
__________________
2003 E-350, 5.4 V8, 2x4, LSD 4.10, WeldTec 6" lift, SMB, Penthouse
2016 Beta 500 RS
2014 KTM 350 EXC-F
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12-12-2021, 05:29 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitburger
I was also interested in Lavaner given their good reputation. Their Pro model has some component upgrades and is designed to work under high altitude (5-6k feet) which isn't quite as useful for those of us in the west.
They recently launched a Pro Alpine model which is built to work at higher altitude.
I was on the waiting list for the pro Alpine version. Once I was notified that they cleared customs and were in stock in the US, I logged on to order one but it was too late. They later told me that all their US units sold in 2 hours.
I ended up getting a generic one off amazon which arrived in two days and I'll install it this week. I'm hopeful that it will work OK. In fairness, my older espar unit was pretty finicky also.
Good luck.
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They definitely didn't sell out in 2 hours. I waited two days from when I got my notice until I was able to order one. Aliexpress wouldn't let me complete the order. when I tried 5 minutes after receiving the notice. I eventually created a new account and was successful. The next day they were sold out.
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12-12-2021, 08:17 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 30
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There’s a very informative video series on YouTube on the topic of these cheap Chinese diesel heaters.
First video in the 17 video series posted below:
https://youtu.be/tvwmU_CcmGI
Very thorough technical analysis that demystifies how these work & what to look out for during install
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12-13-2021, 12:35 PM
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#8
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Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 50
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Along the lines of this topic, has anyone replaced their Suburban propane furnace with a diesel heater in the same location? I hope I’m not going to replace one set of problems with another but I’m tired of my propane furnace not lighting in sub 30 degree weather. Kind of a the more I need it the less likely it’s going to work situation. I live at 4500’ and my trips are nearly always up in elevation from that so high altitude is a concern.
I’ve searched the forums without any luck so any information would be helpful.
Thank you
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12-13-2021, 07:46 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Posts: 314
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I've installed one of the knock-off chinese heaters and used it for the past 1.5yrs. I had initial issues, but it has been working solidly since. The biggest issue I had was that the wiring loom they sent to connect it to 12v power was super long - way too long for the thin gauge wire and amps that it pulls at startup. I didn't realize this and kept the loom long (even though I didn't need the full length). This led to it not being able to pull adequate amps @ startup... led to build-up of soot due to glow plug not starting, a whole bunch of issues.
Once I shortened the wiring loom/replaced it with thicker gauge wire (and took apart the unit to clean out the accumulated soot) it has run just fine. I also bought one of the aftermarket controllers that gives you a lot more control over it (timer, set start/stop times, etc). It's a lot better than the standard controller.
__________________
2003 E250 Full Self-Build
2009 Honda Element "lil' toaster"
2013 Suzuki DR650
Santa Cruz, CA
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12-13-2021, 08:45 PM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nyyankees588
Once I shortened the wiring loom/replaced it with thicker gauge wire (and took apart the unit to clean out the accumulated soot) it has run just fine. I also bought one of the aftermarket controllers that gives you a lot more control over it (timer, set start/stop times, etc). It's a lot better than the standard controller.
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Which controller did you buy?
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