Hey guys is it possible to run my Chinese diesel heater on a regular car's battery?
Can I run my Chinese diesel heater on a car battery?
- Thread starter @Viktor p
- Start date
It is possible of course to ran it one day without charging the battery but you better charge it every day at least 30 minutes
I have bad experiences with Chinese heater
Installed it but pumps crazy amounts of heat
Can’t control the heat with the thermostat it came with. Put it on its lowest settings but never shuts off or reduces the temp.
never have this problems with genuine espar
It is waist of money and time for me
I better pay $1800 and will fill safer and have not to worry about it for 5+ years
I have bad experiences with Chinese heater
Installed it but pumps crazy amounts of heat
Can’t control the heat with the thermostat it came with. Put it on its lowest settings but never shuts off or reduces the temp.
never have this problems with genuine espar
It is waist of money and time for me
I better pay $1800 and will fill safer and have not to worry about it for 5+ years
Would you recommend I buy a AGM battery then?
A starting battery isn't designed for the long term, low-amp draw of something like a heater (Espar, Webasto, knock-off, whatever). A simple one-amp draw can kill a starting battery overnight unless the battery is relatively new. Running the heater off the starting battery kills the lifespan of the battery. You can get away with it in an emergency for a few days, maybe even a few weeks, but you're killing the battery by doing that. Plus, when it's really cold outside, the battery will have fewer CCA as it is, and it's only compounded if you've drawn off precious amps to the heater.
An AGM is ideal for mobile applications, but you don't necessarily need one. Especially if your starting battery is not an AGM battery - trying to charge a wet cell / maintenance free starting battery and an AGM battery at the same time off the alternator won't work, because each battery type requires different charging voltages and times. One battery or the other will always be chronically over or under charged. You can get by with a cheaper marine "deep cycle" battery (or truck battery, same thing except for the terminals), which is actually designed specifically for the same long-term, low-amp draws of such a heater. Marine deep cycle batteries aren't true deep cycle, but they are definitely deep-er cycle than starting batteries, and they're made for trolling motors, running lights, etc., so they work great for the diesel (and gas model) heaters.Just make sure to secure the battery so it can't move, and put it in a box or on some absorbant Battery Mat to take care of any acid spills.
Unless your house needs are very specific, a generator wouldn't make a good replacement for a house battery. It would for an air conditioner, but not for a diesel heater. A generator is ideal for heavy loads such as an AC, and for recharging house batteries when sitting for long periods. You wouldn't want to run a generator just to supply the 1-amp average per hour for a diesel heater.
The disadvantages to a generator is you have to have some place to put it and carry it, and you have to either refill it with gas every time you turn around, or have a second gas tank for it. And you have to change the oil in the generator every 100 hours (some generators every 50), without fail. But the advantages to having a generator far outweigh the disadvantages.
The disadvantages to a generator is you have to have some place to put it and carry it, and you have to either refill it with gas every time you turn around, or have a second gas tank for it. And you have to change the oil in the generator every 100 hours (some generators every 50), without fail. But the advantages to having a generator far outweigh the disadvantages.
And what amp hour AH would you recommend for a deep cycle Marine battery?
Whatever your amp hour requirements are between fully recharging the battery, and then double that figure. That way, you will still keep the Depth of Discharge to no more than 50%, which is one of the keys to prolonging the life of the battery. So, since the average amp draw per hour for the heater (for the Espar, I'm assuming the Chinese knockoff is roughly the same) is about 1 amp, that will give you 48 hours of just sitting there and still have 50 or more Ah remaining in the battery if you get a standard 100 Ah battery.
Any Group 31 (or 31M for Marine) deep cycle battery, for example, is going to be between 95-125 amp hours capacity.
100 Ah is what you should be looking for. Anywhere in that Group 31 range (doesn't have to be a Group 31 battery, though)
But you may run into one of two ratings, the Amp Hour (Ah) rating, and the Reserve Capacity (RC) rating. (ignore any cranking amp ratings)
The Amp Hour rating is the usually based on the 20 hour rate, which is how many amps can be drawn from the battery for 20 hours before the battery drops to 10.5 volts. For example, a 100 Ah battery can put out 5 amps per hour for 20 hours before it dies.
The Reserve capacity is the number of minutes a battery can put out, at a hefty 25 amps, before it gives up the ghost. They do that in a 25 amp rating mainly to give you an idea how long a battery can last running the vehicle if the vehicle's alternator dies.
These numbers are meaningful primarily for comparison, but your heater is not going to draw 25 amps, ever. So the RC in minutes won't mean much in the application. If a battery you're looking at lists only the Reserve Capacity, a general ballpark rule of thumb is to divide the RC minutes by 2 and you'll have the Ah capacity, give or take. A 140 RC is actually an 80 Ah battery, but you're in the ballpark dividing by 2 and getting 70. There is an exact formula you can use, but dividing by 2 is close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades.
Also, due to something called the Peukert Effect, the slower you draw amps from the battery, the more Ah capacity (and RC minutes) you actually get (conversely, just like fuel mileage, the faster your draw the amps the fewer you'll have to draw). A 100 Ah battery at a discharge rate of 1 amp will give you effectively a 140 Ah battery. Same battery at a 25 amp draw only gives you about a 71 Ah battery. Soooo, if you get a battery for the heater, and then are later tempted to hook an inverter to it and run a coffee maker and a microwave, you'd better know what you're doing.
I meant to use Generator to run a electric heater not charging the batteries and espar heaters
Will it be safe to use a electric heater in small place like van?
It's not really practical to run an electric heater off a generator. You can do it in a pinch, but not long term. The generator will be running at or near full power all the time, which means you'll go through just a snotload of gas to keep the generator running like that. And you'll be changing the oil in the generator at least once a week.
The best option out here on the road for heat is an Espar heater. No fuss, no muss, you just turn it on and set the thermostat and you're done. Same as central heating in a house. You've got maintenance once a year or every 2 years, but that's it.
Next would be a propane heater, like a Big Buddy heater, and using a large propane tank (whatever those ones are at the gas stations, 20 pounds I think they are) with the appropriate fittings and hoses. But there you have to deal with the hoses and connections and properly storing the tank when moving, making sure to keep a window cracked a couple of inches to prevent carbon monoxide death, and to prevent it from raining inside the van.
Next up would be a zero degree mummy sleeping bag, long johns, and a pressurized flight suit.
After that, you could do an open camp fire in the cargo area. Cracked windows and a roof vent fan is highly recommended.
Lastly, a generator and an electric heater.
thanks for your time was very informative. Espar is way to go as for van heating as I see now. I was only considered about hooking it to main battery after reading your answer and do not wanted to spend on installing auxiliary battery.
Can you recommend a good installer for aux battery and heater
Thanks
I concur. Ray is fair, and honest, and really good. They routinely install Espar units in every kind of vehicle you can imagine, and they're experts with vans.
Most every ThermoKing installs them, but their experience is mostly with big truck cabs. And, they're exceedingly proud of their work, and their parts markups, if you know what I mean.
I appreciate and agree that quality is the best buy, but, sometimes quality is more than you can afford. Wasn't there a guy that was at the EO rodeo that installs Chinese "knock offs" for half of Espar? Red or something?
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Here's a good video showing a side-by-side comparison of an Espar and a Chinese knockoff. One thing you will notice in the video is the Chinese model is a gasoline model, and says so right there on the side of it. One problem, in China diesel is often called gasoil, and often gets translated as gasoline. But it's a diesel heater. One dead giveaway in the video is when he compares the glow pins of the two heaters. Gas heaters do not have a glow pin. But this Chinese "gasoline" heater does. So there ys ago. It's a diesel heater.
The blower motor on an Espar will have to be replaced every 5000-8000 hours, in that range usually. I can't imagine the Chinese heater lasting that long, but it might. Finding replacement parts for the Chinese heater isn't going to be as easy as you think. If I were to get a Chinese heater I'd probably get 2 or 3 of them just to have the spare parts. You'll probably have to learn to repair these yourself, because I don't know anyone who installs or repairs Espar or Webasto heaters who also work on the Chinese heaters. Proper installation is crucial, and the same mistakes made on installation will give you the same problems regardless of the heater. If you don't want to install it yourself, a decent mechanic should be able to. One important thing to do is to get the right ductwork done to achieve the proper airflow inside the fan, not just with the heat output but the cold air input, as well. You want heat output near the front of the van and then duct to have the cold air input near the rear of the van, which gives the best circulation and even heat.
Yes. His name is Raymond "Red" Reddington. He installs knock off merchandise all over the world. lol
I was trolling you my friend. Reddington is a fictional character on the show Blacklist. I figured you might also be a fan of the show.
I stopped drinking 3-1/2 years ago and for some unconnected reason I stopped watching TV at the same time.
However, your lead was correct - Red's installs Chinese heaters and customizes vans.
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