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[Kernowcam]

I was just chatting to a mate who has bought a 12v cab heater , runs on diesel. Needs an air inlet and exhaust and a 12 v supply to warm his workshop. About £100 on eBay.
5 kw output.
Anyone fitted one to their vehicles or in a workshop?
I guess a decent exhaust would be the key thing.,
I have an oil tank for heating so assuming it’s fine for that.

[gromet]

Quite a few are using them camping both in the back of there landrovers  and in tents Armine aka fluffle valve has one and I'm going to be getting one for my garage to 

[Kernowcam]

I am most interested in a self contained unit and safety of flue etc.

[Robin]

I know of loads of the cheap Chinese Diesel air/cab heaters fitted to campers and garages/workshops, even some heating rooms in houses or whole houses!

The one Armine fitted came from a batch I arranged some years ago - they were from the Webasto production line, so a different animal to the current cheap copies.
I did 3 batches of those, all going to S2C folk for campers, and only had two failed - one was where someone fitted the control under a window and it got wet (easy fix, just replaced the potentiometer) and one very recently where the glowplug failed - again, a fairly easy fix.
I've still got three of those from the last batch waiting to fit in my campers 

However, I've also had one of the cheap 5kw Chinese ones in my garage for about 3 years, running on red Diesel, and find it works well.
Exhaust and combustion air pipes go through the wall, and I use a little ride-on mower 12V battery and cheap Lidl smart charger for the power.
My 'garage' is over 72' long, 34' wide and 12' high at the peak, so there's no way it will heat it all, but I find it takes the chill off the end I work in, so much so that even at freezing temperatures I find myself taking a layer or two off   

There are facebook groups dedicated to these heaters, though if you just join the troubleshooting group you might think they are all rubbish, but that's what that group is for. I'm sure there are many thousands running just as well as mine!
Most problems on the troubleshooting pages seem to stem from poor installation, so install it properly and you should have a nice warm workshop   

Robin.

[Robin]

Just another point, if anyone is thinking of getting one for their camper, especially small campers like LWB Series/Defenders, try to find a 2kW version.
They are physically smaller, less battery drain and of course, less fuel consumption, and are more than adequate for the smaller space   

Robin.

[Robin]

I am most interested in a self contained unit and safety of flue etc.

Not ideal for inside use as the exhaust and combustion air intake are not sealed.

The all-in-one units are designed for outdoor use, where you would run the hot air duct into your tent/awning.

Saying that, folk have set them up to heat a room, but in my opinion you'd be better off with a separate unit - about the same price and has everything you need to fit it   

Robin.

[Kernowcam]

Thanks robin.
I was planning to site unit in workshop and install exhaust and inlet to outside.
Ok on standard heating oil?

[oilstain]

What I have done does not make the workshop hot but works for me-
I have a block built “shed” against the side of the house. I got a plumber to run pipes from the house central heating system through the adjoining wall to a small radiator in the shed, it got rid of the damp, cold feeling and things don’t rust anymore, Looking at 24 hour gas meter readings with the radiator on or off appears to have no additional running costs and requires no refuelling etc.
I got it supplied and fitted for about £60, perhaps not the cheapest option but no running costs

[Robin]

Thanks robin.
I was planning to site unit in workshop and install exhaust and inlet to outside.
Ok on standard heating oil?

I hadn't looked at that particular one - most of the all-in-one units don't come with both the exhaust and the combustion air intake pipes, so perhaps that one might be ok for inside use 
It's a good idea to fit a CO detector though, just in case you do get exhaust leaks.

You'll still need a 12V supply, and it's recommended to use a battery & smart charger rather than just a 12V power supply - if the power fails and the heater doesn't go through its cool-down stage, it can fry the circuit board!

Many folk run these on kerosene (heating oil) and they say they run cleaner   
I run mine on red Diesel as it's easier to get here in smaller quantities - minimum order around here for heating oil seems to be 500l!

Robin.

[Robin]

What I have done does not make the workshop hot but works for me-
I have a block built “shed” against the side of the house. I got a plumber to run pipes from the house central heating system through the adjoining wall to a small radiator in the shed, it got rid of the damp, cold feeling and things don’t rust anymore, Looking at 24 hour gas meter readings with the radiator on or off appears to have no additional running costs and requires no refuelling etc.
I got it supplied and fitted for about £60, perhaps not the cheapest option but no running costs

I'd probably do the same, at least for background heating, but my 'garage' is 100 yards away from the house, so not really an option in my case