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[geoff]

Can anyone help me work out the best solution to powering a diesel heater in my shed from mains?

Do you have a big shed ?  You could use an oil fired domestic central heating boiler ( combi ) and have some radiators in the shed to provide the heat in a safe way. These boilers are designed to live outdoors in the elements and have a remote fuel tank.

Other types of diesel heaters - if they are not designed to cope with electrical failure during firing they shouldn't be on the market for sale.

[GlenAnderson]

Other types of diesel heaters - if they are not designed to cope with electrical failure during firing they shouldn't be on the market for sale.

They’re designed to be used with a battery as the power source. If the battery voltage drops below a certain limit they power down. Problems only occur when people use a 12v source that can cut out instantly and completely.

[TimV]

It probably depends on the reliability of your mains supply.
I've had one shortish mains outage in the 12 years I've lived in my current house.
I'd therefore go with a power supply rather than the hassle, risk and cost of lead acid battery and charger.
Saying that, Glen's setup sounds quite good.

I too have only had a couple of power outages of about 20 minutes in the 24 years we have lived here.

We have though had 'blips', the power has gone off and almost immediately come back on. Nearby house alarms go crazy. It does unset the dehumidifier I have in the workshop - it needs to be restarted. Some of the clocks reset themselves. The same could happen to the diesel heater. 

[Dormy]

I too have only had a couple of power outages of about 20 minutes in the 24 years we have lived here.

We have though had 'blips', the power has gone off and almost immediately come back on. Nearby house alarms go crazy. It does unset the dehumidifier I have in the workshop - it needs to be restarted. Some of the clocks reset themselves. The same could happen to the diesel heater.

Modern battery 'Maintenance' chargers will keep a leisure battery (or old vehicle battery) charged long term and give them a good life. The only issue is if they need a press of a button to start charging - as most seem to do. Even a short 'Blip' in the power supply will switch them off. Not critical, but just something to be aware of as you will probably have plenty of time to switch it back on.