Diesel Heat Clones

[schlaboatnic]

I'm looking to add diesel heat to my boat and wondering if any of you folks have tried one of the knock off diesel heaters? Reviews look OK and there's a dealer in Port Townsend. Hard to ignore the cost difference, but don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish

[wizbang 13]

I put an old Hi Seas heater aboard a few years ago and cannot be happier with it.
They are no longer made of course, none are in the USA, (liability lawyers).
I spied a few at the PT swap meet last year.
Unless a bona fide mini furnace burns less fuel than a Dickeinson or Hi Seas type, I dont understand the attraction. Apparently they do not.

[Garret]

The Eberspacher style heaters act like a home hot air furnace. You literally have a thermostat & it turns the heater on & off - maintaining a fairly steady temp. It also has a blower so you can duct the hot air wherever you like.

A friend had one (Eberspacher) on his 50 ft. ketch & the forward berth was the same temp as the rest of the boat until he turned down the valve on the air outlet to cool it down a bit for the night. Pretty slick setup.

I have no experience with the knock-offs - but what I've seen for pricing means you could buy 2 - keeping one as a spare - and still save a bundle. The important thing is to get a really good through-hull for the exhaust that won't burn a wood hull.

[John Meachen]

The little that I have gleaned about them echoes what Garret has posted.It seems to be a good thing to get the genuine Eberspacher exhaust but beyond that they seem to be a decent thing.As with all diesel heaters,you need to be sure they don't exhaust directly onto a fender if you wish the fender to last.I understand the companies that used to dominate the sector got hit quite by the European version of anti trust legislation and were given a heavy fine for their behaviour.

[coelcanth]

i've been looking into this a bit for a non-marine application;.. as you're probably aware, there's loads of info about the chinese knockoff heaters on youtube and elsewhere.. i wonder what type a US 'dealer' sells.. i know there's also russian copies, but i've never seen them aside from used units for sale on ebay.

here's a summary of what i've gathered so far, all regarding the permanently installed types..not the self-contained portable units:

-there's dozens of brands available in 2, 5 and 8kW all around $100 from amazon or ebay.. don't get one that's too powerful for the space.
running on low or idle heat for a long period seems to cause carbon and soot buildup issues inside the combustion chamber.
-the main flaw with these is the low grade (green) fuel hose supplied. try to find one with the opaque white ptfe tubing and good clamps or plan to swap them out.
-there is one 'premium' kit by Lavaner brand, about double the price ($200+) with a considerable amount of upgraded parts (fuel hose, filter, muffler and flex exhaust pipe, japanese glow plug) but only available through alibaba here i think: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801151642298.html
-second flaw is the quality of the supplied LCD control panel and confusion in figuring out how to use it. there are better and worse panels and many youtube videos that explain the instructions more clearly than the low quality paper instruction pamphlets.
-there is also an aftermarket custom made and programmable digital controller available from a fellow in australia for another $100 or so here:
http://www.mrjones.id.au/afterburner/
it's supposed to be a vast improvement over the Chinese supplied control panels and much more adjustable/adaptable but it's only compatible with certain heaters and you don't really know which you'll get 'til it's in your hands. I think the Lavaner units are all compatible.
-another complaint is the supplied fuel metering pumps may be a bit loud when clicking away. seems solvable though
-if you are installing through a thick floor or wooden bulkhead, there's better mounting plates ('turrets') available in stainless steel on ebay for about $30:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/314215956657
-also, through hulls for exhaust like so:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/394110485390

further reading and sources below
heaters overview and comparison:
https://www.vanlifeuksurvivorsguide....-3-0-2022-2023
what's in the box and why it's better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7vk...SurvivorsGuide
a too-detailed install video in a van:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDz7...lfBuiltStories

[Dave Lesser]

We were very happy with our Herring diesel stove, made by Andrew Moore at Navigator Stove Works on Orcas Island. http://www.marinestove.com

[schlaboatnic]

We were very happy with our Herring diesel stove, made by Andrew Moore at Navigator Stove Works on Orcas Island. http://www.marinestove.com

That is a beaut! I've thought of installing a diesel stove like that and would love it but don't have the floor space or a clear route for the vent stack through the cabin rooftop.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

We were very happy with our Herring diesel stove, made by Andrew Moore at Navigator Stove Works on Orcas Island. http://www.marinestove.com

Thanks Dave! I had no idea that Navigator made diesel stoves!

I have been looking to instal a diesel stove - and knowing their solid fuel stoves this is the obvious choice!

[Dave Lesser]

That photo is from the Navigator Stove website. This was the installation on our boat.

[wizbang 13]

Izzat a pot burner Dave?

[Dave Lesser]

Yep. Gravity fed. About 5 drops per minute gives plenty of heat.

[Fritz Koschmann]

My Planar has worked perfectly for 6 years. It is tied into the main diesel tank. At first I had a thermostatic control that I found confusing. I changed that to a simple dial that just varies the heat output.