38 replies to this topic

[Jsoboti]

Decided to swap out the propane heater for a cheap Chinese diesel heater. To see a list of parts I purchased, see my post at 

 

https://www.wanderth...evation-winter/

 

In addition to those items, I also purchased...

 

10L HDPE Jerrycan from US Plastic. This is the only 10L container I could find that would fit in the propane compartment with 1 propane tank still installed. Also purchased a standpipe and fuel line quick-disconnect kit. Still need a check valve to vent the tank.  https://www.usplasti...&clickid=search

 

Universal turret mount, used on almost every install on YouTube. https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Exhaust Heat Wrap to minimize possibility of the exhaust melting the fuel line. They're very close to each other. https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Stainless Cover. https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

 

 

 

[Jsoboti]

Step 1 was to remove the Attwood/Dometic heater. After removing the plastic cover inside the camper and the 2x brackets mounted to the front of the heater, remove the exterior cover. You'll have to remove the black plastic surround before the heater will come out. To do that, you must bend the silver metal tabs to face outward. 

 

 

 

Next you'll disconnect the propane line. Your propane is OFF right?Then you'll have to carefully separate the black plastic surround from the camper siding. It's REALLY on there because of the Butyl tape. 

 

 

Once you plastic surround is removed, you should be able to push the unit into the camper. Disconnect the 4 electrical connections. 1 Pos, 1 Neg, 1 Blue Thermostat, and 1 additional blue wire, no idea what it's used for. 

 

 

For size comparison, here is the diesel heater sitting in the propane furnace compartment. The size difference is incredible. I can't believe they don't come like this from the factory. 

 

 

 

Hopefully next post will have the unit installed! 

Edited by Vic Harder, 02 November 2023 - 01:42 AM.

[Vic Harder]

Thanks for doing this write up.  I suspect I will be doing this for my next build!

[goinoregon]

i put a propex propane heater in my ATC, and it was similar in size to this diesel.  the propex was very tidy, and easy for even me to install.

[tstumpfig]

Great stuff so far, can't wait for the next episode

[Jsoboti]

Made some progress today. The hardest part was figuring out how I wanted to mount the heater and where. Space for the combustion air intake and exhaust is tight as I only have 3 inches from the outermost wall of the camper to the bed rail of the truck. 

 

I settled on a turret mount, which required drilling a 5 inch hole through the camper. Scary! And also surprisingly difficult in such a small space. I started by drilling a pilot hole, to test how far inward I could drill the hole, without hitting the outermost wall of the camper. 

 

Pilot hole drilled

 

 

View from underneath. This tells me I can cut about 3/4" inward from where this hole is drilled, without hitting the lower wall of the camper. 

 

 

Once I figured out how far inward I could drill the hole, I grabbed the 5" hole saw. I was surprised to see the construction under this cabinet. A layer of plywood, an air gap, then another layer of plywood. There was an extra piece that did not extend all the way into the hole, which I carved out with a chisel. 

 

 

 

Once that small piece was out of the way I was able to finish the cut with the hole saw. I used a 2 part epoxy to seal the raw edges, seems to have worked well. 

 

 

As you can see in the above image, the bed rail will be an issue for the combustion intake hose. The intake hose would have to make a 90 degree turn in 1.5 inches of drop. I think that tight of a bend may break the tube. Any thoughts on using copper or PVC that has a 90 degree on it instead of the traditional flexible ducting? 

 

The turret mount dropped into the hole. 

 

 

The heater sitting in the turret mount. May have enough room to turn this into a usable half cabinet! 

 

 

I think the rest will require the camper to be off the truck. Hopefully I can get it pulled off sometime this week. 

 

 

[Jsoboti]

I decided to bench test the heater as once it's installed, it will be really difficult to get out. 

 

 

I couldn't get the unit to fire up fully, kept getting E-10 fault code. Which the internet says is either a Temp. Sensor Failure, or simply "Failure to start". I'm leaning towards the latter. I think I need to come up with a better solution for fuel delivery in this setup. I ran 4 priming cycles, but with the relatively clear diesel, it was difficult if the fuel hose was completely full of diesel or not. 

 

I'll rig up something better and give it another shot. I won't install the unit until I know she can work properly. 

[kmcintyre]

Nice progress.  I'm sure many people have had the conversation with FWC about furnance options (like me) and have received the same answer. If there was an approved / certified RV furnace they would have used it by now.  You'd think some company would recognize this "gap" in RV furnaces and develop better options.

[Vic Harder]

Dunno about “improved” since one would have to know what all the design parameters are that RV builders are looking for. Seems some builders think Propex, Truma, etc are “better” but other builders do not. Hard to judge when we don’t know what their priorities are.

[goinoregon]

I agree with Vic.

I also wonder if the 5" hole is really necessary ?   that seems a bit large.  when i did the propex, i drilled an exhaust thru side, and then snaked the fresh air intake out back towards the rear tie down area.  go