New Build - 6*12 Offroad Toy Hauler

[onehoser]

onehoser, Howdy;

an old trick we use up here is to leave the water tap slightly open so that it drips, moving water doesn’t freeze

Good if there is an endless supply and somewhere to put it. Don't think Don has that ability and besides there would be a skating rink he'd
need to navigate when he went outside.

hank

sorry, forgot to mention to let it drip into a container to be dumped back into the tank

[flboy]

BTW... pipes started flowing again with no apparent damage or leaks. What a blessing that is!

I think I will add a drain for extreme conditions and also add ventilation and airflow for marginal conditions. It got up to 12 degrees and I opened up floor access and put on a fan. (65F in cabin with deisel heater on low after it brought up temp) Took about 30 minutes and it started to drip. Drips increased to a full flow 30 seconds later. I think the airflow will keep the temperatures in the pipe chases acceptable down into single digits. We'll find out. Going to "fan" up overnight tonight and see what happens. Temperatures are supposed to be single digits again overnight.

I won't have tools and etc. to modify things until I get back to Florida, so this will just be some hack until then for the pipe situation. Same with battery compartment. I know what I need to do there and do not need them for now anyhow being on shore power until I head south.

In any case, going to carry spare parts such as glow plug, fuel pump, and fuel filters for deisel heater going forward. This thing rocks! So much stronger and we'll regulated compared to ceramic heater. Just not sure about running it 24/7 for a few weeks. Will it handle that?



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[flboy]

I put a thermocouple down in the pipe chase and it is within 10 to 15 degrees of outside temp (Fahrenheit). That would explain the freezing when Temps drop below the 20s and into the teens and single digits. I ordered this fan and it will be here in a few days. I have an idea how I will mount this and reduce output down to a 2 inch pipe to feed into the pipe chase below the raised floor in the bathroom and draw warmer ambient cabin air. Ultimately, I think I will design a small PWM speed control circuit that increases speed the lower the temperature gets with a cutoff at a set (warmer) temperature. That will make this automatic so I don't need to think about it anymore.


I actually have a DC PWM light dimmer switch at home I bought and did not use in this build. I may be able to remove the variable resistor (rotary dial) and replace with a remotely mounted thermistor if I can match it up same resistance range and assuming the PWM circuit can handle up to 2.5A DC at 100 % duty cycle . May save me lot of work.



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[flboy]

Fan on overnight an no iced up pipes. I think this will be the solution.

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[hankaye]

flboy, Howdy;

The small computer fans work well in regular RVs.
Remember, air flow, if you're forcing some in it needs a place to escape too.

By-the-way, good job making it through the night. Mid-west winters ain't easy ones.

hank

[featherliteCT1]

"In any case, going to carry spare parts such as glow plug, fuel pump, and fuel filters for deisel heater going forward."

When I priced the cost of those kind of spare parts for my Chinese diesel heater, I decided to just buy a new heater as a spare and carry it with me. I figured that if I ever needed to perform maintenance or replace parts, I would just take a few minutes to quickly swap out the old unit with the new unit. That way I could work on the old unit at my leisure without any time constraints.

Glad you like your diesel heater so far!

[flboy]

Well, I had my first problem with the diesel heater. It just quit running ang gave me an error code E-08 which means " Flame Extinguished" per the instruction manual. All sorts of information out there on the internet regarding these units. There error suggests a fuel flow problem whether it be a blockage or the fuel pump itself. I ordered a new fuel pump for $19.00 as I want to have a spare in any case. I saw all sorts of remedies people had, but most replaced the fuel pump... which has its own error code if it is just not pulsing.

After checking out the system to include the vent in the tank cap and watching the prime action spurt diesel, it seemed there were no issues with fuel flow.... but the heater would not reach full heat (red bars) and would then shut down. It would ignite..... just not stay running.

I recalled that I could go into advanced settings and adjust the frequency of the pulses to the fuel pump which effectively increases fuel to combustion chamber. This same pump is used in the 2KW and 5KW models and can go up to 5hz. So I adjusted the settings up .3 Hz to 1.3hz on low and .5 HZ to 3.5 on high. I'll be darned if it is not working fine again now.

Now I am left wondering... does the pump break in and get a little looser whereas is doesn't push as much fuel per pulse? I did notice a day or two ago that on high, it was one bar off the hottest . Also, most comments I see on the fuel pumps is they work okay for a month or so and then they don't. I am wondering if other folks adjust up the pulse frequency? In any case... I am going to button it all back up and just keep the new pump when it arrives as a spare. Hopefully this is just a breakin issue and with the new settings, it will be good. If the pump is just dying... hopefully the new one will be better. This thing has been running about 12 hours a day for almost a month...

Anyone familiar with these and had a similar experience. I really like the way this works and would like to tweak it as needed with better parts to make sure it is reliable.


BTW... always smart to have backup heat. I have Mr. Buddy i can run off my propane if needed and an electric ceramic heater I could run from the generator if needed. This heater quit last night as I was going to bed and I switched over to electric because I am on shore power at the moment.

[featherliteCT1]

The lowest setting for “low heat” I have seen posted by knowledgeable enthusiasts running 5k units, who have achieved success on a consistent basis, is 1.3 hz at 1,450 rpm.

Evidently, running less than 1.3 hz will cause the unit to run cool and not operate properly. These settings assume sea level operation. To adjust for altitude, they say the hz rate of the pump should be reduced 4% per 1,000 feet of altitude to avoid sooting. The rpm's are not adjusted.

[BigDave_185]

The altitude was going to be my question also, you have seen lots of varying areas that could require some tweaks.
Even a carb bike from Florida’s Elv to Utah elv can jump up in jetting a good amount. I know banshees go up from slc to idaho for different sand dunes. I think it makes sense to add fuel to your heater for elevation changes


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[flboy]

I have been at various elevations and the Grand Canyon was about 6,200Ft. It ran fine there for 3 nights with temps in the teens. I made no setting changes because all was working well..... until last night.... I am at about 1,700ft now. Quartzsite and Lake Meade are between 800ft and 1200ft I believe.

So for one month, all was well and now I had to make changes... something changed with the unit. I just do not know what other than the pump itself has lost some output. I have not changed the fan speeds either.

In any case... it is cycling well, seems to be burning clean, and doing what is suppose to do.. but I had to increase fuel pump output settings to make it work.

[flboy]

Working for two days as it should with new settings. Strange, but I'll take it. I now have a spare fuel pump. Going to order a glow plug and screen for my tool box and leave it at that. From time to time I see the controllers for less than $20. I may pick up one of those at some point as well.

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[hankaye]

flboy, Howdy;

Try to think and accept it for what it appears to be, it got 'broken in".
Occom's razor. Might check the exhaust system for excess carbon build-up too.

hank

[flboy]

Thanks Hank.. no Carbon in the pipe.

I have -7F weather coming next week before I leave. Going to put in drain valves Sunday afternoon to drain water from inside plumbing. The heater seems to hit a wall at a 50 degree differential with outside Temps in the single digits and the low teens when wind is howling like is the case in Nebraska. Just don't want to risk ruining plumbing behind the shower. The fan seems to do the job down into the single digits.. do not trust it will suffice into negative digits with 30mph winds as even the cabin Temps might go into the 40s.. won't be a problem for me with the electric blanket. :-).


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[hankaye]

flboy, Howdy;

Any kind of 'skirting' available? Cuts down on the windchill factor and helps
trap some of the heat from the floor. Helped me through some -40* (F or C
bothe the same). when I lived in Utah. Good luck. Stay as warm as ya can.

hank

[Gulfcoast]

Did you buy an automatic or manual awning, and which one would you buy again? My only concern is the wind. Thanks