TheSamba.com :: View topic - The official Chinese Diesel Heater thread (Webasto Knockoff)

Mon Jan 13, 2025 8:51 am

I'm guessing that the shore power lines are in question. At least in my use of the space that is in the small 'hidden' compartment, that is where the shore power breaker and outlets are located. In my case I was able to move them out of the way enough to get the job done.

There is also one sensor spade that stuck out in such a way that I could not get the mount plate past it, I had to bend it. It was a good amount of anxiety getting that spade bent as I didn't want to mess up my tank indicator functions.

The location is fairly ideal when all the fussing about is done tho, since, other than the wires, that space is completely a wasted (at least in my opinion).

Also in my case, I took the advice to route the hot end toward the outside of the bus, and used a silicone vent tube to route the output up/over the fridge and out the stove face plate. I have not solved the vent plate issue yet, as my attempt to use a black front dash fresh air vent in the stove face plate turned out poorly. I'm no purist, but the idea did have merit regarding the direction of flow, etc. using the stock dash vent AND I cut the hole to fit the dash vent exactly for it. I know... kind of a touchy problem to discuss :-(

-bobby

Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:11 am

Hi Bobby,

I've been using a "gutted" brown dash vent this season, and it's been holding up great. It even survived 8 hours straight at 100% output without any issues.

I think you'll love having heat output in that spot—our family sure does. Once, we were freezing when we got to the van. We started the heater, got under a blanket, and I propped my foot on the stove top to create a "tent" with the blanket, trapping all the heat underneath. It warmed us up so quickly!

I’m planning to make a custom vent for this location out of metal or thick ABS. It'll likely match the exact dimensions of the factory front air vent.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:11 am

shagginwagon83 wrote: I propped my foot on the stove top to create a "tent" with the blanket, trapping all the heat underneath. It warmed us up so quickly!.

As an early adopter, the reversed mounting wasn't thought of back them and it's definitely on my modification upgrade list.

1) do the vent on the stove end of the faceplate to keep the other opening for a to-be designed/installed deep drawer

2) do an opening/vent on the side of the cabinet by drivers seat (kinda by the seat belt. This would allow for a vent extension to be installed that could be pointed to the upper bunk

3) I'm considering how to Tee the outlet of the heater to also gontowa sa the back and have a vent come out under the headbanger. This would allow for heat by the rear hatch since an outflow in the center of the van doesn't reach back there naturally.

4?) Id love to figure out how to vent to the top bunk on the rear/short end to get heat flow there for feet of the upper occupants....I haven't figured out how to keep it from being blocked by covers in the location.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:38 am

you just need to have multiple outlets and if/when the top bunk port gets blocked, then the air will go out the other port(s)

you can sneak up into the top bunk by the closet and a hole in the (back of) the plywood floor/deck
use a slanted rotatable output should fit up and only have to notch the cushion a little bit.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:38 am

https://www.uniwerksdesign.com/product/fridgepod-d...el-heater/

Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:44 am

Dobryan (who I got this idea from) also added a rear vent on the backside of his kitchen. I think this was for the top bunk.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:24 am

danfromsyr wrote: https://www.uniwerksdesign.com/product/fridgepod-d...el-heater/

That's a good location though I keep things on that area next to.he stove so that may block this flow.

Currently I exit on the floor in the corner of the lower cubby and the seat cabinet..

I don't like it because:
1) I have to move the things stored in that corner to run the heater
2) when the covers fall off the bed causing an enclosed room between the mattress and floor the unit overheats and shuts down and even if it doesn't overheat, no heat goes in the rest of the cabin.

I DO like it because its a great place to put the ski boots for a warmup :)

Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:36 pm

danfromsyr wrote: and here's our Diesel heater install from a previous post
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5815543#5815543

we've now switched the Espar D1 over to a CDH as the Espar wasn't operating reliably for mom's use and the CDH has a key fob remote so I can preheat her camper while she's @ the campfire..

so in the images below just swap out the D1 for a CDH and everything else is the same.. we also fit the AUX batter on the board that covers the T-junction.

*and to note I have (2) NOS Espar D1s on the shelf in the shop new in the 1984 shrinkwrap. that are now obsoleted by the CDHs that have flooded the economy heater market.

danfromsyr wrote: OK so here's finally our install images.

there were a few things we were after on this install.
#1 minimize lost space
#2 minimize extra holes in the body metal
#3 keep ALL of the ESPAR unit & pump INSIDE the vehicle, it's too valuable to lose to corrosion.
#4 while these are very nice they are still only ~6k BTUs so keep the heat output where it can be most enjoyed. direct access for cold hands, bodies and feet.

the T-fitting and ventout the face of the seat was a afterthought but I'm very pleased with it's help in minimizing concerns of mom blocking the heater with bedding. though in the images you can see a cardboard insert where I'm trying to get a 60/40 balance to the heat.. the upper one was initially intended to be the primary outlet.. if I had access to a heat vent that was able to close I'd be more happy but it's easy to block the upper duct if the feet need more heat.

it was a little BFH & cutting to get the paper duct past the lower corner of the seat base & hinges, but not too much to feel destructive. just regular "installer" adjustments were needed.

I had to raise the AUX battery on the wood platform anyways, so then I figured to add the T-fitting under it.
in my images we do take care to not allow the seat belt to drape on th hot exhaust. the hot exhaust makes another 90* turn with some galvanized EMT to exit by the DS rear wheel well. Diesel fumes are stinky & mom's nose is sensitive.

I'd like to make a nicer panel to mount the vent in the sidepanel but I had that laminate flooring scrap readily available.

the plan is to completely box in the heater & Aux battery with a Pegboard panel to keep gear out of both of them.

while it is a noisy sucker, it does provide very frugal heat. and mom's not keen on running any heater all night, no where anyways..
we chose the Diesel heater for mom's for a few reasons
#1 we already had it.
#2 we can know exactly how much fuel is in the tank with a quick look w/o opening anything
#3 we can refill it at any hour of the night with Diesel or Kero even from Walmart @ 3am if needed. we carry a 1L MSR bottle with Kero in it which is good for 8~10hrs of operation anyways as a backup.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:54 pm

danfromsyr wrote:

I hope you've got rid of that horrible control and fitted an Afterburner!

Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:55 pm

this was an older eberspacher unit. from back before china sold cheap copies..

Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:09 pm

danfromsyr wrote: this was an older eberspacher unit. from back before china sold cheap copies.. OK, my apologies!

Mon Jan 13, 2025 4:06 pm

The three above posts are good, but consider the implications of a stock fridge on that outlet with the power ports there. At least in my case (stock) there would be no chance to fit it around the intake/exhaust. Also, my route to getting the heat kitchen face included several times o ffridge in and out to line up a decent line and then cutting down the body spar and STILL having to smash the vent pipe a good ways ovaled to let the fridge fit back in.

I think on my next bus, I will be looking at installing the heater in an enclosure under the bus, like what dobryan has, with vent ports cut through the floor for cabin cool intake and heat output. Putting it in the hidden space with the shore power lines is, well, harder than I like when needing to modify stuff.

I also want the heat output option at the back, since that is where my head plops down for sleeping, and it is way colder at that end, as mentioned above. I just can't find a route to take to get it to go there.I guess there is the hidden space above the closet. Further, I guess a 2nd CDH dedicated to the rear could be an option, if a person was to go with one up front behind the glove box, and one feeding the rear. I really like the example (phishman?) has presented up front, but it would be very much more uncomfortable at the rear hatch than a mid-cabin outlet.

Maybe someone clever will figure out how to put one in the bottom of the big closet. That would likely be easiest to T off for forward and rear vents. I haven't measured the space available down there... it is where I keep my tow bar and a few oddball parts I'll likely never use/remember I carry anyway.

-bobby

Mon Jan 13, 2025 5:42 pm

@Vanis13

During my install I removed the long shore power cord. I found it takes up too much space in that small cupboard. I installed a short cord to the shore power port with a male plug end. I can now use an extension cord and store it elsewhere or leave it home (When not needed.)

I installed the fuel tank in the engine compartment behind the left tail light.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 8:35 pm

Oh you have a Canada Westy - note the lower port compared to others. Plus, I believe you have a long hookup cable that was suppose to store in that area?

Vanis and myself have USA regulation Westys. We just have a small, normal power wire going to the port. Then we plug an extension cord into it.

Thu Jan 16, 2025 11:50 am

My six year-old CDH worked perfectly forever, until suddenly it stopped getting fuel.

I pulled the line off and found it was blocked. Further inspection found a pretty haggard setup.

Life under my van ain't easy.

I replaced all the lines, new filter, primed it and got a mouthful of kerosene (I use Klean Heat Kerosene instead of diesel) but she won't fire.

Considering I've never serviced it, outside of a fresh Webasto glow plug and pump a few years ago, it might be time to take it apart. Or chuck it and throw another one in.

Fri Jan 17, 2025 10:14 am

Shagginwagon and Vanis13

On the exterior power port of the US van, is there a cord that comes out or is it just a male plug inside the port door?

I'm thinking I may leave a couple feet of cord for my plug but I'm hoping you can post a pic of that powerport.

Fri Jan 17, 2025 10:23 am

shagginwagon83 wrote: Oh you have a Canada Westy - note the lower port compared to others. Plus, I believe you have a long hookup cable that was suppose to store in that area?

Vanis and myself have USA regulation Westys. We just have a small, normal power wire going to the port. Then we plug an extension cord into it.

So I decided to install the cord again and I when I pulled the cord back into the van....

AAAHHHH..... I HATE THIS FREAKING THING.

I think only the polite Canadian Westfalias have the cord still....

That is what is inside The Telltale Canadian lower port of the vanagan up here.
I'm going to pull the cord, cut it short with the plug and maybe leave a couple feet.

Fri Jan 17, 2025 10:37 am

Dono Be wrote:

AAAHHHH..... I HATE THIS FREAKING THING.

...

.....
I'm going to pull the cord, cut it short with the plug and maybe leave a couple feet.

Id hate that thing TOO! What a waste of space!

Suggest not cutting it since wires are best to have long unless there is an exact use.

Here's the plug in the US Westy...I bet you can get one.

I love being able to use what ever extension cord I can find. And many extensions cords are designed for packability which will take up way less space than your monstrosity and you can pack the separate one anywhere or leave it at home.

Look how much storage space you can gain!

That's a b4 Espar in there.

Fri Jan 17, 2025 10:42 am

Not cheap, but you may prefer to fit one of these: https://gowesty.com/products/gowesty-110-volt-electrical-hook-up-box?variant=41426710003877

Fri Jan 17, 2025 11:29 am

fxr wrote: Not cheap, but you may prefer to fit one of these: https://gowesty.com/products/gowesty-110-volt-electrical-hook-up-box?variant=41426710003877

at $60 not bad since a simple mass-produced special electrical outlet can be $20-$100