Diesel heater install

installation of a chinese deisel heater, all accessories were bought from www.melloronline.co.uk

[@anidamsa4396]

One of the best installation videos I’ve seen. Showing the reality of how difficult a seemingly ‘simple ‘ task is to execute on a boat. Been refurbing my Dutch barge for over 20 years now and still no end in sight, but I love it. I got loads of valuable info and tips . Congrats on a fab install. Enjoy the cosy heat.! Best wishes 👋

[@stevemason5348]

I take that back about the pump running the right way, I first watched this vid on my phone, I just watched it on the laptop, I can now see the wiring at the top of the pump

[@meridian8794]

I have watched dozens of install videos and spoken to as many people who have these heaters, and you are the first person to consider what happens if the exhaust leaks, by having fresh air in if the exhaust leaks into the stern locker, it will not be blown into the cabin, You would not believe the number of people who don't seem to get this, I even was sent an article from a yachting magazine that had air from inside the locker and no fresh air in. Call it confirmation bias, but I'm glad at least one intelligent youtuber agrees with me : ) thanks for posting

[@SVRoquetta]

Thanks for that feedback, it's good to know I'm not crazy. Most boat installs don't have external air, in a perfect world I'd like to see external vent for combustion air and heated air in 👍 safer and more efficient combustion...

[@RichardChambers]

I thought this was one of the clearest installation videos I have seen. You have shown and explained everything really well and this has been really helpful in my own installation. Thank you.

[@SVRoquetta]

You're very welcome, glad I could help 👍👍

[@matthewclarke6624]

Very useful! Appreciate all of this information you shared so much. Currently brainstorming my own heating approach to a 30 ft sailboat. You sharing the install will help save many of us

[@JanisJanovskis]

Best heater installation tutorial I've seen. Will use it when installing mine, thanks for sharing and elaborate explanation.

[@SVRoquetta]

Thank you! It's still working great after more than a year. All I would suggest, is change the fuel hose for proper diesel fuel hose. The one that came with it disintegrated after 8 months 👍

[@JanisJanovskis]

@@SVRoquetta Thanks Appreciate your input - highly valuable. And a great point - Diesel hoses must be of high-quality material, otherwise, they disintegrate. Diesel fuel is slightly acidic.

[@k6fgj]

Fantastic video . Really very helpful and it’s good to hear that I’m not alone with all the ache’s and pains and blood loss 👍🤪

[@simontaylor3492]

Really good video. I like your style, lots of explanation, with reason, but not dragging it out and repeating yourself. Fair winds.

[@J0B-]

should have a water trap on the low point of exhaust as will build up condensation. its a coil of pipe with water in basically and alows consensation to drain without any fumes.

[@billymonkey111]

Fitting mine this weekend, good to see your thoughts. Similarly I'd like to duct the air intake from somewhere else. Certainly not live aboard just trying to make the most of the boat over the winter. Thanks for posting.

[@TaylanYalniz]

Great video ⛵️👏

[@Sailingon]

Fitted one at the weekend to my cruiser, I'm going to order the same exhaust and insulation you have it looks much safer.

[@mattphillips9107]

So glad you are fitting a CO detector 👍 I'm an oil and gas boiler engineer and I wouldn't be without one. I've got the same heater and its fantastic. The best advice I can give is run it on full power before switching it off to burn it clean. By the way, you are an engineer! You think! Nice work buddy 👍👍👍

[@SVRoquetta]

Thanks 😁 valuable input from someone that actually knows what they’re doing! The CO detector was non negotiable. The only thing that makes me uncomfortable, is that the cold air intake and the combustion exhaust both pass through the same locker. I need to work on that.

[@snorungar70]

Great job!!my s/y Skidbladner is getting one this weekend.i bought 2 just in case.my ship is a 6 meter havsfidra going from Sweden to lofoten Norway this summer.cheers

[@SVRoquetta]

Fair winds!

[@twowheelexploration9228]

Well done mate I've always wondered how these work. A bit much for me to cram an a vw bus though. Good vid.

[@SVRoquetta]

Two Wheel Exploration you could easily get one on a dub mate, loads of people have done it. I think it would be too hot tho!

[@LAsparkTVWireTestLimited]

A tour de force of filming, welldone getting that footage, last thing I'd be thinking about doing that job. Really nice to see someone fitting one of these, as have serviced them and scrabbled around in the inaccessible places people put them for years. Interesting to see how long it lasts at that price, I believe the russian ones are a bit dearer but dunno about the quality - they used to be (years ago) crap with no safety cut out if the fan failed.... If we can afford to run Isla II by the end of this covid thing, will fit one myself...

[@SVRoquetta]

Thank you! In your experienced opinion, any glaring safety issues with my install?

[@LAsparkTVWireTestLimited]

@@SVRoquetta Hi, not that I could see. Obviously the feed cables are best nice and thick - at least 6mm csa, just to cause the least voltage drop possible. Other than that, all good to me. Sure someone'll go on about plastic diesel tanks at some point though, they're bound to.

[@karl9460]

Well it is now March, and the winter is just about reaching its last throws of frost. I think it is time for an update on your thoughts of how well it did and what you would do differently if anything. Your video has been a great help to me thinking about fitting one for next year.

[@SVRoquetta]

Thanks! I’m glad it helped. I’d say... I would not insulate the first 6 inches of exhaust, because whatever you put on there just seems to cook. It’s costing about £12 per week to run the heater (diesel) over the winter. It is the destroyer of batteries. Next time I would get a bigger boat and a refleks heater. Overall I’m happy, great value, reliable 👍

[@SVRoquetta]

@@cheapcigs9772 I only run it over night, I would guess at about 9ah per day. I have a house bank made up of 2 Trojan 105, 6v batteries in series (highly recommended). I haven’t had to run my generator since I put my solar panels on (2 x 60watt). The house bank is probably about 210ah. It seems to be a balanced and maintenance free system so far

[@wyatt1506]

Great job under cramped cold conditions

[@mikefriend7570]

Great video. Direct, intelligent and giving lots of good practical advice. Thank goodness for your no nonsense approach. I have heard that these heaters need to be on full bore as much as possible as they have a tendency to soot up at low settings. Has this proved to be problematic for you?

[@SVRoquetta]

Hi, and thank you! I’ve been running mine on minimum for 5 months, no issues yet. It goes through its own de coke cycle every time you start and stop it anyway. Seems to be fine 👍

[@SailingFoxyLady]

Hi mate, great video and channel. Just subscribed. Quick point for you though, loads and loads of people want to do this and yours is an awesome guide. To make it more discoverable change the spelling of diesel in the title. Will make a big difference mate.👍🏻(not an English teacher, just learning what makes KZbin work😁)

[@SVRoquetta]

D’oh!! ‘Diesel’ is a word that seems to ‘look right’ either way to me, which is unfortunate. Thanks 👍

[@SailingFoxyLady]

@@SVRoquetta no problem matey, hoping helps you get more views and all that good youtube stuff👍🏻

[@fiddleswithbikes]

I'm in the research stage. The video I watched before yours was pitiful. The guy installed uninsulated exhaust through a wooden bulkhead and mounted both the fuel line and wires right next to it. No sealant. No mention of CO. Drilled with a hole saw such that he rubbed against a wire bundle as he finished. Boom, done, another UToob influencer with another video posted. And leading the masses astray with a dangerous example. Thanks for your video with a well thought out installation.

[@SVRoquetta]

You're very welcome mate 👍

[@stevemason5348]

Only got a glimpse of the fuel pump but what I did see it looked upside down, I could be wrong, also, the air intake ducting would be better running back into the cabin so its recerculating warm air as apposed cold air from outside the boat

[@SVRoquetta]

That's true, it was a choice between ventilation and heater efficiency 👍

[@wolfee101]

well thought out, you went for the twist knob control rather than the electronic which was also interesting. i have a propex gas heater which unforgivably used all my gas one cold night in fleetwood , i woke with the dogs water bowl frozen and no cup of tea for breakfast.

[@SVRoquetta]

I figured less complicated, in hindsight that may have been a mistake as I won’t be able to see error codes 🤨

[@wolfee101]

@@SVRoquetta i like the keep it simple

[@simontaylor3492]

@@SVRoquetta I heard that the error codes from rotary dial controller are indicated by the number of lights illuminated. The Chinese are pretty clever really.

[@SVRoquetta]

@@simontaylor3492 thanks, I’ll look that up just in case I need it 👍

[@sailingaphrodite4189]

Well done, I may have to fit one myself! Have you moved the boat to Torpoint?

[@SVRoquetta]

Sailing Aphrodite thanks! yes, I had to so that I could live aboard. I still have a mooring at Cargreen for now

[@ridmeister1]

Hi. Good video. I couldn’t see if you fitted a silencer to the exhaust. I know the one that comes with the heater mustn’t be used on boat installations and a specific marine silencer is recommended.

[@SVRoquetta]

Correct, if you're going to use one, get an original webasto or eberspacher. I didn't use one at all, not really needed 👍

[@ridmeister1]

Thank you. I think that’s the answer I was hoping for. If it’s not needed I won’t get one.

[@rogerpickering3751]

Great video went through that last year!!,roger aboard Twister “Florence May “ Torquay

[@SVRoquetta]

Roger pickering with Chinese heater?

[@rogerpickering3751]

Yes exactly the same ,I can replace the heater every couple of years ,and avoid maintenance charges.for the next 10 to 12 years .

[@SVRoquetta]

Roger pickering my thoughts exactly, the ancillaries are all good quality and installed now, if the heater breaks in a couple of years I’ll just buy another one. Such good value 😀

[@itsjustplainsailing5189]

Co Aka carbon monoxide is odourless , slightly lighter than air, explosive and yup deadly as you pointed out. I had one of these heaters on mine for a while, fantastic heat output for very little diesel consumption but was noisy (tick tick tick tick….the fuel pump ) and I found it battery heavy , went through a battery( it was independent of the house bank and solely used for heating) anyhow went through the battery life in less than a year , it was only a cheap battery but the drain and recharging wasn’t great. Upgraded to a gravity fed heater instead , cost me much more but more or less silent and easier to maintain . Let me know how yours is doing. Great vid though.

[@SVRoquetta]

Yes, the pump can indeed be noisy, my solar kept up with the heater even in winter (well... Mostly). It's done really well for the money, I think the issue is that the quality control can be variable...

[@EpoxyAndButylTape]

Will you be adding a water trap to the exhaust for condensation? Also would’ve it have been possible to just put a “Y” in an existing fuel line?

[@SVRoquetta]

It would’ve been possible to T off the fuel line, but I was moving the tank anyway, and I wanted to keep the two systems completely separate. I would install a water trap if I wasn’t using it nearly every day - as it is it gets hot enough regularly enough to make a water trap unnecessary (for now) 👍

[@EpoxyAndButylTape]

@@SVRoquetta That’s great to hear. I suppose when I install mine I could experiment with not having the water trap, since that’s what’s been holding me back on moving forward. That and drilling a hole in the transom. 😉

[@crispinbonham-carter8588]

Hot stuff.

[@jonmclean8205]

Great Install video - I am currently getting as much info before I do mine. My questions are - As we are now in January how has the heater performed and kw is it? and have you thought of fitting a water trap for moisture created from the exhaust gasses?

[@SVRoquetta]

The heater is performing very well, it’s the 3kw model but I rarely need more than minimum setting. No water trap because I use it every day, any water gets burnt off quickly. I’m not sure my tubular exhaust wrap was such a good idea, it starts to melt with the heater on high

[@jonmclean8205]

@@SVRoquetta thanks for the quick reply - that's interesting about the exhaust wrap but at least you are aware of it . I do like the fact that you have fitted a 90 degree "radius" bend from the heater which is the best way to get rid of the exhaust gas and heat as opposed to seeing installations with just a "L" shape 90 degree bend where the heat/gas just hits the wall of the pipe before continuing to the silencer which in turn the heat will destory/weaken that type of bend - if you get my jist

[@SVRoquetta]

@@jonmclean8205 yup, well spotted. A deliberate choice for that exact reason 👍

[@jonmclean8205]

@@SVRoquetta Hi Again - I dont suppose you remember where you got your 90 degree exhaust bend from ?? cant find it on melloronline site

[@SVRoquetta]

@@jonmclean8205 I'm pretty sure it was Ebay... i made sure to get a curved one rather than one with a welded right angle in it (imagine all those super heated exhaust gasses being deflected (!!))

[@Nifilheimur]

Just about to do the same in my little 28ft boat im going to be living in over the winter in Norway. Awesome tutorial, Thanks for that. As its been two years since you installed yours has there been any issues?

[@SVRoquetta]

Are you in the UK? No issues at all. The boat is sold now, and it looks like the controller may have failed, it's done very well though

[@Nifilheimur]

@@SVRoquetta Oslofjord in Norway mate. Living in a marina and refitting my old 28foot sloop and planning to sell it next spring and buy a bigger boat. Currently running kerosene heater but prices of kerosene have skyrocketed and are now 3 times higher than diesel so I’m getting one like yours

[@twister2869]

nice instal but won't the outlet pop off when you access the engine?

[@SVRoquetta]

I’m counting on it. It’s just a push fit, it stays put when I need it to and then pops off when I need it to.

[@twister2869]

@@SVRoquetta nice :-) You could coil some copper pipe around the exhaust for hot water too!

[@jonmclean8205]

Hi S V - Hope you have been keeping well - I finished my Boat install Xmas week and I am very warm - I plan to make a short video (not too in depth) - Could I use your youtube link to help give people advice ?

[@SVRoquetta]

Of course, I'd be flattered, thanks for asking and happy new year 👍

[@jonmclean8205]

@@SVRoquetta Thank You for your quick reply when I have completed the video I will send you the link - Have a great new year Jon

[@2009bokke]

on low settings mine (looks like you diesel heater) use about 5-7 watt/H

[@magdakaniewski]

That's a small fuel tank you have.how many litres. I thought the Chinese heaters come with a separate tank.

[@SVRoquetta]

My main tank is only 40ltrs but the engine is a 1gm10 so I could get to Iceland and back on that 😂😂. The kit did have a fuel tank, I didn’t want a separate one and they tend to leak

[@magdakaniewski]

Makes sense for a single lung diesel. I guess better to simplify and install into main tank so only one fill to worry about.

[@SVRoquetta]

@@magdakaniewski my thoughts exactly 👌