PSA - Diesel heaters using mains plugs for 12V - Danger of Death

[@bigclivedotcom]

Completely common with Chinese manufacturers. They don't follow standards at all. One of the worst is the use of standard 3 pin XLR connectors for mains voltage. Naming and shaming will actually increase their sales by driving traffic to their listings.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Just wanted to say thank you for all the things I've learned over the years from watching you, and you were a big inspiration to actually start filming some of the things I do in my workshop. :)

[@andyburns]

I understand the BBC used to do that in-house.

[@reubenk7331]

Woah that's freaking concerning. Your channel also looks pretty freaking cool, I'll have to check it out 🙂

[@regd.2263]

The government body for safety needs to be notified ASAP your be saving lives

[@PaulAlford75]

Well hot damn. Here he is saving lives. Who'd have thunk it

[@frederick6008]

Ok, David you have to sacrifice a heater to show the damage. Make a great video.

[@reubenk7331]

The big problem I had with this too is, seeing this plug on the outside would make me think their is a power supply inside of the unit. Especially if it was like the Hcalory in a box. Even a competent person might believe the supply is on the inside. Oh and then you mention this is a thing. I suppose it makes sense that some manufactures do include the power supply inside. That sounds good that at least one of the manufacturers is going to hopefully make the change.

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi David, I've also just reviewed the Hcalory Trolley Diesel Heater on my channel and boy o boy, what a shambles. It had exactly that., a 230V IEC supply directly wired to 12V..!!!! Plus other faults. Incredible eh....?? Keep up the good work, ATB, Steve

[@OverRevvedRacing]

Wow this is absolutely NUTS. The sad thing is, even if it's wrong, none of these manufacturers or resellers care. I bought a hot air rework station that had the fuse on the neutral wire but at least it did have a ground, since most other rework station videos I've seen the grounds are cut off. Love your videos. I am planning to pick up a diesel heater soon since winter here in Ohio (USA) is around the corner and i have plenty of garage projects to do. I plan on doing a little experimenting as well, so it's great to see you're into doing the same!

[@darrend3200]

hello david, love your videos and have helped me learn alot. can you do a 2023 , best diesel heater 4kw/8kw heater guide + kit with mains power supply or transformer needed etc (link to buy if possible). i am living in a double wooden caravan and need things to be safe lol. should i have it inside or out. thanks for your time .keep the videos coming

[@katrincarstens5125]

Thanks for the video! I bought a 9kW diesel heater for my motorhome. It has no cables or plugs at all. Only two screw connections and cable with cable lugs for a car battery. Anyway! There is nothing about the amps in the instruction manual. Now I'm looking online to see whether I should use a 9A cigarette lighter for the 12V output for my power bank, stronger or weaker. And during my research I find this video. I'm horrified. Installing a connection that can actually be connected to 240V... I'm at a loss for words! I'll try 9A at 12V and hope for the best. In the worst case scenario, the hut stays cold and I sleep at 4 degrees. But still better than being cremated, right? 😂

[@mossey1963]

Hi David , Great stuff as usual, Can you tell me what's the best basis 2kw heater to buy? Got a price of £370 for a pro max but I don't think I need all the bells and whistles. Thanks

[@dantronics1682]

I have an electric bike which uses the iec 72v but they use the earth-neutral pins for the power so you wouldnt get an electric shoch if you was to plug a mains into it.

[@SimonJones-jy8ly]

i like to think I'm reasonably savvy but i can see me making this mistake. Shocking ! (in both senses). Thank you for the heads up.

[@dylanhagsauce8629]

In Canada the optional Maxpeedingrods Ac cord I just bought. For the correct heater the 2.0 version. Are you saying that transformer cable I just ordered shouldn't be used. I decided for this over wiring a cig 12 volt to the wiring harness. Do you review this cable if possible could you send the link? Thanks mate

[@daltonsband]

I'll name a name, rhymes with calories, no stickers no notice no change as of two days ago. Glad I have you subscribed so I was ready the day I opened it to swap it out for a 12v dedicated connector.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

The one that rhymes with calories was one of them. The other one sounds like Jacks leading nods.

[@SillyMonkeys]

Hi David , I was thinking of getting a mains plug heater for my workshop, I have a 12v in my caravan, and its brilliant. Have you come across a main supplied one thats good?......Thank you very much.

[@TheMamonti1]

They use the cheapest quality for that connector too. I had to bypass them on a ultrasonic cleaner since the socket shorten after 4 hours of use. haven't seen it on the heaters but they look the same quality

[@strongandco]

If you have a battery tender, and you have access to mains power in your camper van, can you connect your leisure battery to the mains *via the tender* and run a 12V diesel heater *safely* ?

[@906MediaProductions]

So you're asking mains>tender>battery>heater correct? If so that's what I did. My tender was 6A and I ran it in a garage all winter without issues.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Yes. I'm with you now. Some people use it for power outages as well. Heater basically runs of the tender/charger and if there is a power outage it'll keep going on the battery so you can shut it down properly.

[@jazzsounds8159]

​@@DavidMcLuckieI have the ecoflow river in the video can I use to power my diesel heater?

[@stevesweb]

Wow, I've been around computers and electronics since the '80s and can't believe they would use that socket for 12v. Even for a veteran this could be very misleading and like you said, dangerous! Thanks for the PSA!

[@cambridgemart2075]

That's crazy. I already have to look out for these being used for remote control inputs for smoke machines, but at least that's 240V.

[@raymondj8768]

Hellooooooo thanks for keeping us informed n safe my Dude hi from S. Carolina U.S.A.

[@ericgilhart5951]

Holy shit that could be very bad thanks for putting that out there

[@dwightjames7900]

i just ordered one with this plug, is the brick power supply that comes with it not safe?

[@DavidMcLuckie]

The power brick is unsafe due to it being supplied with an unfused plug. Chopping it off and using a fused plug would help greatly.

[@amandagardner7704]

Hi David, can you help me with powering my maxpeedingrods MXR-3M Diesel heater with a ecoflow delta 2 power station. What cable to use and what is the maximum length you can use running it from outside my camper with my ducting entering through a window. An issue I had with the delta 2 was it primed the diesel heater first time it ran and I let it run for a hour then I powered the diesel heater down with no problems. And this was using the ac/dc power adapter they supply for the heater that you show on this video. I then powered it back up put the temperature up from 24c to 28c then the delta 2 tripped. So I am a little stuck as I'm new to this. Do I need a LED TRANSFORMER to make this work. Thanks Amanda

[@amandagardner7704]

Forgot to add the details 2 stays in the camper😊

[@amandagardner7704]

The deita 2 stays in the camper, that's what I'm asking maximum length I can go with cable from diesel heater to power station. Thanks

[@creepingjesus5106]

How does that get a UKCA mark? It's clearly not up to standard and should never have been available in the first place.

[@brendonwood7595]

It doesn't. If you buy it direct from china you are responsible for ensuring it complies.

[@michaelbailey7112]

Easy print some stickers / job done

[@codprawn]

Sheer insanity. Most dangerous thing I have seen in quire a while! Trouble is customs will tar them all with the same brush.

[@cambridgemart2075]

Customs aren't interested in things like this

[@ifell3]

I've been guilty for using miss matching plugs and sockets for my own projects. Can you get xt bulk head connectors now?

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Yes. I was planning on replacing the IEC plugs with XT60 panel mount versions.

[@ifell3]

@@DavidMcLuckie oh awesome, can't beat xt connections, unless you over heat when soldering 😅

[@johnh8615]

Some products from China need to be reported to electrical standards commission. This really can kill.

[@raymondj8768]

they dont answer to nobody lol

[@TonyLing]

They do that stupid shit on some eBikes too. Madness.

[@thomas1112002]

Is the HC-A01 Diesel Heater, 5L Wired ok as looking to get 1

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Yes. It's just using a 2 pin plug for the 12V side.

[@johncrossland1568]

So what power supply do we use thanks

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Anything that can output 12V 15-20A with a nice fused plug. Or wired straight onto a 12V battery. amzn.to/40n66hJ

[@michaelbailey7112]

Don't think you need to be incompetent or not able to read or write to plug it in to 240volt That would be so easy to do wrong Very worrying

[@jeb-zf4un]

WoW. Well done Dave.

[@Spencer1609751]

Never mind the PICOscope in the background!

[@DavidMcLuckie]

That is one of the most useful tools I've bought. It's up there with my plasma cutter in the top 10 of tools. :)

[@davidevans5782]

Well said David, a truly valid safety message out to all, keep the good content going, as a fellow Scot I admire you.

[@_PGT]

Well done! Excellent video.

[@benwouda]

I have one of those on my 12v kettle

[@benwouda]

I have one of those on my battery pack off the e-bike

[@martinpanks992]

I did wonder why the UK customs were confiscating the new heaters on arrival in the UK and I now reckon this is possibly why they did it as they are not up to standards or at least the instructions and directions are not up to standard.

[@tomcat1370]

Shame you did not mention the fuse-less plug on the power adaptor. Also if you had investigated the crappy plug and its wiring you would have noticed the half a mm in thickness copper wire they have used. Looks like speaker wire. If this makes no difference in the scheme of things then I am sorry for making a idiot of myself.

[@frederick6008]

David, just watched a video with a $200 unit with that plug💀

[@Simon_Rafferty]

I was hoping you were going to plug it into the mains, just to see what happens 🤣 I'll get my coat.....

[@DavidMcLuckie]

It had crossed my mind. :)

[@raymondj8768]

hahahaha Ill hold the door for ya buddy lolol

[@daltonsband]

Commenting for the algorithm this needs more upvotes too. Save the whales, save the boobies, save the idiots who try to plug this into the wall!

[@StephenStephen-h2x]

It's so shocking to see how the fake electrical items can be sent over to UK so easily. that brick power supply is a complete fake. And the rate lable is too. I can imagine alot of houses in the uk being on fire due to items like this 😢

[@dylanhagsauce8629]

So its fake for real?

[@StephenStephen-h2x]

Yes.

[@AndrewB416]

Good video David. Like most things electrical that come from China.....verify everything before you trust it!

[@patricklockerby4308]

Promoted to the top of my diesel heater playlist. Danger of death and/or destruction. Designed with @ElectroBOOM in mind as a reviewer ? 🙂

[@jasonpotts6490]

I'm still dumbfounded by this. Made me lose trust in the rest of the heater assy. I just can't believe the carelessness and how not one person in design, mfg, and prototype testing (clearly there exists no QA or QC) didn't spot it or at least question it!!

[@mickwolf1077]

I know they want less people on the earth but that's insane.

[@karldingbat]

Go on, plug the heater into the mains 😁😁😁

[@twocvbloke]

It's pure laziness and greed on their part, they see the option for having a built-in mains to 12/24vDC supply, cut that out, call the Mains input a DC input, in both material cost and assembly time, that's money saved on their part, not so much on the end-user's part when an end user sees a mains-only connector and rightfully assumes it's for the mains, and when it goes bang, or catches fire or kills the user, there's no recourse having bought them outside of any UK testing, and wouldn't surprise me if customs started blanket-ban seizing them because of the few manufacturers making a dangerous product...

[@manuelmetallica]

🫣🤔👍

[@metricstormtrooper]

Thats just plain STUPID, how can that be allowed to happen, there should be a recall to fix the problem.

[@fenceup07944931177]

I'm all for cheap imports. But we should call them out when they are outright dangerous. Lest make sure we let other reviewers on KZbin know if we see them.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Agreed. Cheap and cheerful is ok, cheap and deadly not so much.

[@frederick6008]

Ok, David you have to sacrifice a heater to show the damage. Make a great video.