diesel heater choice

[paulga]

My Espar doesn't work that way. It shuts off when it reaches the set temp without the fuel pump continuing to run. But then when it fires up again, it needs to heat the glow plug for a minute at 9 amps, run at full tilt for a few minutes, then settles down to under 2A when running. Turns out that it is much more practical to just have my Chinese heater run at idle (and open a window if necessary). Because of the increased cycling and battery use of the Espar, I would have to run the main engine more often (or install a generator). Using logic similar to above, a generator would cost me $6,000, plus installation costs and diesel fuel to run my $1,000 Espar. My monthly heating cost for the Espar would be $680. My Chinese heater is the more practical and better engineered, assuming one can open a window.

When I purchased the Espar I looked online at the reviews and problems. One common problem was the unit coking up after running at low heat for extended periods. The best practices was to always crank the heat up and run it at full blast for a minute before shutting down. Otherwise, the reported removal and repair would be costly (more than the cost of my Chinese heater). My Chinese heater does this automatically when shut down, including heating the glow plug to make sure that the burn chamber is cleaned out every time. Has Espar copied the Chinese yet? Sounds like the European guys added a return line, electric solenoid, and other unnecessary stuff (for which they charge top dollar). Good for them.

This reminds me what John mck described in his videos.
Is there a concern on exhaust when idling so you need open a window?

 

[paulga]

Understanding that the market that these heaters are designed to serve is the Truck, RV and Marine markets you have to wonder why these heaters object to the the typical voltage variations found in these vehicles. Could it be a poor design or are they actually tolerant of the typical voltages?
I see that the current Hcalory F Series heater with it's 2025 upgraded motherboard touts 12 & 24 V input and over voltage protection. I wonder if there is any tight voltage regulation built in?

I firmly sit on the skeptical side when you read that "Fuel consumption is reduced to 0.04 gal/hour - 0.11 gal/hour, maximizing fuel performance and reducing energy wastage." and then in the very next sentence you read that "Equipped with a large 10L fuel tank for 10 hours of continuous heating."

As always, buyer beware.

The ecu says 12-24v input, but the fan and pump both require 12v.

For voltage regulation, it needs to have something such as in post 50. This ecu is sealed tight, its cover is not easily separated, so I don't have a view of the inside circuit. But from the harness to the ecu, I don't see enough space to accommodate such a regulator. How does it regulate the voltage?

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Is there a concern on exhaust when idling so you need open a window?

No, opening the window was to get rid of excess heat if necessary at idle.