Been recovering from 2 knee surgeries, I've had A LOT of time to research. Hopefully I can save anyone looking to install a diesel heater some time. Full disclosure, I haven't installed mine yet, but the parts arrived today.
Right now my plan is to remove the propane heater and instal the diesel heater in that spot. It's already vented and has power. It's also close to the propane storage, which is where I plan to put the diesel tank, although I haven't found the right one yet. The ones that come with the kits will not fit in the propane storage cubby with 1 of the propane tanks still in there.
On to the good stuff...
After 2 solid weeks of reading forums and watching YouTube, I purchased the follow items....
5kw Heater: This may be overkill, as there is a 2kw version available. I spoke with Hoopy on the phone and he likes his 5kw for his flatbed setup. Others think it may be overkill, who knows. I'll update as soon as I install and it gets cold enough. I specifically picked the heater below because of its LCD screen. The heaters with the LCD screens (some models have a rotor dial) will allow you to change the frequency of the fuel pump ie. adjusting the air/fuel ratio, which is important when camping at high altitudes. I'm usually between 8000'-9000' in the winter. If you run them on stock mixtures at high altitudes, they may run fine, but are all but guaranteed to soot up and eventually require full disassembly to clean the combustion chamber. Disclaimer: the advertised 8kw heaters are identical to the 5kw, just a gimmick.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMQ9VWY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Fuel Pump: The stock pumps work just fine, but are loud. This replacement pump is supposed to deliver a stronger squirt of fuel, and are 3-5 dB quieter, which is significant. No adapters necessary, plug and play with the stock wiring harness supplied with the heater kit.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFL66SMR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Additional Exhaust Supplies: The kit comes with about a foot or two of exhaust pipe and one muffler. Several people have reduced the exhaust noise by half by putting two mufflers in line. These mufflers are the straight through version, so there's no added back pressure. When mounting the exhaust, it must slope downwards for water to drain. The mufflers must also be oriented with the small drain holes pointed down, for drainage.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGMB174R?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Fuel Lines and Connectors: The heater kit MAY come with a flexible green fuel line. This is trash, throw away immediately. I purchased the kit below because it has the rigid fuel line which is required for these heaters. These pumps required rigid line that will not flex in order to adequately "squirt" the fuel over the mesh screen that surrounds the glow plug. If the fuel just trickles on to it, the fuel will not atomize correctly and you will get an incomplete burn, leading to soot build up. This kit also comes with much better connectors that are designed to not create a flat spot like a typical jubilee clamp.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TTF7HD3?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
On/Off Switch: Seems silly, but as long as the heater is connected to power, it will have a draw of at least 0.5ish Amps. I bought this little switch so I can quickly disconnect from power when not in use. CAUTION: Do NOT manually shut down a running unit this way. If you do not let the unit run a cool down cycle by selecting "OFF" on the LCD, it will overheat and melt plastic components. I plan on hiding this switch so the unit cannot be shut off accidentally.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XM7PBZB?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Filter: The unit comes with a silencer for the intake that does not have a mesh screen. This should stop bugs or whatnot from crawling in. Saw someone put a straight through muffle on the intake side as well. Helped a lot with noise.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V59T79F?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Fuel Line Protection: Purchased this tubing to run the fuel lines through as extra chafing protection. The intake for the fuel on the heater unit is very close to the exhaust outlet. I may try and insulate with more robust material at this spot on the bottom of the heater. This tubing is not required, but also is cheap and gives piece of mind. I'll probably route through some electrical conduit where it has to pass through the camper walls.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09165YN5C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Not yet purchased:
Additional hot air ducting: will probably run a splitter, with one nozzle aft in the camper, and one forward. the 5kw heater should have plenty of juice for it.
Fan intake ducting: [SIZE=14.000001px]Worth noting that Grizzly n' Bear's video of their heater install states they only have significantly reduced condensation when they used outside air at the fan intake. Most installs in vans use cabin air to blow over the hot part and provide hot air, but since Grizzly made this statement, [/SIZE]I'm[SIZE=14.000001px] going to try to pull outside air into the heater fan. Still have to figure that one out, will probably require cutting a hole in the stock furnace cover on the outside of the camper. [/SIZE]
I'll take pictures and document the install
Cheers!
