@@kevinedwards4449 What do you use for cleaning/prep now, instead? I just got an arc welder. All I'm doing so far is making practice beads on junk scrap. (I know not to weld on galvanized metal.)
phosgene is some hardcore death metal shit, seriously. there is video on youtube about leak at a 3M plant once. apparently it can eat through stainless steel braided hose.
You’re having incomplete combustion. It’s burning rich leading to the unit coking/sooting and this gets worse over time. You need to introduce more oxygen to burn cleaner and hotter! Carbon build up reduces heat transfer in the screen, the ignition/burn chambers, and the metal housing. It never gets up to proper operational temperature resulting in a “cold blooded” machine. Just like an internal combustion engine, carbon build up will destroy your machinery eventually. Carbon is a thermal insulator. Many high temperature coatings use ceramic and/or carbon to protect against over heating or melting. Research stochiometric burn ratios if your doubtful. The fix: 1: Disassemble and clean. 2: Install new burn screen. 3: replace gaskets as needed. 4: Inspect the tiny ignition chamber where the diesel fuel enters. Nearby you’ll see a hole with nothing inside it leading to the ignition chamber. Be sure this hole is NOT obstructed in any way. Be very careful to completely seat the burn screen all the way down into the ignition bore. Look into the air port (you should not see the screen or any obstruction!!!). 5: Before you install a new burn screen do the following: Drill this hole to a newer larger size. Be sure you do not damage the fuel port, glow plug threading, or screen. Consider drilling another hole 180 degrees apart from the factory air port. The default design and machining from the Chinese factories are very sloppy. These units burn rich straight from the factory because of this lack of attention to the air port in the ignition chamber. 6: Look at your exhaust system. It should dip down at least 1/4” every foot or more aggressive with no traps or dips to allow soot, water, and diesel to drain from the exhaust system. Also the mufflers design is meant to be installed in any orientation. However the original designs told their customers to drill tiny drain holes in the lowest spots to allow drainage. These D2, D3, and D4 designs are of Western origin that had the patents expire. Once that patents expired the Eastern companies copied the Western designs but poorly with out providing proper customer instruction or machinery documentation. 7: Use larger gauge copper multistranded wire/conductor. You need to eliminate or reduce electrical resistance as much as possible. Go with the largest wire gauge you can. 14-10 American Wire Gauge is a good place to start. The longer your wires the larger the gauge you need. Also charge your batteries. If possible add more batteries in parallel to your battery bank. By adding more batteries in parallel you increase the electrical “flow” or capacity. If you run too small a battery bank you’ll lose capacity and then voltage will quickly drop. Or consider buying a cheap AC to DC wall plug adapter. Look for 12 volts @ 10-30 amps if possible. 8: Look at the glow plug itself. You’ll see the wires loosely wrapped around the ceramic glow plug rod. If possible find high temperature solder around 500 F - 1000 F (or higher if you can) and solder the glow plug wiring to the glow plug rod. This will destroy the clear poly shrink tubing they use as a safety insulator. I use Permatex room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) copper orange. This sealant only protects up to 600 F intermittently. It will last for a year or two before the copper orange RTV breaks down. 9: As others have mentioned, consider using a diesel additive. I use Diesel 911 as it prevents diesel gelling in cold weather, burns hotter, adds lubrication for the needle pump/injector, and it’s cheap per dose. One bottle typically doses 50-500 gallons US depending where you purchase it. It’s typically 16-40 Ounces in a package and you’ll only ever use 1-2 ounces per fill up or less. I dose my 6 gallon tank at 1-12 ounces and I love my results. 10: Inspect your fuel lines! Do NOT use typical orange/green/yellow soft fuel lines. Use the 2mm nylon tubing and 3mm rubber hosing to make connections. If you’re feeling fancy you can run the fuel lines in 2mm copper or titanium. The copper is said to clog because copper and diesel are thought to be incompatible. My copper line has had no issues over 8 years of use. 2mm Titanium is the premium material but it doesn’t bend readily and you must follow strict process to bend it accordingly. I live at 5280 ft elevation with lower oxygen/air pressure. After I enlarged the factory air port and drilled another one opposite into the ignition chamber my start up and smoke problems are gone!
Ok, there's a number of things not ideal in your setup. The fuel filter is the wrong way round and should be close to upright below the pump to eliminate air bubbles and give the pump an easier ride - it will be quieter too. Also check the voltage drop from your battery on startup, if it is dropping below 12v then your glow plug isn't getting hot enough to ensure reliable ignition. If you fix all of these things and still have the same problem i suspect that the glow plug mosfet on the control board has begun to fail and isn't allowing enough power through. I had one to fix last week that was doing the same but didn't respond - turns out the guy had pulled the wiring harness too hard and had broken the copper wire inside the sleeve so that also caused a lack of power to the glow plug. These are wonderful machines and it pays to have a full kit of spares if you rely on one.
If you are filtering your fuel and intake air, you should not be getting such a buildup inside the exchanger. Keep things clean (and don't burn anything but diesel in it) and you will be good to go! So many are burning waste oil or veggie oil mixed with kerosene and other kinds of fuel in those heaters and wondering why the buildup? Well, they're not made to burn that crap! It's a diesel heater made to burn diesel.
you mix vegetable oil with petrol, not with diesel. It's called a home made bio-diesel Schur mixture (also a bit of 100% alcohol into the pretrol before putting the petrol into the vegetable oil but that is only needed for Diesel engines) The ideal ratio is 5% alcohol (again, only needed for diesel engines, helps with ignition), 10-20% petrol (depending on how cold it gets, the petrol makes it less viscous) and then the rest is vegetable oil. Vegetable oil burns much cleaner than Diesel. Also if you have problems with soot you need to increase the fan speed for any given pump frequency (low: 1.5Hz at 2000-2500RPM, high: 3.6-4.0Hz at 5000RPM) That way it burns more lean which is a much cleaner burn.
Because they are literally very cheap. Under $200, and made in China. A similar product from Espar or Webasto, at a much higher quality, would be around $1000.
Looking at your fuel line it looks like you are pumping alot of air bubbles to the heater. I suggest you mount it vertically so it will run without air bubbles, lubricate the pump piston better (so it won't prematurely wear out) and run a little quieter.
if you increase the voltage to the heater to almost 14 volts, your sooting , and error codes will go away. the higher voltage will make the glo plug hotter. thus burn cleaner, less fuel consumption.
I bet that's part of the problem. The car battery I've been using is quite old and tired, so if I haven't had it hooked up to the charger, it will not perform well.
@@Timetraveller1010 you'd really have to connect it to some kind of regulated DC power supply to do that. Car batteries just don't sit at that high of a voltage, even on a battery maintainer.
Holy shit dude! I'm the last to be a safety nazi, I've done plenty of dangerous shit. But man, you lucked out with the brake cleaner. I thought you were doing this outside, then when you started hitting it with the torch, I see you open a door! Just spraying that much methylene chloride, you should have been high as hell. I think they banned it in some country bc a guy died using paint stripper that had methylene chloride in it. General rule of thumb, if it acts like gasoline, but doesn't burn, don't try and burn it! Chlorinated and fluorinated solvents break down with enough heat and make nasty shit like HF, HCl, and phosgene. You seem like a smart dude, but what went through your head thinking its a good idea to pour out large amounts of solvents into a dish in a closed room and then torch it?
You might want to try Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner for cleaning your parts if you aren't in a rush. Spray it on and in, and walk away for an hour or two. Wipe it off, or give it a rinse. Much easier.
I'll have to try that next time. Once I got it out I noticed that it's a little rolled-up length of screen, so it makes sense that you could twist it in a direction that would tighten the roll and shrink its outer diameter, making it easier to remove!
Diesel fuel has a smaller molecule even than gasoline and when you mixed vegetable oil with it, It probably gelled and plugged the screen. If you ever want to find a leak in a gas tank, pour some diesel in it and you will find it if it has one. I hear jet fuel or kerosine works well in these heaters. I wouldn't play around with non flammable solvents with flame if I were you.
I had been wrestling with the same problem for a couple years but finally have it solved. Problem was not enough air getting through the little hole next to the glow plug. After enlarging the hole to 1\8 inch it starts every time.
If you ever have to do this again, I would get a gallon of chemtool carb dip and let the burner sit in that overnight before cleaning. As someone else said, you may have dodged a bullet with the brake cleaner this time, but yeah people have died (slowly and painfully) from welding when even small amounts of brake cleaner are present.
How is your pump mounted? It must me vertical not on it's side or low pressure bubbles will rise to the side and wear out the dosing pump..they dose 0.2 mill litres ea pump and the dose will be incorrect..and destroy the pump.. Don't restrict the intake at all and 0 bends in the exhaust..straight down! You have a combustion issue, back pressure..
Change the green fuel line that is supplied with some of these heaters...it is not compatible with the pumps and is not fit for purpose.....it flexes too much and causes air bubbles and diminishes the flow of the fuel due to the minute stroke of the pump....Purchase some `hard` nylon type fuel line ( normally white)...you will have far less problems ...especially at higher output settings.
Big mistake using a flame with these solvents, certainly asking for trouble. I've plenty of experience in cleaning out soot from Diesel heater steam cleaners, a good wash with alkaline traffic film remover and a pressure washer will remove any debris and it's safe. Dry thoroughly and replace atomiser screen properly so it doesn't block the air intake hole, fit a new glow plug as a matter of routine. Don't mix old veg cooking oil as the flash point is higher and can gum up the atomiser screen. Kerosene is fine but 5% two stoke oil might be a good idea to lubricate the fuel pump or 20% diesel. Have fun
Your problem was trying to burn vegetable oil, doing that blocked up the bleed air hole and it was a downward slope from there. You should run it at full power BEFORE turning it off, not turn it down before turning it off, the more it runs at full power, the less build up you'll get in the burn chamber, that heater was pretty clean other than the starting circuit being gummed up from the veg oil. If you get into the settings, check the max fan speed is 4000 or less, the motor won't last long over 4K rpm, drop the max fuelling a point or two if you reduce the max fan speed to ensure you don't over fuel it. Yes the fuel filter is technically the wrong way round but the mesh is so big that it won't make anydifference, don't worry about the air bubbles in the line, the pump created them, but it keeps pushing fuel in one end si it can only come out the other end, the heater won't suffer for a few bubbles in the line.
Hi,I had similar issues, part of the unburnt fuel clean up also involved cleaning ext air intake and choked exhaust, I do realize your very helpful video was cleaning the unit only. Great video thankyou
That was so painful to watch ...... the removal of the glow plug screen....... a thick bolt with self tapping style thread like a decking bolt and just screw into screen until yo feel it catching and pull bolt out as you still turning it clockwise and the screen will be on the end of the bolt
Hi I have the same heater but mine after 2.3 hours of operation the fan starts over speeding and fluctuating the speed up and down even the heater has the same speed setting and finally the heater shuts off and my it gives all the smoke from the combustion chamber on the intake pipe and very strangely, no error code. What do you think
These units are called diesel heaters for a specific reason they run on diesel fuel and kerosene only. Yes you get a bunch of clowns that tell you they will run on just about anything and they will for about 2 days, if you want this thing to run,, use number 1 diesel or kerosene only. Proper installation is a must with these units I see several flaws in yours
only thing that's happened to mine is burnt out glow plug, last about a winter season, i just blow through the intake and exhaust with my compressor. great heater for the money £69 when i got mine. i do have to remove the lcd control panel and wrap the screen in a cloth or the cold stops the screen working, but if i for get the cloth or a cold snap drops i have to use a hot air gun to gently heat the screen a minute or two.
You talk about problems with it not picking up the fan spinning yeah there's a magnet on the fan and then there's a little sensor and I had the issue of mine becoming loose on the shaft and sliding forward and then the sensor couldn't pick up that the fan was spinning anymore and was shutting down I slid it back so that it was as close as you can get it without it actually rubbing on sensor and put a clamp on fan so that it wouldn't walk off of shaft anymore and haven't touched it in over 4 years
Every four times you start your diesel heater do 50/50 of kerosene with diesel and it will clean your heater out then running mine for 12 years with no problems
You can use other fuels, but only if you adjust the air-fuel ratio properly to match the fuel. A lot of people are on here trying to use waste motor oil, but not changing the air-fuel ratio, and then showing how much it failed. In order to change the air-fuel ratio, you have to get into the secret menu, if you're controller will allow it, some don't. In the secret menu you can change the fan speed and fuel pump speed relative to each other. There are people on UA-cam that explain how to do this. It may not start on the other fuel, so you have to start it and stop it on Diesel or kerosene, or a mix. A lot of people use two tanks and valves for this purpose. Although it's best to have the inexpensive tools, you can typically get the screen out with a lag bolt. Using antisieze on either side of the gaskets will help keep them from sticking for next time. Good luck and have fun with it!
Awesome, thank you for the great tips! I have monkeyed around in some "Secret" menus in the controller, but they were mostly indecipherable. Now that I understand these devices a bit better I'll have to revisit that.
Anti-sieze ! What a great idea !! I need to service my little 2Kw unit now, same problem, and although I've got the kit coming in the mail with gaskets & stuff, I thought I'd run a thin bead of Permatex Red Gasket Maker silicone ... if I let one side form a skin then I'll add a small amount of anti-sieze grease 😊 Cheers for the video 👍
I buy a diesel additive (i.e. Kleen-flo) and add a capful to every fuel tank. It significantly reduces the smoke at start-up and also reduces the soot and carbon buildup in and around the burn chamber. It is so effective, I can no longer tell what stage my heater is in by watching the exhaust.
@jan_vyhnak I don't have any leaks where diesel is escaping. It could just be that there was left over air in the line from running the tank dry last time.
these use pulse pumps as part of their design.... the fuel is SUPPOSE to gurgle like that. It is not a diesel engine where there is suppose to be no air in line.
Drop a link to what you found. Is it the Afterburner? I've been looking into that one, but neither of the heaters I have are compatible with it. That system requires a very specific control module on the heater. I may resort to buying a compatible module off Aliexpress or something.
@alienscientist8893 I didn't really see any obstruction in the exhaust. After this whole exercise the heater was working pretty well. I only use it in the spring to warm up the greenhouse when there's not enough sun yet.
My unit refused to start after only some 200h. I used it at low power and only pure diesel. How many hours did yours run? And at what setting? Medium/ full power? Or ?
I don't have a count of hours, but it was only at level 4-5 most of the time. 10 is its highest setting. As others have said in the comments, it is apparently important to run them hot to keep them cleaner.
I'm in Newbrunswick, Canada and run a vevor diesel heater to heat my mancave. I find that the filter for the intake that vevor provides is garbage in extreme cold conditions. The filter collects ice crystals in turn, clogging the filter and suffocating the system, causing extreme smoking. I removed the filter and have had no recurring problems. Once and awhile, it is also a good idea to run your heater on high to burn off any soot in the system...
Why is it so dirty? How long has it been running before you cleaned it? Are you filtering your fuel? Just wondering how long I should run mine before I clean it? Thanks for the vid!
I used it for a couple of months, running sporadically. I think the main issue was my failed experiment trying to use some vegetable oil in it, which I definitely do not recommend!
It's a simple enough design, so making a competent copy isn't that hard. I suspect the biggest quality variability on these cheap units is in the electronic controls and the programming in them. The other stuff is commodity. Cast aluminum, injection molded plastic, and a heating element and temp sensor. It's dead simple stuff.
When u go to high level you get flame out not that it didn’t sense the fan…your issue is your setting are off the pump if running fast it sounds like Also if the cabin is air tight your causing negative pressure …run the intake to suck outside too
Your mounting method isn't recommended....... They only operate well if mounted level, not turned on its side....... Not a good idea for consistency in how reliable it runs.
@@dogdazetravellergarrett1367 I'm not sure I understand, but do you mean that the exhaust and intake need to be underneath instead of on the side? Can you say why that matters?
@@alaskanhomesteading good morning....... I've owned, operated these heaters for over 8 years now, for full time off grid daily use in winter. Technically, the instructions indicate that you can mount them on it's one side, or the default mounting upright( exhaust and intake ports downside). I've mounted mine like yours in the past, but found that they are more likely to flood, misfire mounted on it's side. I eventually changed mounting orientation to being upright ( flat) default mounting. Just sharing my past personal experiences with this setup. 😎👍
@dogdazetravellergarrett1367 I've seen it can run on its side provided that the glow plug and fuel line face up. (I believe he has it mounted correctly) Even then, they don't work properly? I think it had a lot to do with him running vegetable oil. I was looking to mount one on its side but not sure if I should.
@SqueamishPuppet the vegetable oil experiment was definitely a failure. I should make a small batch of biodiesel some time and try that, just for kicks.
Couple of questions though not yet half way through the video. First…can you provide information on these rebuild kits? And second…would you tell us everything about that snow roof rake!?!?!👍🏻
Here's the rebuild kit I bought. hwww.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLG8MXWJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The roof rake is pretty great. I've used it to clear off my greenhouse and high tunnel when we had excessive snow load.
@@alaskanhomesteading okay…I’m confused. The video you linked is for a hydraulic fluid change of your Branson tractor. And, the snow rake… and name I could research to find one to buy? I have a Kioti tractor but, I did look at Branson. Our only local dealer was not very convincing of customer service… so I ran like Forrest Gump!
@@keithrayeski6417 LOL. Copy/paste fail on my part. Someone had asked me about a hydraulic filter on another of my videos, and I was copying that link for a reply to him. I updated my reply to you with the amazon link. I'm not affiliated or anything, but that kit seemed to do the job. I forget the brand on that snow rake. I got it used off facebook marketplace. The one most people seem to like more is the "avalanche" snow rake, which includes a sheet of plastic that slides under the snow, to help it fall off the roof. With this one, you really have to pull the snow backwards towards you.
FYI, once you start digging that screen out, you've got to replace it. Period. Don't touch it unless you plan to replace it. Also the real problem was the clogged air hole in this case. The amount of carbon in there was literally nothing. He could have simply ran the unit on high for 30 minutes to burn that off. You have carbon problems when that burn chamber is literally filled with carbon buildup and chunks. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about at any stage during this video but at least he kinda said so.
I definitely do not profess to be anything like an expert, or even particularly knowledgeable about these units. I am however thankful for constructive and helpful comments that aid in my learning about them! Appreciate the feedback.
Also, I should add that besides the obstruction in that air hole near the screen, there were also large chunks of hardened carbon inside the base of the combustion chamber. Around 15:30 into the video is where I am working on picking that all out, but I did gloss over that part a bit. The air intake obstruction by the glow plug was certainly not the only issue going on here.
The screens are cheap and there’s no harm in replacing them but…you don’t need to replace the screen unless you severely damage it, I’ve done several rebuilds like this and the screens have the odd little fray, they work just fine. Heat them glowing red hot with a torch and make them round again by pushing them onto a large sized Phillips screwdriver. Then re-install and just make sure none of the screen covers the inlet air hole.
There are gaskets. I just didn't bother replacing them since I didn't have a rebuild kit yet. Next time my heater gets coked up I'll replace the gaskets too.
Oil pump needs to b at 45 degree angle or it will fail every time plus u need to turn MHz down for pump. Keep an eye on the heat oil will burn almost twice as hot as diesel.
Thats a junk unit I can't hold my hand on the side like u did. There's no way it's so hot anfmd that 3 or 4 of 6 I don't need it any higher and I'm in alpine mode
It seems like the quality of all these CDHs is pretty mixed, tbh. Vevor is just a reseller, so I'd expect pretty mixed results depending on which unit you get from them, when it was made, and by which manufacturer. In general, I've had good results with the few Vevor items I've bought, but that certainly doesn't mean everyone's experience will be the same.
Don't burn brake cleaner. The chemicals can break down to harmful or fatal gases like phosgene or hydrogen chloride
Good advice!! 😬 I had no idea. I've added a note to the video description. Thank you!
@@alaskanhomesteading No problem. I used it a few times while welding, before I learned how bad it is to burn
@@kevinedwards4449 What do you use for cleaning/prep now, instead? I just got an arc welder. All I'm doing so far is making practice beads on junk scrap. (I know not to weld on galvanized metal.)
@@alaskanhomesteadingyou can weld galvanized, you just need to abrade-away the surface coating where the weld bead will go plus a bit beyond.
phosgene is some hardcore death metal shit, seriously. there is video on youtube about leak at a 3M plant once. apparently it can eat through stainless steel braided hose.
You’re having incomplete combustion. It’s burning rich leading to the unit coking/sooting and this gets worse over time. You need to introduce more oxygen to burn cleaner and hotter!
Carbon build up reduces heat transfer in the screen, the ignition/burn chambers, and the metal housing. It never gets up to proper operational temperature resulting in a “cold blooded” machine. Just like an internal combustion engine, carbon build up will destroy your machinery eventually. Carbon is a thermal insulator. Many high temperature coatings use ceramic and/or carbon to protect against over heating or melting. Research stochiometric burn ratios if your doubtful.
The fix:
1: Disassemble and clean.
2: Install new burn screen.
3: replace gaskets as needed.
4: Inspect the tiny ignition chamber where the diesel fuel enters. Nearby you’ll see a hole with nothing inside it leading to the ignition chamber. Be sure this hole is NOT obstructed in any way.
Be very careful to completely seat the burn screen all the way down into the ignition bore. Look into the air port (you should not see the screen or any obstruction!!!).
5: Before you install a new burn screen do the following: Drill this hole to a newer larger size. Be sure you do not damage the fuel port, glow plug threading, or screen. Consider drilling another hole 180 degrees apart from the factory air port. The default design and machining from the Chinese factories are very sloppy. These units burn rich straight from the factory because of this lack of attention to the air port in the ignition chamber.
6: Look at your exhaust system. It should dip down at least 1/4” every foot or more aggressive with no traps or dips to allow soot, water, and diesel to drain from the exhaust system. Also the mufflers design is meant to be installed in any orientation. However the original designs told their customers to drill tiny drain holes in the lowest spots to allow drainage. These D2, D3, and D4 designs are of Western origin that had the patents expire. Once that patents expired the Eastern companies copied the Western designs but poorly with out providing proper customer instruction or machinery documentation.
7: Use larger gauge copper multistranded wire/conductor. You need to eliminate or reduce electrical resistance as much as possible. Go with the largest wire gauge you can. 14-10 American Wire Gauge is a good place to start. The longer your wires the larger the gauge you need. Also charge your batteries. If possible add more batteries in parallel to your battery bank. By adding more batteries in parallel you increase the electrical “flow” or capacity. If you run too small a battery bank you’ll lose capacity and then voltage will quickly drop.
Or consider buying a cheap AC to DC wall plug adapter. Look for 12 volts @ 10-30 amps if possible.
8: Look at the glow plug itself. You’ll see the wires loosely wrapped around the ceramic glow plug rod. If possible find high temperature solder around 500 F - 1000 F (or higher if you can) and solder the glow plug wiring to the glow plug rod. This will destroy the clear poly shrink tubing they use as a safety insulator. I use Permatex room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) copper orange. This sealant only protects up to 600 F intermittently. It will last for a year or two before the copper orange RTV breaks down.
9: As others have mentioned, consider using a diesel additive. I use Diesel 911 as it prevents diesel gelling in cold weather, burns hotter, adds lubrication for the needle pump/injector, and it’s cheap per dose. One bottle typically doses 50-500 gallons US depending where you purchase it. It’s typically 16-40 Ounces in a package and you’ll only ever use 1-2 ounces per fill up or less. I dose my 6 gallon tank at 1-12 ounces and I love my results.
10: Inspect your fuel lines! Do NOT use typical orange/green/yellow soft fuel lines. Use the 2mm nylon tubing and 3mm rubber hosing to make connections. If you’re feeling fancy you can run the fuel lines in 2mm copper or titanium. The copper is said to clog because copper and diesel are thought to be incompatible. My copper line has had no issues over 8 years of use. 2mm Titanium is the premium material but it doesn’t bend readily and you must follow strict process to bend it accordingly.
I live at 5280 ft elevation with lower oxygen/air pressure. After I enlarged the factory air port and drilled another one opposite into the ignition chamber my start up and smoke problems are gone!
Ok, there's a number of things not ideal in your setup. The fuel filter is the wrong way round and should be close to upright below the pump to eliminate air bubbles and give the pump an easier ride - it will be quieter too.
Also check the voltage drop from your battery on startup, if it is dropping below 12v then your glow plug isn't getting hot enough to ensure reliable ignition. If you fix all of these things and still have the same problem i suspect that the glow plug mosfet on the control board has begun to fail and isn't allowing enough power through.
I had one to fix last week that was doing the same but didn't respond - turns out the guy had pulled the wiring harness too hard and had broken the copper wire inside the sleeve so that also caused a lack of power to the glow plug.
These are wonderful machines and it pays to have a full kit of spares if you rely on one.
Thanks for the information!
If you are filtering your fuel and intake air, you should not be getting such a buildup inside the exchanger. Keep things clean (and don't burn anything but diesel in it) and you will be good to go! So many are burning waste oil or veggie oil mixed with kerosene and other kinds of fuel in those heaters and wondering why the buildup? Well, they're not made to burn that crap! It's a diesel heater made to burn diesel.
you mix vegetable oil with petrol, not with diesel.
It's called a home made bio-diesel Schur mixture (also a bit of 100% alcohol into the pretrol before putting the petrol into the vegetable oil but that is only needed for Diesel engines)
The ideal ratio is 5% alcohol (again, only needed for diesel engines, helps with ignition), 10-20% petrol (depending on how cold it gets, the petrol makes it less viscous) and then the rest is vegetable oil. Vegetable oil burns much cleaner than Diesel.
Also if you have problems with soot you need to increase the fan speed for any given pump frequency (low: 1.5Hz at 2000-2500RPM, high: 3.6-4.0Hz at 5000RPM)
That way it burns more lean which is a much cleaner burn.
@swunt10 thanks for the great information!
Why are you ALL referring to this item as a " CHEAP CHINESE HEATER " you bought it !!!
Because they are literally very cheap. Under $200, and made in China.
A similar product from Espar or Webasto, at a much higher quality, would be around $1000.
Looking at your fuel line it looks like you are pumping alot of air bubbles to the heater. I suggest you mount it vertically so it will run without air bubbles, lubricate the pump piston better (so it won't prematurely wear out) and run a little quieter.
if you increase the voltage to the heater to almost 14 volts, your sooting , and error codes will go away. the higher voltage will make the glo plug hotter. thus burn cleaner, less fuel consumption.
I bet that's part of the problem. The car battery I've been using is quite old and tired, so if I haven't had it hooked up to the charger, it will not perform well.
How I do that
@@Timetraveller1010 you'd really have to connect it to some kind of regulated DC power supply to do that. Car batteries just don't sit at that high of a voltage, even on a battery maintainer.
Code E-10 low Volts.
To much fuile running rich
Heating oil works great in these and is cheaper. No off road diesel in alaska.
I can get Diesel at Freddy's for $1/gal off with points. I can't touch that price on fuel oil anywhere.
Holy shit dude! I'm the last to be a safety nazi, I've done plenty of dangerous shit. But man, you lucked out with the brake cleaner. I thought you were doing this outside, then when you started hitting it with the torch, I see you open a door! Just spraying that much methylene chloride, you should have been high as hell. I think they banned it in some country bc a guy died using paint stripper that had methylene chloride in it. General rule of thumb, if it acts like gasoline, but doesn't burn, don't try and burn it! Chlorinated and fluorinated solvents break down with enough heat and make nasty shit like HF, HCl, and phosgene. You seem like a smart dude, but what went through your head thinking its a good idea to pour out large amounts of solvents into a dish in a closed room and then torch it?
Lapse in judgment. I did a follow-up video to this one about it.
@@GMCLabs you know what gets rid o carbon? Water let it sit in it for a day
You might want to try Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner for cleaning your parts if you aren't in a rush. Spray it on and in, and walk away for an hour or two. Wipe it off, or give it a rinse. Much easier.
if I recall other videos right ... to get the screen out you put a screw into it and pull it out....
I'll have to try that next time. Once I got it out I noticed that it's a little rolled-up length of screen, so it makes sense that you could twist it in a direction that would tighten the roll and shrink its outer diameter, making it easier to remove!
Diesel fuel has a smaller molecule even than gasoline and when you mixed vegetable oil with it, It probably gelled and plugged the screen. If you ever want to find a leak in a gas tank, pour some diesel in it and you will find it if it has one. I hear jet fuel or kerosine works well in these heaters. I wouldn't play around with non flammable solvents with flame if I were you.
I'm no expert but it looked to me that the fuel filter is fitted the wrong way
Ha! I didn't even notice.
I had been wrestling with the same problem for a couple years but finally have it solved. Problem was not enough air getting through the little hole next to the glow plug. After enlarging the hole to 1\8 inch it starts every time.
If you ever have to do this again, I would get a gallon of chemtool carb dip and let the burner sit in that overnight before cleaning. As someone else said, you may have dodged a bullet with the brake cleaner this time, but yeah people have died (slowly and painfully) from welding when even small amounts of brake cleaner are present.
Awesome, thank you for the suggestion. I assume this cheap heater will need to be cleaned again, so it's good to have a better/safer product.
Easy way to remove a stubborn mesh screen. Use a coach screw ( pulls equally on screen )
How is your pump mounted? It must me vertical not on it's side or low pressure bubbles will rise to the side and wear out the dosing pump..they dose 0.2 mill litres ea pump and the dose will be incorrect..and destroy the pump..
Don't restrict the intake at all and 0 bends in the exhaust..straight down!
You have a combustion issue, back pressure..
Change the green fuel line that is supplied with some of these heaters...it is not compatible with the pumps and is not fit for purpose.....it flexes too much and causes air bubbles and diminishes the flow of the fuel due to the minute stroke of the pump....Purchase some `hard` nylon type fuel line ( normally white)...you will have far less problems ...especially at higher output settings.
Big mistake using a flame with these solvents, certainly asking for trouble. I've plenty of experience in cleaning out soot from Diesel heater steam cleaners, a good wash with alkaline traffic film remover and a pressure washer will remove any debris and it's safe. Dry thoroughly and replace atomiser screen properly so it doesn't block the air intake hole, fit a new glow plug as a matter of routine. Don't mix old veg cooking oil as the flash point is higher and can gum up the atomiser screen. Kerosene is fine but 5% two stoke oil might be a good idea to lubricate the fuel pump or 20% diesel. Have fun
You're 100% right. I made a follow-up video to thus regarding the dangers of those solvents decomposing at high temperature.
Your problem was trying to burn vegetable oil, doing that blocked up the bleed air hole and it was a downward slope from there. You should run it at full power BEFORE turning it off, not turn it down before turning it off, the more it runs at full power, the less build up you'll get in the burn chamber, that heater was pretty clean other than the starting circuit being gummed up from the veg oil. If you get into the settings, check the max fan speed is 4000 or less, the motor won't last long over 4K rpm, drop the max fuelling a point or two if you reduce the max fan speed to ensure you don't over fuel it. Yes the fuel filter is technically the wrong way round but the mesh is so big that it won't make anydifference, don't worry about the air bubbles in the line, the pump created them, but it keeps pushing fuel in one end si it can only come out the other end, the heater won't suffer for a few bubbles in the line.
Good information, thank you!
Time for the vevor ultra sonic cleaner next 😊
Obviously! I have to get my shop built before I get any more toys. The garage is already overstuffed.
Hi,I had similar issues, part of the unburnt fuel clean up also involved cleaning ext air intake and choked exhaust, I do realize your very helpful video was cleaning the unit only.
Great video thankyou
That was so painful to watch ...... the removal of the glow plug screen....... a thick bolt with self tapping style thread like a decking bolt and just screw into screen until yo feel it catching and pull bolt out as you still turning it clockwise and the screen will be on the end of the bolt
@ 7:05 (& 25:00), there is no gasket between those two pieces?
Hi I have the same heater but mine after 2.3 hours of operation the fan starts over speeding and fluctuating the speed up and down even the heater has the same speed setting and finally the heater shuts off and my it gives all the smoke from the combustion chamber on the intake pipe and very strangely, no error code. What do you think
These units are called diesel heaters for a specific reason they run on diesel fuel and kerosene only. Yes you get a bunch of clowns that tell you they will run on just about anything and they will for about 2 days, if you want this thing to run,, use number 1 diesel or kerosene only. Proper installation is a must with these units I see several flaws in yours
Soak in sea foam, let it do the carbon dissolving.
only thing that's happened to mine is burnt out glow plug, last about a winter season, i just blow through the intake and exhaust with my compressor. great heater for the money £69 when i got mine. i do have to remove the lcd control panel and wrap the screen in a cloth or the cold stops the screen working, but if i for get the cloth or a cold snap drops i have to use a hot air gun to gently heat the screen a minute or two.
Any idea why the glow plug burned out?
@alaskanhomesteading it had over 14 months use. 10 hours a day.
@aeroflopper WOW. That's impressive. Pretty cheap fix. These devices are so simple it's nice to be able to rebuild them after failures like that.
You talk about problems with it not picking up the fan spinning yeah there's a magnet on the fan and then there's a little sensor and I had the issue of mine becoming loose on the shaft and sliding forward and then the sensor couldn't pick up that the fan was spinning anymore and was shutting down I slid it back so that it was as close as you can get it without it actually rubbing on sensor and put a clamp on fan so that it wouldn't walk off of shaft anymore and haven't touched it in over 4 years
I had to do the same, minus the clamp. It took a while to get it working after futzing with it quite a bit initially.
Every four times you start your diesel heater do 50/50 of kerosene with diesel and it will clean your heater out then running mine for 12 years with no problems
That's great. I'll have to try a mix and see how it goes. Kerosene is wildly expensive here though!
I wonder if you can run a cleaner through it, like you'd buy fig a diesel truck etc..
I have one of these in my remodel camper, its so nice!
Nice video.....
Thanks 👍
Never see u fit a new gasket??
Morel to the story ,just use deisel or kerosene
You can use other fuels, but only if you adjust the air-fuel ratio properly to match the fuel.
A lot of people are on here trying to use waste motor oil, but not changing the air-fuel ratio, and then showing how much it failed.
In order to change the air-fuel ratio, you have to get into the secret menu, if you're controller will allow it, some don't. In the secret menu you can change the fan speed and fuel pump speed relative to each other. There are people on UA-cam that explain how to do this.
It may not start on the other fuel, so you have to start it and stop it on Diesel or kerosene, or a mix. A lot of people use two tanks and valves for this purpose.
Although it's best to have the inexpensive tools, you can typically get the screen out with a lag bolt.
Using antisieze on either side of the gaskets will help keep them from sticking for next time.
Good luck and have fun with it!
Awesome, thank you for the great tips! I have monkeyed around in some "Secret" menus in the controller, but they were mostly indecipherable. Now that I understand these devices a bit better I'll have to revisit that.
Anti-sieze ! What a great idea !!
I need to service my little 2Kw unit now, same problem, and although I've got the kit coming in the mail with gaskets & stuff, I thought I'd run a thin bead of Permatex Red Gasket Maker silicone ... if I let one side form a skin then I'll add a small amount of anti-sieze grease 😊
Cheers for the video 👍
The machine starts at list when is at 12 degrees ....
I buy a diesel additive (i.e. Kleen-flo) and add a capful to every fuel tank. It significantly reduces the smoke at start-up and also reduces the soot and carbon buildup in and around the burn chamber. It is so effective, I can no longer tell what stage my heater is in by watching the exhaust.
I'm glad I came across your comment. I will do this.
Pump is not set up correct also after a night on low blast it for 5 to 10 mins to clear it out before stopping it
Say more about the pump setup problem. Your advice about running on high to clear it up after running on low overnight sounds very solid.
Air is getting in from that crappy fuel filter
I'll have to look into a replacement for that. I only set this thing up with the "stock" parts it came with. Will any old inline fuel filter work?
@@alaskanhomesteading if air is going in diesel is going out - which i believe is not your case.
@jan_vyhnak I don't have any leaks where diesel is escaping. It could just be that there was left over air in the line from running the tank dry last time.
@@alaskanhomesteading then its just vapor bubbles no need to worry in my opinion
these use pulse pumps as part of their design.... the fuel is SUPPOSE to gurgle like that. It is not a diesel engine where there is suppose to be no air in line.
You didn't watch the video of how to remove screen properly
Nope!
Dont forget the magnet on tbe fan needs to contact the bourd so keep the bourd attached
Yes, this heater had some problems with that initially. I had to adjust the fan's position on the motor shaft to make it work more reliably.
I found a thermostat for these heaters. It will turn the heater on and off not just turn it down. I ordered it yesterday.
Drop a link to what you found. Is it the Afterburner? I've been looking into that one, but neither of the heaters I have are compatible with it. That system requires a very specific control module on the heater. I may resort to buying a compatible module off Aliexpress or something.
You can't use that thermostat the heater needs to cool down before completing it's shutdown you'll damage the heater.
Nope It works just like the key fob. It cycles off@@stoneyswolf
Can you link to the thermostat you're using?
Bureck LLC@@alaskanhomesteading
Good info - Thanks
Glad it was helpful! Do you use a diesel heater?
Amazon will ship them here just not that brand
Good to know. I was looking for a while and didn't see any that they would ship here. Maybe it changed in the last year?
Replace that green fuel line with a hard nylon fuel line .
What's the correct I.D. for that fuel line?
Hey I bet the exhaust is also full of soot..
@alienscientist8893 I didn't really see any obstruction in the exhaust. After this whole exercise the heater was working pretty well. I only use it in the spring to warm up the greenhouse when there's not enough sun yet.
Put it in high altitude mode,it will work like a champ,and you will get 30 plus hours out of a gallon of diesel
My unit refused to start after only some 200h. I used it at low power and only pure diesel. How many hours did yours run? And at what setting? Medium/ full power? Or ?
I don't have a count of hours, but it was only at level 4-5 most of the time. 10 is its highest setting. As others have said in the comments, it is apparently important to run them hot to keep them cleaner.
I'm in Newbrunswick, Canada and run a vevor diesel heater to heat my mancave. I find that the filter for the intake that vevor provides is garbage in extreme cold conditions. The filter collects ice crystals in turn, clogging the filter and suffocating the system, causing extreme smoking. I removed the filter and have had no recurring problems. Once and awhile, it is also a good idea to run your heater on high to burn off any soot in the system...
I wonder if I'm having a similar ice crystal issue here at 61.5⁰N!
Why is it so dirty? How long has it been running before you cleaned it? Are you filtering your fuel? Just wondering how long I should run mine before I clean it? Thanks for the vid!
I used it for a couple of months, running sporadically. I think the main issue was my failed experiment trying to use some vegetable oil in it, which I definitely do not recommend!
That’s better made than I thought. Low expectations.
It's a simple enough design, so making a competent copy isn't that hard. I suspect the biggest quality variability on these cheap units is in the electronic controls and the programming in them. The other stuff is commodity. Cast aluminum, injection molded plastic, and a heating element and temp sensor. It's dead simple stuff.
When u go to high level you get flame out not that it didn’t sense the fan…your issue is your setting are off the pump if running fast it sounds like
Also if the cabin is air tight your causing negative pressure …run the intake to suck outside too
The greenhouse is definitely not airtight. 😀 I'm going to have to look into the secret menus and see about setting changes this spring.
Thank you for the video.
Your mounting method isn't recommended....... They only operate well if mounted level, not turned on its side....... Not a good idea for consistency in how reliable it runs.
@@dogdazetravellergarrett1367 I'm not sure I understand, but do you mean that the exhaust and intake need to be underneath instead of on the side?
Can you say why that matters?
@@alaskanhomesteading good morning....... I've owned, operated these heaters for over 8 years now, for full time off grid daily use in winter. Technically, the instructions indicate that you can mount them on it's one side, or the default mounting upright( exhaust and intake ports downside). I've mounted mine like yours in the past, but found that they are more likely to flood, misfire mounted on it's side. I eventually changed mounting orientation to being upright ( flat) default mounting.
Just sharing my past personal experiences with this setup.
😎👍
@@dogdazetravellergarrett1367 thank you. This is the first of these devices I've messed with, so I appreciate the advice!
@dogdazetravellergarrett1367 I've seen it can run on its side provided that the glow plug and fuel line face up. (I believe he has it mounted correctly) Even then, they don't work properly? I think it had a lot to do with him running vegetable oil. I was looking to mount one on its side but not sure if I should.
@SqueamishPuppet the vegetable oil experiment was definitely a failure. I should make a small batch of biodiesel some time and try that, just for kicks.
To cold.
Couple of questions though not yet half way through the video. First…can you provide information on these rebuild kits?
And second…would you tell us everything about that snow roof rake!?!?!👍🏻
Here's the rebuild kit I bought.
hwww.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLG8MXWJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The roof rake is pretty great. I've used it to clear off my greenhouse and high tunnel when we had excessive snow load.
@@alaskanhomesteading okay…I’m confused. The video you linked is for a hydraulic fluid change of your Branson tractor. And, the snow rake… and name I could research to find one to buy?
I have a Kioti tractor but, I did look at Branson. Our only local dealer was not very convincing of customer service… so I ran like Forrest Gump!
@@keithrayeski6417 LOL. Copy/paste fail on my part. Someone had asked me about a hydraulic filter on another of my videos, and I was copying that link for a reply to him.
I updated my reply to you with the amazon link. I'm not affiliated or anything, but that kit seemed to do the job.
I forget the brand on that snow rake. I got it used off facebook marketplace. The one most people seem to like more is the "avalanche" snow rake, which includes a sheet of plastic that slides under the snow, to help it fall off the roof. With this one, you really have to pull the snow backwards towards you.
FYI, once you start digging that screen out, you've got to replace it. Period. Don't touch it unless you plan to replace it. Also the real problem was the clogged air hole in this case. The amount of carbon in there was literally nothing. He could have simply ran the unit on high for 30 minutes to burn that off. You have carbon problems when that burn chamber is literally filled with carbon buildup and chunks. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about at any stage during this video but at least he kinda said so.
I definitely do not profess to be anything like an expert, or even particularly knowledgeable about these units. I am however thankful for constructive and helpful comments that aid in my learning about them! Appreciate the feedback.
Also, I should add that besides the obstruction in that air hole near the screen, there were also large chunks of hardened carbon inside the base of the combustion chamber. Around 15:30 into the video is where I am working on picking that all out, but I did gloss over that part a bit. The air intake obstruction by the glow plug was certainly not the only issue going on here.
The screens are cheap and there’s no harm in replacing them but…you don’t need to replace the screen unless you severely damage it, I’ve done several rebuilds like this and the screens have the odd little fray, they work just fine. Heat them glowing red hot with a torch and make them round again by pushing them onto a large sized Phillips screwdriver. Then re-install and just make sure none of the screen covers the inlet air hole.
No gaskets🤔🤔🤔
There are gaskets. I just didn't bother replacing them since I didn't have a rebuild kit yet. Next time my heater gets coked up I'll replace the gaskets too.
Oil pump needs to b at 45 degree angle or it will fail every time plus u need to turn MHz down for pump. Keep an eye on the heat oil will burn almost twice as hot as diesel.
I had the pump at a 45 before. I must have moved it while I was disassembling the setup. Thank you for the reminder!
You have cleaned the wrong thing its the back filter thats on the chamber thats blocked should be no smoke at all
Thats a junk unit I can't hold my hand on the side like u did. There's no way it's so hot anfmd that 3 or 4 of 6 I don't need it any higher and I'm in alpine mode
Vevor sucks I have 2 and their junk
It seems like the quality of all these CDHs is pretty mixed, tbh. Vevor is just a reseller, so I'd expect pretty mixed results depending on which unit you get from them, when it was made, and by which manufacturer. In general, I've had good results with the few Vevor items I've bought, but that certainly doesn't mean everyone's experience will be the same.