on one of those threads that Satir has polluted the site with, someone posted a video of a guy living in a van in negative degrees temperatures

A bunch of people on youtube. that are living that lifestyle have installed these cheap chinese diesel heaters that have a 2.0L tank and are run by 12V

In the video he said the heater cranks out some heat so I was wondering - would this thing heat up a 300 sq ft workshop for a few hours?

any thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/SUPERFASTRAC...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

here is one comment from someone who bought it

I purchased this as a safe option for heating my minivan on camping trips. I have to admit I was confused on the 5kw rating as I am used to BTU ratings. So this beast put's out over 17,000 btu's on high. I have bench tested the heater several times for several hours and only had one smokey start where I shut it down and started it back up as it didn't seem to be burning clean (my battery wasn't charged properly). I am amazed at the heat this beast put's out! I plan on buying the 2kw heater for the van and keeping this to heat my shed. I love this product and looks to be very economical among it's other qualities.

It comes down to BTU's. How many does this heater put out? How many do you need for your shop?

It can kill you with CO poisoning. Best use for it would be to heat up a 35-55 gallon water drum (open, of course) or metal 5 gallon buckets and to seal all of the inside (ceiling included) so the heat is retained, with plastic sheeting. That is easily done with a staple gun and duct tape. Staple it, tape over the staple, then shoot more staples thru the tape. While the burner is in use, before sure to have a vent, low on one side of the pace, high on the other side, for a small cross current of air flow..Get the water almost boiling, and snuff the heater. Once the heater's been off for a while, you can close the vents. For gods sake, dont go to sleep in there and for best insurance, have a CO detector alarm. Know the signs of being over come by CO2 or CO.

the one comment said it was 17,000 btus

but I have no idea what I need for the workshop

I would think 17,000 is plenty

yes a good C02 monitor is a must

it works ok but while its running its hacking into your PC and installing spyware. can't trust the chanks with schit

there are no shortage of videso of people using these things

here is one

https://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html

cool that calculator says I need half that much

I might buy one of these - $179 - it would be a fun experiment

whoops - that was for A/C , the second part says I need about twice that much to get to 68 degrees. bummer

I installed one in my boat, it is a chinese heater like the one shown, I got the complete kit for &125.00 on ebay. It works amazing. And no Co2 it is exhausted outside.

A Big Buddy propane heater puts out 18k BTU on high. I use one in my 23' camper and it works great. That's only a little over 200 sq ft, though, and with a 6'4" ceiling. Unless you're well insulated, I think heating 300' is a stretch.

For an RV there is no way these are better than propane.

Oder will always be an issue, spills will happen.
They have been around for years and not gained popularity in RV's for a reason.

For a shop or a larger space? A whole nother thing...

I'd want a burner that was waste oil capable...

For the house, a Toyo is the ticket. https://toyoheat.com/products/

The revolutionary Toyotomi Laser Direct Vent Heaters, with their whisper-quiet comfort, safety and dependability, are the most popular, best-selling, direct vent heating systems in Alaska. With multiple options to choose from, a Laser Direct Vent Heater can often heat an entire home. It is also the perfect solution for those hard-to-heat rooms or areas. Laser Heaters are also ideal for heating summer homes or cabins, and are certified for installation in mobile homes and manufactured housing.

These Chinese heaters are copy's of Planar heaters, they have a long history of being installed in hi end RV's and boats. Propane is dangerous and produces moisture if not exhausted outside.

Planar heaters retail for around $1k, these sell for as little as $100.00 and come with everything needed i.e. fuel tank , lines , wires etc....

Amazing little heaters

Who said anything about not venting outside? That's a no brainier....I hope...

There is nothing more dangerous about propane heaters than any other fuel based heat system.
Propane heaters have many well thought out safeguards.

I've never seen a "High End" RV come from the factory with diesel heat, but I haven't seen every RV out there either. A link would be interesting...
Most use propane to heat, cook, refrigerate and have propane hot water heaters... four birds with one stone.

It is used on many boats that are diesel powered due to the convenience of diesel fuel already being available in the boats tanks and easily and cleanly plumbed to a heater.

Mr.Buddy and various propane catalytic heaters do not vent outside and cause moisture problems.
When I say hi end motor homes I am talking about diesel bus's and I bet you have no experience with them. Yachts and hi end aluminum boats also use diesel heaters.
There are several brands , Wabasto, Planar, Esbar etc.... they aren't cheap

The one in my RV is better than propane.

It is connected to the same fuel tanks as the engine and vents out the same tailpipe. Output is variable but goes up to 10k BTU and 48 CFM. The heated space is a little shy of 300 FT2 I think, but it has kept me plenty warm when the outside temp was -teens for several days. With ~100 gallons of diesel on board no concern about running out, and I don't have to carry around another fuel.

Water is diesel heated as well.

Someone could probably devise a way to either spill the fuel or kill himself with CO but he'd have to be exceptionally dumb.

ttt

good to know

For the money I'll pull the trigger. If it doesn't work, it was a learning experience

Lol

Im running a 550,000 btu diesel salamander in my shop now, feels toasty.

300sf, if the ceiling isn't high and it has any insulation,
A heater buddy will keep it plenty warm to work.
Also, output is variable, and it can be adapted to run off
20 or 100 pound cylinders.

Also, it has a CO sensor and shutoff.

Slumlord, a lot of garages and construction sites are heated
that way. They do smell a bit, but, compared to frosted nuts,
that's ok.