Diesel tent heater install

Awesome! Sounds like a peaceful time. So the heater only heated the RTT? How large is it and does it have a thermal barrier?
The past few weekends I've been replacing my cheap diesel heater with a better one. It's a 5kw Lavaner Pro Alpine. It can be ran to an altitude of 18k and automatically controls the air / fuel mixture. It's the only one I found with that feature. Hope to be finished this weekend.
I can't wait to use it in the snow!

 

I have the vevor diesel heater. Haven't used it in a tent. But can tell you it's gonna get hot. I use mine in my shop or house if power goes out. With the unit sitting outside and heater hose blowing inside.....FWIW I drive a big truck and sleep above 240 gals of diesel. Alot of newer truck have similar heaters installed in them now.

 

related/unrelated, how is your scangauge attached to the top of the windshield? anything you would change about the setup?

 

Yup it heats the RTT all night long. In the AM once I start breaking down camp I will run the hose into the cab and crank it up. Takes the edge off without running the truck. Starting the truck to let it warm up and breaking down the heater are the last things I do before hitting the trail.

I currently have a '3 person' wedge style RTT. Id say its pretty standard size for what it is, Ive posted pics of it in other threads for sure. It does NOT have any sort of thermal barrier, but this trip has got me thinking

Something like a moving blanket cut to match the wedge shape would work really well and be cost effective Id think. Issue is I have absolutely no clue how Id attach it to the inside. I was thinking something like snap fasteners would work, if I could get the female snap attached to the tent without compromising integrity or waterproof ability. Needs some more thought for sure. That would also solve a huge winter-camping issue with the wedge styles - the doors open down instead of up like a traditional RTT. Not sure who came up with that brilliant idea, but obviously keeping heat in has never been an issue for them haha. A thermal layer could flap down over the door while you get in and out.

Youll have to let us know how the new unit works at elevation. Never an issue for me on the East coast but the auto fuel mixture feature sounds like a great idea out West.

 

I made some custom clips that hook on the headliner. Its great IMO. Im one of those guys that checks the mirrors a lot so its very easy to glance up at. Only downside is it blocks the sun visor from the fully deployed position but honestly I hardly use the visors.
Original idea and my take on it:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/simple-scangauge-ii-mounting-mod.134888/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/custom-scangauge-ii-mount.619563/

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain. Sharing can be exhausting sometimes. Oh... btw, the SR-71 has always been my favorite military aircraft. Every since I started my career in the Aerospace industry in the late 70's. By the early 90's I moved over to industrial turbines.

The Thermal Barrier I have was designed specifically for the RTT. It's fastened with velco around the inside top, then tucks into the mattress on the bottom. There's also velcro used vertically for the doors.

Where James Baroud failed in the design of the Tunnel that connects the RTT to the Awning Enclosure was no thermal barrier and very poor attachment to the RTT. Actually the vertical interface is non-existent.
During our Thanksgiving trip, the cold air leakage was awful. I ended up stuffing the crack with a couple small blankets. I need to work on it to have a better solution. Maybe more velcro and insulation walls.

The first time we installed the thermal barrier (many years ago), it create a complete blackout in the RTT. Very uncomfortable waking up in the the middle of the night to pure black! We have a very dim nightlight inside now.

Every time we go out, there's something I see that would be better. It's an evolving outlander setup.

 

Had my first issue with the heater this weekend which was a bummer. Would not start after hooking up to the battery. Gave error E-01 - power source low voltage according to the manual, which is funny given the voltage readout was 12.7V right on the controller.

Messed around with it a little bit Fri night but eventually gave up. My -20*F bag was enough to stay comfortable in the mid 20s Friday and Saturday night, just had to deal with the condensation.

Anyone dealt with this before?

 

I had alot of issues with low/over voltage on mine, ended up being the wires I was using provided the right voltage but not enough amps to start.

 

What were the symptoms? Did the fan or glow plug at least try to fire off?

Mine did nothing at all, no clicking, no fans or anything. Been reading up on it and I think a lot of these have both 12v and 24v options. Wondering if mine somehow got switched to 24v, thats the only reasonable explanation I have other than a main board failure. Will know more once my new controller gets delivered.

 

It would power on, act like it was starting then throw a code after a minute.

 

Sorry for the late reply, I don't get notifications and have to go check occasionally. Been crazy busy at work and home for a while.

The only time I've got a E-01 error my voltage was at 11.2V. The battery would even start my truck. Having the heater run on high was pulling almost 5amps. Lasted til 1:00 in the morning. I used my power bank jumper, started the truck an in an hour and a half it was charged back up. Put it on a much lower setting, pulling less than 1amp. Lasted the rest of the night.

Since then (late last November) I've made lots of changes.

I swapped out my old heater with a Lavaner 5KW Alpine Pro. This heater senses the altitude automatically and adjusts the air-fuel ratio up to 11+k feet.

Was researching and planning to go with LiFePO4 Lithium house batteries behind the rear seat of the cab, but changed my thought when I got a great deal on a Jackery 1500. 1500WHs that I can use on the trail or emergencies at home. Now I need to purchase a couple 200W Solar Panels and I'm ready for the long haul.

Now I'll just go with a dual battery system with an AGM under the hood. That will support all my other accessories on the truck.

I'm hoping to get out an do some high altitude snow camping before the season ends.

 

@JDSmith or anyone else running a rotopax, do you just crack the main spout a little when running the diesel heater to negate negative pressure in the tank as it pulls fuel?

*Like many stated before, the info in this tread has been tremendously helpful as I plan my heater setup! Thanks!

 

I'm not the custom builder guy. We just acquired a CVT trailer and tent . Looking into heating options and for now I have a big buddy or our smaller buddy heater . I see you found a all in one unit for diesel? How's it working? Pros and cons?

 

So I'm looking into this unit. Reviews are good. Question??? What extras will I need to supply unit with power ?

 

Thanks for bumping this up, almost forgot to come back and update. I ordered a new controller off Amazon (linked below in case anyone is interested). Appeared to be an exact replacement - three-pin connector, same buttons, even the same color wires. Sure enough it fired right up. Im still thinking that the voltage setting was changed somehow. Not sure how thats possible as the heater is unplugged / unpowered except when running. But its the only idea I have at this point. Like I said in my other post the controller was reading out 12.7-12.8V even though it errored for under voltage And that was confirmed with a DMM while trouble shooting.

FYI in case anyone else is ever in this scenario the default Admin password is 1688 for most of these units. Once you get in there you can select between 12V or 24V mode.

$21 Heater Switch Replacement for Car Diesel Air Parking

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QQSFF8D

As a side note @B_Quad , if I did it all over again I wouldn't even go with a dual battery setup. Thats a lot of weight up front and we know these trucks dont like that. Id either do a single AGM with a very good jump pack for emergencies, or one of the higher end portable power units.

 

That’s what I do! I have a diff breather I’m planning to try out in the cap though. If it leaks while driving I’ll just get a separate cap for traveling. I’ve never had an issue with water getting in the cap while it’s cracked a little, but I still don’t 100% trust that I never will

 

I’m going to have to try one of those!

 

Guess you can't loose to much giving it a try.
I'd be more concerned if it didn't act like a check valve.
Screwing around or cleaning up diesel is a serious pain in the rear!
I like your idea though. Just need to figure out if I can make it work for me.

 

Maybe run a foot(ish) of hose up before the breather to make sure it doesn’t leak out.