By Joe Gresh
It’s starting to get a little cold here at Tinfiny Ranch. Our nights drop to the mid 20’s and the sunny days top out somewhere in the mid 50’s. That’s not very cold compared to the northern states but it’s still cold enough to make working in the shed less than comfortable. Part of the problem is the shed itself: Made of thin sheet metal with zero insulation, the inside of the shed tends to mirror the outside temperature within a few degrees. Before you tell me to insulate the shed know that it costs nearly as much as the shed to insulate the thing and that I am thrifty.
I suffer in the cold of winter and in the heat of summer. Summer isn’t as bad because I can open the four big roll-up doors and get some air moving through the building. Winter is harder to deal with so I bought one of those Chinese diesel heaters that you’ve read about in all the larger heater-centric publications like “Chinese Heater Digest” or “Hot Asians!” magazines. I took the plunge into oil burning and am here to tell you about it.
Chinese diesel heaters have a huge YouTube community. There are hundreds of videos describing installation, modification, how to burn waste oil, hydraulic oil and any other type of oil. The phrase “Chinese heater” encompasses dozens of factories producing hundreds of Webasco and Espar clones. The price difference is incredible: A real Webasco 2000-watt diesel heater will cost around $1300 while I picked up the 8kw Vevor clone version for $119 with shipping included. You have to really dislike China to pay $1200 more for essentially the same item. The build quality is slightly better on the brand name units but functionally they are the same. You can find comparison videos on YouTube if you are interested in the minor differences.
Normally I buy a lot of junk from Amazon. I know I shouldn’t because Bezos has all the money and maybe it would be better if we spread it around a bit. For the Chinese heater purchase I decided to try EBay and give a different multi-billionaire my money. Unfortunately, the ultra low price I paid blinded me to some important control module downgrades. Anyway, Bezos gave Dolly Parton 100 million dollars for her charity work so he’s back in my good graces.
My EBay heater came securely packed with only minor damage to one of the mounting flanges. Everything you need for installation was included except for two triple A batteries for the remote control and diesel fuel for the tank.
The instruction manual’s translation was in the style of a 1960’s Japanese motorcycle owner’s manual and if anything was even more cryptic. I found it easier to watch several YouTube videos as the manual was nearly useless.
The cheaper, cheap Vevor Chinese version I bought came with the simplest control. A large push button turned the heater on and off. A remote control allows for changing power output by speeding up or slowing down the fuel pump (measured in pump-cycle hz). The startup and shutdown sequence is fully automated and several steps long. This is where I wish I had the better control panel as it shows each step of the process. I am kind of in the dark with the controller supplied. I’m never sure what the thing is doing or where in the sequence we are. It costs $30 for the good controller, negating any money I saved getting the cheaper, cheap Chinese model. I should have bitten the bullet and bought this one from Amazon.
Like the good chair at your house, the good controller does everything better. It shows fan speed in RPM, glow plug status, combustion cycle, and displays any error codes in alphanumeric format instead of blinking lights. You can also prime the fuel pump a little easier with the good controller. The heater works exactly the same but you feel better about it.
You get a couple feet of exhaust tubing and a little muffler for the combustion gas exhaust. If you are installing the heater in a van or RV you’ll probably need a longer pipe.
For combustion air intake you get a coarse, plastic air filter that will stop large animals from climbing inside the air intake pipe. Also included are a duct pipe, a register, and a bunch of clamps, screws and small parts.
In Chinese Diesel Heat Part 2 we will assemble and install the diesel heater and see how it performs. Internet reviews on these heaters are all over the map. Some people say they are junk, some say they are equal to the expensive units. With the variations of quality coming out of various Chinese factories, both camps may be right. I’ve found any product that requires installation or mechanical ability to use seems to garner more negative reviews. I suspect some of those bad reviews are installer created problems.
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I’m all ears on this one. I’d install a carbon monoxide detector as well. Are you powering yours of a 12 volt battery or converting from 120 vac?
The way it’s designed all combustion fumes go out the tail pipe. Only warm
air comes out the heating duct. But the monoxide detector is still a good idea.
I’m on battery for now.
More info to come in part 2
You really have to love the chinese and disrespect the environment to get into burning 6$ + (here anyway) diesel.
How much pollution is emitted in China to make these things? And why are they do much cheaper? Slave labor or bear to it is why.
You will burn one hell of a lot more diesel pollution with no insulation . Thats ridiculous not to insulate that shed. Doesn’t cost that much to insulate. Saves the environment. Of course China doesn’t care . I guess you
Don’t either .
I wouldn’t pay 1200 either for a top brand either.
I think propane is the way I will go . My garage is insulated . I used to use wood. Now it’s space heaters. But they suck.
My ideal would be electric by solar panels on the garage. But I may not stay here long enuff to justify the cost .
Diesel is cheaper than propane here. I can tell you haven’t bought insulation lately. A 4×8 sheet of 2″ thick foam is $40 now. My shed is 2000 square feet with 12-foot eaves. Do the math. And the insulation is probably made in China anyway. To do rolled fiberglass I’d have to add studs, again a small fortune in wood. The quote I got for spray foam was as much as the building cost (building made in USA from Chinese steel)
The rest of your points are true: I don’t care about the environmental cost of heating my garage but I will be recycling waste oil by burning it to stay warm!
“Hot Asians”
I gotta give you a +10 for that!
Sounds like the 2011 Gresh I fell in love with.
I do what I can to rekindle the bromance..,
“For the Chinese heater purchase I decided to try EBay and give a different multi-billionaire my money.”
You always find the balance between informative and entertaining. I truly appreciate it.
My main question in all of this is safely venting the exhaust, but I’m happy to wait for more info in Part II. And I clicked a bunch of links!
Thank you Ren. Part 2 will reveal all.
I’m going to save my other comments for part 2. My ears are ringing from Patron tequila somebody gifted me at Christmas Eve party. Ever had that happen? It was wonderful. Merry Christmas and good health to all.
I’ve wondered about these so I’m looking forward to part 2.
I have a 24v military surplus diesel heater (new, never installed). It’s intended for vehicle mounting but I’ve been thinking about adapting it to shop heat. Maybe a small rolling cart? The 24v thing may be a pain but….