Are cheap diesel heaters hot stuff or a fire risk? In this article, we discuss whether cheap diesel heaters are a bargain or a future headache.
Whether it’s the start of winter or you’re looking for an off-season bargain, most RV owners consider heating at some point. If free camping is on the agenda, then a diesel-fuelled ducted heating system is the obvious choice. But which one do you choose? Should you go with an expensive name brand or a cheap no-name unit?
When it comes to diesel heaters, there are the trusted brand names in such as Erberspacher and Webasto, as well as a seemingly endless number of suppliers of cheap copies available online. The price difference between the two options is considerable. The Erberspacher Airtronic AS3 D2L, which has a rated heat output of 2200 watts, sells for around $2460. On the other hand, the price of a 4000-watt heater from the lesser-known brand Belief is around $1310. It’s a huge price differential that explains the appeal of cheap diesel heaters.
Cheap diesel heaters get a bad rep – is it founded?
However, cheaper diesel heaters tend to have a bad reputation for reliability, parts availability, and, most importantly, safety. Chris Emmerson of CJE Caravan Repairs has seen a lot of dodgy products come through his workshop. But increasingly, he is being asked to fix issues associated with cheap diesel ducted heaters.
Chris said, “Caravan and motorhome owners are tempted to purchase these units because of the huge price difference between them and the name brand equivalents. The problem is the cheap heaters are often inferior in many ways.”
Chris told us most the issues he has are to do with replacing faulty parts which he says are difficult, if not impossible, to source. “The companies that sell these cheap heaters are located overseas and often do not return emails if a warranty claim is made or if replacement parts are required, making repairs almost impossible.”
It’s not all bad news
However, it appears it’s not all bad news for buyers of cheap diesel heaters. For a start, there is a huge online community of owners who have posted lots of supporting material on the internet. This includes a vast number of YouTube videos detailing the installation process as well as troubleshooting problems.
There is also a handful of groups on Facebook dedicated to these cheap diesel heaters. The Chinese Diesel Air Heater – Troubleshooting and Parts Sales Facebook group is by far the most popular with over 65,000 members worldwide. They have developed an extensive array of documents in their files section that anyone installing one of these cheap diesel heaters will find extremely useful when researching what heaters to buy and how to get them working successfully.
Looking through the posts on the group, the most common issues seem to be inadequate wiring, faulty glow plugs, smoky exhaust emissions and numerous error codes on the higher end controllers. These issues are not insurmountable with many members offering any number of solutions.
Common complaints
A common complaint of some cheap diesel heaters is noisy fuel pumps and the exhaust systems. It appears some units may not be supplied with adequate silencers making life for you and your neighbours particularly unpleasant. We recently camped next to another van fitted with what we suspect was a cheap diesel heater due to the rather unpleasant noise coming from the exhaust port. It was certainly much louder than many others we’ve experienced.
Fuel seems to be another major issue with some users finding running straight diesel fuel causes the combustion chamber to choke up with excessive carbon deposits. Some users suggest to mix the diesel fuel with various ratios of kerosene in order to solve this issue. However, we highly recommend that you check with the supplier before making any such changes.
How safe are cheap diesel heaters?
And this leads us to the most important question when it comes to installing heating inside your RV. Just how safe are cheap diesel heaters?
Chris told us he believes many of these cheap heaters are made from inferior quality materials, such as the thickness of the metal used for the heat exchanger, which is prone to burning through to the heated air outlet, allowing exhaust fumes to escape into the living space. Not only is this a fire risk but it also means carbon monoxide could enter your living space.
Carbon Monoxide poisoning is a very real danger, particularly with caravans and motorhomes. Being an enclosed space, they are required to have adequate ventilation to prevent the build up of poisonous gasses. Unfortunately, these vents may be partially or completely blocked by items stored in the RV. If diesel heaters (whether cheap or expensive) are left going overnight and carbon monoxide builds up, the occupants would be completely unaware of the danger, risking brain damage or loss of life.
Safety features to look out for
The brand name heaters make much of the fact that they are very safe. For example, Webasto advertises a number of safety features that include:
Chris’s advice is to check the specifications of any diesel heater to ensure it has these safety features before purchasing.
The DIY installation of cheap diesel heaters bought online can also present a number of issues. Chris told me he had a customer complain that when he first used his heater, he had a strong smell of diesel fuel inside the caravan. Upon inspection, Chris found the owner had installed the unit himself and had zip-tied the fuel line to the exhaust outlet. Not the smartest move in the world!
Chris admits that these installation issues can happen with any brand diesel heater. However, he did point out that the installation instructions that come with brand name heaters are normally much clearer than their cheaper alternatives.
Other recommendations
Chris recommends that if you do have one of these cheaper diesel heaters installed in your RV that you have it inspected by a specialist to ensure it is installed properly and working correctly. As an added safety measure, he also recommends installing a carbon monoxide alarm near the sleeping space of your RV. Most hardware stores and caravan accessory retailers sell units that are suitable for caravans and motorhomes.
So, are cheap diesel heaters reliable or not?
That just leaves us with one last question. Just how reliable are cheap diesel heaters? Again, it’s a mixed bag with some users having no end of problems yet others report not having any ongoing issues at all. One friend of ours, Jan, had a cheap heater installed only for it to fail within a few weeks. She was unable to get any response from the seller and ended up purchasing a new one. She is pleased to report it has been faultless thus far.
A user from the Facebook group mentioned earlier contacted me to describe his experience with his diesel heater. He switched the unit on after installing it only to have the cabin of his motorhome fill with noxious white smoke 45 minutes later. He was unable to get any technical assistance from his supplier, instead receiving a full refund.
On the other side of the coin, a couple of members of the Roadstar Caravan Owners Group have recently installed a cheap Chinese heater into their caravans and has thus far not experienced any issues at all.
In the interest of safety – we recommend sticking to a name brand for piece of mind
The reality is that as long as there are expensive name-brand goods that are popular, there will be cheap copies availablet65. Some will be good and some will be very ordinary. With a bit of research and good fortune, you may end up with a good one or only having to replace one faulty unit and even then you would still be way ahead in terms of cost.
But cheap doesn’t necessarily mean safe. If you intend to purchase a diesel ducted heater, we recommend you stick to name brands for peace of mind. However, if you cannot afford one, purchase a cheaper diesel heater from a reputable Australian seller. Make sure it has the safety features of the expensive brands and that it’s supported by a local warranty. Spare part availability is a big bonus. For added peace of mind, consider having it installed by a professional caravan repairer.
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