Workshop heating - success!

[nothanks]

I've finally found the tuit to get a cheap Chinese diesel air heater running in the workshop - it's great! They have a reputation for being unreliable but that seems to be down to switching off the power (rather than allowing the heater to use its run-down cycle to cool things down), lack of a fuel filter, unfiltered combustion intake air and (perhaps) flexible fuel pipe. The first is easily fixed with a small 12V battery to back-up a 12V 15A PSU, if the fuel pipe is flexible it's cheap to replace with rigid pipe, and filters are obvious. Overall, highly recommended.

[Andy Burns]

I think you're now supposed to get obsessed with generating the 12V from a stack of peltier devices, running the exhaust through an old radiator as a heat exchanger, and scrounging old oil from the local chippy ...

[wasbit]

Agreed. A diesel air heater allows me to do those jobs which don't take long enough to warrant lighting the wood burner plus they give near instant heat.

What's unfiltered combustion intake air? No filter on my air intake, just an end piece with slots to prevent solids entering. Or, are some people recycling the exhaust gasses by having the intake too close?

My manual says that the power supply should be 20 amps minimum but I prefer to overspec so went for a 30 amp model @ £22 similar to

-

[nothanks]

Those all sound great fun, but life is too short (getting shorter by the day!) and the list of jobs is growing (getting longer by the day!) so I will resist the temptation ;-)

[nothanks]

I've run the exhaust through the wall and put one of these

on the intake because I generate a lot of saw dust.

with a small'ish (10Ah?) battery so that the heater can complete it's cool-down cycle even if the mains fails. The control PCB is sat on the top of the heat exchanger and (apparently) it cooks if the 12V supply is disconnected when the heater is running and hasn't completed it's shutdown. The PSU draws about 40mA from the battery when the heater is off so I have a "hidden" DP switch which disconnects the battery when the heater is isolated, for when the heater isn't being used.

>

[nothanks]

Aaagh! I do know the difference between it's and its ... more coffee needed

[Animal]

Don't forget a CO alarm, those heaters are quite lacking in safety precautions

[nothanks]

Thanks for the prompt, but I ordered one earlier today. Quite a while ago an acquaintance nearly died in a light aircraft because of a CO leak, it made me rather sensitive to the risk.

[wasbit]

According to the link your power supply is 24v / 13.5a!

I see why you have a filter on the air intake.

I suspect that the shutting down problems are caused by idiot owners not reading the instructions & following the correct procedure.

[wasbit]

Not required in my draughty concrete sectional garage but for the little they cost it would seem a prudent investment.

[nothanks]

Strange. Apologies if the link is wrong, if you're looking for one then search for SC-180-12

[Brian Gaff]

For everything you add though, surely there is a cost of some sort toward the heating and cooling in the main system. Brian