camper diesel heater

[SEM]

Almost all camper trailers and cabover campers use propane less fuss, and are vented with out side air, occasional use leads to occasional maintenance, Bad things happen just sitting around FUEL does go bad real bad, Propane 10 years gas and current diesel a few months, Gaskets fail tanks develop leaks minor but still leak, Diesel spreads like magic when spilled. Most of my customers NEVER maintenance anything !!!! I work on offshore and inshore boats that use both fuels the diesel heated boats air tastes like diesel fuel, REALLY F__n HATE WORKING on them and I drive a diesel truck love it but that's maintained every day, some use alcohol NO WAY in hell would I do that, Propane has draw backs to but in occasional use the least worrisome, Maybe I am to opinionated ???

 

[john 800]

John,

By propane I assume you mean a portable heater (like Mr. Heater)? Are other portable propane heaters that work like the diesel heaters and can be mounted outside?

I guess i was picturing something that would be installed in a slide in pickup camper, after re reading your post you may be trying to heat a topper on a pick up. So it depends on what you are trying to do, but for a small space where you have enough room for it the smallest rv forced air propane heaters available work pretty well. They would be mounted on an outside wall with combustion air and exhaust coming and going to the outside which is ideal.

 

[john 800]

I also agree strongly with SEM on the liquid fuel vs propane. Gas and diesel has a shelf life, and causes problems while sitting. propane just works after sitting for months.

 

[rayporter]

last summer i installed an espar in my horse trailer. it fit under the bench seat of the dinette along side the water pump. i welded a bracket alongside the jack that holds 2 gal of diesel.

the 2 gal will last 3 days with the heater going wide open all the time in the lower 20's. this keeps the living quarters at 67 degrees.. but 67 was all it would do.

so far i like it a lot. there is no smell with the tank outside.

there is a propane furnace in the trailer but i did not like the temperature swings with the propane. the furnace would come on and cook you then shut off and you would freeze until it came on again.

as far as shelf life goes i am pretty sure i can cycle 2 gal often enough.

as a side bar i worked at a building that had 23,000 gal of diesel stored under ground for the two 750k generators. the fuel was put in the ground in 1953, give or take a year. when the feds required us to dig up the tanks in the late 90's we pumped out the fuel and took it to another building. so, if you put some stabilizer in every other year or so diesel will last quite a while. this was done at many locations nationwide.