Best Heating Option For Your Hobby Shed

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Hi Gary. In your situation a power supply would be OK however in the unlikely event of a power failure the fan would stop so would the pump so the burning in the combustion chamber would stop but without the fan the heat would have to go somewhere and the close fitting case which channels the air would melt and I suspect so would the air impella. This is a situation that could not happen with a battery. Also for interest it takes about four minutes after you press the stop button to actually stop as the heater goes through a set process before it stops to ensure all the fuel is burnt and the fan keeps going till the case temperature has reduced to a safe level. They are extremely safe when installed correctly so I am now trying to get hold of a small old battery I can smart charge which may have to go outside the craft cabin such is the lack of space. Me and the wife are now even more convinced this is the way to go to heat a shed or outside building fast and efficiently in a cost effective way. Regards Peter

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

''Wife came in and the smile was worth a 1000 words. Best thing I’ve done for ages.''

it's my friend wiseman... known as Peter...

All the best

Jo

[Shaun Walsh]

Best heating option for hobby shed? Large single malt, but don't expect what you build to fly straight!

[Mike Etheridge 1]

Some good responses here Pete and I must admit that one of those heaters would be ideal in my garage where i build / repair my planes. There is a concrete floor in garage and when the weather is cold it's usually my feet that suffer first despite warming the garage up with electric radiant fires. With regard to the 12 volt DC supply for the Diesel heater I wonder whether the Car starter / tyre inflater I have got with a 12 Volt socket would have sufficient capacity to do the trick, but it's only 12 ampere / hour rated ?

Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 13/12/2018 12:51:33

[Piers Bowlan]

Peter, instead of 'trying to get hold of a small old battery' why don't you get a small deep cycle leisure battery, the sort of thing used in a ride-on mower. I saw a 30AH battery on the Halfords website for £47. I tried to make a link to it but their website wasn't having any of it. If you google, 'Halfords Yuasa U1 Specialist and Garden Battery' you will probably see what I mean. It should be man enough to get your diesel heater started at any rate.

Edited By Piers Bowlan on 13/12/2018 13:16:47

[Engine Doctor]

Posted by Tim Cheal on 02/12/2018 13:59:16:

All been a bit delayed,

Santa (OK, its really SWMBO) is worried about diesel emissions into the garden, so all on hold and looks like I will just be cold in the garage until I can find an alternative solution!

Tell SWMBO that she might find you sitting in your shed all stiff and blue with an icicle hanging from your nose if you cant get a heater . Or try turning off the heater to her feet when your in your V6 diesel . She might ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just might see the other side of things .

"I love the smell of diesel in the morning"

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Hi Mike. The battery charger you have may just do it but I would not chance it myself as the maximum current draw is around 12+ Amps and that only at start up and shut down when the glow plug is on. Once the ignition is going the glow plug turns off and then it doesn’t draw much current. A 20 Amp switch mode power supply is only about £15 on eBay which does the trick. If you look at my video you can see I cut the outlet tubes and you then have 4 heat outlets you can direct individually so start at your tootsies and then another at your knees and the other two direct to the top half - job done. 5 kW of hot air soon warms you up and if you can get red diesel the cost is pennies to run and your warmer than you’ll ever be with your radiant fire... Regards Peter

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Hi Piers. I going to go to Quickfit and see if I can get an old one they have taken out of a small car as this time of year it’s when the car won’t crank over but the battery is only an issue in the colder weather - that way it will cost me a lot less and I already have a smart charger for the wife’s unit so that’s the way I will go.Regards Peter

[conrad taggart]

Posted by Mike Etheridge 1 on 13/12/2018 12:36:41:

Some good responses here Pete and I must admit that one of those heaters would be ideal in my garage where i build / repair my planes. There is a concrete floor in garage and when the weather is cold it's usually my feet that suffer first despite warming the garage up with electric radiant fires. With regard to the 12 volt DC supply for the Diesel heater I wonder whether the Car starter / tyre inflater I have got with a 12 Volt socket would have sufficient capacity to do the trick, but it's only 12 ampere / hour rated ?

Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 13/12/2018 12:51:33

RE concrete floor and cold feet get Santa to be bring you a pair of these - used them when wading in rivers where it was so cold I had to de-ice the rod rings to be able to cast by dipping the rod into the water - despite the extreme cold - my feet were toasty. Expensive but worth it

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEALSKINZ-Percent-Waterproof-Windproof-Breathable/dp/B072NBRSR7/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1544721612&sr=8-9&keywords=sealskinz+socks

Edited By conrad taggart on 13/12/2018 17:34:49

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Socks for over £36 a pair?

Or is that per sock?

Edited By Martin Harris on 13/12/2018 18:03:27

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

I will stick with my nice warm diesel heater in my new man cave. Now even got my telly working up there... Any rows and I’m safe - summer or winter now. Regards Peter

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

5 pairs = Diesel heater... OK you can’t wear diesel heaters before anyone come back with that answer on here😀😀😀

[John Robertson 3]

Those SEALSKINZ socks? I had a cycling pal who had diabetes. He daren't risk cold feet damage in winter and bought a pair of these. He swore by them, whilst I put up with freezing, soaking, neoprene shoe covers. I was pained, he was always comfortable.

[Martin McIntosh]

You have convinced me that I need one of these and have just ordered one inc. silencer. An oil filled heater will keep the shed above frost level when vacant. Now, where do I buy red diesel? I expect that a local farmer will know.

[Gary Manuel]

.

Edited By Gary Manuel on 13/12/2018 23:50:07

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Martin McIntosh]

Thanks. Gary, your post has disappeared.

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Having had the heater running a while now I find that after the initial blast of super fast hot air and the whooosh from the impella as died down as the the unit starts to reach the set temperature (you put that in) it cuts back dramatically to a gentle breeze of hot air to maintain the set temperature to keep you toasty - recon its around 1.5 kW in the case of my shed when it’s around 3C outside. Fuel consumption is reduced considerably as you can hear the sound of the ticking of the fuel pump is dramatically reduced. Not a scientific explanation I know as I can’t give the fuel quantity used but since it’s been in I have filled the 5 litre tank only three times. The biggest advantage for me is to be able to hit the shed with 5kW of fast moving directable air which is able to get the ambient air temperature up very quickly and as you can direct the hot air towards you then you can start working almost straight away in the hot air stream. I have directed the hot air in the same way in my wife’s craft cabin so she gets the benefit straightaway while the rest of her larger than mine “shed” (said with jealousy) gets warmed up. So now I have two units fitted I can’t see any other real alternative to this type of heater in an isolated shed situation. The net result is l can now go up the the shed and “tinker” whenever I want to in the winter... I do hope others find this thread has been of help and I will answer any questions you may have if that helps. Regards Peter

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Just for interest I made a very simple “at a glance” fuel gauge for the heater as it’s not that easy to see the fuel level if it’s in a snug area or not well lit so it’s obvious when you see it but it works. On the wife’s unit I have used a plastic “snake” used for the rudder / elevator run so nothing you won’t have in your shed...

[Gary Manuel]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 14/12/2018 10:43:00:

Thanks. Gary, your post has disappeared.

It was supposed to be a map of red diesel outlets - but it showed all petrol stations.

[conrad taggart]

Posted by Martin Harris on 13/12/2018 18:02:52:

Socks for over £36 a pair?

Or is that per sock?

Edited By Martin Harris on 13/12/2018 18:03:27

No per pair ! Don't see it as a pair of socks- see it as the difference between cold and warm feet !

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Update - and a question.

I ordered an exhaust from two sellers - the pictures on eBay showed the sameidentical picture however there were major differences between the two silencers when they were delivered - mainly internally. It was also clear one seller had used the same picture to sell his useless exhaust silencer and the clue to this was that the input and exit holes in the exhaust were more central which was nothing like the original eBay picture the seller used... it was inside the silencer that it became clear this was a resonator and not a silencer. On my hobby shed unit I have used the baffled type which was installed with no issues to date so for them who are reading this I have a question. After seeing my video am I right installing the baffled exhaust on the diesel air heater unit in Jans craft cabin or will it cause my diesel heater soot up?

There seems to be a conflict of opinion from some thinking that as the baffled type causes back pressure it will cause the diesel heater to soot up but as the baffled unit is supplied with the separate diesel heater units that are installed as a kit into motor homes and vans I can’t see it causing a problem because it’s a supplied manufactured item which is in the kit! Any comments. Regards Peter

[Gary Manuel]

I wouldn't worry about it Peter.

A friend at our club has had trouble with his heater sooting up after a couple of weeks of use. It got so bad that it stopped working and needed a strip-down cleaning. He had one of the straight through through silencers but probably didn't have it fitted because it was "useless". He put the sooting up down to running at low settings on a timer, so the burner never had a good blowout.

I've got one of the baffled silencers and I'll be installing it (when the heater arrives from China). I'll make sure the heater is put onto a high setting for a few minutes before switching it off at the end of each day. That should ensure that any soot is burnt away. My silencer will be easily accessible, so I'll inspect / clean it occasionally.

Another suggestion is to run the heater on Kerosene / Paraffin rather than red diesel, but this would bump the running cost up a bit.

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Hi Gary. Thanks for the reply and I honestly think the same as you that either the settings are wrong or been messed about with and also I do follow the on maximum heat for at least five minutes before I shut down which is around half an hour before I want to leave the shed. I have the baffled standard silencer that comes with most of the diesel air heater units and when my shed is warm and the heater is on it’s low setting the sound level in no more than any normal home gas central heating system so there is no noise issue. Mine and the wife’s unit are relatively new and we have only used red diesel so far and the heater is the best thing since sliced bread as far as I an concerned and I think Jan would say the same for her craft cabin. I do think it’s important to put them onto full power for a while before you shut them down to get rid of any soot that could have built up when they are ticking over. We will see how things go but they must be good as there are thousands fitted in lorries, boats, vans and the like.... Be interesting to see if we get any other replies th this post as it’s always people who moan you hear about so let’s see if any others are doing well with them with the baffled silencer fitted. Regards Peter

[PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap]

Wife has one in her craft cabin now - she loves being warm...