Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a specific question, you may find the answer by following these links. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please give us a call……

Diesel Appliances

Diesel heaters, cookers and hot water systems all emit carbon monoxide and this needs to be taken seriously - but is not a cause for real worry.

To start with a well tuned diesel heater emits around 300ppm CO, a well tuned diesel cooker is as low as 30ppm, this can be compared to a diesel vehicle which is around 30 - 500ppm and a petrol vehicle which is around 30,000ppm. The relatively low levels of CO in diesel appliance exhaust, whilst deserving respect are not nearly as dangerous as a petrol engine.

For example, if you operate a well tuned diesel heater in a small room without venting the exhaust outside - something you should never do, it takes quite a long time to even register on a CO monitor/alarm let alone actually set off the CO alarm.

Dieselheat mitigates the risk of CO in a number of ways:

RV Air heaters: The base of the air heater and exhaust connection is below the floor of the caravan meaning that all exhaust componentry is outside. We always replace all gaskets in heaters when servicing them and so overall the risks of CO inside are very low.

Marine Heaters: We always recommend using a proper marine exhaust with high quality clamps, sealed muffler and lagging. These exhausts cost more, but provide a very secure way of exiting the exhaust out of the boat safely. We DO NOT recommend using RV style exhaust and mufflers in boats.

Cookers and Hot Water: These systems do have internal exhaust connections which need to be secured carefully and lagged. We use high quality exhaust pipe and clamps and all mufflers are outside to minimise the risk of leaks inside the vehicle.

Portable Heaters: Our portables should always be used outside with the hot air ducted inside.

All diesel appliances make a small amount of smell and smoke as they ignite. This smell is carried outside via the system exhaust pipe so will not be noticeable inside. Once warmed up and running properly after 30sec to 1min, diesel appliance make absolutely no smell - even right at the exhaust pipe outlet. So, as long as the unit is properly installed with the correct exhaust system there is no chance of any diesel smell inside.

Air Heating

Dieselheat have been selling Belief air heaters since 2014 and most of them are still in operation. We have literally sold thousands with very few issues. Of course, no product is perfect, which is why we offer a full two year warranty on all Belief air heaters. We have a very short turnaround for any warranty claims (usually two days) so you can rest easy – in your nice warm caravan.

On startup, it takes approximately 10 amps of power consumption. It takes around 3 minutes to get the burner hot. After the flame is established, our diesel air heaters draw between 0.55 to 0.85 amps, making them very efficient to operate. Please note that if there is no diesel in the fuel line – for a new start up or if the fuel tank has been run dry – the initial startup time will be longer as the system primes.

You have two main options:

(1) Return the heater to us for repairs using a YELLOW prepaid 5KG Australia post bag. It will get to us in 2-3 days. We will repair it and send it back to you ASAP. Our usual turnaround is two days.

(2) If you are mechanically handy or are comfortable working on it by yourself, then you can carry your own basic repair parts: burner cartridge, glow plug, filter and gaskets. If you have these, you can normally fix it yourself or, if you require technical help, we are only a phone call away.

Our three main brands are Belief, Eberspacher and Wallas. Please visit the Our Brands page for more information on these three companies. Primarily, Belief and Eberpacher furnaces are used for caravan heating and in our hot water systems, while Wallas products are most often used for marine applications and cooking appliances. For heating tiny homes or workshops, we offer the Wallas 26CC and 40CC, as well as a Belief 2.2KW system with wooden cover.

As always, if you have individual or unique needs we can usually work something out.

At Dieselheat we have tested and installed hundreds of diesel air heaters, so we know what works and what doesn’t. Our full installation kits (available in Belief 2KW2.2KW4KW, and Eberspacher D2) not only include everything needed for installation, but include many upgraded components as well.

Upgrades in our full installation kits include:

  • Heavy duty mounting plate
  • Larger diameter fuel line
  • Combustion air silencer
  • Exhaust muffler and clips
  • Fuel pump silent mount kit
  • Two vents included
  • Two lengths of exhaust line

The standard components needed for installation include:

  • Inlet air pipe
  • Wiring loom
  • Fuel pump
  • Controller (manual or digital)
  • Air ducting
  • Various screws and clips

Fuel tanks or DIY fuel tank kits can be purchased separately if needed.

Many of our upgrades can be purchased separately. Check out our Spare Parts page and search for kits for ideas.

We recommend using a rotary controller with your diesel heater as the LCD controller can be a bit tricky to use. The standard inclusion in our kits is a rotary controller, which is simply a turn dial to adjust the temperature and heater and fan buttons.

If needed, we can substitute an LCD controller with your kit. These controllers use either a temperature control or a heat output control. Temperature control is one red and one green light on the control switch. Using this option, the heater will cycle on and off – drawing 12.5 amps on start up and then going to approximately 2.5 amps on run. When using heat output control – two green lights on the control switch – the heater does not cycle on and off. Instead, it will run continually at the selected amperage, between 1.5 and 2.5 amps, saving on battery power.

We have three standard diesel air heater options for home or workshop installations. These are listed under the category Tiny House, but will work in cottages, granny flats, workshops or shipping containers under 90m2. You will need intake and exhaust vents to the outside via a wall or chimney and a space to keep the fuel tank. Additionally, your heater will need to access a 12v battery, which can be hooked up to an existing solar power setup if available.

The top of the line space heater is the Wallas 40CC. It can heat larger areas of around 60-90m2. For more information, please visit the Wallas website directly. Offering the same features, but designed for areas of 40-60m2, we offer the Wallas 26CC.

For areas less than 60m2 we offer a Belief 2.2KW diesel air heater. When combined with our locally handmade wooden heater cover, it takes up minimal space and looks good anywhere.

We also offer a portable diesel air heater if the setup is not permanent or if the heater needs to be used in a couple of different locations. You would still need access to the outside and a 12v car battery or similar.

Cooking

Standard fuel use is between 0.09 and 0.19 litres per hour. This means that on a standard 10L tank, on average, you will get 100 hours of cooking before needing to refill. As with all of our products, if you fill up the tank before running it completely dry you will not have to prime the cooktop again.

It depends on a few factors, but it does take a little longer than with gas.

We have done some heating tests on our Wallas cooktops. We used an XC Duo, but the following applies to all Wallas diesel cooktops. While gas is instantaneous heat, Wallas diesel cooktops require a bit of time to get started. After doing some tests, we found that with 2.0L of 16.5 °C water at 16.5 °C it took 13 minutes to come to the boil with gas. While using a diesel cooktop with the same parameters it took 18 minutes to boil.

The drawback with diesel cooktops is that it takes 12 minutes for the cooktop to reach maximum temperature, making the total time to boil the jug 30 minutes from stove switch on. It does take some planning when using diesel. When you get up in the morning, turn the cooktop on. When it’s up to temperature you’re ready to put the jug on. Of course, if the stove is already on from boiling the jug, cooking brekkie right after will save that startup time.

When you are on holidays, does 10-15 minutes extra make a difference when compared to the enormous advantages of Wallas diesel cooktops over gas? They are drier, safer, cheaper to run, easier to fill and there are no compliance issues. You, the customer, need to work that out for yourselves, but here at Dieselheat we think the benefits usually speak for themselves.

Ovens, like the Wallas 86D, will take around 12 minutes to reach a maximum temperature of 500 degrees celsius. Cooktops, like the Wallas XC Duo take around 6 minutes to heat up to full temperature. They cook more like a ceramic induction stove than a gas stove. Please see Jerba’s information video for more information on how these diesel cooktops work.

On startup, it takes approximately 10 amps of power consumption. It takes around 3 minutes to get the burner hot. After the flame is established, our diesel air heaters draw between 0.55 to 0.85 amps, making them very efficient to operate. Please note that if there is no diesel in the fuel line – for a new start up or if the fuel tank has been run dry – the initial startup time will be longer as the system primes.

Our three main brands are Belief, Eberspacher and Wallas. Please visit the Our Brands page for more information on these three companies. Primarily, Belief and Eberpacher furnaces are used for caravan heating and in our hot water systems, while Wallas products are most often used for marine applications and cooking appliances. For heating tiny homes or workshops, we offer the Wallas 26CC and 40CC, as well as a Belief 2.2KW system with wooden cover.

As always, if you have individual or unique needs we can usually work something out.

Hot Water

If you are mechanically minded, the short answer is yes. The Genesis II comes as a single modular unit. The basic steps are:

  1. Mount the unit using the 4 bolt holes on the unit itself.
  2. Attach hot and cold water outlets.
  3. Mount the on\off switch.
  4. Vent the exhaust and combustion air inlet.
  5. Connect the power to the unit.

It would be up to you to design where the fuel tank will go and how the electrical is connected. Also, please use a qualified plumber and electrician when and where required.

We do have an optional mounting bracket and/or a silicone pad and floor plate that might make things easier if needed.

Because of the compact nature of our Genesis II hot water systems, a significant increase in water flow causes the glycol in the buffer tank to lose heat. If using normal shower heads, with flow rates around 7.5 l\min, you would lose water temperature too quickly. We have looked at various low flow shower heads and have found the Bricor Ultramax to be ideal. At a flow rate of 2.36 l\min you will get good water flow with a constant temperature.

Bricor shower heads start with water entering a patented vacuum flow “booster” valve where it is aerated and compacted under pressure. Due to the intense force of the vacuum chamber, the aerated water “explodes” as it exits the shower head, creating a powerful shower stream at a very low flow rate.

Once installed, our Genesis II hot water systems are very easy to use. As soon as you turn the power switch on, the furnace will start up. It takes roughly 15 minutes for the glycol in the tank to come up to 80 degrees operating temperature, depending on the initial glycol temperature and if the furnace needs priming. The system goes into an automatic standby mode and hot water is available as needed at this point. As the glycol cools to around 70 degrees, the furnace will automatically turn back on to bring the unit back up to temperature.

If you are using one of our Kalori fan heads, operation is as simple as turning a switch once the tank’s glycol has come up to temperature.

Dieselheat have been selling Belief air heaters since 2014 and most of them are still in operation. We have literally sold thousands with very few issues. Of course, no product is perfect, which is why we offer a full two year warranty on all Belief air heaters. We have a very short turnaround for any warranty claims (usually two days) so you can rest easy – in your nice warm caravan.

On startup, it takes approximately 10 amps of power consumption. It takes around 3 minutes to get the burner hot. After the flame is established, our diesel air heaters draw between 0.55 to 0.85 amps, making them very efficient to operate. Please note that if there is no diesel in the fuel line – for a new start up or if the fuel tank has been run dry – the initial startup time will be longer as the system primes.

Our three main brands are Belief, Eberspacher and Wallas. Please visit the Our Brands page for more information on these three companies. Primarily, Belief and Eberpacher furnaces are used for caravan heating and in our hot water systems, while Wallas products are most often used for marine applications and cooking appliances. For heating tiny homes or workshops, we offer the Wallas 26CC and 40CC, as well as a Belief 2.2KW system with wooden cover.

As always, if you have individual or unique needs we can usually work something out.

Service

Yes, we do lots of installs in caravans, motorhomes, camper trailers, horse floats etc. We don’t do our own boat installs, in some cases we can put you in touch with an installer or we can work with your shipwright. The standard install we charge $750 plus the heater kit. Typical installs can normally be done in a long day.

If you are traveling in Tassie and want to get a heater installed we offer free camping at our workshop, so you can pull in the day before and stay the night after to avoid travel in the late afternoon. We have power, toilets and shower available and we can offer advice on some good local places to eat if your interested.

If you want a heater installed but your not in neck of the woods, we have installers in most capital cities and a few in regional areas as well. Check out our installers page to find an installer near you.

Not really. Normal usage of heaters is around 500 hours. Replacement parts after that time are usually the glow plug, filter and burner cartridge. We sell repair kits for our heaters, which includes all of the necessary components that should be replaced. The useable life of your heater might be extended if you burn your heater on high after use. This will clear the unit of residual soot.

A common misconception about diesel air heaters is that it’s better to get a larger sized heater and burn it on low. This, however, will create more soot and your heater won’t last as long. With these heaters it’s better to get the right size heater and burn it hot, limited the soot buildup and extending the life of your heater. Please see our information page on servicing your heater for more details.

Yes, all of our heaters are covered by warranty for faulty parts and manufacturing defects for a period of 24 months. Incorrect installation damage is not covered. For a warranty claim, please contact us and return the product so we can test it and repair or replace. Turn around times are typically only a couple of days after we receive the heater.

As discussed on our servicing information page, we don’t service cheap Ebay diesel air heaters because we can’t guarantee success. There is extreme variability in cheap Ebay heater and component quality, but most often the old adage, “You get what you pay for” applies.

However, if you already have one of these heaters and need to service it, we do sell some spare parts that may fit your heater. Again, we cannot guarantee fit and function due to variability, so please do a bit of research. Of course, if the underlying issue is the heater itself we would recommend purchasing a proper quality diesel heater.

That said, in our research we’ve found that the majority of diesel air heater sales on Ebay are for a listed 5KW model. We’ve seen these listed as up to 8KW models, but in actuality all that we’ve seen are modeled after the Eberspacher D4, a 4KW rated system (see John McK’s 8KW benchtest video). Any spare part listed as Eberspacher D4 compatible should work with these heaters. The second most common listed heater listed on Ebay is for a 2KW system. These are generally modeled off the Webasto 2000ST 2KW system and we carry spare parts for these as well.

The most commonly replaced parts are the glow pin, burner assembly and possibly the motor. At this time we don’t sell controllers separately because we’ve found that the attachment pin doesn’t always fit. If you need any other part or upgrade component we don’t have listed, please contact us.

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