This is a list of parts, and notes, that I have successfully used to repair or upgrade my Chinese made diesel parking air heaters. I can not confirm if any of these will work on the Eberspacher or Webasto heaters.
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I'm a DIY person. I am not responsible for your actions, any damages, or injuries including death should you attempt to use any info on this site. Always seek professional help when repairing, upgrading, or modifying any diesel heater.
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The dreaded fuel pump tick. This is the quietest pump I have found. I have tried nine different pumps, including the name brands. It is a reliable pump as long as it has clean fuel, the power source is stable, and has the ability to provide the proper amperage under load. The end of the pump can be removed to clean out a little screen. If the pump locks up, flushing it out with WD-40 or PBlaster will clean it out and possibly free up the plunger. I wouldn't use strong solvents like brake cleaners or carb cleaners. I used a cotton swab to push the plunger back and unstick it.
Copgge 12V Diesel Metering Pump
Get tuning. This is the control/motherboard and controller I bought to tune the hertz of the fuel pump (pulse speed), and fan speed rpms.
KIT with Tunable Controller, control board, wireless remote
Control/motherboard only, must use proper controller for full tuning capabilities.
Controller only, must be combined with the proper control/motherboard for full tuning capabilities.
Fuel line. This is the proper hard nylon fuel line kit. The soft flexible green or yellow hose will deteriorate quickly over time. It happens even faster if the unit lives outside or under a vehicle. I have experienced many issues, including leaks and running problems. The soft hose will absorb the fuel pump pulses, if it's not close to the heater, and cause flame out conditions and/or error codes. The nylon line should be used from the pump to the heater. Any other hose/line can be used from the fuel source to the pump as long as the line or hose is rated for diesel fuel.
Fuel tank stand pipe. This is the kit I used to run my heaters off of Jerry cans. It fits most and seals well. I have used them on cans from 1 US gallon all the way to 6 US gallons with no issues at all.
Fuel Tank or Jerry Jug Stand Pipe
This is the stand pipe for automotive style fuel tanks.
Automotive Style Stand Pipe Kit
An all around better tank alternative, portable or semi portable boat tanks from 3 US gallons up to at least 15, maybe more. The fuel line/hose connection will need to be modified to suit. The fuel line that comes with the tank may or may not be compatible with diesel fuel. The fuel pressure bulbs are susceptible to breaking down over time. They need to be looked after if semi/permanently installed. Do note that portable and semi portable boat tanks have a vent valve on the fuel cap that has to be open to allow air to displace the fuel as it is being consumed by the heater. Connecting fuel lines to a boat tank may require special fittings. I can't help with that because each tanks connection type/style is a little different. The fitting size for the heater fuel line is 1/8th inch or 4mm inside diameter.
90 Degree Exhaust Elbows
78 Inch/198cm Exhaust Pipe. I have used this, but prefer not to. The run must be straight as possible, or with as gentle curve as possible. I've had heater exhaust plug up with soot because the exhaust couldn't vent out fast enough with enough pressure and get clogged up.
Muffler! I haven't found my heaters to be excessively noisy with the provided muffler or without one. There is an aftermarket muffler that are a lot better. They are quieter. They work well with the short exhaust pipe that comes with the heater. The aftermarket mufflers (lack of a better term) have a tendency to build up with soot when used with a long exhaust pipe, especially with tight bends or a lot or curves. Keeping the flow up is key to keeping exhaust soot build up and exhaust problems from happening. This muffler does help quite things down a bit.
Stainless steel T-Bolt exhaust clamps. I have used both of these sizes. It's best to measure the exhaust pipe installed diameter before ordering. The size is supposed to be 25mm. It can some times be a little larger. The original clamps are cheap mild steel and quickly rust. I have had many of them fail and cause issues which has nearly lead to a fire.
32-37mm/1 inch T-bolt SS Clamp
Exhaust wall or bulk head pass through AKA the boat through/thru hull. I have used these in wood, steel, aluminum, and fiberglass with no burning or overheating. They come in straight or 135 degree angled connections. I don't know why they use the outer angle instead of the inner angle. I've never had one leak when using the T-bolt clamps listed above. I have had them leak using standard worm drive clamps like come with the exhaust system.
Exhaust Pass Through AKA Thru Hull
Exhaust wrap! I have used it. When I first got into these heaters in a camper, I use to double wrap my exhaust after installing everything. I had a clear run with nothing close, so it was pointless in my situation. It is still a good idea if there are things close by susceptible to heat damage. I hate those stainless steel bands to hold the wrap on. I prefer to use regular stainless steel hose clamps.
Titanium Exhaust Wrap with Ties
3/4 to 1 and 1/4 inch Stainless Steel Hose Clamps
120 volt AC to 12 volt DC power supply 12.5 amps at 12 volts DC. I have used this unit on several heaters with no issues at all. I set the voltage between 12.8 and 13 volts. I've never seen over 9 amps with any of my heaters. I would not go lower on amp output. Going with a high amp output will not hurt but it's a waste of money for me. I would go with a 20 amp rated unit if I had to mount it 3 feet/1 meter or more away. I mount the power supply to my heaters on a surface close by the heater. These need to be mounted in a dry location. All electrical connections should be properly terminated and the unit grounded.
120V AC to 12V DC 12.5A Converter
120V AC to 12V DC 20A Converter
120 volt AC cord for AC to DC converter. I use a heavy duty 15 or 20 amp cord to power my converters. I cut off the female end and use the proper terminals to connect it to the converter. Black is power/live wire, white is the neutral wire, green is the ground on the AC connections.
Getting the most heat out of the heater I use a 75mm Y pipe with valves. The T pipe restricts flow really badly. After using a Y pipe, I won't use anything else if I don't have to. The Y pipe increase my air flow significantly over the T pipe. I can use the built in valves to compensate and balance air flow to get heat where I need it. Some heaters use smaller or larger ducting size. This needs to be checked but all of my heaters have 75mm piping.
Y Pipe with Valves and Duct Kit
Recirculating intake air. The air that is drawn in, heated, and blown into the space should be taken from the space being heated. If the heater is constantly pulling in and trying to heat cold air, it won't be as efficient and will be slow to heat up the space. I always duct air from the space to the heater, if it's mounted outside of the space to be heated. I use 3 inch/75mm aluminum dryer duct for that. I use stainless steel hose clamps to attach it. Different lengths are available. It stretches out a lot.
Dryer Hose for Heater Intake with Clamps
120v 12 volt 20 amp smart charger for heater battery. I have found a good little unit. It does have a fan and it does make a little noise. My battery is mounted outside in an enclosure so it's not an issue. I check on it every time I leave home. It's right beside my door. This charger will charge almost all batteries including lifepo and lithium. It is a very accurate charger maintainer.
12 Volt Battery Charger/Maintainer
I use a standard automotive group 75 battery to power three heaters. A better option would be a lifepo battery or a newer portable power station. Here are two options I am looking into. To be completely transparent here. I have not used these personally. This is just ideas and products I'm looking into based off of friends recommendations.
Andes 1500 Portable Power Station
I use a Mr. Funnel/Flo Tool fuel funnel when filling my heater's fuel tanks. It works really well. It will stop water and all but the very fine particles which the fuel filter on the heater should catch.
Mr Funnel/Flo Tool Fuel Funnel
This is not a comprehensive list of parts or accessories. There are many good groups on Facebook, and YouTube, for more ideas. This is a list of what I have personally used on my heaters and help friends set up their heaters with.
I have set up, or help set up, heaters in vehicles, RVs, camping trailers, boats, and commercial truck sleepers.
The fuels I have used are, K1 kerosene clear and red dyed, #2 heating oil red dyed, automotive diesel including commercial vehicle diesel, and offroad/marine diesel clear and red dyed. I am in the south eastern area of the US. The fuels listed may vary from the area you live in, even inside the US. Best and cleanest burning, I have found, is clear K1 kerosene. The worst burning is offroad/marine diesel red dyed. This is for fuels in my area only. YMMV
I filter my fuels after getting them from the source now. I had a bad run of #2 heating oil, with very fine powdery looking sediment in it. It killed the fuel pump on my brand new Likaci heater.
I have mounted my heaters directly to plywood using the supplied mounting plate and silicone mounting seal without issues. I cut the opening for the mounting plate 1/2 inch (12mm) smaller than the mounting plate so I can drill holes and through bolt the mounting plate. I clean up the edges of the plywood so there are no wood splinters to contend with when mounting the heater.
Exhaust wrap is useless under vehicles or in wet areas. I have removed wrap and found the exhaust pipe rusted away. The supplied exhaust pipe is a very low quality grade of stainless steel. A proper 304, or marine grade 316L, stainless steel pipe mandrel bent to fit the exact application would be the best exhaust piping, but that is insanely expensive.
I have never cleaned my main heater. It is over 5 years old now. I regularly look into the heater, through the exhaust port, to check for soot build up. I never have had more than a light coating of soot that could be wiped away. I do regularly burn my heaters on max heating for around 15 minutes. I do this every two weeks or so during the heating season.
The longest I have ran my heater non stop was 97 days through a very cold winter. I run it off of a 5 US gallon Jerry jug and refilled it with a hand pump from another Jerry jug.
For summer storage all I do is burn the heater for 15 minutes on max settings. Once it cools down, I drain the fuel out of them, and cover them up. The exhaust gets stainless steel wool for dish cleaning stuffed into them to keep insects and rodents out.
I currently use my heaters to heat a 12x60 mobile home that was manufactured in 1964. It has not had any improvements in insulation, doors, windows, or roof. We regularly get down below freezing from December to March. Has been as early as October and late as late April. We get into the teens at times but rarely dip into the single digits, but it has happened.
Mounting the heater on it's side isn't a big deal as long as the glow plug isn't on the bottom. Even mounting it vertical isn't in some cases. Refer to the manual on mounting positions and angles. It's clearly listed in mine. If a manual doesn't have this info, try downloading one from a different website that sells them. Sometimes the manual can be found on Amazon under the "see more product details" link for diesel heaters.
The best places to find info on these heaters is on YouTube and Facebook, but be careful and research everything.
Everything I post here is from my personal experiences with diesel heaters. Some are made in China others are made in Europe, or so they claim. Most of my experience is with the Chinese knock offs. Your experiences may be vastly different than mine. Lets all keep learning and improving these useful little heaters.
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