Chinese Diesel Air Heaters - Part 12 - Controllers (Basic)

In this video I hope to give you a basic run down on the various controllers available and a warning on one manufacturer providing heaters with a very basic and cheap controller with non standard wiring.

There is one manufacturer (I know of) currently providing diesel air heaters with non standard wiring and very cheap controllers. Try and avoid these units as you can not buy replacement controllers or upgrade your controller because of wiring differences from standard..

Without a master switch, the controllers with these heaters are always ON and drawing current.

Now it is necessary for the power to remain on when using the more sophisticated controllers, like those that can be programmed to turn themselves on and off at particular times.

However there is a constant current draw from the batteries even with the heater itself is turned off and not running. This current draw varies from about ,09 amp for a simple manual controller to around .15 amp for the LED controller type. This equates to a drain on your batteries of around 85 amp hours a month from the basic controller up to around 115 amp hours a month from an LED type controller.

This current draw can flatten your batteries in as short a time as two weeks if you leave the van or boat unattended for winter layup, or even in short term storage while you go off on a sightseeing trip.

Have a contingency plan in the rare event you have a controller failure, because the heater will not shut down by itself and will continue to perform and operate at its last settings.

In these cases you can disconnect the fuel and let it run out, or turn off the master switch.

Remember, if you turn off the master switch or the main power supply the heater will rapidly overheat and destroy the ECU, because it can't go through its normal shutdown cycle. To prevent this, first carefully (because the fan is spinning) remove the heater top cover and have a portable fan or hand fan ready to displace the rapid heat build up that will occur once you turn off the master switch.

You should try and maintain a minimum air space of about 75 to 100 mm all around the heater, with no combustible material close by, in the very rare event of an uncontrolled shutdown, and an overheat scenario.

Disclaimer. As is normal, I give you my own personal views and opinions, you need to do your own research to see if my opinions and suggestions are right for you. JMcK

Видео Chinese Diesel Air Heaters - Part 12 - Controllers (Basic) канала John McK 47