Diesel Heater for winter warmth!

Here’s by diesel heater setup

I need to vent my Jerry, but I just crack the lid.

Yeah I haven’t had an issue with it but if I ever do, I’ll probably just drill a tiny little hole in the ammo can somewhere near the top. My guess is that it’s not 100% airtight anyways though and therefore not causing issues

Did you just drill holes through the bed rail to hang the buddy heater? I’ve been trying to figure out how I want to hang mine similarly.

Has anyone found a good solution for a longer 3” (75mm) air duct? I’d like to get my heater off the tailgate and back on the ground. So probably need like 10’ minimum. I’ve tried some ‘foil’ type ducts and they’re crap! Because it’s not a permanent install it doesn’t hold up to packing/unpacking and breaks apart.

WG

Link to one type high temperature hose. It is stiff so it doesn’t pack small but should hold up better than the foil type.

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The silicone hose is very flexible and used for high temps.

Where does a guy get that?

This is what I use and it seems to do the trick:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QG1F4YZ

Yep, have a Webesto gas heater tucked into one of the side pockets in a Tacoma. Plumbed into the gas tank, it’s very convenient, and burns a tiny amount of fuel.

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I have heard the gas one has issues running over 5000 feet without building up too much carbon. No first hand experience but something to look into since you are on the west coast.

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Depends if you have access to a lift or not. Either way dropping, opening and draining the tank was the biggest part of the headache. Drill small hole, insert feed that was provided with heater, run it to the included fuel pump and then good to go after mounting it where you want.

I replaced the side storage pocket with an aluminum box that I put together with the cutouts for the heater.



Pictures are from a while ago, I’ve replaced the pvc elbow with a steel one that a muffler shop put together for me, but i have a hose that I can run anywhere I’d like attached to that elbow.

As for the elevation, I haven’t had any issue with it yet, but I will note that it’s only been out above 9k a couple times. It does have a “high elevation mode” that I didn’t use and got me through a couple 10-20 degree nights great.

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Hi, The silicone tubing can be purchased from Plastic Process Equipment. Their address and phone number are on the picture.

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For me, I like to remove one square from the floor of the tent, then prop a mister buddy heater on my cooler to let the heat rise up through the square hole. This really only works one person in the tent. This has kept me warm in negative 20!

(but its really all about the sleeping bag)

The one thing I saw on the weekend of a guy rocking a topper setup. Was it looked like he piped it up the rear fender into what I would assume was that little storage box in the Tacoma’s. I should’ve taken a picture.

It really got me thinking of the same thing; just for those times you want to be a little more stealth. I tell yeah though, not having to flip the tailgate down every time I want to get out is a game changer. But it is a little bit of extra crap to carry around…or potentially forget.

Have you checked out John Mck 47 on YouTube? This guy knows everything about these diesel heaters. He has like a 12 part series on them. I highly recommend anyone interested in these heaters to watch all of his videos. I’m in the process now of building one in a box. There’s a great larger pelican case harbor freight has to contain all the components. Running a longer exhaust can also benefit for location installation. Corregated heating pipe is a great option to transfer heat from the unit to the tent area.

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The one thing I will note. I honestly don’t run the heater throughout the night and find that it’s plenty warm in bunk mode. That being said, I do use a -22F/-30C sleeping bag. One of the main reasons for doing this is the fact that I’ve been finding that it’s hard on the battery in the cold. So unless you have a DC to DC charging system and are planing on running the truck; you’ll likely kill the battery over a three day trip (at least in the north anyways). Just not enough daylight in winter to fully charge the battery on 100W solar.

Originally I thought of figuring out a way to also pipe heat up to the tent; but felt that it actually wasn’t necessary. I have a small battery operated fan that moves the heat around up high and keeps the condensation under control. So far I’ve been able to pull off multiple 3 night ski touring trips in deep snow (so gear got real wet) And have been able to dry my gear, and chill out in comfort. But I have resorted to bringing a second 100aH deep cycle to use if the lithium battery dies. That 9A every time you turn the heater on and off is a real battery killer.

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This is one thing holding me back. I want to put it on a tire table, and then route into the lower bed. But then how will the heat get to the “upstairs”

My only idea was to make a PVC tube vent and cut a small hole in the floor of one of the panels. I didnt want that to be permanent, but I suppose the vent hole could be plugged and covered when its not winter. I also do not want any tubing going through the windows.

I may act on this plan soon, but i am also redoing my dual battery setup, and the cold and wiring has me deferring the project

why not just leave one of the panels out and I believe someone on here shortened one of the panels by 2 inches to allow for a silt to allow the air to pass through… I remember seeing a picture of that floating around somewhere

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@TearingOut55 has a cool solution. 1/8 panel with vent boards

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Here is my latest creation. Using Kayak deck plates and a couple of 3D designed/printed parts. I bet using this could work great on the lower flip out camper door too.

I carry two lids. One just seals things up when not in use. The other has the heater duct attachment built in.

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