Oddbean

I’m currently building a diesel heater for my truck camper. You should consider adding another vent closer to the ground to recirculate warm air through the heater, rather than constantly pulling in cold air from outside. This would greatly improve the heater’s efficiency and help balance the air pressure. Additionally, you could install an air filter, giving you both heat and cleaner air.

yeah I heard about doing a split! good suggestion. for water heating I am thinking solar tubes on the roof since it's passive. works 3/4 seasons up here from what I hear... any experience with this?

Yes, my brother-in-law built a solar water heater in Brazil using corrugated panels—it worked great. It was a fun DIY project, but it didn’t last long. If you’re going to build one, it’s best to use materials that will last a long time. Regarding the diesel heater, if you don’t want to cut another hole, you could buy a diesel heater kit and install it inside, using the existing hole for the exhaust and fuel line. That’s how it’s typically installed in vans and RVs. Keep the portable heater as a backup. Also, for safety, it’s a good idea to upgrade the fuel line and fuel tank.

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mine fits into a 200L plastic drum. you can bury it into the creek bank to make it less noticeable. really it can go anywhere you can run a 1,5 pipe. of course you need to build an intake too. a box in a flat part the creek, most people end up pouring concrete eventually. amperage increases as the vertical drop between the intake and turbine increases so the most noticeable part is the pipe running from intake to turbine 😬 and in America anyway you don't want to mess with Fish&Game

I would need about 20,000w of batteries to do it and probably 20,000w of panels. you're talking a 30,000$+ solar system just to run a clocked down S19. we don't get nearly enough sun to do it in the winter/spring efficiently

If you're going the diesel heater route, there's a guy on YT (John McKay?) whose suggestions can save you a lot of headaches related to things like exhaust routing or pump longevity. David McLuckie also has some good videos. I like the diesel heater because I can refill my own fuel cans when I stop for gas vs waiting around for the one employee at the box store with the key to the propane cage to get back from lunch. The 20-pound propane cylinder exchange is the Home Depot equivalent of McDonald's milkshake machine. One thing I learned is that these heaters apparently aren't fond of being shut down straight away after hours of running on the low setting. Since the 'brain' of the heater is inside the plastic shell on top of the heat exchanger, it's essential that the heater have enough power to run its cool-down cycle. If the power source is a battery, no big deal but if you're running directly from an AC power supply, this can be an issue. If you'd like to have the heater start at say 50F and shut down at like 65F, check out the Bureck thermostat which basically clones the on/off RF signals from the heater's remote.