Chinese Diesel Heater

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So. I did a thing 2 years ago. I installed a Chinese diesel heater in my in-insulated 7x16 trailer. Even at -32 it could keep the inside at a nice comfortable 16-17c Nice for a long day sledding to change into regular clothing inside a nice warm trailer, enjoy bevvies etc. though not as deluxe a unit as some, it works ok.
This year however, Duraspan released their 1.06R5 insulation. At half the cost of pink, o figured what the hell. And have started the inglorious job of insulating the rig. A few things to note. The funguses that make ALL these trailers need a new square. Or a plumb bob. Or their eyes checked. Although the main structure is done wonderfull, the interior spars are so far out on taper, it amounts to a full 3/4” in 8 feet. FFS. anyhow. The Duraspan goes up as well as the pink stuff, love the foil reflective m barrier on BoTH sides. Although easy to score and snap, the membrane can be torn easily off the lee side if you are not careful when cutting the back side. Also of note, this stuff does NOT do circles or compound corners well. Or at all. Hrrmph. Well, at 1/2 cost, there will be challenges to overcome. Speaking of which, from where forth I declare ALL blue Tuck Tape shall be renamed Ftape forthwith. Again, if you stick it to the foil insulation, best to keep going or cut one end off and re-align. Trying to remove the tape will tear the foil almost immediately. Enough crabbing. Sometimes ya just gotta **** with the **** ya got and got from there. I have yet to complete the ceiling. I can tell that’s going to be fun (not) however, I think I will double the layers of R5 in the ceiling, use the Blue Ftape on the joints and then secure with some 1/8 plywood cut into strapping until I decide what aux lighting I will ad. Suggestions on lighting are welcome btw.
Even though only 1 wall is complete, the temperature rise inside is markedly faster. Which only makes me want to complete this task before we get any real cold.
Oh. And a couple snaps as reward for listening to the ramble.
 

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Ghfalls

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That ceiling will be tough to do a nice job on. Might be better off buying one of those spray kits. Wall looks good. Amazon has lots of 12v lighting. You can get really low profile surface mount puck lights for cheap. Super easy install.
 

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How long did one wall take?
Probably an hour because of adjusting cuts for taper. That being said, still less$$$ than a kit of spray foam, and it looks really good when up. I also like the silver vapour barrier on both sides. It's the prep that takes the longest, taking all the trim, and old plywood off, priming some of the steel areas w rust converting primer etc etc, but when finished she will be minty. That little Chinese heater will keep that trailer warm and dry on the coldest of days. Also this trailer reno is giving me a chance to add the solar panel a 3rd battery and more storage cabinetry inside.
 

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That ceiling will be tough to do a nice job on. Might be better off buying one of those spray kits. Wall looks good. Amazon has lots of 12v lighting. You can get really low profile surface mount puck lights for cheap. Super easy install.
The mild curve in the middle will be fairly easy w some panel adhesive, possibly some small strapping wood to hold until cured. The inner compound corners will be tougher, and for those, I think a few cans of spray foam will be the correct application.
 

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Why did you choose the durospan GPS product?
Thickness/r-value?
I liked the idea of a sandwich construction w a reapplied reflective foil for a vapour/heat barrier. The other deciding factor was cost. Owen’s Corning pink is 2x the cost and no Vapor barrier. As you have also seen. I used the Blue Tuck tape which itself is a moisture barrier product. With the idea that once the tape and foil membrane are accounted for, we will have as good a continuous vapour barrier as we can get in a trailer.
 

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A couple more snaps. Wall 2 and ceiling 70% completed. 2 more walls and some minor infill left to go. Then re hang cabinets, peplum the heater and should be as good as any hotel room for extended trips. Must remember to add in the 40 watt solar array and charge controller, plus the rear door seal
 

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gedakbx

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I have a 6x12 with 1.5 ft v. I ran the same heater for 2 years with out insulating the trailer not one issues with the heater. Insulated the trailer last year and the heater would go down on hi temp off and on all last year.
 

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Yes, the difference is huge... even with it being ''only'' R5, basically it slows heat transfer to the outside by a factor of 5. Def improves heat up time, and recovery time when door is opened, and my gear dries out a lot faster.
The floor however does get wet when the sleds start shedding the snow and ice, but that is a small price to pay.

I did leave the fresh air intake of the heater plumbed to the inside of the trailer, it helps to draw out the moisture inside the trailer, and there are side forced air vents that I have not sealed up so we do see a good influx of fresh air coming in.

Going forward, I did try using outside air for the heater to use for combustion, but 2 negatives were that inside humidity increased, and the silencer on it needed more frequent cleaning
 
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