Installing diesel parking heater in Leaf's trunk

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I pmed you.

I intend to make my heater removable. Have a small 2.5 litle tank to fitt so all nice and tiny.
 
If you figure out how to post pictures that would be great. Any idea how much power it pulls on 12v? I was thinking along the same lines, a box with exhaust air out and just makes heat with a SLA 12v battery to run it.
 
I am not really familiar with diesel and kerosine all that much, but have been researching if I can substitute kerosine which you can burn indoors as it burns clean.

It is cleaner, but still has a distinctive smell that most find unpleasant. What kind of burner does your heater use?
 
It runs on diesel, but I have mixed it with kerosine last night and it runs the same. I have also put an old 12v car battery next to the heater and connected it with clamps. After using it for a whole week, it did not show any loss in power after hooking it up to a charger. The percentage showed the same as when I started. If my memory serves me right, I think it pulls less than an amp after the glow plug is warmed up. I could be wring about all that, so don't quote me on it.
 
Yes, it has a small fan, that serves two functions I think. It sucks cold air in and blows it overy the heat exchanger and helps rid of gases through the exhaust.
 
They pull about 10 amps the first few minutes. After the glow plug has warmed up they reduce to less than 1 amp draw. So shouldnt be much of an issue for a healthy 12v battery.

They really recommend that the fresh air intake is taken from the outside as well. Only reason i can think of, is that you use warm air for combustion making it less efficient.
 
I agree on the combustion fresh air and it is less likely it would accidentally suck exhaust fumes back in the space if it were sucking air from outside as well.
 
Mine is drawing air from the inside the car. You could probably drill a small diameter hole for the intake tube, and extend the hose to the front of the vehicle, securing it under the plastic
 
Hello DIY-Jedis :)
I'm "at home" with independent diesel heaters as I've used some for ages.
I would share some recommendations.
First of all, 5kW heater is too powerful for use during driving.
Looking at cheap Chinese masterpieces those 2kW versions should be just the right size.
Heater itself can be installed wherever possible but inside the cabin is not the best choice.
If we talk about air heater (2013+ Leafs) then I would recommend ducting warm air outlet
next to driver footwell. Also rear side of center console seems fine. Idea is to have fresh
air close to front of the cabin as the exhaust is in the trunk. This way heat will do more work.
Cold air intake should be external. This will slowly defog windows as well.
Burning chamber exhaust should be routed away from cold air intakes (cabin and burning intake)
and also not close to front wipers. It's fine to leave exhaust blowing under the hood or at the ground.

Leave tank under the hood and "in the reach of the fuel station refill" so direct refill (with accidental drips) is acceptable.
Close to windshield washer refill is a good place.
Refill twice a month is a good start. Tank size according to daily commute:
1 hour of driving a day, therefore 14 hours per 2 weeks, therefore 3 liters.
2 hours of driving a day, 6 liters. I don't recommend going over 7-8 liters. OEM tank might be perfect.

Those who think about environment: Diesel heaters are very efficient if we measure well-to-wheels efficiency.
Using solely PTC/resistance heater that many Leafs have, is worse than burning diesel (average grid carbon footprint).
Removing the heater for summer is acceptable, but keep the ducts alone, those have no weight :)

2011-2012 Leafs have liquid core for cabin heating. Those Leafs can accommodate a coolant heaters as well, but
adjusting those is more complicated. Usually too powerful (4-5kW is too much, 1/2 power is also a lot).

In case of adjustable independent heater power: do not turn it too low. Keep it above 1/2 of max.
Burning is not clean if fan speed and chamber temperature are low. Requires purging @ full power.

Heater fumes are not dangerous if accidentally inhaled. Mostly CO2 and water vapor.
Heater consumes 1/5-1/2 of what diesel car consumes at idle.

It's OK to use independant heater for 10-60 minutes before departure. Good 12V battery will handle that with ease.
If vehicle is charging/preconditioning during preheat 12V battery will be constantly fully charged.

Sketching the ducting for warm cabin line (consider preferring driver side footwell or even 50/50 split with some additional
piping and one additional outlet, should cost few bucks) :
leaf-in-half1.jpg

leaf-in-half2.jpg
 
Very nice, and do you exhaust it outside? If not I'd really be worried about moisture or exhaust fumes in the vehicle. Also I noticed your fuel supply is basically parallel with the heater if not a bit lower, does the heater have the ability to suck the fuel uphill?
I'm impressed with how small everything is, how many Kw is the heater? I remember reading about 5kw models.....and will it get the car as toasty as say the vehicle's heater set to a moderate setting? Would it be relatively easy and quick to remove in the summer? Something like this could be a real game-changer for people on the bubble of the Leafs range in moderate temps but too short when temps drop to the single digits or below(eg me with my 8 bar '12 which is currently parked for the winter due to reduced range in the cold :( )
 
I'll chime in again as well. The exhaust pipe can be routed outside through a convenient hole nissan left in the trunk. I attached it to a tow hook in the passenger rear side.

(Paul, would you mind posting my photos if you still have them, the ones I emailed you of my install) thanks.

I tried to make mine removable which it is. I took it all out last week in a manner of 5 minutes, it is that easy. I wanted to check all the connections after a month of use. I didn't not seal the hole shut, there is a bit of space where the exhaust pipe leaves the car. But I have sat in the car for 6 hours while running the heater and my carbon monoxide detector did not pick up any gases, fumes or whatever. It tested at 0 every time.

The heater has a small pulse pump which allows for dfferent ways of installing the whole setup. As creative as you can get. I have a 5kw and on 40° F days, the heater can be a bt too much. But I just crac dwn a window a bit and it's all good. Below freezing, it fits my needs fine.

Next year I may look into installing it under a hood possibly. Goal will be to tap into the heater's ducts ,alowing the air to come out of the car's vents, and be able to manipulate air flow to different settings such as, floor, windshield panels etc. Any thoughts from those familiar with the leafs ductwork routing?

Yes, this was a game changer for me in allowing me to use my leaf even during winter months and not have to rely on my ICE honda. My trips are 40 plus miles, roundtrip. In the summer, I can easy make that trip even when running the ac. But in cold weather, I can barely make it, without any heat. My leaf currently hs 45,000 miles and I lost my 3 bar about a year ago. So probably due to lose one here shortly.

I also started using kerosine for fuel, so it burns very clean. No issues with the heater so far at all.
 
jjeff said:
Very nice, and do you exhaust it outside? If not I'd really be worried about moisture or exhaust fumes in the vehicle. Also I noticed your fuel supply is basically parallel with the heater if not a bit lower, does the heater have the ability to suck the fuel uphill?
I'm impressed with how small everything is, how many Kw is the heater? I remember reading about 5kw models.....and will it get the car as toasty as say the vehicle's heater set to a moderate setting? Would it be relatively easy and quick to remove in the summer? Something like this could be a real game-changer for people on the bubble of the Leafs range in moderate temps but too short when temps drop to the single digits or below(eg me with my 8 bar '12 which is currently parked for the winter due to reduced range in the cold :( )

I routed everything outside.

No fumes going in

Removing it would take me about 1hr as i have to get below the car. But the space taken isnt that big so ill see if i need the space. It is about 32cmx12x12cm.

I have a CO detector in the car so an alarm will sound if it picks up anything.

Today my first road test and it was warm and toasty. No smells and i have the heater modded so i can recirculate the car to distribute the heat better.

It gets hotter than regular but i got it set to 14 celcius (quite cold) but i always wear a jacket in the car. But i can pump the heat up to 31. And i figure i can sit in my t shirt without any problems.

Any questions feel free to ask
 
PaulSp said:
Any questions feel free to ask
Nice clean installation. Where, under what conditions, is that vehicle used? (always helpful to indicate your location in the information which appears to the left of your posts)
 
FYI they also make the heater and fuel tank in one case then you would only need to vent exhaust outside (and intake if you prefer) and vent the warm air forward some how.

https://www.amazon.com/Gorgebuy-Car-Fuel-Heater-Household/dp/B07KFVS6H2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1546456690&sr=8-2&keywords=diesel+heater+all+in+one
 
Dooglas said:
PaulSp said:
Any questions feel free to ask
Nice clean installation. Where, under what conditions, is that vehicle used? (always helpful to indicate your location in the information which appears to the left of your posts)

Im in the netherlands. Used for home to work. 80km trip with only a 10 bar gen1. Get 16.7 kwh on 100%. Usually make it home in the summer with 3kw left. In winter i use 10min dcqc

BrockWI said:
FYI they also make the heater and fuel tank in one case then you would only need to vent exhaust outside (and intake if you prefer) and vent the warm air forward some how.

https://www.amazon.com/Gorgebuy-Car-Fuel-Heater-Household/dp/B07KFVS6H2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1546456690&sr=8-2&keywords=diesel+heater+all+in+one


Recommended is to always use outside air for combustion inlet. Due to the fact of a misfire CO buildup can be spat uit of the intake! If you dont make sure you have a CO detector. (I have one)
 
Nissan should make this the cold weather package.
Or the optional winter apocalypse package.
 
Properly installed and integrated into the vehicle s Climate system, it could be an option and perhaps they could still consider the leaf 100 percent electric vehicle of you don't have one. It ll never happen though, they need it to remain 100 percent electric, and not be associated with "dirty" diesel and it's emissions
 
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