Heater Installation
For those cold winter nights I have a 5 KW diesel air heater with a 2.5 gallon tank. There are a few well-known brands out there that sell for upwards of $1,000, but I went with a Chinese knockoff for about one tenth of the price. It's still going strong and puts out TONS of heat.
Drilling
Always makes me nervous when I have to drill giant holes in my van. This time, it was a 4" diameter hole into the floor. The most difficult part was lining up the location to make sure I wasn't going to drill into anything important under the van.
Van Core Sample!
Heat Shroud
There was about three inches between the heater mounting plate and the bottom of the van, so I needed a cylindrical shroud to cover the opening. I cut a rectangle from a scrap piece of aluminum and riveted it to make a tube. Then I cut little flanges in one end of the tube and glued (high-temperature silicone) it to the mounting plate.
Fuel Tank Install
The fuel tank sits in the bottom of the pantry, so I needed to route the fuel line behind it, down through van floor (another hole) and plumbed into the bottom of the heater. I also installed small strips of wood to screw the tank into.
Fuel Pump and Filter
Here is the installed heater. You can see the fuel pump and filter in the top left of the picture. I also added vent hose to the bottom of the bench.
Air Inlet and Exhaust
After watching several YouTube videos on how to install the intake and exhaust, I think I got it right so I don't blow myself up. The carbon monoxide detector hasn't gone off yet!
Electrical
The heater is controlled through a tiny LCD screen that I mounted on the instrument panel. After wiring everything up and adding fuel, I fired it up for the first time. Success!