HCALORY 12V Portable Diesel Air Heater, 5KW All-in-One Diesel Parking Heater, Parking Bunk Heater with Bluetooth APP Control and LCD Monitor for Car Trucks Boat Bus RV Motor-Homes and camper

Bought this unit so I can camp with my family during the winter in our roof top tent with an annex. So far I like it. The app is a little wonky. At first it would start up and shut down, but I believe that was to user error on not understanding the app. It’s best to just start it up and set a temperature. Setup: there were zero instructions on how to set it up. You need to use your critical thinking skills. I did watch many videos on YouTube on how to set it up prior. You’ll definitely want to open it up and check all of the connections out of the box. Some spring clamps for the fuel lines were out of place, some of the hose clamps were not fully tightened. For the fuel tank, it’s better to start with a smaller hole and enlarge if you need to. Make sure there is one o-ring on the fitting for inside the tank, and one o-ring on the outside. Use some pliers to hold the fitting while you tighten down the fastener snug so it sandwiches the o-rings and creates a seal. Heat Output: I ran this for 4 hours straight as a preliminary test at a constant level 2. It barely used any fuel at all, and provided a steady flow of heat. I suspect in winter temperatures I will need to turn it up, so its fuel consumption will increase. USE THE RIGHT POWER SOURCE: most people’s problems come from NOT using the correct battery. If you plug it into your wall outlet at home, not much to worry about. Whatever you end up using, just know it will draw over 10amps at start up. So a 12v cigarette plug on your portable power station will most likely not be sufficient, as those have a 10amp rating. You want at least 15-20amp rating. I hooked up mine directly to the battery but will be using a 15a cigarette lighter plug. I started with 100% power with my lithium iron phosphate battery (lifepo4) and after 4 hours of run time and only the initial start up, it went down to 90% according to the volt meter on my battery. Not sure how accurate that really is. If you only start it up once, the power it draws is very minimal after you get it going. This was the best value and design for the money. Other diesel heaters have the intake and exhaust out from under the unit. These are on the back and front of the unit. My only gripe is the power plug. That has a right angle connector and I needed to put a 2x4 under the unit. Other than that, it’s a pretty good unit for my first one. I might end up taking it all apart and using/redesigning the box so it’s an all in one but we’ll see. Hope this helps someone.

2nd one i bought. Both worked great but after 3 months tops of use maybe 10 gallons of fuel used they stop working error 9 code. You cant buy replacement parts and company doesn't cover warranty they ignore you or the give you tracking for a package that never leaves. Waste of 500 dollars do not buy this pos

The biggest thing I'll call out is the electrical because it's not clear on youtube. Don't expect to be able to use DC power unless you are hooking up directly to battery terminals. The solar generators / portable battery units like jackery and ecoflow only have cigarette lighter outlets which are rated for 120W aka 10A @ 12v. And the demands during startup slightly exceed that. Yes some of the time, for certain battery units, you may not trip the breaker, but if you want a reliable works-every-time setup with a solar generator, you're going to need to use an AC adapter and enable your generator's AC inverter. I got this waterproof one https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Transformer-Voltage-3-Prong-Computer/dp/B07Y61R8SR Small nit-pick, I popped the electrical plug out and flipped it upside down. The way it came from factory, the right angle plug faced toward the ground and was difficult to get in/take out. So I rotated the plug in the case. The 5L tank that comes with it is not mounted flush with the ground which means it wants to tip. I've ordered a 10L tank which this unit does have mounting holes for, but I'm not sure yet if the holes will have the tank flush with the ground, hopefully they do otherwise I'm going to have to drill new holes in the case. The controller doesn't come with a wire long enough to use it as a thermostat, but it's a standard 3-pin plug (the kind you see in a computer case that powers fans) that I'm sure you could buy or make an extension for. The case itself is thin and flimsy, but after being closed up it's fairly rigid. It wasn't clear from youtube or the pictures but the case has a ton of ventilation, there are grills and openings on every face except the handle surface on top. For that reason I felt comfortable moving the small air inlet filter inside the case so it was one less thing sticking out. I didn't attach either of the brackets to the outside of the box for holding the exhaust and intake hoses fixed. I want this thing to be able to sit in my trunk with all my other gear. So I just slip fit the exhaust on when I use it, and keep it stored in the tank when not in use. And my intake is mounted and ziptied right inside the case. The small bracket that holds the controller/thermostat onto the outside is really loose for some reason. I also couldn't determine if it's waterproof or not. So I flipped the bracket around and mounted it through the factory holes from the inside of the case and I keep the controller in there. I'm definitely going to make/buy an extension but it seems to work fine inside the case in the meantime. The controller works well, the app is glitchy but works alright-ish but the remote works great, so no big deal. I've ordered an AC C13 port and I'm mounting the AC adapter right inside the case and wiring it directly in, so I'll be able to power it via DC or AC by plugging in the right cord. I also ordered exhaust wrap, I already started melting a wire where it touched the exhaust hose. Finally I wrapped a 4" hose clamp around the body of the muffler and bent the excess clamp material to form 2 legs, so that the muffler's weep hole is elevated off the ground and facing down. I've gone back and forth on the diesel tank mounting location. I don't like the exposed fuel line that comes with exterior mounting, but I've also spilled diesel (using one of those spillproof nozzles, go figure) filling it almost every time I've gone to fill it, and I would rather that happen outside the box than inside. So I've landed on keeping fuel outside of the box and just working to ensure I mount the fuel line in such a way that it's not very exposed (such as how KeeganBuilds does his) I'm also replacing the cap (which has a vent hole) with a solid cap that has no vent, and then drilling a dedicated vent cap that I can screw/unscrew. That way diesel sloshing around my backseat doesn't drip out of the vent. ----------------- Final thoughts ----------------- Out of the box, aside from the power draw being too much for solar generators, I think this will definitely do the trick for at least one or two nights a year. The components all work nicely and it wasn't too painful to put together especially after watching a few folks do it on youtube. And for the price you really can't complain, it's a complete kit with basically everything you need pre-assembled in a pretty small package. I got it mainly because I was on a time crunch and wanted to have it for an upcoming trip in time, and it definitely did its job well. But if you plan to use this often, expect to need to make lots of modifications. It doesn't pack or store well unless you fully assemble/disassemble it each time. It doesn't seem very rainproof out of the box. The remote doesn't extend into your tent. It may or may not work off your solar generator. The vented cap will leak if the tank is tipped over or sloshed heavily. The fuel line is very exposed with the default mounting position. The exhaust is hot and easy to burn yourself, if you have kids it's definitely a danger. If I were starting over I would probably buy the parts that KeeganBuilds used for his and build one just like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKwzue3poDA But given that I have this unit, it works well enough currently that I'm not going to throw it out and start over, but instead slowly work my way closer to the KeeganBuilds setup

This is a great heater but it needs a little work. First thing I did was mod it, these come with the typical cheap white plastic diesel heater tank that requires a hole be drilled in the bottom of the tank. An possigle leak point when the fuel fitting is on the bottom. Also the tank mounts to the heater's side about 3 inches higher then the bottom of the heater so when the tank is full the unit wants to tip if it's not solidly on level ground, even then it's a little sketchy. Had they designed it so the tank's bottom sat on the ground this wouldn't be an issue. I added a Rotopax style 1.3 gallon tank where the supplied tank is supposed to go except it was mounted it so the tank is also sitting on the ground, now the unit is very planted with no tendency to tip. It was an easy mod, look for the 1.3 gallon aux tank on amazon and also order a fuel pickup. First time I ever put fuel in this was on a camping trip, I was able to get it fired up with no trouble. It was in the high 30s at 10,000' and I was heating a large SUV tent. I ran the heater on low all night and it burned .4 gal of diesel. Most of the night I had to keep a tent window open so it didn't get too hot inside. It heats very well and quickly, no odd odors and it doesn't give off odor when stored. It's easy to use, as long as it has enough power just push the on button and wait a couple min, it'll be cranking out some heat shortly. The rugged case is nice, much better then a modded pelican case and if space and ruggedness is important, this is far better then the standing metal skinned heaters diesel heaters. These pull allot of AMPs during startup and often the smaller power boxes can't supply 10A of DC voltage reliably. A work around is get a 12V/10A power supply/brick like a laptop charger and run the heater off the A/C output on the power box and plug the brick's 12V DC into the heater. Once it's running it only needs juice for the fan and that's very little. I plan to use this to heat my garage cheaply in the winter. Not all the time but it puts out enough to warm it up pretty quickly and it will put out high heat it all day for about $4.

First of all, forget the photos on the product page, where it looks like it's just a suitcase you can put down that will create heat for you. The photo there is from my boat - how it will actually look when it's set up, with pipes, wires, and a fuel tank. The exhaust and intake pipes and wires can fit inside the case when not in use, but not the fuel tank. Here's the main problem though. The instructions are TERRIBLE. It looks like a thick instruction manual, but it really isn't. It's thick because it's printed in a dozen different languages. And I guess they used a machine translation from Chinese, because the English is absolutely incomprehensible. And even if I could understand the operation instructions, there are ZERO, I repeat, zero instructions on how to actually assemble the thing! Not even a diagram. It comes with dozens of pieces - what the heck am I supposed to do with these? Thank goodness I found a guy online who made a video explaining how to put it together (can't put a link here, but look for a video by a guy named Mumfy). And this leads to another issue - it turns out you have to drill a hole in the fuel tank yourself!! And it has to be just the right size too. Why couldn't they do that at the factory??? And that's an issue, because I think the hole I drilled was just slightly too big, because I get a very slow weeping drip coming from the bottom of the tank, which isn't a huge issue but it is an issue. And the power cable too - this is a 12v unit, but doesn't come with a 12v plug! (cigarette lighter type plug). So you have to buy that yourself too. Not a big deal, but why do I need to do that? (wires are 16 gauge btw). And finally, you need to buy a battery for the remote, and the manual doesn't explain that either, and the instructions how to set it up are confusing. After internet searching, I found a video that explained that, and the battery you need is a 27A type. So that's a lot of extra work. So how does it actually work once you set it up? Turns out, it works very well. It sips fuel, and blasts out powerful heat. It's fuel consumption rate depends on how high you crank it up, but basically I can run it all day on a gallon of diesel. My boat is about the size of a good sized RV, and it heats it up pretty well. It does use a lot of power when initially starting, in fact, my car battery couldn't handle it unless the car was running. Ditto for my boat. But once it starts running, it uses just a tiny trickle of electricity. If you are handy with tools, and don't mind setting it up, this is a good deal for the price.

The most unique thing about this heater is the ability to connect an external fuel container. Of course, it was designed that way because its own 1.5 gal tank must be mounted outside the heater. This feature also allows external fuel to be fed from a much larger container. I have used the external fuel connection to provide fuel from a 5 gal container using the same process advised for their own smaller one. Suggest a valve or quick connect between the fuel and heater. Keep in mind this model has 3KW less heating capacity than a "regular" 8KW model. I purchased this same BT model for $89.99 last August. I'm still looking for another one with the same or similar feature, just not at >$200.

I purchased the HCALORY 12V Portable Diesel Air Heater, lured in by its promise of an 8KW output and easy use. However, I must express my profound disappointment and concern regarding this product. Firstly, the advertised 8KW output is grossly misleading - the actual output is closer to 5KW. This discrepancy is not just a minor oversight but a significant misrepresentation of the product's capabilities. The assembly process is another area where the product falls short. Contrary to the Amazon listing, this heater requires extensive assembly, which is not mentioned at all. The installation is far from straightforward; it's not a simple 'screw-together' job like you'd expect from an Ikea product. Instead, it involves dealing with fuel lines, drilling holes, and fishing fittings into a fuel container. While I am comfortable with such technical tasks, I fear many buyers will quickly find themselves out of their depth. This isn't just an inconvenience; it poses a serious safety risk. Incorrect installation could lead to diesel fuel leaks, which are hazardous. Moreover, the package arrived with absolutely no instructions, leaving users to figure out the complex assembly process on their own. To make matters worse, there were missing parts, which further complicates the installation and can lead to improper assembly, heightening the risk of accidents. The quality of the heater is another concern. It's very cheaply manufactured, which raises doubts about its durability and safety standards. Such poor construction in a device that deals with combustible fuel is alarming. In conclusion, I cannot recommend the HCALORY 12V Diesel Air Heater. It's not only falsely advertised but also potentially dangerous due to its complex installation requirements, lack of proper instructions, missing parts, and subpar manufacturing quality. I strongly urge Amazon to reconsider listing this product, as it poses a significant safety risk to consumers.

Really like this diesel gas heater for my van. Love the compact briefcase style. Simple setup. All fits in the compact case. Draws very little power and can heat on low for 12+ hours in one tank. However, the tank leaks slightly from the assembled hose to the tank. I need to change out to a better quality hose, but otherwise this is a great value to make for a 4 season van with no need for shore power (using my onboard house battery). The fuel pump has a decent tick, but to use this it needs to be exhausted outside, so from inside the van you can’t hear the ticking noise. It works via the Bluetooth app. It also comes with a small remote. Mine never worked. Replaced the battery and all, it never functioned. But I haven’t needed it since the app works fine and I can control the unit while it sits outside. Cool setup. Cool in it. Keeps me warm and toasty for winter camping and snowboarding. Worth picking up. I like that the newer version has the tank inside the case as well.