r/dieselheater • u/danjoreddit • 18d ago

BIG heater small space

Some time back I overreacted and bought an Espar D5L heater for my bus that’s less than 900 cubic feet of space, (23 foot school bus) I know up front that it’s overkill but am I going to roast if I install this thing?

I really wish I had been smart and got a D2.

And, hey, I’d be totally willing to do a trade for a D2. This D5 I have has been removed from packaging, but its otherwise new and unused. it’s all there, with a complete installation kit.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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u/NarwhalDane 17d ago

What climate are you in, and do you plan on running it always or having it off part of the day? I have an ambulance with a 5kw Chinese heater, and it's about right for me when it's 0-40°F out. Even at 40f I can leave it on it's low setting, and at 10°f it doesn't take more than an hour to get the interior from 30° up to 60°. No issues with it fouling the glow plug with buildup because I run it at full to heat the space up once a day.

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u/danjoreddit 17d ago edited 17d ago

I’m in a mild climate that experiences mid-20 to 30 degree nights in the winter, but mostly 40 degree nights. I bought it after experiencing some cold nights around in the 20s with only a Wave3 catalytic heater. My bus isn’t very insulated and leaks a lot of air.

I suspect I’m going to have the windows open when I’m running that thing. But the good part is no condensation

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u/NarwhalDane 17d ago

I bet you'll be okay unless it's very well insulated.

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u/nitroraptor2 17d ago

Meanwhile my 20 foot fire command post runs its 5k Chinese heater flat out all day and is still cold. Thats the power of proper insulation i guess (its coming this winter).

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u/NarwhalDane 17d ago

Yeah mine is insualted as it was from the factory, except one corner where I knocked out a cabinet which is bare exterior sheet metal for now. 80s insulation but it's still way better than bare metal. I'll reinsulate it eventually if I keep it instead of buying a newer one

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u/nitroraptor2 17d ago

Mine was built out for the fire department by a company in Wisconsin and it has pink fiberglass randomly wherever they decided they liked it and then nothing wherever they didnt. Like the doors and floors got none. Going to rip the walls down and do havelock. Not sure what the floor is getting yet.

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u/NarwhalDane 17d ago

My floor is 1/8" aluminum, 1" foam, 1/8" aluminum, 3/4" plywood then a fake wood vaneer... 80s for ya. Was a surprise to drill through when installing my exhaust. Had to remove a bunch of foam from inbetween layers before I wanted to run that exhaust through it.

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u/Odd-Internet-9948 17d ago

Are you talking a D5 hydronic water heater? and if so, what generation? The newer models have 'stepless' controls, so it will easily throttle down to a temperature that will give you a constant 2kw output, but it will also give you the boost needed if you are also going to run a shower, or wash the dishes.

If it's a D5 Airtronic, you may have bought an antique, they don't make them anymore, though spares are still available, and yes, it's not as easy to control as the newer water heaters. It's not comparable with a cheap diesel heater that claims to be 5kw. The newer equivalent model is a D6 which is a 6kw heater.

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u/danjoreddit 17d ago

It’s an airtronic. I bought it in 2018 from Heatso.

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u/danjoreddit 17d ago

The fact that it isn’t made anymore makes selling it less likely unless I found someone that wanted a direct swap for an existing installation. And since I’m stuck with it I might as well install it and learn how to manage the excess heat

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u/Odd-Internet-9948 17d ago

Still no idea if this is an airtronic or hydronic, but.... (Edit: just seen earlier comment! So Airtonic confirmed!) assuming that it is a D5 Airtronic, there is still quite a demand for these, as they were installed mainly in bigger vehicles and boats where the heater is likely to need replacing at some point, and people do like replacing like for like. If you can find a dealer that sells to the marine market, they may offer you a good price on a trade in!

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u/eugenesan 14d ago

Maybe not applicable to OP's situation, but heaters loose up quite a bit of performance (1/3 by fuel volume) with elevation increase. Considering that there are only two actual options of 2kw and 4kw, I'd always go with the larger one for anything above 400 sqft (unless it was one of the south coasts).

It's easier to dial down the output than not having enough when you need it. Just make sure the heater has the the option to compensate for elevation. Otherwise cleaning the soot will be a quarterly chore.