Diesel Heaters

[Chuck]

I realize this an older thread but maybe someone can shed some light on the Wallas that is in my boat, using diesel fuel.
Starts and runs consistently but very poor BTU's and the fan power is just about nonexistent. I ended up pulling out the corrugated tubing that ran to 4 vents then added a couple pieces of tube coming right off the Wallas and straight into the cabin, still not good but much better than it was.
For such an expensive piece of equipment it is not worth the money, won`t do that again!

Any thoughts or hints on how to improve this Wallas would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks,

 

[Rain City]

My Espar has one vent. Puts out a ton of heat but would assume the air pressure would be pretty lame with even just one more.

 

[fishin solo]

I have a wallas.... 3 vents and it gets smoking hot.... haven’t had mine past #3 on the heat settings.

 

[Gong Show]

With these diesel forced air heaters, check the air intake screen often.
Reduced air inflow causes many problems.

 

[Fisher_dude]

Mines a Wallas 30gb.

 

[fishin solo]

I realize this an older thread but maybe someone can shed some light on the Wallas that is in my boat, using diesel fuel.
Starts and runs consistently but very poor BTU's and the fan power is just about nonexistent. I ended up pulling out the corrugated tubing that ran to 4 vents then added a couple pieces of tube coming right off the Wallas and straight into the cabin, still not good but much better than it was.
For such an expensive piece of equipment it is not worth the money, won`t do that again!

Any thoughts or hints on how to improve this Wallas would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks,

What model do you have? I know some are only rated for a certain amount of vents , and also says which outlet to run more then 1 vent or the longer run. I have the 22GB and it’s worked great. I also have the 2 other fan speeds ‘turbo’ which I have never used or needed.

 

[Fisher_dude]

What model do you have? I know some are only rated for a certain amount of vents , and also says which outlet to run more then 1 vent or the longer run. I have the 22GB and it’s worked great. I also have the 2 other fan speeds ‘turbo’ which I have never used or needed.

Also to touch on this, check to make sure your vents are fully open. Mine were closed and it cause me problems

 

[Chuck]

What model do you have? I know some are only rated for a certain amount of vents , and also says which outlet to run more then 1 vent or the longer run. I have the 22GB and it’s worked great. I also have the 2 other fan speeds ‘turbo’ which I have never used or needed.

I'll check the model. Have 2 speeds but a very week blower fan.

Also to touch on this, check to make sure your vents are fully open. Mine were closed and it cause me problems

Pulled all vents out and piped 2 short runs right from the blower outlets right into the cabin, still very poor. Insulated the short runs to get as much heat into the cabin as possible. Such an inadequate heater for the cost!! I have a wind meter and will put it against the outlets and see exactly what there is for blower power.

 

[Rain City]

I'll check the model. Have 2 speeds but a very week blower fan.



Pulled all vents out and piped 2 short runs right from the blower outlets right into the cabin, still very poor. Insulated the short runs to get as much heat into the cabin as possible. Such an inadequate heater for the cost!! I have a wind meter and will put it against the outlets and see exactly what there is for blower power.

Did you check the intake as someone had suggested? What about the air tightness of your boat? If it's a drafty pig you'll be fighting a losing battle

 

[fishin solo]

Maybe the fan is messed up right from brand new ? Have you talked to trotac about it ?

 

[Chuck]

Did you check the intake as someone had suggested? What about the air tightness of your boat? If it's a drafty pig you'll be fighting a losing battle

Intake vent is clear, I will pull out the full length of vent line to be sure. No not drafty at all full aluminium cabin and good windows, I can use a small Buddy heater on low and gets very pleasant

 

[Rain City]

Intake vent is clear, I will pull out the full length of vent line to be sure. No not drafty at all full aluminium cabin and good windows, I can use a small Buddy heater on low and gets very pleasant

That's very odd then. My cabin is massive and it turns into a sweat box.

 

[Chuck]

Maybe the fan is messed up right from brand new ? Have you talked to trotac about it ?

All sounds good no suspicious noise or strain coming from the unit.

 

[Rain City]

Thermostat issue?

 

[Chuck]

Thermostat issue?

Not really a thermostat, a dial from 0-10 more of a timer for how long the unit runs, which I think is somewhat odd!

It is a thermostat, just doesn't work. Unit is either on or off.

 

[fishin solo]

Yep somethings not right..... that to me sounds like a fuel pump problem...... runs for 5 min then burns itself out? If that’s the case you have a weak fuel pump. Easy way to check that is to gravity feed it and if it’ll runs fine then the pump is the problem.

 

[Chuck]

So this is what I found using a Kestrel wind and temp indicator.

Two short outlet runs 14" long, 3" diameter piping with a 90 deg bend into cabin. Both outlets have external piping insulation.
Wallas 30DT, installed behind front bulkhead at starboard helm. Seems like a good spot for installation, plenty of space for the unit and vents.

Blower outlets:

* Upper:
At outlet 9 mph, temp 169 deg.
1" away from outlet 7.4 mph, 175 deg.

* Lower:
At outlet 9.8 mph, temp 146 deg.
1" away from outlet 8.3 mph, 149 deg.

Temperature actually seems pretty good but the blower is another story, very weak!

 

[Chuck]

Well just spoke with Wallas Rep at Trotac.
Start it and let it run and don't worry about it, their not like a Wabaso or others that are much better.
Difficult to understand why anyone would recommend such a POS for what they cost!

Thanks for your replies.

Wardo

 

[Rain City]

Well just spoke with Wallas Rep at Trotac.
Start it and let it run and don't worry about it, their not like a Wabaso or others that are much better.
Difficult to understand why anyone would recommend such a POS for what they cost!

Thanks for your replies.

Wardo

Can you add a booster fan to the ducts?

 

[triplenickel]

Have you gone through the whole air circuit including the heater? Squirrel or mouse stash some kibble this winter?