We wanted to heat the off grid cabin with a wood stove, but they do have a learning curve, and require frequent attention. Since this cabin may be used for guests we figured it might be wise to look for some other way to heat the space. A propane heater was the other option, but the inexpensive ventless heaters tend to cause humidity/condensation issues especially in small spaces.
We opted to try an 8 kw Vevor diesel heater in the little cabin. These heaters can be purchased online for less than $100 on up to well over $1,000. This Vevor brand heater was about $80. I had no experience installing or using these heaters, but thought I’d give it a try. My understanding is that this type of heater was originally designed in Europe to heat the cab of 18 wheelers. However, they’re increasingly being imported from China and used to heat RVs, cabins, workshops and camping tents.
This particular heater doesn’t cycle on and off when it reaches the desired thermostat setting, but more expensive models do. When this heater reaches the desired temperature it throttles down to the lowest setting automatically. On its lowest setting it will keep this cabin in the 50’s when the outside temps are in the teens. Fuel use at that setting is about 1/3 of a gallon for 12 hours of run time. It’s hooked up to the cabin’s main 12 volt 100 amp hour battery to run the heater’s fan and initially heat the glow plug for combustion. Other models can run off of 120 volt A.C. too, however if you lose electricity while the diesel heater is running it is quite possible that the unit will be damaged by excessive heat build-up. These heaters require an automatic ‘shutdown cycle’ when turning off so that they don’t overheat.
I’m very happy with this heater. It’s a simple design that works really well for smaller spaces. It puts out a dry heat as opposed to a ventless propane heater. I have a spare parts kit that includes an extra fuel pump, fuel line, glow plug, gaskets, etc. So far I haven’t needed to use them, but it’s such a simple design that the average DIY person can work on them. We have another one heating the greenhouse too…more on that some other post.
You guys are amazing!!