Parking heater - Tapping into fuel tank?

Has anyone successfully tapped into a 3rd Gen fuel tank?

I don't believe there is an aux line.

I want to simplify sourcing one type of fuel, so I'd prefer to go with a gasoline Webasto Air Top 2000 STC.

 

You're in the Bay Area and need a parking heater? I'm in Wyoming and a few weeks ago it was -35 deg F and my Taco fired up without issue. We have been in the negatives for a few weeks straight and I haven't had any problems. Are you planning on taking your Taco up into Canada or Alaska?

 

^ @Veggie Taco is trying to power an air heater to warm the cabin or a tent, and wants to tap into the tank instead of carrying jerrycans.

I foresee complications with the evap system. What happens when the heater is on and the truck runs a system test? (You know that hissing/whirling sound when the engine is off?)

 

Same questions apply though haha.

Personally I wouldn't touch the stock fuel system. Too much risk for failure down the road. And gas is a lot more 'unforgiving' than diesel.

 

Ah I see. I was thinking of parking heaters in the Volvo truck sense of parking heaters (heating the engine and interior of a vehicle - assisting the engine to reach operating temperature sooner so the motor gets up to temperature quicker). A bit of research revealed there are also parking heaters that operate independently of the engine... guess this is what OP wants.

Dumb question: is a Mr Heater Big Buddy out of the question? 149.99 initial cost then you just have the consumables - two standard 1# cylinders or you can get the optional hose to connect to a 20# propane tank. The things are rated to heat 450 square feet with 4k / 8k/ and 18k settings. If it were me I would seriously consider the cost and benefits of tapping into my Taco + installing a parking heater against < $200 all-in for a Big Buddy setup.

 

Theres a lot of downsides to the buddy heater for RTT or camping applications (assuming thats what OP wants). First and foremost is a red hot glowing brick in your tent surrounded by flammable sleeping bags, clothes, the tent itself etc. And some concern of CO poising as well, though personally I doubt that would be an issue in a tent given how cleanly they burn and the tent being, well, a tent.

The diesel heaters (or gas or propane) eliminate these issues. Its just a hot air duct that gets routed to wherever you need heat delivered. The unit itself and the exhaust are typically mounted externally

 

Unless The OP plans on very frigid Temperatures below 0F I would go with propane just for the ease of handling no pouring of fuel no diesel jelling.

 

https://youtu.be/XVsfXuq1KFA?t=369

Tested and rated safe for indoor use by the manufacturer. In the above video a bubba has a local firefighter test the safety of a buddy and monitor the RV with his test equipment (spoiler: the carbon monoxide detector never went off over the course of a full bottle of fuel in closed quarters). I have a Propex HS211 in my overland teardrop that is basically the same thing... a control board, a fan, and a heating element fueled by propane and haven't had any issues.

Excellent point. There is the "knock down factor" risk as well although I believe the buddy heaters have a safety switch that will cut power to the unit in the event of a tip over.

 

Yes they do have that feature, but the ceramic catalyst element is still red hot. And with lighter items such as sleeping bags its very easy to see how they could end up on top of the heater without tipping it over.

But nothing is perfect. Im taking some K1 to mix with my diesel this weekend to reduce the chances of gelling

 

Hey all, thanks for the responses!

I actually found my answer in another thread on TW. Not sure why my search result didn't come up with it before: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...es-utility-motors.718947/page-4#post-25689584

I currently use a Buddy heater and it's causes too much condensation, even with all the windows open in my camper. I'd also prefer not to have a glowing heating element inside.

I snow camp in the Lake Tahoe area quiet often in the winter. Sno-Parks for when I want to hit the slopes and whatever trails are currently accessible without needing 40s lol.

I've done the diesel heater before, but it's a bit cumbersome to set it up every time I want to use it (handling diesel, pulling it out and placing on the ground, plugging into power, running the duct into the camper, etc). I want to be as self contained as much as possible, especially when camping in Sno-parks, which is why I want to permanently install a gasoline diesel heater onto the truck. Yes, I know I can do the same with a diesel, but my original point is to simplify the type of fuel used.

 

I see your point. And yes condensation is another huge downside of the Buddy heater I missed.

Regardless of fuel type, where are you going to mount the unit? Not exactly a ton of free realestate on these trucks. Keeping in mind you probably want the exhaust out the side somewhere and a good clean source of intake air for the combustion and heat.

 

I plan to install the heater either in the fender and cut duct holes into the passenger side of the bed, or on it's side on the floor of the bed just before the wheel well with the exhaust piped into the fender and out of my steel bumper. I'm in between keeping as much truck bed space as possible or keeping the DIY low and not having to route/cut ducts into the bed.

 

Something a person can do with a buddy heater is put an extra grate on the heater (I used a stainless wire cooling tray) and put the heater inside of a small wire dog kennel. No chance of getting knocked over or blankets/bags making contact. Granted you need a little room for this, it won't work in tight quarters very well.

 

Your Propex is entirely different other than that it uses propane. The Buddy heaters use direct gas burning emissions as the heat source which is where the moisture and carbon monoxide risks come from. Your Propex use a heat exchanger between a propane burner which is exhausted outside and clean air that never is part of the combustion cycle.

 

Data?

 

Any open flame emits carbon monoxide and can be a risk in an enclosed space if the combustion is not clean enough. The Buddy heaters are pretty good about it though. The point of that post was that the two heaters you compared use a totally different process to provide the heat.

 

Right. Like the pilot light in a water heater in your house, a wood burning stove in your house, or a fireplace in your house. All are carbon monoxide risks. As we learned from the video I linked the risks are negligible which is why every year, thousands (if not more) people use these types of portable heaters indoors, or in confined spaces like tents without issue. I was asking for your data that these units pose a risk. Other than anecdotal, any fire = carbon monoxide emissions I have not seen any data that indicate Buddy Heaters (or similar designs) pose any more risk than an electrical space heater.

I have seen on these forums (and others) the idea that gas or propane heaters = huge safety risk with zero data supporting the stance other than fire emits carbon monoxide. Your gas range and gas stove do the same thing yet households across the world use them in closed, confined spaces (along with water heaters, fire places, wood burning stoves, etc.). A simple carbon monoxide detector will mitigate the minimal carbon monoxide risk. A high end, battery operated detector you can clip on your tent will set you back $60.

As for the Propex Heater, there is a flame in the combustion chamber so there is a carbon monoxide risk which is why I have a detector in the living compartment. I agree with you on the point that it isn't an even basis for comparison though, since the hot air outlet is separated from the combustion chamber. The only thing the buddy and the Propex share is purpose and fuel.

Edit: changed open flame in the propex to "flame in the combustion chamber" for clarity. Open flame is incorrect.

 

Yup the 'catalyst' design of the Buddy and similar heaters make them burn very cleanly from a standpoint of CO emissions. But the Webasto style heaters eliminate the issue entirely by separating the combustion from the warmed air.

And for what its worth I believe new building code now requires significant ventilation above gas ranges