Page 1 of 2

AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:20 pm
by norcal pinz
Image How much fuel does this heater burn does anyone know? like in gallons per hour?

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:47 pm
by Jimm391730
How much fuel does this heater burn does anyone know? like in gallons per hour?
Generally, these heaters don't use much more than 1 quart per hour, often less.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:52 pm
by edzz
Between 6 and 16 hours per gallon per the BN4 manual.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:11 pm
by norcal pinz
I was also wondering were these heaters meant to be used while driving down the road ? or is it only for when your parked ? and i heard they only work if you have more than half a tank, so how does the unit know how much gas is in the tank ?? :)

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 7:55 pm
by Jimm391730
I have heard (not first hand information) that some trucks used a "T" in the engine fuel line (before the engine fuel pump) to supply fuel for the heater; this could conceivably drain the tank when parked. IIRC this was discovered because the T and/or other fuel lines had small cracks that would let the fuel pump drain when not running and making starting difficult since the pump was not primed.

I have also heard that other trucks (probably set up from the factory for the heater) have a dedicated fuel pickup tube in the tank that only went about half way down so the heater could not empty the tank. This would always leave some amount of fuel available for the engine.

I have never heard of any prohibition to using the heaters while driving so I guess they could be used while stopped or in motion.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:53 pm
by djw
Jimm391730 wrote:
I have also heard that other trucks (probably set up from the factory for the heater) have a dedicated fuel pickup tube in the tank that only went about half way down so the heater could not empty the tank. This would always leave some amount of fuel available for the engine.
This is the case with mine when I traced the fuel line debugging it last month.

One of the first tips on a non-working heater I found in heater troubleshooting docs is to make sure your tank is not below the heater's dedicated fuel pick-up. I guess it is up to the owner to figure out at what level the heater's fuel pick-up ends.

The book fuel consumption on mine is .47l/hr at maximum, and .13l/hr at low, which works out to .124 g/hr on high and .035 g/hr on low. Seems a tiny amount to me but that's what it says and a lot of heat before you consume a gallon of fuel.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:27 pm
by Roverchef
I use mine instead of the "Dash" heater. It seems to heat alot better then the one in the front. I have left it running overnight a few times while I was camping in the back with no issues in terms of fuel or battery consumption in the morning. Insulating the inside of the Pinzy makes a huge difference too. I did find out that it heats alot better when you replace the fresh air duct with a solid panel one from an M and just remove the extra ducting to give it room to suck in "Cab" air. I know you can close the fresh air duct but mine seemed to collect snow/rain even when closed so I opted to seal it up with the solid paneled one. Hope that helps.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:49 am
by BobbyD
My '71 710K heater is "t-d" off of the fuel line. I suspect it could drain the tank.. I have never ran it more than an hour. This is a result of living in San Diego.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:04 am
by Jim LaGuardia
:idea: BN4 users please periodically check the fuel regulator for weeping/leaking.
I have 2 trucks here with leaking regulators that could be fire bombs. Have not yet found a source for regulators, but fuel pumps are available on ebay in US(nevada)

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:48 am
by Stekay
BN4 users please periodically check the fuel regulator for weeping/leaking.
Jim, if possible, could you please post a pic or describe the location of the fuel regulator?

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:51 pm
by norcal pinz
just to be clear the heater in the picture is NOT a BN4 model right ??

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:51 pm
by Jim LaGuardia
That is a BN4 in the picture, the regulator is obvious as soon as you take the top cover off. It is silver and the fuel line connects to it.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:29 pm
by crcpinz
How would one go about disconnecting permanently the fuel hose that goes to the heater? I am concerned that I might have a small fuel leak there, and don't plan on ever using the heater.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:47 pm
by Jim LaGuardia
Follow the fuel line back to the tee and block it off, then remove the inline fuse from the heater under the top cover.

Re: AUX Heater in a K model

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:14 pm
by krick3tt
You could always sell the heater since you do not intend to use it. Surely there is some other pinz part, that is to you, more important