Does anyone know the intricacies of a night heater? How do they work? (Burning diesel obviously, but how)
Is there any concerns about using them while driving? (E.g. the first 30-60 minutes before the heater works).
Thanks
stu675:
Does anyone know the intricacies of a night heater? How do they work? (Burning diesel obviously, but how)
Is there any concerns about using them while driving? (E.g. the first 30-60 minutes before the heater works).
Thanks
They ignite diesel using a glow plug. The inlet and exhaust for this are outside the cab. They then use a heat exchanger to heat air which is introduced and expelled inside the cab. It’s fine to use them while the vehicle is in motion. You should turn them off when refuelling as the action of refuelling can stir up debris from the bottom of the fuel tank which could be drawn into the night heater intake.
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I doint know for a fact as i only learnt yesterday how to turn it on but i thought they were an electric fan heater.
sorry phone call in the middle of writting that so harry got there first and i am clearly wrong so ignore me
cooper1203:
I doint know for a fact as i only learnt yesterday how to turn it on but i thought they were an electric fan heater.
They have a 24v fan to blow the air though them but the ignition is done by burning diesel.
Harry Monk:
cooper1203:
I doint know for a fact as i only learnt yesterday how to turn it on but i thought they were an electric fan heater.They have a 24v fan to blow the air though them but the ignition is done by burning diesel.
Bet Harry’s got one on his boat 
If you…
Use the same motor all year, run the night heater up once or twice in the summer months.
As an aside, I like my feet toasty hot, all day in the winter months. The last few years, I’m damned if I can get modern day lorries to blow hot air on my tootsies with any real effect. A/C on or off, recirc on or off, climate control auto on or off, nothing seems to get very hot any more.
yourhavingalarf:
If you…Use the same motor all year, run the night heater up once or twice in the summer months.
As an aside, I like my feet toasty hot, all day in the winter months. The last few years, I’m damned if I can get modern day lorries to blow hot air on my tootsies with any real effect. A/C on or off, recirc on or off, climate control auto on or off, nothing seems to get very hot any more.
You’re not wrong. I had to turn the temperature down as it was getting too hot, but still cold feet, even with directing all the heating to the feet.
Harry Monk:
stu675:
Does anyone know the intricacies of a night heater? How do they work? (Burning diesel obviously, but how)
Is there any concerns about using them while driving? (E.g. the first 30-60 minutes before the heater works).
ThanksThey ignite diesel using a glow plug. The inlet and exhaust for this are outside the cab. They then use a heat exchanger to heat air which is introduced and expelled inside the cab. It’s fine to use them while the vehicle is in motion. You should turn them off when refuelling as the action of refuelling can stir up debris from the bottom of the fuel tank which could be drawn into the night heater intake.
Thanks for all of that [emoji106]
As above.
Finned metal tube, like an air cooled m/cycle, open to the outside to take in air, and let out exhaust. The cylinder has a plastic shrouding, and air from inside the cabin is blown over the fins, where it warms up.
Animation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBvbQ5IOqSQ
Here is a real one cut in half:
youtube.com/watch?v=0tTr16LY_TI
Lots of videos about them as there are many are being fitted to camper vans etc.
I`ve recently fitted one (Chinese, not Webasto) to my own vehicle.
They can be programmed to come on at a set time.like your heating at home.
Every truck set up is different.
Either read the manual or Google it.
Then you can program it to come on half an hour before you start this wether it melts snow and ice. And Is warm.
Saves you scraping ice warming up etc
Worked at one place one driver used finish at night park up at yard. N leave his running all night on low as he couldn’t be bothered setting a timer. Didn’t do truck any harm… although we don’t use micorlise etc.
Have heard using it affects your score . But my view on it is probably same as others balls to it
edd1974:
They can be programmed to come on at a set time.like your heating at home.
Every truck set up is different.
Either read the manual or Google it.
Then you can program it to come on half an hour before you start this wether it melts snow and ice. And Is warm.
Saves you scraping ice warming up etcWorked at one place one driver used finish at night park up at yard. N leave his running all night on low as he couldn’t be bothered setting a timer. Didn’t do truck any harm… although we don’t use micorlise etc.
Have heard using it affects your score . But my view on it is probably same as others balls to it
They do burn diesel, but does Microlise etc monitor the heater use? I would doubt that: it looks at the vehicle sensors.
They use about one or two litres overnight. Less than excessive idling to keep a cab warm.
There are some that heat coolant then that feeds the normal heater matrix, with added potential benefit of preheating the engine in cold climates. I had an actros for a short while and I suspect that they use this style, as the hot air feeds through the normal vents.
You also need to keep the air intake from your cab clear, usually behind the passenger seat.
Anything blocking or restricting that air intake will cause the heater to overheat and shut down.
Even too much dust will cause this to happen. Not only a t-shirt or cleaning cloth dropped by mistake.
I doubt Microlise, or any other monitoring system, is going to complain about running a night heater.
That’s why we have night heaters. So we don’t have to keep the engine running overnight, just to keep warm.
Simon:
You also need to keep the air intake from your cab clear, usually behind the passenger seat.
Anything blocking or restricting that air intake will cause the heater to overheat and shut down.
Even too much dust will cause this to happen. Not only a t-shirt or cleaning cloth dropped by mistake.
It’s been years since I’ve seen that type of night heater Simon, in fact for the last three trucks I’ve been allocated over the years I couldn’t even tell you where the night heater is situated.
Seeing as we’re on the subject, anybody here drive a new gen MAN? Have another TGX at ours to replace our knackered Mercs and I can’t figure out the timer to have it coming on at various times during the week before starting shift….read the manual…no joy….had a fiddle setting times/days/hours etc but nothing…parked it up this morning and just left it on so will be warm at 8pm. One gd thing about the Actros was timer setting was a 10 second job! Oh…and being able to lift or raise the back via the steering wheel buttons and not have me knuckles grazed reaching for the control pad
Actrosman:
Seeing as we’re on the subject, anybody here drive a new gen MAN? Have another TGX at ours to replace our knackered Mercs and I can’t figure out the timer to have it coming on at various times during the week before starting shift….read the manual…no joy….had a fiddle setting times/days/hours etc but nothing…
The paradox here is that people who are young enough to be able to work out the complexities of a night heater timer are too young to be able to hold HGV licences. 
My first night heater was one of those portable ones, that ran on some kind of paraffin fuel mix.
Harry Monk:
Actrosman:
Seeing as we’re on the subject, anybody here drive a new gen MAN? Have another TGX at ours to replace our knackered Mercs and I can’t figure out the timer to have it coming on at various times during the week before starting shift….read the manual…no joy….had a fiddle setting times/days/hours etc but nothing…The paradox here is that people who are young enough to be able to work out the complexities of a night heater timer are too young to be able to hold HGV licences.
Ain’t that the truth!! It’s a big improvement over the previous style, I find it quite comfortable to drive on the whole but playing with the menu has so far not helped because everything seems so bloody complex or long winded!