Setting The Programmer for the Espar Multi Max F1000 diesel coolant heater controller is basic and just takes some practice getting used to the steps. It comes with an SD card that has the manuals and programmer installed.
The first step is to download the SD card information to your computer. Then you can go ahead and program the coolant heater features any way you like. This is a huge advantage with this controller having more flexibility and control with the settings and the driver does not have to worry about setting the controller on top of other operator duties.
Setting Start Times
The first step is “start times” that you have to set when you want the heater to operate. The four settings allow you to set the time and duration as well as which days you would like the heater to come on. We usually run them between one and 2 hours at a time in the early morning and around 1:30 in the afternoon. They use VERY low amounts of diesel fuel.
Setting Scheduler
The next step is setting times when you do not want the heater to operate. This scheduler feature is good to have if you are going to be away for a week or how ever long a duration you choose. For our fleet during the cold season we leave them on all of the time to keep the coolant warm and to cycle the heaters for preventive maintenance. If they sit long periods of time without running the fuel system does not stay primed and sediment collects in the coolant.
Feature Settings
The controller can also be programmed for a certain battery voltage that disables the heater when voltage drops down too far. In the video the voltage minimum was just over eleven volts. The maximum coolant temperature is also programmable to diable the heater when the high temp is reached.
There is also a preventive maintenance setting which will flash the RED controller LED to alert the operator that PM work to the coolant heater is required. Another alert that you can set is the “exerciser alert” which flashes a YELLOW LED on the controller. This alert is set for 30 days.
This is a great alert to have to remind the operator that the coolant heater has not operated for some time and needs a good cycle through to prime the fuel system and get the coolant running through the heater ports. The heater needs to be operated for at least 20 minutes to reset the exerciser alert.
School buses in most districts can not idle the engines at the schools because of the emissions and the cost of fuel. Diesel coolant heaters are a great component to keep the bus cabs warm while the bus is stationary and reduce cold start engine operation. The push button on the controller allows the driver to turn on the coolant heater any time for 60 minutes. Pushing the button a second time will shut down the heater.
I hope you got something our of this article. If you happen to use Espar heaters you can totally relate to all of this information but if you are not familiar with them leave a comment below with your questions. I believe diesel coolant heaters are a great device to have on any vehicle since they are programmable to suit your needs and don’t cost a lot to operate.
