Which diesel heater?

[mbird]

Ok, so here's one that will divide opinion...

What is the best diesel heating system; Webasto, Eberspacher or Mikuni?

I have heard good points and bad points about all the systems, though at the moment I am being swayed towards Mikuni to be fitted in the new boat when we get her. I have spoken to Will Haywood, who I believe is the UK distributor, who was very helpful. I intend to go see him at the London Boat Show to get some more info if possible.

Opinons, however biased, are welcomed

[Antares_9]

Mikuni are good reliable units Mark, the only issue with them is the fact there are very few about when compared with the major players so you may have problems if you run into any unusual faults down the line. The latest Webastos (The Eco Range) are in my opinion the best around with many new features and the advantage of having spares and service available on every street corner. Having ripped apart many of the things they are all very agricultural in the main, being no more than a mini corn drier in their operation, a simple evaporator and forced air combustion but the control electronics in them all is where they get a bit complex. This is where the Webo scores above the rest with lower current drain and in the new models real solid state. If you want opinions on Eberspacher just search on the YBM forums as there are too many issues to list, they are great when used on a regular basis but really suffer on a private boat with sporadic use. The best advice with fitting any of them is to make sure all the air trunking is insulated; it makes a huge difference to the output at the vents. Make sure you have an outlet in the heads, great for drying wet weather gear and no frozen arses in the middle of a winter’s night.

A bit biased toward Webasto but bias brought about by owning and keeping going not only the three mentioned but also Volvo Ardic which are a nightmare.

All three also do a diesel fired water heater, you may want to consider that as a virgin fit, they have the advantage that they will heat the water without shore power or engine running, can pre heat the engine(s) and still have warm air through trunking by using a matrix or conventional rads, both can also use waste engine heat when cruising for free heat.

[Happy Jax 3]

Hi Mark

We had Mikuni on our last boat, and it was the most temperamental heating system I have ever experienced. It got to the stage we could not rely on it as a heat source during winter It was sent away on a couple of occasions and they couldn't sort it.

We currently have webasto, apart from a good decoke last year due to smoking, it has never let us down. Most lorries have Wabasto or Eberspacher fitted as standard, so spares are freely available and you don't even have to pay boat tax on them.

That's just my personal take on it. I am sure others will say they have experienced problems with Webasto and Eberspacher.

[petersjoy]

Hi, I fitted a mikuni to Peters Joy 2 years ago and havn't a problem yet so i'm biased,

got it from http://www.yachtbits.com/mikuni/my30_wa ... ystems.php based in Lowestoft so local as well.

[RedRover]

Does anyone know where i can get trunking insulation from local to norfolk and is it easy to fit ie: wrap around/stick on? I am told by colin that it improves the heat output thro the vents ten fold.

[Antares_9]

Tenfold is a major exageration Barry, but as I said earlier in the thread it does give a significant improvement. It is available in wrap around for already installed systems or tube for use during installation. Not ever so cheap, JPC should be able to fit you up (no pun intended)

[mbird]

Does anyone know where i can get trunking insulation from local to norfolk and is it easy to fit ie: wrap around/stick on? I am told by colin that it improves the heat output thro the vents ten fold.

Hi Barry. I used domestic insulation from B&Q! They do stuff on a roll which is a bit like bubblewrap, but with silver foil on both sides too. The roll was about 18" wide, so I basically cut it into 3" wide strips and then wrapped it around the warm air ducting and secured with cable ties. It probably wasn't as efficient as the bespoke stuff, but then it was probably a darn sight cheaper! Before we put it on, the hot air ducts were too hot to touch for long when the heater was running, but after I wrapped them, the insulation got warm, but nothing like as hot, so it must have been keeping more of the heat where it was meant to be, rather than warming the bilge.

You can just see it in the photo below running by the side of the engine just below the alternator.

[mbird]

Hi, I fitted a mikuni to Peters Joy 2 years ago and havn't a problem yet so i'm biased,

got it from http://www.yachtbits.com/mikuni/my30_wa ... ystems.php based in Lowestoft so local as well.

Thanks Paul. After a bit of research, they were the cheapest I could find online, but I intend to do a goodley bit of bartering at LIBS in January

[senator]

that was quite a big heater you fitted on Tranquil Breeze Mark,

[RedRover]

Thanks,David,i said tenfold but meant warmer than it throws out now altho it does do quite well just curious to see if i can get even more out of it without spending an arm and a leg.Mark,thanks for that i will look in B & Q's to see what they have got.

[Antares_9]

Thanks,David,i said tenfold but meant warmer than it throws out now altho it does do quite well just curious to see if i can get even more out of it without spending an arm and a leg.Mark,thanks for that i will look in B & Q's to see what they have got.

Just my pedantary Barry, take no notice, you will definately notice the difference, just to prove it you can do a before and after temperature check at the vents, if the trunking runs through a locker where you keep clothing and the like then it's worth leaving a 4" section uninsulated to help keep the damp at bay.

[RedRover]

Got this off another place,sounds good to me.

http://www.selbyboatcentre.co.uk/catalo ... cts_id=143

[mbird]

That would certainly be the stuff Barry .... if you could afford it £12.99 for 2'6" seems a bit bloody expensive though!

[senator]

Armourflex do a foam insulation suitable for high temperature application, it is not cheap but I don't think it is as expensive as that and is probably even more effective.

Ian

[RedRover]

That would certainly be the stuff Barry .... if you could afford it £12.99 for 2'6" seems a bit bloody expensive though!

Yes,Mark,thats what i thought i'll stick to B & Q.