Which Boat Heater??

[retired]

The Eberspacher on the boat has finally gone Kaput.

Does anyone have any recomendations with regard to replacement.

Skint boater.

[Oddfellow]

Eberspacher or Webasto. Both good. I would, probably go for a Webasto but that's just personal preference. 

HOWEVER, in your situation, what you want is a replacement that will directly hook up to the existing ducting and exhaust. 

The kits are generally better value than trying to buy a heater alone (yeah, stupid). 

What's actually wrong with the heater? What model is it? when was it last serviced? 
 

[retired]

 

Noisy start up run ok for about 30mins then just died. Power annd fuel supply fine. 

Have had the boat for 16 yrs and the heater has never been touched. 

[Bluebell]

We, this year, changed our old Webasto for a Planar 4Kw heater. The fittings weren’t an exact match, but with some help from Paul (Muddy Waters) it is working really well. Cost around £600 and with good back up from the UK based distributors. Check them out - google Planar Heaters UK - hope that helps!

[Oddfellow]

That sounds like you need it looking at, not necessarily replacing. 

[Smoggy]

Noisy startup could be fan bearings giving up causing an overheat shutdown, some controllers give diagnostic info, check out letonkinous (check spelling) varnish site as they have lots of eberspacher info and manuals online.

[SteveO]

Le Tonkinois.  Eberspacher info can be found  here  . Good luck!

[LondonRascal]

Seriously, I have now had six personal dealings with people using heaters from China, bought on Amazon or under £130.00. When these first came to market, many (including me) thought they must be 'dodgy' - but now, years later and they have become increasingly popular and I have yet to hear of one causing any issues, or indeed failing. The only thing you must do is not use the supplied fuel tank or nylon fuel hose. Using a certified fuel hose to the relevant BS Standard will mean they will pass the BSS. At the price they are, they are disposable if -IF - they should fail.

Or you could spend a little more - about £600.00 - and get a Planar heater. These are made in Russia, and is what we have installed on Broad Ambition. What you gain here is a UK based distributor who is contactable on the phone, and can send spares by next day deliver - not to mention will give any helpful advice on the phone. They come with a three year warranty.

Of course you can get a Webasto or Eberspacher - pay £1,500.00  and get little more for this outlay.  I paid close to £6,000 for a 5Kw Eberspacher with nstallation - it failed within a year, and I had to go through so many hoops for my warranty to be honoured. Even then, I had to pay for Panks to come to collect the unit, test it and return it to me - my warranty only covered the part that needed replacing.

On Trixie, I have a 2Kw Eberspahcer that is 28 years old. It works, but consumes 21Amps on start up, and needs 13.2Volts or it will not start up. I am considering replacing this for one of Amazon, as they will fit a Webasto/Eberspacher exhaust etc so all I need to is fit to bracket, connect fuel line that is already there, change fuel pump, connect wiring and install controller.

Here is an example, 4Kw, £111.00 delivered. 4Kw Diesel Heater

[retired]

Thank you Robin you have given me a lot to think about. Saw Trixie moored on the Ant yesterday.

 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

I know of five people with these chinese heaters installed in the last year or so including me. As Robin said other than the burner, controller, fuel pump and wiring throw the rest away whether a new install or replacing as they are not fit to be inside a boat. The supplied exhausts leak!

If the advert say`s 4kw expect nearer 3kw and the noise level does vary from one to another, must say I haven`t seen the controller in the link above before and there are good videos on youtube re testing & explaining the in`s & out`s.

[Oddfellow]

Be aware that the Chinese heaters are not likely to be CE approved and *may* be a cause for your insurer not to honour a claim should there be one. 

[Meantime]

13 hours ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

As Robin said other than the burner, controller, fuel pump and wiring throw the rest away whether a new install or replacing as they are not fit to be inside a boat. The supplied exhausts leak!

 

Purely out of interest, if the rest of the kit is not fit to be inside a boat!!! What makes anyone think that the heater itself is? Many of these Chinese heaters are cynically marked with CE, meaning Chinese export, not the more common EU marking.

To anyone thinking of fitting one, I would ask your insurance company first if you would be covered and be guided by that first and foremost.  

[OldBerkshireBoy]

14 hours ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

I know of five people with these chinese heaters installed in the last year or so including me. As Robin said other than the burner, controller, fuel pump and wiring throw the rest away whether a new install or replacing as they are not fit to be inside a boat. The supplied exhausts leak!

If the advert say`s 4kw expect nearer 3kw and the noise level does vary from one to another, must say I haven`t seen the controller in the link above before and there are good videos on youtube re testing & explaining the in`s & out`s.

Opps, thought I had editted that last night. Throw the exhaust away and keep the rest.

[MauriceMynah]

There doesn't seem to be any evidence to suggest that the Corona Virus is in any way faulty or badly made though it's unlikely to get a CE mark.

Flippant comments to one side, do the insurance policies specify that all equipment on board has to carry the CE mark? If not do they specify which items need the CE mark? TV?, Stereo?, or even the engine itself?

I don't know the answer to this but I'm sure someone will.

[vanessan]

7 minutes ago, annv said:

And they are made by the people that started this corone virus. John

As are probably the majority of the goods and products we buy! ☹️ (Or should that be ‘is the majority’? 🤔)

[MauriceMynah]

"Is" , definitely "Is".

[JawsOrca]

I hate these threads, it's playing with fire on so many levels. 

Please seek professional advice from espar/webasto agents. Tom @ JPC for example who is a wealth of knowledge and will give you all need to self install. Please ask them why the chinese heaters are not to be installed on a boat.

[MauriceMynah]

I think I'd rather seek the advice from an insurance company. I cannot getr away from the feeling that asking an agent for Eberspaecher or one foe Webasto, might, just might, be a touch bias.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

11 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

I hate these threads, it's playing with fire on so many levels. 

Please seek professional advice from espar/webasto agents. Tom @ JPC for example who is a wealth of knowledge and will give you all need to self install. Please ask them why the chinese heaters are not to be installed on a boat.

Do you or anybody else have proof that they shouldn`t be used on a boat.

[Meantime]

Below is a review of a Chinese heater. It appears this is one of the better ones, however this person has experience of the good and bad ones and possibly knows their stuff. How would you know if yours is like the one below, or one of the others ones he is comparing it to??? Worth the risk? It's not one I was prepared to take.

About a year ago, we got another 5kw heater directly from China. It was the best build machine with the best kit we had seen, We took it all apart and I will attach the photos showing the quality. Here is what I wrote at that time.....

CHINESE DIESEL AIR HEATER

Many people think they are all the same. They are not. We just received a 5KW from xyz and have taken it apart to compare to a cheap heater. The first thing we noticed is the weight. The xyz is substantially heavier than the others. Next was the positive clips holding it together not the screwed on cap. Once out of the case we found a very clean casting and a ceramic over-temperature sensor, not a tin one. All of the wires have double waterproof seals on them. The MB is completely covered in a water resistant housing. The outer fan spins true and we noted the balancing clip. The inner fan is also balanced. The bare motor is balanced and then the assembly is balanced a second time. All of the plugs are keyed so they only fit one socket. The plugs on the other heaters are not sealed or keyed. When we opened the burn chamber we found a solid cast primary end on the burner and a quality gloplug. The others have a thin stamped sheet burner. A quality filter, fuel line of tiny I.D. and the best SS exhaust clamps are included. We imagine they will be expensive, perhaps double the cost? But with a one year warranty, most people may find they are worth it? We have been using these types of air heaters since 1968 and have rebuilt many over the years. The xyz heater is equal to the best Eberspracher or Webasto we have seen. All of the parts are standard and will interchange with the D-4. No doubt everyone will want to know what we paid for it? We can not really know, because the very high air-freight cost was included and not broken out.

October 28 2020

[JawsOrca]

1 minute ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

Do you or anybody else have proof that they shouldn`t be used on a boat.

There are many design issues with them that make them unsuitable for boats (or there was when I last looked), things like the combustion chamber not being air tight, insufficient fuel return lines..(things which are fine for vehicle installs but not boats)..

Again I'm not expert and I would urge anyone with them or considering one to seek professional advice that either be a stockist (who may well be baise although the long discussions I had with tom I found him to be very honest and unbiased) or a marine surveyor/marine engineer who may be able to help advise a safe means to install these if you really chose them.

OP.  Espars need frequent maintenance, something to do with the heating mesh, it may be repairable so I suggest you contact a local agent (I don't believe Tom @ JPC can help but he may be able to recommend someone). 

[Meantime]

Off course, since it is now a BSS requirement, the first thing everyone should do is ensure they have a Carbon Monoxide detector fitted.

https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/safety-warning-about-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-after-the-loss-of-2-lives-on-the-motor-cruiser-diversion?fbclid=IwAR0qvSxCrs_xE9LVBJ2VdiCkoRDVgla4AZA1KfJqqiP1RdrSe0YhTFN1kiA

 

[RumPunch]

I have a Chinese all in one. It sits in the cockpit when I need it and is ducted through a hole into the cabin. Nothing permanently fixed, totally removable and no risk of anything failing inside the boat. Add the now mandatory CO alarm, and I'm snug and happy.

[laurenidetek]

Jova Heater manufacture good quality heaters

 

https://www.jovaheater.co.uk