Eberspacher burning through wicks

[jellyellie]

So yep, it's that time of the year again... Schnebby was refusing to work and kicking out thick white smoke the other day, but thanks to my over-familiarisation with the damn thing because of the same antics last year, I guessed it needed a new wick and a good de-coke. With the help of a friend I fitted and cleaned it all out, and it's working OK now (touch all the wood you can see).

However, when I bought the new wick from Felton Marina down here in Brighton, their Eberspscher expert mentioned that a wick should last a good 15 years. So far mine seem to last about 18-24 months. The Eber dude said if it's burning through them this quickly there'll be something wrong, probably with the fuel metering, that will be a bit too much for me to fix myself.

So, I have two questions:

1. How long does your Eberspacher wick last?
2. If mine is indeed getting through them too quickly, is there anything I can do, or should I take it to the Eber guy, or just carry on buying new wicks? (At £75 a pop!)

 

[Sandyman]

Hello Ellie

Not sure what you mean..............New Wick ??

Sandy

 

[David2452]

I assume you mean the gause, in which case it's not certaily but a very high probability that it's running too lean, get the local Ebo dealer to come and set the exhaust CO2 to the correct level which will ensure a correct fuel air ratio. It's not a DIY job as you are unlikely to have access to the kit required. As for the gause lasting 15 years, that's risable, all three air heater manufacturers only rate even the cast heat exchanger at ten years and the gause is a service replacement item.

 

[VicMallows]

What model heater? Until the other day I thought they all used wire gauze around the glow-plug which indeed should last many years (mine is original and 24yrs). However someone a few days ago posted very detailed pictures of their eber which doesn't remotely resemble mine and clearly does have something resembling a 'wick'.

Sure someone with more info will be along soon.

 

[jellyellie]

Hi

It's a D3L from the early 80s.

It's called a wick by Eberspacher, and that's certainly the function it undertakes. It's definitely different to the ones with gauzes.

I think I'll see how much it'll cost for them to try adjusting it.

Anyone else with an Eberspacher with a wick that has experience of replacing/not replacing them?

 

[Hoolie]

... ... ... However someone a few days ago posted very detailed pictures of their eber which doesn't remotely resemble mine and clearly does have something resembling a 'wick'.

Sure someone with more info will be along soon.

You're right. Ours is a similar but completely different model that has a gauze, not a wick.
The new gauze in the recent service kit is quite different - a re-design?

 

[Sandyman]

http://www.eberspacher.com/support-and-downloads/technical-documents.html

D3L download Page 16/17.............cant see anything about a wick.

Ellie who told you what ever it is your looking for/at is called a wick ?

What is its purpose in the heater ?

 

[jellyellie]

http://www.eberspacher.com/support-and-downloads/technical-documents.html

D3L download Page 16/17.............cant see anything about a wick.

Ellie who told you what ever it is your looking for/at is called a wick ?

What is its purpose in the heater ?

Hi Sandy, how are you?

It definitely has a wick; the download you link to is for the D3LC, which is actually very different and indeed doesn't have a wick. Mine does; it lines the combustion chamber.

 

[Martin_J]

Jellyellie's is definitely a wick.. nothing like the gauzes that the rest of our heaters have.. and yes - it's a lot more expensive than the simple wire gauze that is in later heaters..

You've got me thinking again now..

 

[Martin_J]

To save confusion - perhaps we should call it a 'liner'...

http://www.esparparts.com/liner-heat-exchanger-p-25236.html

.... so long as we don't confuse it with the big ship like object that's called a liner...

 

[Pasarell]

I have a D3L that has run faultless since I bought the boat early last year, so 1.5 winters living aboard. I will be in the Middle East this winter so not much use for a heater but when I was back in the UK 3 weeks ago there were a couple of cool evenings and when switched on it just started as normal. That was the first time running since about April. No practical help to you Ellie other than to let you know there may be a more deep seated problem with your unit. Hope you get it sorted and the winter isn't too cold there.

 

[Heckler]

So yep, it's that time of the year again... Schnebby was refusing to work and kicking out thick white smoke the other day, but thanks to my over-familiarisation with the damn thing because of the same antics last year, I guessed it needed a new wick and a good de-coke. With the help of a friend I fitted and cleaned it all out, and it's working OK now (touch all the wood you can see).

However, when I bought the new wick from Felton Marina down here in Brighton, their Eberspscher expert mentioned that a wick should last a good 15 years. So far mine seem to last about 18-24 months. The Eber dude said if it's burning through them this quickly there'll be something wrong, probably with the fuel metering, that will be a bit too much for me to fix myself.

So, I have two questions:

1. How long does your Eberspacher wick last?
2. If mine is indeed getting through them too quickly, is there anything I can do, or should I take it to the Eber guy, or just carry on buying new wicks? (At £75 a pop!)

Jellie
Those fuel holes that you prodded for the mag article, are they like carb jets? If you prod them with a steel prodder, they enlarge. Enlarged holes = more fuel. More fuel = wick burns quicker?
Stu

 

[the_branflake]

The D3L (i had one too) does have a wick it in. Someone on here had detailed photos of replacing them.

I would have thought its not getting enough fuel and then its burning the wick and not the fuel in the chamber/on the wick. But that's just a guess.

 

[Sandyman]

Hi Ellie,

Were fine. Looking fwd to winter................again

So its not a wick in the conventional sense. Looks to me like a liner, as stated, for the heat exchanger. If its burning through that quick then it must be getting to hot which would lead to believe there is a fault in the fuel metering or the stat is not cutting in.

Sandy

 

[jellyellie]

Jellyellie's is definitely a wick.. nothing like the gauzes that the rest of our heaters have.. and yes - it's a lot more expensive than the simple wire gauze that is in later heaters..

You've got me thinking again now..

Yeah - £75 expensive! I'm sticking to calling it a wick as opposed to a liner as that's what Eberspacher call it.

@Pasarell - Thanks for your reply. I'm glad yours has been well-behaved so far.

Jellie
Those fuel holes that you prodded for the mag article, are they like carb jets? If you prod them with a steel prodder, they enlarge. Enlarged holes = more fuel. More fuel = wick burns quicker?
Stu

Hey Stu. Unfortunately no, otherwise that'd be a nice theory - they are just little gaps in a metal spinner thing. They don't enlarge.

The D3L (i had one too) does have a wick it in. Someone on here had detailed photos of replacing them.

I would have thought its not getting enough fuel and then its burning the wick and not the fuel in the chamber/on the wick. But that's just a guess.

Sounds like a good guess to me.

Hi Ellie,

Were fine. Looking fwd to winter................again

So its not a wick in the conventional sense. Looks to me like a liner, as stated, for the heat exchanger. If its burning through that quick then it must be getting to hot which would lead to believe there is a fault in the fuel metering or the stat is not cutting in.

Sandy

What would the difference between a wick in the sense I'm thinking, and a liner for the heat exchange be?

 

[Martin_J]

Jellyellie

In your first post you 'guessed it needed a new wick and a good de-coke' then you said the Eber guy thought .. 'if it's burning through them...'

Did it look like a decoke/clean was needed or was it actually dry and disintegrated? Back to the old days of paraffin heaters (with an adjustable wick), if the paraffin was left to run out, the wick would burn dry and it would ruin the wick rather quickly.... So - lack of fuel could cause the wick to disintegrate..

Other option is just the fuel we're using these days. Diesel does not burn as cleanly as paraffin.. and the wick (or gauze in our case) just cokes up due to fuel.

(Regarding prodding of holes... Thought all fuel metering was done at the pump so enlarged holes would not allow more through than the pump could deliver... )

So - if it's dry/disintegrated I'd say too little fuel (or too much on/off use!)... and if black and coked up then fuel!

I guess you saw my previous photos of running my Eber on paraffin for six hours.. Totally saved having to decoke...


PS - Fuel metering is adjusted at the top end of the pump.. you didn't touch that end whilst checking the filter did you?

 

[jellyellie]

Jellyellie

In your first post you 'guessed it needed a new wick and a good de-coke' then you said the Eber guy thought .. 'if it's burning through them...'

Did it look like a decoke/clean was needed or was it actually dry and disintegrated? Back to the old days of paraffin heaters (with an adjustable wick), if the paraffin was left to run out, the wick would burn dry and it would ruin the wick rather quickly.... So - lack of fuel could cause the wick to disintegrate..

Other option is just the fuel we're using these days. Diesel does not burn as cleanly as paraffin.. and the wick (or gauze in our case) just cokes up due to fuel.

(Regarding prodding of holes... Thought all fuel metering was done at the pump so enlarged holes would not allow more through than the pump could deliver... )

So - if it's dry/disintegrated I'd say too little fuel (or too much on/off use!)... and if black and coked up then fuel!

I guess you saw my previous photos of running my Eber on paraffin for six hours.. Totally saved having to decoke...


PS - Fuel metering is adjusted at the top end of the pump.. you didn't touch that end whilst checking the filter did you?

Thanks for your help Martin.

There definitely wasn't a lack of fuel! When I opened it up there was a little pool of diesel sat in the combustion chamber, with no wick left to absorb it. The chamber was quite cokey, and all that was left of the wick was the metal mesh.

Made sure not to touch the fuel metering bit by the pump when I fiddled around with it last year

 

[Heckler]

Jellyellie

In your first post you 'guessed it needed a new wick and a good de-coke' then you said the Eber guy thought .. 'if it's burning through them...'

Did it look like a decoke/clean was needed or was it actually dry and disintegrated? Back to the old days of paraffin heaters (with an adjustable wick), if the paraffin was left to run out, the wick would burn dry and it would ruin the wick rather quickly.... So - lack of fuel could cause the wick to disintegrate..

Other option is just the fuel we're using these days. Diesel does not burn as cleanly as paraffin.. and the wick (or gauze in our case) just cokes up due to fuel.

(Regarding prodding of holes... Thought all fuel metering was done at the pump so enlarged holes would not allow more through than the pump could deliver... )

So - if it's dry/disintegrated I'd say too little fuel (or too much on/off use!)... and if black and coked up then fuel!

I guess you saw my previous photos of running my Eber on paraffin for six hours.. Totally saved having to decoke...


PS - Fuel metering is adjusted at the top end of the pump.. you didn't touch that end whilst checking the filter did you?

In her article it was stated that the spinning thing was "blocked" I assume it is an atomiser? So maybe it does have some bearing on how much fuel gets thru?
Stu

 

[jellyellie]

Stu, yes, the spinner thing is the atomiser; it wasn't blocked when I opened it up at the weekend.