Eberspacher current draw

[NormanS]

My old Eber, which has been replaced by a new D4 Plus, used to have a shut-down procedure, which involved lots of noisy blowing and power for the glow plug.
When the new one shuts down, it just stops. It doesn't seem to use any power to the glowpin on shut-down, the fan doesn't speed up. As I say, it just stops.

The power requirements for my D4 Plus, are quoted (in watts) as:
Start. 100
Max Power. 55
High Power. 30
Medium. 16
Low. 7

Maybe those who are complaining about excessive current draw should consider the advantages of an up-to-date model.

 

[King Penguin]

Wow - just fitted a D4 and didn't plan on it using 6amps running! Must check the manual for 50% running which is what it sits at most of the time.

I'm sure if I ran mine at 50% it would draw a lot less than at full power, next time I'm on the boat I'll see what the consumption is.

On a different but related topic, the engineer who fitted mine said that these heaters like to be run at full power, if they are run at tick over all the time they require more maintenance as they are more likely to clog up.

I'd be interested in hearing the views of other forumites..........

 

[Sans Bateau]

My old Eber, which has been replaced by a new D4 Plus, used to have a shut-down procedure, which involved lots of noisy blowing and power for the glow plug.
When the new one shuts down, it just stops. It doesn't seem to use any power to the glowpin on shut-down, the fan doesn't speed up. As I say, it just stops.

The power requirements for my D4 Plus, are quoted (in watts) as:
Start. 100
Max Power. 55
High Power. 30
Medium. 16
Low. 7

Maybe those who are complaining about excessive current draw should consider the advantages of an up-to-date model.

Mine is the D4+ and when you turn it off, it just shuts down the heat and the fan runs for a minute or two

 

[Rivers & creeks]

I'm sure if I ran mine at 50% it would draw a lot less than at full power, next time I'm on the boat I'll see what the consumption is.

On a different but related topic, the engineer who fitted mine said that these heaters like to be run at full power, if they are run at tick over all the time they require more maintenance as they are more likely to clog up.

I'd be interested in hearing the views of other forumites..........

Yes I was told that by an engineer on the last boat - he also said it's wise to run it once every month at full power for 20 minutes or so, something about bearings not seizing and seals not degrading. We did that and never had a problem, will do the same on this boat.

 

[fireball]

Ours is the D3 - on shutdown the fan increases to full - so if the glow plug comes on as well (as stated above albeit for different model) then it's easy to see where the additional current draw comes from.

Eitherwhichway - the Eber draws from ~280Ah of leisure battery - don't think I need to worry about draw too much ... and I can always start the engine if it's getting low!

 

[NormanS]

Mine is the D4+ and when you turn it off, it just shuts down the heat and the fan runs for a minute or two

Yes, that's what I should have said. What I was emphasizing was that there is no extra power requirement at shut-down.

 

[King Penguin]

Yes, that's what I should have said. What I was emphasizing was that there is no extra power requirement at shut-down.

Perhaps you are right, but have you checked, my D5 continues running after it is switched off for a couple of minutes.......but for about 45 secs, maybe a minute it draws 20amp as it closes down.

That's the beauty of these Nasa BM1s they show what's happening to your draw without having to press any buttons.

It's interesting to watch what happens when you start the engine too, mine needs 30-40 secs of warming before starting and that can suck out 40+ amps whilst warming them!

 

[David2452]

Current draw is quite interesting, my test bed uses a power supply with a very accurate volt & current read out, I always turn the volts down to minimum spec and up to maximum spec as part of the test process and the difference in current drawn between the two is marked. So make sure you have adequate cable sizing and that all connections are bright and tight and you have well charged batteries for the least current draw.