Fire99
Well-known member
I'm going to steam into this one (with my tin hat on). I'll try and keep to the point. I've an old Eber D5 which has been problematic since acquiring the boat and with the spares prices, the tipping point of giving up on the thing didn't take too long to find. So out it came.
As a temporary (I don't want to be cold) measure I bought a 5KW Chinese heater and though clearly it didn't have the ultimate power of the D5 (which is physically huge) it has done the job. In fact I bought a 2nd just because they were so cheap.. Here are my (as balanced as possible) findings. Good and bad..
Quick Tech outputs
Chinese 5KW = around 3.8kw - of actual heat output - (courtesy of David McLuckie on Youtube)
Chinese HCalory 6- 8.5kw - Slightly larger heat exchanger and 90mm outlet - around 4.8kw of actual heat (also from Devid McLuckie Youtube)
Good.
- Very very cheap to buy. You can buy a 5kw Triclicks (which both of mine are) for about £80 delivered at the mo.
- They come with a remote control that works perfectly
- They fit to existing Eberspacher exhaust, combustion air inliet and fuel inlet fittings, which is good (as will be mentioned in the negatives)
- Mine have been 99% reliable for around 2 - 3000 hours use in total. Running on diesel then Kerosene I've really basically forgotten about it.
- Replacement parts (I'll get to the why in the 'negative' list - are very cheap
- Replacing parts is childs play. Temp sensor and recently a fan. - No more than about 20 mins.
- There are good sources of balanced info out there - David McLuckie on Youtube is pretty straight down the line.
- Depending on the controller you can play with fan speeds and fuel pump rates etc if you like to dabble - and you can get an Afterburner controller from Ray Jones in Australia if you want to modify and see just about every paramater thats ever existed
Bad
- The standard 5kw one is limited on output for large boats. I've an Hcalory 6-8.5kw ready to test so ignore that one but at present there isn't a Chinese direct alternative to a large Eberspacher D5 (or dare I say Planar 9D). They have much bigger bodies and larger fans.
- The Hcalory 6-8.5kw controller looks good but the rest mostly look a bit 80s Calculator. They're not very stylish controllers.
- You really do need to use a different exhaust pipe. If you're replacing an existing Eber/Webasto then great. Use what is there. If it's a new install, you want to spend a few quid on a good quality insulated exhaust. (They're not mega expensive though).
- The same goes for ancillary bits. Jubilee clips etc are pretty cr@p and you want good stainless stuff on a boat.
- Fans and temp sensors don't last forever. I replaced a temp sensor ages ago (for about 8 quid) and this week a fan which was varying its speed. I've heard if you set the advanced settings to run them at 5k rpm instead of between 4.5k and 4.7k, the bearings get upset.
- One part not many people mention. The rubber gasket that goes around the exhaust / combustion air connectors, isn't great quality so if you do need to take the heater apart after a year or two it may start to break up. I would replace that if you do any repairs.
That's about it really. On balance I'd say Eber and Webasto are ridiculously over priced for their quality and they are not guaranteed to be problem free. The Chinese ones are amazing value but they do have their flaws so you do need to use your brain if you're going to install them on your boat.
On the CE issue that certainly will be a problem for OE on newbuilds and those fitted by professionals. IF (and I say IF) an accident happened I wouldn't want to be the professional who fitted the non CE equipment when it came to insurance etc. But even China has some CE approved heaters (Lavaner Pro).
I can't comment on Planar / Autoterm as I've never seen one in the 'flesh' and that's unlikely to change in the forseeable, for non-technical reasons.
So there you go. Purely my experiences and not a technical advice post.
As a temporary (I don't want to be cold) measure I bought a 5KW Chinese heater and though clearly it didn't have the ultimate power of the D5 (which is physically huge) it has done the job. In fact I bought a 2nd just because they were so cheap.. Here are my (as balanced as possible) findings. Good and bad..
Quick Tech outputs
Chinese 5KW = around 3.8kw - of actual heat output - (courtesy of David McLuckie on Youtube)
Chinese HCalory 6- 8.5kw - Slightly larger heat exchanger and 90mm outlet - around 4.8kw of actual heat (also from Devid McLuckie Youtube)
Good.
- Very very cheap to buy. You can buy a 5kw Triclicks (which both of mine are) for about £80 delivered at the mo.
- They come with a remote control that works perfectly
- They fit to existing Eberspacher exhaust, combustion air inliet and fuel inlet fittings, which is good (as will be mentioned in the negatives)
- Mine have been 99% reliable for around 2 - 3000 hours use in total. Running on diesel then Kerosene I've really basically forgotten about it.
- Replacement parts (I'll get to the why in the 'negative' list - are very cheap
- Replacing parts is childs play. Temp sensor and recently a fan. - No more than about 20 mins.
- There are good sources of balanced info out there - David McLuckie on Youtube is pretty straight down the line.
- Depending on the controller you can play with fan speeds and fuel pump rates etc if you like to dabble - and you can get an Afterburner controller from Ray Jones in Australia if you want to modify and see just about every paramater thats ever existed
Bad
- The standard 5kw one is limited on output for large boats. I've an Hcalory 6-8.5kw ready to test so ignore that one but at present there isn't a Chinese direct alternative to a large Eberspacher D5 (or dare I say Planar 9D). They have much bigger bodies and larger fans.
- The Hcalory 6-8.5kw controller looks good but the rest mostly look a bit 80s Calculator. They're not very stylish controllers.
- You really do need to use a different exhaust pipe. If you're replacing an existing Eber/Webasto then great. Use what is there. If it's a new install, you want to spend a few quid on a good quality insulated exhaust. (They're not mega expensive though).
- The same goes for ancillary bits. Jubilee clips etc are pretty cr@p and you want good stainless stuff on a boat.
- Fans and temp sensors don't last forever. I replaced a temp sensor ages ago (for about 8 quid) and this week a fan which was varying its speed. I've heard if you set the advanced settings to run them at 5k rpm instead of between 4.5k and 4.7k, the bearings get upset.
- One part not many people mention. The rubber gasket that goes around the exhaust / combustion air connectors, isn't great quality so if you do need to take the heater apart after a year or two it may start to break up. I would replace that if you do any repairs.
That's about it really. On balance I'd say Eber and Webasto are ridiculously over priced for their quality and they are not guaranteed to be problem free. The Chinese ones are amazing value but they do have their flaws so you do need to use your brain if you're going to install them on your boat.
On the CE issue that certainly will be a problem for OE on newbuilds and those fitted by professionals. IF (and I say IF) an accident happened I wouldn't want to be the professional who fitted the non CE equipment when it came to insurance etc. But even China has some CE approved heaters (Lavaner Pro).
I can't comment on Planar / Autoterm as I've never seen one in the 'flesh' and that's unlikely to change in the forseeable, for non-technical reasons.
So there you go. Purely my experiences and not a technical advice post.