Eberspacher or Webasto or what?

[john_morris_uk]

We looked at blown hot air heating systems at the boat show and are now a little confused. I had heard/read some horror stories regarding Eberspacher locking out and not being able to be reset unless you called in a service engineer. The salesman smiled kindly when I mentioned this and explained that provided I had a proper Eberspacher timer, I would always be able to reset the system myself.

Webasto gently hinted that the opposition just copied their good ideas, but I didn't warm (sic) to their proposed control system.

The jury is out. What are the pro's and cons of the systems. Is there another one I should consider.

I need at least three outlets for our Sealord and I don't want a second-hand one out of a truck....

 

[FWB]

I believe that Wallas heaters are good quality blown air ones---Kuranda marine.
Why not fit a proper fixed heater?, not blown air, diesel powered, no electrics ?
See Refleks, Dickenson or Sigmar. Just a thought.

 

[mikebees]

My experience of Eberspacher: Do not go anywhere near the agents based in the Solent(you might be able to guess who). They will overcharge you and take bits off your heater then swear blind they never had them! I was charged nearly 200 pounds for repairs and the heater failed again 3 weeks later. Remember these are non-marinised vehicle heaters and inherently unreliable on a boat. I have heard good reports of Makuni but no personal experience. If you must go Eberpacher they are half the price from a German dealer!

 

[brianhumber]

Would suggest its how they are fitted which makes the difference.
My Eberspacher has only had one glow plug fail in the past 8 years. Blew a fuse when the ducting collasped ( not ebberspacher ducting ) and the unit failed safe as designed. The Solent agents were spot on with their free over the phone advice in both cases.

 

[VicMallows]

I'm afraid I can only agree with you. Sorrry Eberspacher but it's the price of the simplest spares that have defeated me.

Vic

 

[mpopeye]

From a Webasto engineer

Both Eberspacher and Webasto heaters will do very much the same thing for the 'off the shelf price', most whistles and bells can be added to both systems. I became a webaso engineer due to their approach of having a local engineer to you (marine of vehicle). If you look at the Webasto web site you will see what I mean on the service dealer locations. That all being said I would still recommend the Webasto.

 

[FrayBentos]

I have had both makes from new on boats I have owned. I would go for Webasto every time now. Startup current is less and I believe they are quieter running, though that may been down to the installation.
Last heater bought was a Webasto Airtop 5000, have had it 5 years and never a moments trouble

 

[john_morris_uk]

That's interesting as the Eberspacher salesman suggested one extra we might like to consider was a silencer in the heating duct.

 

[muminator]

We've just bought Webasto at the show, consensus seems to point to us having made the right decision (I hope so!).

We found the guy on the stand very knowledgeable and helpful, the system seems to run more quietly (especially with the silencer they've offered for another thirty quid), and it looks pretty user-friendly.

The show offer includes free lagging for the ducting and a 25% discount.

Still, it's a lot of money, so I hope it is the right one.

Sue

 

[freeman]

My experience is DO NOT go for a Wallas

a cheap one is for sale

 

[JamesS]

Our Eberspacher has given great service for the past 10 years, no need for a service engineer, glow plugs or any other horror stories.

Cheers

 

[pvb]

It\'s all down to installation...

I've had Eberspachers in various boats, and have had no problems with them. Some have been factory-fitted, some I've fitted myself. If they're properly fitted, in line with the instructions, they are very reliable. A lot of the horror stories you'll read on boat forums are the result of people fitting second-hand units out of trucks without having the benefit of an installation manual.

There's no need for Eberspachers to be noisy. Eberspacher have a huge range of accessories which includes metal/rubber shock absorbing mounts, noise-reducing fuel pump holders, and - best of all - a "process air silencer" which fits in the main outlet ducting and removes the fan noise (I imagine this is what the salesman was referring to). My current boat has an Eberspacher with one of these silencers fitted, and the system is effectively silent. Have a look at the Eberspacher Accessories guide and consider getting at least a silencer.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Re: It\'s all down to installation...

With the air silencer in place are you losing any noticeable pressure in the system?

 

[pvb]

None at all...

It's a large-bore silencer, with the bore the same diameter as the hot air ducting (Eberspacher offer it in 75mm and 100mm duct sizes). The silencer is fitted in the ducting close to the exit from the heater. My heater is fitted in the engine compartment, which is probably a better location than a cockpit locker, and feeds 3 outlets very happily.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Re: None at all...

Which control unit do you use? The Webasto salesman hinted that he believed that the Eber' timer could only turn the heating on and wouldn't turn it off. Another reason perhaps that we lost a little faith in what he was saying?

 

[JerryHawkins]

I've had an Eber Airtronic D2 for about 3 years now and, in general, it has proved very reliable. I installed it from new myself and as soon as it was available got the latest moderator/timer unit which allows you to display the ECU fault codes and re-set the lock-out if it has activated (after 4 failed starts in a row - automatically resets count on successful start) without the need to call out an engineer. I service it myself which is very simple -no fixed time interval; when it starts to "play up", usually by not firing first time, I replace the very fine fuel filter in the metering pump and the glow-pin screen. If this doesn't help then its a full strip-down/decoke job which takes a couple of hours in total including removing and re-installing the unit. All necessary info (manuals and parts lists) can be downloaded in PDF format from their US web site www.espar.com.

Cheers, Jerry

 

[pvb]

Control box...

My Eberspacher just has a simple on-off rotary switch with a separate thermostat. Never found a need for a timer.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Re: Control box...

Take your point about need for a timer. It was the salesman who admitted that you needed the electronic timer gizmo box to do resets yourself and not have to call out an engineer and it was a smuch for that reason that we were thinking of adding one to the list. Sounds as though you've never needed to do one of these dreaded resets from a lockout.

 

[billmacfarlane]

I'm on mt 3rd boat with an Eberspacher, all of which were professionally installed and apart from cleaning the glow plug, I've had no problems with any of them.

 

[pvb]

No lockouts...

As I said, John, if the thing's properly installed it should just work. It's not rocket science - just a fairly simple burner system!