Eberspacher or Webasto?

[Sneds]

We shall soon be ready to install, or should I say have installed, a warm air heating system on our 28ft sports cruiser.

My question is, is there any advantage to chosing Webasto over Eberspacher?
From what I can find the costs are very much the same so why would you chose one brand over another?
Are there any alternatives that I may not have considered? I'm not to keen on gas, not sure why.
Thanks

edit PS Can I have 3 outlets on a 2 outlet system? ie one inside and two "in series" in the cockpit? If I close off the inside one does more hot air come out of the other 2?

 

[rubberduck]

Had both on last two boats & FWIW I found little to choose between the two, just make sure you get a man enough system, don't skimp to save a few quid. I would just go for the best deal on offer.
Peter

 

[kesh]

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230062&highlight=webasto

 

[Sneds]

Thanks for the input and the link, interesting reading.

I am edging towards the Webasto as it seems to be less problamatic, easier to service and not quite as fussy about it's fuel.

 

[Due South]

I have the Webasto on my Prestige 36 and have never had any problems unlike what you hear about Eberspacher. I would say the oulet nearest to the boiler is brilliant but this does leave the front master cabin a bit cold. I end up leaving the cabin door open on chilly nights for air to circulate. Next boat will have two boilers

 

[Powersalt]

Just spent the weekend on board with new eber, but the new conrols have them to switch off after an hour.....cant see why and god did it let the boat get cold before you realized it had switched off.

 

[robind]

Eber controls

Once you have switched the heater on with the bottom right hand button ,move across to the bottom middle button and set how long (more than the initial hour) you want the heater to be on for, one press is something like 15 minutes two presses say 45 three another hour and each press from then on is an extra hour! Hope that helps
Rob

 

[mjf]

Just spent the weekend on board with new eber, but the new conrols have them to switch off after an hour.....cant see why and god did it let the boat get cold before you realized it had switched off.

Yes , read the book and adjust the time its on.

On mine you can set anything from 10mins to 8 hrs or even indefinate duration. Plus 3 sets of auto on/off with times and even days of the week.

 

[RogerRat]

Hi, I have had both Webasto and Ebers' now and apart from controls they work in a similar manner. The one thing that spooked me with the Webasto was that when it went through its cooling off run down period, red hot sparks shot out of the exhaust suggesting it needed serious decoking.

I think you'll need at least a D3 Ebers' minimum, if you want to heat a 28' boat and especially if you want outside cockpit vents on too. The main outlet will be in the saloon and this one will be permanently open by design.

Fitting extra outlets is simple to do yourself but getting the heater fitted properly will mean you'll get a more even airflow from all vents. If you then choose to close the cockpit vents more warm air will go to the vents below. A D3 should run four outlets quite well.

Use it regularly, even during the summer for short periods and read the manual, you'll be very pleased.

 

[SolentPhill]

I did a lot of research on here and other places before I bought mine, I spoke to both at Southampton and they both promised the world to get a sale, butthen I went to a boat electrics stand to buy a auto pilot and the guy asked what else I was buying, I said boat heater and I asked him which was best, he said they were about the same as each other in working although he had been called out to more ebers than webs as far as break downs go.

Thats the route I went and on here Toby @ Keto got some good ratings so I went down that route as well.

One thing I like is right now as Im doing this, my boat has 3 heaters on board to keep it damp free and warm, however the boat heating thermostat is on low should the electric fail. We did have a time the power went off for 3 days a few weeks ago and the boat was ok. Toby said that was perfectly ok as they have their own fuses and was designed for this.

Hope that helps

 

[V1701]

We shall soon be ready to install, or should I say have installed, a warm air heating system on our 28ft sports cruiser.

My question is, is there any advantage to chosing Webasto over Eberspacher?
From what I can find the costs are very much the same so why would you chose one brand over another?
Are there any alternatives that I may not have considered? I'm not to keen on gas, not sure why.
Thanks

edit PS Can I have 3 outlets on a 2 outlet system? ie one inside and two "in series" in the cockpit? If I close off the inside one does more hot air come out of the other 2?

FWIW I think we hear about the problems with Ebers more than other brands simply because there are so many more of them. I'd have thought blown air an inefficient way to heat the cockpit, assume you mean when it's fully enclosed with a tent though. Good luck...

 

[Marsupial]

We have a webasto system and have been living on board in cold uk for 10 days having just come in from turkey. @@@@@ its cold here!!! Put the webasto on and after a period of high activity its quietened down and we hardly hear it but the boat is as warm as toast from stem to stern. We turn it down a bit at night and up a bit in the morning.

As far as I can see the chief difference between the eber and the webasto is the way they deal with return air. The eber systems (that I have seen) recirculate the air in the boat heating it as its circulates through the heater, the webasto system draws fresh air in from outside and heats that, so there is always a positive pressure in the boat and air is "pumped" out of ventilators. This tends to keep the boat "sweeter" inside as it is heated and ventilated at the same time.

 

[Sneds]

Many thanks to all for all your informative replies!

Maybe thinking Webasto but not to go for the cheapest option. I want to be warm!

It will be used to warm the boat when we are on board, moored and cruising as when at our home berth we have leccy heaters to keep the boat warm when we are and when we are not on board (does that make sense?)

 

[Mymobo]

Many thanks to all for all your informative replies!

Maybe thinking Webasto but not to go for the cheapest option. I want to be warm!

It will be used to warm the boat when we are on board, moored and cruising as when at our home berth we have leccy heaters to keep the boat warm when we are and when we are not on board (does that make sense?)

Not on board ......... Dude you live on that boat the only time you are not on it is when it is out of the water or you are drinking beer on someone else boat. Season nearly here keep warm till then.

 

[Sneds]

Not on board ......... Dude you live on that boat the only time you are not on it is when it is out of the water or you are drinking beer on someone else boat. Season nearly here keep warm till then.

LOL !!! Was bloody freezing up the River Avon in Saltford last night