Eberspacher or Webasto?

D

dog

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Morning all,

With the threat of cold weather looming, I am thinking of fitting diesel heating. I want to have the use of the heater whilst the boat is moving, but also at anchor.

I have scoured the records here and hav'nt come up with too much to indicate either is any better or worse. I was hoping that some of you would be able to give me some advice as to which brand to go for. They both seem to be of similar price- so is there any real difference?

Also, what size would you fit to a 21 footer 2kw or 3.5kw?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Brian

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The info I could find when researching for a 44' was that webastos had a much lower starting current requirement, whereas others sometimes needed engine running/shorepower to get 'em going. Manufacturers data supported the current part when I looked into it, so I bought a webasto.

As to the size, depends how cold it is/ how much you feel it. Have you a 2kw fan heater you can test it out with, one of these increasingly cold nights?.

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My eberspacher is getting on a bit now. Having said that, it's like the old broom that has had five new handle and ten new heads at so great a cost, I could have bought half a dozen new ones. Powere required for start up is 13 volts and it can flatten some fairly hefty batteries in no time, Darnt dare use it much without shore power or engines.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn
 
I have an Eberspacher Airtronic D2 on my Fisher 25. Like you at the time there was not much to choose between them. I went for the Eber because it had a digital timer control unit, so I could set it to come on and have the boat nice and warm when we arrived! Maybe Webasto do these now? Starting current is 8-9 amps, but only for a few seconds, then it drops right back. Another reason for me, was that Eber have a service agent based in our marina - a couple of times they've come down to the boat free-of-charge when I had a minor problem! Whichever you go for, you won't regret it - it's really nice sitting in a warm cabin looking out at others shivering in their cockpits with big jackets and wooly hats on :)

Cheers, Jerry

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I have had exactly the same experiance with an aging ebberspacher as hlb. This one was on my boat when I bought it and every year it has needed a lot spending on it . Dont buy an old second hand one they coke up and cannot be taken apart and even when they have been serviced at very high cost they still smoke badly on start up (causing worried looks from nearby boats) I will not spend any more money on this heater next time it brakes down. I am told the best one on the market is a mikuni. The dealer is somewhere in Southamton.

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A pal with a 42' Hillyard has a 3.5 Mikuni- he's had a few prob's with the heater plug & difficulty starting without shorepower/engine running but seems pleased....but as a liveaboard now wishes he bought a higher powered one.

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Brian,

I presume you are going hot air heating? I took the alternative route and have a hot water heating system. I wanted hot water from the calorifier without running engines and without shorepower (we anchor a fair bit) and also warm air for the cabin. So we run hot water through blown heat exchangers (small car radiator arrangement) and have a very happy solution. The wet system also has the big advantage that you only need to route small diameter pipes around the boat, you don't have to cut enormous holes in the bulkheads (which gives me the willy's!) and we have bags of hot water on demand wherever we are. It's a 5.5kw Webasto. The disadvantage is that it takes a while for the hot water to circulate around the radiators so it's not immediate heat. (So I'm fitting a telephone switch-on system whereby I call the boat when, we are half an hour away on the motorway, and turn the heating on, when we get there it'll be warm!)

rob

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Well Brian - why bother to have the complications of a diesel heater in a 21 footer...when you can have the simplicity of a charcoal burning stove as I have in my 24 footer here in Switzerland. It is a Bengco stainless steel job made in Southampton and it not only burns charcoal but any kind of wood including driftwood, pine tree cones, turf, (great smell on deck with a sip of Laphroig for the nose!) coal, on board rubbish and literally anything that burns. Easy to install, gives great economical heat, great fun to play with - only down side is that the cabin linings/furniture can get a bit dirty! Am looking forward to the cold weather and lightening up my Bengco!
Cheers
Pelican

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Thanks everyone for the replies, I now have a clearer picture of the pros and cons of the various systems.

Brian.

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