Fitting a Diesel Heater

Bigplumbs

Bigplumbs

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Is fitting a diesel space Heater to a 25 ft boat the sort of job you can do yourself (I am quite handy and do as many jobs as I can myself including building 4 extensions to me house). If not what is the sort of cost I hight expect to pay if I got it done

Dennis
 
For what it’s worth i put an eberspacher in mine. Single outlet into the cabin. Very straightforward if you take a methodical approach to the job.
 
Fitted a Mikuni Aero 2 in our 805 a couple of years ago, much cheaper to buy than Erberspatcher et al. If you’re handy it’s nothing to be frightened of, the only two twitchy bits are drilling a hole in your pride and joy and it’s diesel tank. The exhaust gets very hot so I lagged with some foil backed glass insulation. Don’t forget when you fit the drop tube in the tank to leave it well short of the bottom , stops you using all your fuel on a long stop over.
Must say if I was replacing I’d pay the extra and fit a webasto though.
Oh don’t forget the hole in the hull is slightly elliptical as the exhaust angles downwards at about 45 deg.
 
Download the Nov 17 issue of Motorboat Owner. They did a full step by step installation of an Eber but it's the same procedure for whatever make you go for.

What I will say is that do not be tempted by the cheap Chinese jobbies on eBay. They are not proving particularly reliable, if they ever turn up at all. (Still waiting 6 weeks after ordering). I have bought one as a workshop heater, although I am starting to doubt that it was a good idea. I have an Eber on my boat and am very happy with it.

If price is the important factor, the Russian Planar heaters seem to have a decent rep.
 
Bigplumbs said:
Is fitting a diesel space Heater to a 25 ft boat the sort of job you can do yourself (I am quite handy and do as many jobs as I can myself including building 4 extensions to me house). If not what is the sort of cost I hight expect to pay if I got it done

Dennis
Click to expand...

I fitted an Eberspacher D2 to my 25ft boat 4 years ago and have been very pleased with it. Not difficult to fit but as others have said, do follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter if you want it to perform reliably and take your time to plan the entire installation before starting, including the ducting and wiring runs and where the fresh air supply will come from. Do fit the exhaust silenser, an option with some kits, and moung the heater and fuel pump as far away from where you will sleep. They are not noisy but even the slightest noise in the middle of the night can keep you awake. It will transform your winter boating!

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Fitted a 4KW russian sourced Planar heater few months ago to replace a aging Eber that that was well past its resurrection date.
Cost of repair was my 3DL almost the cost of new unit. Reused old installed ducting .
New warm air diesel unit costs around £550 inc P&P and comes with all the bits you will need to do a marine installation.
You will need to source new warm air ducting if no old ducting installed.
Mebbe another £300 ish ?
All ducting parts are available from Ebay at a considerable saving on local dealer prices delivered to your door.
Installation is not complicated with most bits having connections which cannot be reversed.
You will need to provide a direct to battery 12V connection and need to supply fuel.
Planar kit comes with a little separate tank or a method of getting diesel from your main fuel tank.
Many folks have gone for the £200 Hong Kong imports but you will need to find several not suppled bits you are going to need to do a proper install.
Know folks who have installed both versions and both are happy with the results so far.
The electronic control system can be as complicated or as simple as you want.
We choose a idiots version, which can be mastered (with some prompting from grandkids) by anyone over the age of 60s who thinks that bluetooth is the devils work :)
 
Last edited:
oldgit said:
Fitted a 4KW russian sourced Planar heater few months ago to replace a aging Eber that that was well past its resurrection date.
Cost of repair was my 3DL almost the cost of new unit. Reused old installed ducting .
New warm air diesel unit costs around £550 inc P&P and comes with all the bits you will need to do a marine installation.
You will need to source new warm air ducting if no old ducting installed.
Mebbe another £300 ish ?
All ducting parts are available from Ebay at a considerable saving on local dealer prices delivered to your door.
Installation is not complicated with most bits having connections which cannot be reversed.
You will need to provide a direct to battery 12V connection and need to supply fuel.
Planar kit comes with a little separate tank or a method of getting diesel from your main fuel tank.
Many folks have gone for the £200 Hong Kong imports but you will need to find several not suppled bits you are going to need to do a proper install.
Know folks who have installed both versions and both are happy with the results so far.
The electronic control system can be as complicated or as simple as you want.
We choose a idiots version, which can be mastered (with some prompting from grandkids) by anyone over the age of 60s who thinks that bluetooth is the devils work :)
Click to expand...

Must confess we did some web help from the importer Owen Cox who very patiently explained how to turn the blimming thing on.
 
London Rascal had one installed in his Trader a few weeks ago, Quote: "To buy and have installed 5Kw warm air heater: £4,861.97"
 
Surely a 5KW would not be big enough to heat the internal volume for any decent sized Trader ?
Although most of that price would have been the labour for fitting ducting , the cost of Eber and Webasto bits has always been a bit impressive, suspect unlike most supply chains the installer is not the one with the high mark up.
Eber and Webasto, as many will know, have just been subject to an investigation regards a price fixing swizz,
They did not come out well.
 
One other thing to add get the lagged ducting.

We replaced the ducting on ours last winter and it has made a huge difference to the heat output in the cockpit and the cabin.

We had almost written off a 2kw heater as not being man enough for the job but now it gets too hot in the cabin!
 
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