More Eberspacher questions

[jimbouy]

Re: Getting air into the locker...

Is it aqcceptable to use a vent like the one you've shown? If the cockpit was swamped it could enter the locker and from there the engine compartment?

Or do you mount it high enough to eliminate this possability?

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[jimbouy]

Re: Some more answers...

Hm, That hadn't crossed my mind but could be worth thinking about!!

I'll have a look at the space/capacity and think on. Perhaps a tempary solution until I get round to replacing or tidying the existing tank.


Cheers

Jim

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[pvb]

As high as possible (nm)

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Getting air into the locker...

How is your engine aspirated, Jim? Mine (1gm10) just gets whatever air is knocking about in the bilge/engine room. It doesn't have a ventilator but it never seems to go short. Couldn't the Eberpacher work the same way for the purposes of combustion? Obviously you wouldn't want to draw the air you are heating for the saloon from the engine room, but the combustion stuff, who cares? Just a thought.

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[Talbot]

I was given very clear advice from a specialist installer that the combustion air should not come from within the heated area, and should be as free of salt particles as possible. I would recomend that this should come from within your engine compartment.
The air to be heated should come from within the saloon if possible as this will be more efficient i.e. recycling the existing heated air, rather than losing a lot of heat.

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[alex_rogers]

I'd recommend getting a room thermostat, if you can find one. Considering the time and effort involved in fitting the unit, they aren't that expensive, even new from Eberspacher. I bought my Eberspacher from Ebay and modified/extended the loom to allow it to use the thermostat.

Drawing the heating air from inside is more efficient, but outside air is preferable as it is much drier, especially if you are cooking and there are several people aboard. In the winter, when things are wet, you can turn the heater on, open a couple of ports and the hot dry air will drive all the moisture out. Installing it that way tends to make the exhaust installation easier but the heater ducting longer and more complex. This is how eberspachers are supposed to be installed and it is worth the extra effort.

I draw both the heater air and the combustion air from the cockpit locker. This locker has airways into the opposite locker and engine compartment. As someone says later, the engine never seems starved of air and I don't think the heater ever will be. I wouldn't bother with an air vent into the locker - I don't believe it will help and it'll let water in.

Fiitting an Eberspacher is quite a long job, but the effort is certainly rewarded. Compared to shivering on a cold wet boat, the difference is huge.

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[jimbouy]

Re: Getting air into the locker...

Again another thought I hadn't had.

Thanks

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[PaulR]

Re: Some more answers...

frightening how as we add kit to our boats each bit of kit seems like a must have on whatever we have next, for us over many years diesel engine, roller reefing jib, sprayhood, gps and now heating - we (following an article in one of the mags) fitted insulation to our eber heating pipes and recommend doing it at time of installation- we used off the shelf insulation from DIY superstore aimed at insulating hot water cylinders (think it is glassfibre wrapped inside plastic) - means more of the heat gets out of the pipe outlet rather than heating the lockers, good luck

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[sailorman]

Hi Jim
i had one in my Co 32.
the combustion air is taken through a rubber type hose from with-in the compartment ( part of the eberspacher kit ), both this hose & the exhaust hose MUST be the same lenght & no longer than 1 metre max.
suggest u just have a simple "on-off" switch as the thermostat will cause the unit to close-down & re-start each time temp is reached. u will them req a generator to rechareg batts. K.I.S.S.
we now have a Webasto & the inlet ( combustion air ) is taken from a transom fitting
good luck
roger

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by sailorman on 18/10/2004 20:37 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[VicMallows]

Re: Getting air into the locker...

Agree with both TALBOT's points. If you take the heating-air input from outside when it's *really* cold you will never get warm!. Disable the input air sensor if necessary (don't have that on a DIL!)

Also agree with SAILORMAN. Once you've flattened a few batteries, (I note you are talking a Centaur, not a gin-p) you will soon revert to manual human control.

Vic

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[johnny]

Hi I've just bought a boat with a second hand D1LC heater all ready installed. Whenever I run the heater it turns off after about 15mins use and doesn't restart. The green light on the rheostat switch then flashes green until the unit is switched off. It will then restart normally.
I've read through the manual but cant seem to find any mention of the rheostat light flashing. Is this normal or is it indicating a fault.
Thanks in advance

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[paulrossall]

Re: Don\'t get complicated controls

Just come back today from 1 week on the Algarve (highly recomended at this time of year) so I missed this post.
It took me 2 years to work out how and where to fit my Eberspacher but having used it for 2 years I would suggest the following.
1. There are lots of different models and controls and they all work differently. Don't assume that your model works like one being described in a post.
2. Sailorman said max length of 1 metre for combustion intake and also combustion exhaust. I believe max is 2 metres on any model I have read about.
3. I do not like cutting loads of holes in boat so my unit is in engine compartment and I have a little hinged trap door in the access to engine from cabin. When I run the heater I open the trap door (the round ducting heating pipe is behind the trap door) and the heat blows the length of my cabin. I do not think it necessary to put loads of ducting outlets unless you have a very big boat (mine is 30ft) or a cat.
4. My unit was ex-GPO. I have a rotary swith. Left position is fan just blowing ambient air, next clockwise is off, next is full heat, final right position is low heat. After running when turned to off position the unit keeps running until it has cooled down correctly and it then turns itself off.
5. In use I run at full heat until everyone warm enough and then turn to low heat which is normally OK for as long as we want heating. I sometimes open a porthole to let some heat out if it gets too hot. We did leave it on low heat all night (6/7 hours) once last year when there was a ground frost in the car park. It did not run down a new 110 amp/hr battery. Howvere leaving it on full heat for 5 hours when battery was not 100% charged did mean it shut down for lack of power and battery was pretty useless afterwards.
6. My simple switch is perfectly adequate IMHO. I would not want the unit cycling and in particular would not want the unit to start up more than once as it would use too much battery power. The fuel used is insignificant.
7. Use big wires so you do not risk voltage drop.
Hope this is useful. Paul

<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".