Planar diesel heater, from Russia, like Eberspacher - anyone used one?

[Autoterm]

I shouldn't really but I will answer that, nothing to do with translation and is very simply that there is no proper marine manual, this instruction is a hangover from the vehicle manual and means as with all other heaters the exhaust outlet should point backwards (or down wind) on the vehicle to prevent back pressure during operation and water ingress when running or not. It is best ignored and a proper skin fitting used just as with other evap heaters.

As for the manuals, there is new manuals available on the website http://en.autoterm.ru/materials/sh/9 with a correct translation.

 

[Sandmartin]

I have now lived with my Planar heater for a month and so far impressed and happy with it. In normal operation, maintaining 21 deg, when outside it is mid teens, it is quieter than my Eberspacher (laid in bed I Used to be able to hear my eberspacher running, but cannot hear the Planar). It also draws less current than the eberspatcher used to. The planar seems, in these conditions to have a lower fan speed, it does not blow as hard through the vents, but the blown air is warmer. Yes if you put it on full power it is noisier and draws more current than the eberspacher used to, but I think that what you have to bear in mind is the Planar is designed to keep Russian lorry drivers warm in Siberia. In our normal spring/autumn usage, it is just ticking over. The Planar controls are far more basic, with just desired power or temperature select, but I never did use the programmable functions on my eberspatcher. The fitting took longer than I expected, as the mounting points needed moving and other fittings were different sizes, but I still managed it in under 6 hours with the tools I had onboard with a length of aluminium flat bar, flexible vent tubing and vent size converter from the local Brico. The Planar is also less temperamental than my eberspacher was. But that may have been just my old unit that was temperamental, but one difference I have noticed; if I started the starboard engine, fed from the same battery bank as the heater, the brief voltage drop would trip out the eberspatcher, but the Planar carries on running.

 

[Big John]

As for the manuals, there is new manuals available on the website http://en.autoterm.ru/materials/sh/9 with a correct translation.

In the "download" section the service manual(s) you can use Google Translate. It is a bit long winded but you get there in the end.