Eberspacher vs Planar diesel air heaters.

[FionaJC]

I have three Eberspacher D4W heaters. One for the boat, one for my office at home and one as a spare. These are now pretty old and impossible to decarnonize completely. I do my best and they heat but not well.

I recently saw on eBay some 5Kw China supplied Planar heaters, theya lso appear to be barnded elsewwhere and Russia seems to be a source.

Has anyone had any long term experience of the 5Kw model and are they russian, canadian, chinese or what?

[CaptTom]

Mine is Russian. It came with all kinds of Russian postal service markings and stickers all over it.

I figured it this way: For 1/3 the price of a more well-known Western brand, I could buy a well-known Russian brand. My theory is that Russians know a lot about cold.

If it was essential equipment (mine isn't) then I'd have bought two of them, had a full set of spares and still saved 33%.

No complaints so far. Just keep the exhaust hose as short as possible, and away from anything even remotely flammable. Those suckers run hot!

[Dockhead]

They are Russian, made by a large company there: Тепло�тар. �втономка. ПЖД. Предпу�ковой подогреватель двигател�, автоподогреватели, воздушные отопители, автомобильные подогреватели.

Never used one, but they have been imported into the UK for many years and have a good reputation here. An engineer highly respected in the boating community, Vyv Cox, is one of the importers.

[DeepFrz]

You might also want to look at Truma. Don't know anything about them except they are made in Germany and are big in the RV industry.

Never mind. I thought they made diesel units but was mistaken. They don't seem to have a good rep.

[hellosailor]

I'd agree, the Russians know a lot about cold. And while their tractors and aircraft may sometimes look like they came from the same factory...they'requite serious about making sure things things WORK.

OTOH, the Chinese Number One Best Export Quality....eh, see bigclivedotcom on YouTube, for a slightly mad Scot who orders all sorts of Chinese things from ebay and takes them apart, so you can see how easily their electrical devices often can rudely kill you. Even the most basic safety precautions (likes grounds and fuses) just aren't there.

Not that China couldn't build a heater...but those have so many ways they can silently kill you. Or put you in the burn ward. Not for me, thanks.

[FionaJC]

I had a UK caravan client from whom I bought a van. It had a gas Truma heater which was brilliant but they only do gas ones.

[FionaJC]

Russian equipment doesnt worry me. It tends to be solid if unsophiscated but it works. My essential question is thst the planar stuff on ensy comes from China. Is it the same as the Russian Planar?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by FionaJC

Russian equipment doesnt worry me. It tends to be solid if unsophiscated but it works. My essential question is thst the planar stuff on ensy comes from China. Is it the same as the Russian Planar?

Could well be a Chinese imitation. Why wouldn't you just buy through a UK dealer? Then you get a warranty and support. Still quite cheap compared to the German alternatives.

[FionaJC]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Could well be a Chinese imitation. Why wouldn't you just buy through a UK dealer? Then you get a warranty and support. Still quite cheap compared to the German alternatives.

Oh I agree but where would the fun be in that? ignoring CO its not a life saving piece of kit and I have found the Ebers are a bit tempremental, I have also spent a fair amount of money on my three heaters over the years and been sold "pulse sticks" when the fault was a dodgy battery.

The UK sourced Planars are good value at £550 plus shipping and tempting but I can buy two Chinese Planars and have change.

The interest is simple, it could be that the Russians are now having them made by their old buddies the Chinese. I know how risky buying Chinese can be, I work in the IT industry where its all sourced there and varying quality.

I once bought a Chinese 2-stroke, a Chayoue with a plastic prop that broke, so I found a metal prop from an old 2hp mariner and made a plug for the inside and filled it with JD weld. Brilliant, been using it for five years but the prop goes the other way round to every other type, hence the problem.

I also have to justify the cost to my other half, he who is a rough tough confirmed winter / summer dinghy.

[Emouchet]

You can have your D4 Eberspacher serviced by the local reseller. For decent price, I got mine decarbonized. They basically sand blast it, and it came back almost new.

They told me those unit need a cleanup about every 4000 hours, depending on the fuel quality used.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by FionaJC

Oh I agree but where would the fun be in that? ignoring CO its not a life saving piece of kit and I have found the Ebers are a bit tempremental, I have also spent a fair amount of money on my three heaters over the years and been sold "pulse sticks" when the fault was a dodgy battery.

The UK sourced Planars are good value at £550 plus shipping and tempting but I can buy two Chinese Planars and have change.

The interest is simple, it could be that the Russians are now having them made by their old buddies the Chinese. I know how risky buying Chinese can be, I work in the IT industry where its all sourced there and varying quality.

I once bought a Chinese 2-stroke, a Chayoue with a plastic prop that broke, so I found a metal prop from an old 2hp mariner and made a plug for the inside and filled it with JD weld. Brilliant, been using it for five years but the prop goes the other way round to every other type, hence the problem.

I also have to justify the cost to my other half, he who is a rough tough confirmed winter / summer dinghy.

Kind of got a kick out of that. I bought a Marina 9.9 with a plastic prop. .
which left me I hade to buy a real prop.

[Puget Dan]

Bought a Planar diesel heater for our 38' Trimaran here in Bellingham Wa. It came from a Vancouver Canada dealer three years ago and we had it professionally installed. The heater has worked well but the digital controls are a bit hard to get used to. Over all a good value.

Good luck , Dan

[Anders]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

You might also want to look at Truma. Don't know anything about them except they are made in Germany and are big in the RV industry.

Never mind. I thought they made diesel units but was mistaken. They don't seem to have a good rep.

Truma makes mainly propane heaters/boilers but also makes diesel units.
Never heard of any one installing one on a boat but the propane fired heaters are in at least 90% of new European motorhomes.

[jpendoley]

I can vouch for the Planar units which are made in Russia and sold and distributed by Serge at Planarheaters.com. Have had mine for four months and runs like a champ. Quiet and puts out a lot of heat. Serge gives good support. I even bought a remote GSM/modem unit from him so I can turn it on and off with my iPhone . Could not be more pleased.

[Emouchet]

I think Planar, Eberspacher, Airtronic, Espar, Wesbato Air Top are actually all the same unit.

They are just resold under different name, depending on countries and market.

They look too similar to me to be different product.

Now, you may need to look carefully on what's on the table. Vehicle kit are usually not marine rated. Those typically does not include stainless steel parts, rather they use cheaper material because their working environment is not as hard as it can be on a boat.