Eberspacher Control Board

[Dockhead]

I have an Eber/Espar Hydronic 10 which is great when it works, but requires some kind of expensive repair, or another, about every other year :headbang:

Now I've had the SECOND control unit failure in my ownership :headbang:

What's worse -- the control unit, 25 2044 99 5007, is no longer produced, which means the heater itself is "no longer supported; no longer repairable"

And I just spent more than a boat buck year before last on a new burner tube for it.

So now what?

The control board is available as NOS in Poland and Russia -- at a price.

But I notice that "rebuilt" control boards are sold for some other Eber units. Which makes me wonder -- are there electronic shops which repair these things? I suppose there's nothing in the world wrong with them other than a blown capacitor or diode which would be totally simple to fix for a decent electronics wizz. Rather than spend 620 euros on a new one.

Anyone try to have one of these repaired?

[RobTryon]

I would try a audio repair shop, they work with similar boards and will have access to the components needed.

[john61ct]

I have seen eBay ads from guys that refurb/modify Webasto boards, so presumably there are those that (can) do so for Espar too.

Another way to go would be to see what yours would fetch sold for parts, and investigate the Planar and Chinese ones now sold for so much less you could carry spares?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by john61ct

I have seen eBay ads from guys that refurb/modify Webasto boards, so presumably there are those that (can) do so for Espar too.

Another way to go would be to see what yours would fetch sold for parts, and investigate the Planar and Chinese ones now sold for so much less you could carry spares?

The Planar heaters have a great reputation over here, but unfortunately their larger ones are gigantically huge and won't fit in the special compartment my boat was built with for this.

I am tempted with a new Hydronic II M12 with a bit more power -- 12kW vs. 10kW. I keep hearing that the new ones are more reliable.

But even if I spring for one of those (£££) I will still need to repair the old one to keep as a spare, so the question is relevant in any case.

[Dockhead]

So, there seems to be outfits like this who do nothing but repair PCB's:

https://uk.electronic.partners/

Anyone have any expereince?

[CarstenWL]

... and very specific Eberspächer:

https://uk.electronic.partners/repai...isle-of-wight/

Regards,

Carsten

[hellosailor]

Is there a large ham radio club near you? If one or more of the members isn't capable of doing some diagnostics and repair for the sport of it, odds are they know a local electronics repair tech who can do it. Any marine radio repair shop should be able to deal with it. for that matter.

Have yo given it a basic check out? Eyeballed it with a magnifier or reading glasses to see if it isn't one of the really common problems, like a cold solder joint?

[Dockhead]

So I continue working on this.

I've pretty much decided to buy a brand new Hydronic M-II 12, despite the horrendous cost. What makes me lean this way is reports that the last generation of Eber hydronics are much more reliable. Can anyone confirm that?

I also like the fact that the new model has an improved ("Easystart") control panel with diagnostics built in.

But I want the old Hydronic 10 in spares for my Arctic trip, so I need to repair it. I have read more and more about people who have successfully repaired the control boards. Here is one more company: HOME who specifically repair Eber ECUs, but apparently not the one for the Hydronic 10. I've written to them. I like this idea more and more compared to shelling out for an expensive NOS one, because they claim to improve the components to make them more reliable. It's clear that the old ECUs -- made by Hella -- are basically carp and disposable, which is really unacceptable considering the horrendous cost.

Any experience or tips most welcome.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Is there a large ham radio club near you? If one or more of the members isn't capable of doing some diagnostics and repair for the sport of it, odds are they know a local electronics repair tech who can do it. Any marine radio repair shop should be able to deal with it. for that matter.

Have yo given it a basic check out? Eyeballed it with a magnifier or reading glasses to see if it isn't one of the really common problems, like a cold solder joint?

Thanks; this is good advice. I haven't opened up the ECU myself -- it's stll with the Eberspacher main dealer. These things blow different components -- a well-known and common fault. Standard repair procedure is to toss it and replace it with a new disposable one for nearly $1000. This one which just blew is already the second one in my ownership . These faults are frequently blamed on voltage spikes, but I don't have any such in my electrical system -- wired to 24v house bank which is large and separated from the engine and generator start banks. I think basically they are simply expensive carp.

I am a radio ham and will ask around in the clubs here; thanks for the tip.