Need a new heater

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Diverrob

Diverrob

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2018
Messages
122
Location
Canada
Vessel Name
Sounder
Vessel Make
Mainship 34T
Hi everyone I’m looking for a bit of advise. I have a 34 Mainship Trawler and it has a Espar D4 12v heater that needs a new blower motor and as I found out today the unit has over 6000 hours on it! The repair shop is recommending a new unit because if/when the control unit fails the cost would be close to a new unit. With that many hours on it I don’t think I could trust it to run much longer. The new unit will cost me 2000CDN and with that I will have a two year warranty. I have been on line and found other units for a bit less but come from either Russia or Turkey so not sure about that. Amazon has some but they are actually more money. They also have some really cheap knock off versions but again I want this thing to work when I need it. If anyone out there has any info or could recommend a similar (cheaper) unit I would appreciate it. Thanks

Rob
 
I went with the Chinese knockoff. $200 on Ebay, plus another couple hundred in extra parts (stainless exhaust, through hull, C0 monitors, etc).

Since you already have everything installed and plumbed, you're probably looking at the $200 range.

Thus, why I went with the no-name.
 
Last edited:
Guys will say buy this and buy that.
I’m in the buy a Wabasto or Espar camp/s
 
Sure would be easy If you can buy a newer espar that that is a drop in replacement. After that I would talk to who ever services your heat equipment. Makes no sense to buy something that has no support. If you are a DIY person then try one of those $200 Chinese units.

I am a real fan of the IRT Hurricane heaters, but you have to have the space.
 
Diverrob said:
Hi everyone I’m looking for a bit of advise. I have a 34 Mainship Trawler and it has a Espar D4 12v heater that needs a new blower motor and as I found out today the unit has over 6000 hours on it! The repair shop is recommending a new unit because if/when the control unit fails the cost would be close to a new unit. With that many hours on it I don’t think I could trust it to run much longer. The new unit will cost me 2000CDN and with that I will have a two year warranty. I have been on line and found other units for a bit less but come from either Russia or Turkey so not sure about that. Amazon has some but they are actually more money. They also have some really cheap knock off versions but again I want this thing to work when I need it. If anyone out there has any info or could recommend a similar (cheaper) unit I would appreciate it. Thanks

Rob
Click to expand...


You don't mention how old this unit is, but I'm guessing at least 12, maybe 15 years or so. Over that much time, these heaters will have provided a good service life, and it is probably time to consider a new blower or unit. We have 12 years on our current D5LC, and the previous D7L went 20 years.

A new blower motor should last for many years, and is probably the best way to go especially if your heating needs will remain unchanged. If you need a new unit, buy a new Espar Airtronic D4 for ease of installation.

Also, you should know that usage hours reported to you by the repair shop's test equipment may or may not be accurate. Some years ago during maintenance by a shore side vendor, we came across an inflated number that did not represent reality.

In any event, if you want to have your heater serviced in your cruising area, you should probably stick with Espar, Webasto or ITR.
 
Depending on the expected use , purchasing 4 or 5 Chinese copys might be cheaper and more reliable ?
 
Nomad Willy said:
Guys will say buy this and buy that.
I’m in the buy a Wabasto or Espar camp/s
Click to expand...

I agree. I have an Espar hydronic that has served me well for 8 years. I'd suggest, though, that you buy a brand that has parts and service availability in your area. In my case, Espar has no support in Bellingham or Seattle, at least that I know of, and Webasto does. If I installed another hydronic system, it wouldn't be Espar for that reason even though I like the unit.
 
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