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Water Heater recommendation


moiuk

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Hi all,

 

Recently acquired our first 61' Nb and looking to live aboard in place if our rented accommodation.   The boat is in need of a new water heater with the current Makuni mx60 being non functional (and all advice so far is not to bother with the expense of trying to get it fixed).

 

I am looking for the quietest option and with little experience do not know which model to request is installed. Webasto  or eber seems to be the 2 main options but beyond that I am at a loss.

 

Big (expensive) decision so thought I would ask for some much needed guidance from the experts ..  

 

Is there a best choice for the quietest model I should have installed ?

 

Boat has 4 radiators and a calorifier that need heating.

Edited by moiuk
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Assuming your calorifier is also heated by your engine then this will be a more reliable hot water source for a liveaboard than any diesel heater. Most calorifiers can also be fitted with an immersion heater which you could use of you're moored up connected to shore power.

 

Another option is an instant gas water heater which many people have in addition to their calorifier. 

 

If you want to fit a new diesel water heater then I think webastos are generally thought to be the most user-serviceable, and all these heaters do need servicing. They are the least reliable forms of heating, so I hope you have an alternative method of heating the boat such as a solid fuel stove.

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Thank you. Yes solid fuel stove will be the primary heating source, but will need the diesel heater for those odd chilly moments and for the hot water when not running the engine.  I am being quoted £2000 for an installed webasto which seems a long way from the £400 refurbished ones on Ebay.  I'm happy going new if it's more reliable.but seems like a big gap....

 

Instant gas water heater could be a good option too...

 

 

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I recently bought a reconditioned eBay webasto for about £375 which I haven't fitted yet. Some people here have had good results but there's a forum member (IMEA ?) who's a service engineer and he doesn't recommend them and won't fit them because as far as I can remember there may be a part that's not quite right. Anyway, I thought it was worth a punt.

Edited by blackrose
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8 hours ago, hider said:

Ebay, Webasto, around £400 several on sale.

Are they not the non-marine versions that not only 'pump-out' exhaust fumes directly into the boat, but need a marine installation kit (costing almost the same again) before you can use them ?

8 hours ago, moiuk said:

Thank you. Yes solid fuel stove will be the primary heating source, but will need the diesel heater for those odd chilly moments and for the hot water when not running the engine.  I am being quoted £2000 for an installed webasto which seems a long way from the £400 refurbished ones on Ebay.  I'm happy going new if it's more reliable.but seems like a big gap....

 

Instant gas water heater could be a good option too...

 

 

And if you buy an ebay one, you still have to pay to have it installed - if you can find someone - many won't touch them.

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My twopenneth. I have an ebay system from a bloke called MP and H. Its first rate. I bought two and have one as back up ready to fit. My original one went a bit wonky after two years but he repaired and serviced it inside three days for peanuts. He does a service to include return postage for fifty quid. I had mine fitted with cut of valves for water pipes and it is easily changed inside twenty minutes with half a cup of water loss. The exhaust is not the best but mine is working well with it, I have bought a genuine webasto one but its still in the spares bin for a just in case moment. The set up does not come with a header tank or iirc fuel pipe but its more or less all there and working well. I have no idea if its supposed to be a marine version but it works at least as well as the marine version at a billion pounds that was fitted on my last boat. The bloke is helpful and always comes up with the goods. Look on ebay at his feedback, he has hundreds of genuine first class reports, mine included. You will however need a bloke who REALY knows what hes doing. Fitting with the correct amount of radiators etc is paramount to a long life without cycling.

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This is the issue according to NMEA copied from another thread. Nothing to do with either the exhaust or voltage:

 

"Some of the “refurbs” on eBay have their sintered evaporator damaged by over enthusiastic decoking of the sintered evaporator, this can lead to rich running and early coking up, especially if the burn rate has not been checked and set using an exhaust gas analyser after install when the exhaust and air intake resistances are a known. Personally, I would never touch an evaporator except to remove loose carbon and if heavily carboned always replace them. As the cost of a new burner cartridge almost equals the price of some of these “refurbs” it does make one wonder. I have been asked to install these for people who have bought them and politely declined on every occasion as I don’t want unnecessary agro down the line. "

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10 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

And if you buy an ebay one, you still have to pay to have it installed - if you can find someone - many won't touch them.

 

According to those on here who've bought and fitted them, they're not that difficult to fit yourself.

Edited by blackrose
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25 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

According to those on here who've bought and fitted them, they're not that difficult to fit yourself.

I suggested that as he appeared to be comparing a quote for 'supply and fit' of a 'pukka' heater, with a 'supply only' Ebay refurb.

 

Bound to be cheaper.

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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I suggested that as he appeared to be comparing a quote for 'supply and fit' of a 'pukka' heater, with a 'supply only' Ebay refurb.

 

Bound to be cheaper.

 

Yes, I was just saying that they're not that difficult to fit yourself. That applies equally to whatever webasto he ends up with.

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5 hours ago, blackrose said:

This is the issue according to NMEA copied from another thread. Nothing to do with either the exhaust or voltage:

 

"Some of the “refurbs” on eBay have their sintered evaporator damaged by over enthusiastic decoking of the sintered evaporator, this can lead to rich running and early coking up, especially if the burn rate has not been checked and set using an exhaust gas analyser after install when the exhaust and air intake resistances are a known. Personally, I would never touch an evaporator except to remove loose carbon and if heavily carboned always replace them. As the cost of a new burner cartridge almost equals the price of some of these “refurbs” it does make one wonder. I have been asked to install these for people who have bought them and politely declined on every occasion as I don’t want unnecessary agro down the line. "

 

I'm mystified. 

 

Which bit is the sintered evaporator?

 

 

 

 

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The beauty of the gas instantaneous hot water heater is it doesn't need any electricity, doesn't need the engine running, is instant, but most of all its nice and silent for everyone around.

Edited by bizzard
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2 minutes ago, bizzard said:

The beauty of the gas instantaneous hot water heater is it doesn't need any electricity, doesn't need the engine running, is instant, but most of all its nice and quiet.

 

Nor do they have sintered evaporators to clog up....

 

 

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7 hours ago, moiuk said:

Sounds like my takeaway is that the cheaper Ebay units are not for me :)

 

a choice between a new webasto and eber I guess.  Which one is quieter? 

 

It depends on which / what exhaust you fit.

Something like a 'Hospital' exhaust is very very quiet, but will add another £300 to the 'installed cost' of your heater.

 

It depends if you value 'quiet' or £300 more as to which way you go.

 

Just one example (probably the wrong size tho')

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hospital-Silencer-for-Boat-Engines-21-x-10-1-1-2-BSP-SN126SE10-21-/110908192627

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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8 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I'm mystified. 

 

Which bit is the sintered evaporator?

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know. You'll have to ask NMEA if he still comes on here, or another webasto service engineer.

8 hours ago, moiuk said:

Sounds like my takeaway is that the cheaper Ebay units are not for me :)

 

a choice between a new webasto and eber I guess.  Which one is quieter? 

I don't know which is quieter. It will be very marginal, but I think the webasto is meant to be a bit easier to service yourself if that's a factor that's important to you..

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On 25/05/2019 at 17:21, Tony Brooks said:

A lot of the Ebay "bargains" are automotive units and these have a different set of voltage levels set in the firmware. This ends to led\ to shut-downs in marine use.

I asked........"

New message from: mp_and_h Top Rated Seller(803Purple Star)

 

Hi
We can supply heaters with cut off voltage set to 9.76v which is the same as marine ones.
Thanks
"
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23 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I'm mystified. 

 

Which bit is the sintered evaporator?

 

 

 

 

It goes in the bottom of the burner.   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heater-Burner-Screen-Pad-Mesh-Gauze-Replace-For-Webasto-Thermo-Top-E-C-V-EVO4-5/263403770112?hash=item3d54169100:g:BV8AAOSw0W5aQOWL

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