Espar Heat

Does anyone have any experience installing an Espar (Eberspacher) forced air diesel heater on their Ericson. We have purchased a D5L model on the used market and will be fitting it into our E35 II after the dealer has completed a bench test and service of the unit. My specific problem is how to deal with the fuel tank pick-up. We have a stainless steel tank fitted under the cockpit which I assumed to be from the factory. It doesn't appear to have any spare pick-ups or blank inspection plates fitted. I assume that the tank will have to come out in order to have the appropriate fitting installed Any experience with this task would be appreciated. Thanks.

Espar

Ah! One of my favorite subjects!

O Barquinho had the same model heater - you'll love it (very nice - VERY toasty). If you don't have a mounting in the tank for the pickup, you'll have to add one - but I would think you could get away with installing it on the boat and not removing the tank (you'll have to drain it, etc).

On my boat, the jump pump was on the line - about 14" up the line from the pickup. Other issues you want to ensure - use really, really heavy power cable - all the way back to the box. Also - take the time and discomfort and put it as far back in the stern as you can (noise) - and seperate the fresh source air from the exhaust (pretty obvious, but, well - you know).

One other thing - when you mount it - put it in a place where you'll be able to pop out the glow plug without massive hassles or sprained shoulders (mine was installed - and it was a pain - the access port was on top - where you could not get it at).

You might want to talk to one of the other E35-2 guys who've changed tanks, etc also....

Let me know if I can be of further assistance!

//sse

Thanks, Sean. I was talking to the local Espar dealer and his advice was as follows. He will sell me the pickup and install the thing himself if I don't want to do it (labor charge $100 CDN) while the tank is in the boat. He says "do NOT drain the tank". He uses a 1" carbide tipped hole saw and drills, in his words, "very slowly" (to avoid unnecessary heat buildup). He comes highly recommended and claims to have installed hundreds of pickups this way over the years. Anyway, I'm going to see him tomorrow (the bench test is being done in the morning) so I'll talk to him about it again then. But, if it's as easy as he says, I'll try it myself.
We can't wait to get the damn thing in so we can leave the dock and not freeze to death!

Upate Please...

So?? What happened?

//sse

I didn't mean to keep you in suspense.......










I was waiting to take some photos to include with the update, but, I can add those later. This install went quite well. Basically, as with most jobs, there were several phases to the project - Fuel supply, Power and Thermostat wiring, Ducting (fresh air/combustion air/hot air for heating/exhaust), and finally, the install of the unit itself.
Finding a place to install the unit is probably the biggest challenge and I chose an area at the top of the hull, inside the starboard cockpit locker. I bonded 2 pieces of epoxy-soaked, solid mahogany approx 1"x2.5"x14" to the inside of the hull, about 2" and 8" below the deck/hull joint. I used 3M 5200 for this task. The L-shaped aluminum Espar mounting bracket was firmly screwed onto the mahagony rails. This location positions the heating unit up and out of the way of most things that would be stored in that locker, but, gives good access to the heater for service and/or troubleshooting. All the other phases of the install are dependent on the heater placement and this location also offers good access for ducts, wiring, and fuel. We decided that we would mount the thermostat unit on the forward side of the nav station bulkhead, by the dinette. I am installing a new electrical panel at the head of the quarter berth, so routing 10 guage 12v supply wiring through that area enabled me to follow the same run with the thermostat control cable.
Perhaps the scariest moment was preparing to drill the 2" diameter hole through the hull for the combustion exhaust pipe thru-hull. I positioned it about 4" below the deck/hull joint and approximately 3 feet forward of the transom on the starboard side. It went great! I had an existing large hole in the "helm seat" portion of the aft (steering) cockpit that the old Benmar autopilot control head occupied. It made a great fresh air intake when covered with an appropriate splashproof grill! BTW, I hate (underline "hate") putting (new) holes in my boat! A P/O had installed a Wallas forced air furnace in the hanging locker across from the head, so fortunately, many of the large holes already existed for heating ducts that would be hidden in the settee bases and under the stove and v-berth. I had to add 3" duct outlets in the port-side quarter berth and the head. Installing the actually Espar unit itself was the easy part! 15 minutes, tighten a few hose clamps and 4 mounting nuts and washers was all it took.
Installing the fuse, activating the 12v power and flipping the thermostat switch to "on" produced the characteristic Espar whirring noise and within 5 minutes, the cabin was nice and toasty! What a satisfying installation. With the weather here hovering below freezing for the last couple of weeks, we have really appreciated what a wonderful addition the Espar has been. The relative humidity in the boat is much lower than it has been with electric heat only. When you open the hatch now after the boat has been sealed up for a while, you are greeted by a sweet-smelling, rush of warm air. Very nice!

Good Job!

Nice, eh?

I always left an oil-filled electric radiator on the boat during the winter - and set the Espar thermostat at 50 incase it got colder than the heater (on low) could handle by itself...

It actually worked very well - very dry, etc.

Post your pictures when you can!

//sse

espar

Hi,
I'm 'listening' intently to this conversation, because I have an Espar that the PO of BlueWing included in my purchase of her last October...but is still in it's boxes.
I'm looking forward to your post of the pictures!
PS, Sean, thank you for all you do for this web site, and for us.
Dave Hussey
Anderson Island , Washington