My WEBASTO is so amazing... when it works.

[sailandbail]

Do a lot of people have Webasto systems on their boats? They really are incredible, though mine is a bit temperamental.

I'll try to briefly explain what I'm dealing with:

When I turn it on, everything fires up as it should.

The water pump circulates coolant through the hoses and all of the fans kick on, as they do when it is functional.

The fuel pump ticks away, sending diesel to the Webasto unit in the engine compartment.

White smoke billows from the exhaust port located on the starboard side of the boat, as it always has when the Webasto is in use and warming up.

The problem is, it never gets hot. Ordinarily when things are functioning as they should, the Webasto unit itself gets very hot and quickly heats the coolant that is circulating throughout the hoses, which also become hot to the touch. My guess is that the glow plug(s) aren't getting hot enough and therefore not keeping up with the diesel that is being pumped into the unit. They must be warm enough to create smoke, but not hot enough to combust the diesel? My apologies if my wording here is incorrect... I'm pretty unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the system.

Has anyone had a similar issue? I know I have to start with dismantling and inspecting the unit, but first wanted to see if anyone had some advice or thoughts on how to approach this. Ideally I'd like to have replacement parts on hand (new glow plug?) before I get started.

*As things seem to go, the Webasto worked beautifully until the forecast called for below-freezing temperatures here in Washington state, so I've been having some pretty dark and chilly nights living aboard. Luckily I have plenty of blankets! (Still no complaints! It's a wonderful life and I'm enjoying every minute...)


I appreciate any advice that you may have. Happy Thanksgiving, hope all are well!

Sincerely,
Evan

1979 Cooper Sea Bird

[DeepFrz]

It does sound like the glow plug. It shouldn't be blowing out white smoke on startup. Have you tried calling a Webasto dealer in your area?

[newhaul]

Evan it's the glow plugs not working .
The unit will actually put out a small quantity of white smoke ( unburnd fuel) check all fuses.

PM me if you can't find anyone locally here to look at it .

[Ivanvet]

Hi,
Which unit do you have? It sounds you are talking about a hydronic system. I have the Webasto DBW2010, the hydronic system, and this year I had to replace the nozzle. I didn't use the heater during the sailing season and it created way too much 'white smoke' and didn't seem too efficient.

Other than that, if you feel that the boiler is getting hot but the rest of the hoses aren't, there may be an airlock you may have to bleed. It was a pain for us this season to bleed the system but with a little bit of persistence we sorted out, and are now all warm and cozy in Boston.

Good luck,

s/v Balú

[Auspicious]

You're going to need service. Whether that glow plug has worn out or the combustion chamber has coked up you're going to have to take it apart. This got cheaper for me when I went to Webasto school. The big deal is that US fuel oil is not as clean as that in the EU and we get carbon build up with other nasties. Once you have it clean and running right again you should run a gallon of kerosene through it as fuel a couple of times per heating season. In addition don't leave it on steady state. When you leave the boat turn it down or off. Turn it back up when you get back on the boat. The combustion fan will run faster and combustion will be better, leaving less debris.

[Tugwit]

Sure Marine Services in Seattle is a great store and sells/services Webasto heaters https://www.suremarineservice.com/ . Check with them.

Assuming you have a hydronic system, an airlock is also possible (as suggested above)--which prevents heated hydronic fluid from flowing freely into the radiators and heating the boat. Bleeding the system of air is a pain, but perseverance pays off!

A small amount of white "smoke" is common on startup--water evaporating from the exhaust line--but it should disappear quickly as the unit comes up to temperature. If white smoke is continuous, it may be that coolant ("hydronic fluid") is leaking into the combustion chamber somehow (crack in the casting?). You might check the level in the expansion tank to ensure you aren't losing any fluid.

I have a similar Espar hydronic heater, and the manufacturer recommends running it at least monthly year around to maintain proper function. They also recommend burning Kerosene periodically to reduce carbon (as suggested above).

[rphdiego]

Sounds to me like your hydronic furnace is low on boiler fluid (coolant). Check the header tank which is the metal tank with the radiator cap located at the highest point of the fluid circuit. It should be close to full. If low then add fluid until full then turn on the heater. Wait a bit for air bubbles to go away then add more fluid if necessary before replacing the cap. You may also have a clear plastic expansion tank near the header tank. It should have a small amount in it when cold and the level will rise when the system is on and hot.

[witzgall]

Before you take the unit out of service, double check that you have adequate coolant, and it is flowing properly. You never mentioned the model of heater - it is always out that in your post so people resonding can take that into account.

You do most likely need to clean the heater.

Espar Mii heaters have two glow plugs, essentially extending the service interval as it will use one, and then the other. It is one of the reasons I recommended (Back when I was a service mgr for an Espar and Webasto dealer) the Espar units for Hydronic. For Forced air, the Webasto computer interface was much more evolved, and so I recommended those as they were easier to monitor and troubleshoot.

Chris

[Marvs]

Originally Posted by sailandbail

Do a lot of people have Webasto systems on their boats? They really are incredible, though mine is a bit temperamental.

I'll try to briefly explain what I'm dealing with:

When I turn it on, everything fires up as it should.

The water pump circulates coolant through the hoses and all of the fans kick on, as they do when it is functional.

The fuel pump ticks away, sending diesel to the Webasto unit in the engine compartment.

White smoke billows from the exhaust port located on the starboard side of the boat, as it always has when the Webasto is in use and warming up.

The problem is, it never gets hot. Ordinarily when things are functioning as they should, the Webasto unit itself gets very hot and quickly heats the coolant that is circulating throughout the hoses, which also become hot to the touch. My guess is that the glow plug(s) aren't getting hot enough and therefore not keeping up with the diesel that is being pumped into the unit. They must be warm enough to create smoke, but not hot enough to combust the diesel? My apologies if my wording here is incorrect... I'm pretty unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the system.

Has anyone had a similar issue? I know I have to start with dismantling and inspecting the unit, but first wanted to see if anyone had some advice or thoughts on how to approach this. Ideally I'd like to have replacement parts on hand (new glow plug?) before I get started.

*As things seem to go, the Webasto worked beautifully until the forecast called for below-freezing temperatures here in Washington state, so I've been having some pretty dark and chilly nights living aboard. Luckily I have plenty of blankets! (Still no complaints! It's a wonderful life and I'm enjoying every minute...)


I appreciate any advice that you may have. Happy Thanksgiving, hope all are well!

Sincerely,
Evan

1979 Cooper Sea Bird

If it needs repairs, I would recommend buying a Chinese one. I put one in my jet boat. Very happy with it. And it costs 15% of a webasto. There is a Facebook group. Chinese diesel heaters than can troubleshoot just about anything. Even give help on the two big brand name ones

[Dsanduril]

I would suspect that the combustion chamber is full of coke. A couple of things happen in that condition

- on startup the coke gets saturated with diesel and as the coke warms up you will see white smoke from that unburned fuel heating up and getting released.

- the coke insulates the heat exchanger so even if the chamber gets hot not much heat gets to the HX.

- the glow plug gets fouled and has a hard time igniting the fuel - once the fuel is going the glow plug shouldn't matter, but at startup...

If yours is like ours then eventually it will foul enough that it won't light at all. Fortunately, cleaning out the combustion chamber isn't that difficult - depending on how easy it is to access the unit. Either order up the replacement gasket before you do the work or be ready/prepared/have materials to make a new gasket. We now carry a couple of gaskets on board and try to burn Diesel #1 as much as possible to reduce the coking.

[bcboomer]

My Espar hydronic used to do the same thing. Running 10 litres of kerosene through it fixed it up for a few months at a time. Cheap and easy to do.

I eventually got tired of the various failures of the Espar and switched to a Planar.
So far a much more reliable heater, cleaner burning, and really easy to work on if needed.

[Hesti]

Is the air intake fully open? Besides the failures already mentioned, a blocked air intake can also stop the unit from working. If in doubt, undo the air intake hose and blow through it to be sure - insects can build nests in there etc.