[Spruce]

For those that are using hot systems with the webasto 90st 9kw water heaters how long have you had them in use before you need to replace the burner,

Mine has developed a problem after only 18 months , pure freedom have offered to send me a service kit but it costs £295.00 if that has to be done every 18 months it works out very expensive to maintain, also am I right in believing these come with a 2 year warrenty

They should last at least 2-3 years before they need a service, they are a work horse, you need to go back to pure freedom and tell them that there has been a bad batch for 2010-2011 some of the burners were faulty and a webasto Agent should change or service it for FREE.
You shouldn’t have to pay for any service after such a short time. One of my vans has a webasto which was fitted 9 years ago, it has never been serviced and still going strong.

You have been very lucky then. My old 5kw i had that for 4 years and i had 2 burners in it. It is a common thing that the burners do not last.

Well I had one fitted about year and half ago on my other van , this was bought from pure freedom, and from start  it wasn’t working properly .
After few calls back and forth to pure freedom they couldn’t tell me what was wrong, so I took the system to a boat shop in my city where they service webasto for boats.
Still he couldn’t tell me what exactly was wrong with it, but he was kind enough to send me to another town, to see a special webasto agent.
He done some checks on it and he told me that the burner is faulty and that they have had a lot of bad batch between 2010-2011 and he has had to change them all for FREE.
He also said that they don’t usually go wrong and I believe him as my other van has had one for 9 years and still good.
So far I haven’t had any problem since he changed the burner and that was nearly 2 years ago. 

No webasto's are pretty bomb proof, but if it is being used day in day out, the main part you will have to change on a regular basis is the burner, all agents and dealers will tell you this. A lot of the MOD vehicles will not see a burner last a year.

They are found in so many new diesel cars  and 4 x 4's as supplementary heaters and/or engine preheaters.
In the early days the complaints we had were with regard to diesel fumes being sucked into the drivers cabin from outside when they were stuck in traffic rather than mechanical failures. Nearly all of these early diesel heaters were Thermo Top C and were fitted where they could find the space in the front. We often found them tucked away behind the plastic inner mudguard in the front wing, usually on the lefthand side.

MOD is the testing ground that will find the weak stop in anything. 

[concept]

Spruce, what set up do you have?

Currently looking at the 9kw PF system, but worried a little now...

If you keeps regular servicing, are the reliable for what we need?

[robert mitchell]

Could you not use a webasto from eBay and run it flat out for a couple of hours via a timer before starting work . Using the pump to circulate back to tank . insulate tank to keep it hot most of the day .

[Spruce]

Spruce, what set up do you have?

Currently looking at the 9kw PF system, but worried a little now...

If you keeps regular servicing, are the reliable for what we need?

Hi Concept,
I don't have a system but do have all the components to assemble one. The heater I have is a Thermo Top C which is the same oil burner that PF did use as I was sent a picture of their system.

However, there was a very basic Ionics setup with photos on here years ago which used the bigger Thermo 90 S.

[Spruce]

Could you not use a webasto from eBay and run it flat out for a couple of hours via a timer before starting work . Using the pump to circulate back to tank . insulate tank to keep it hot most of the day .

Yes, This is another option. The problem is that I would be heating a tank full of water - My tank is 650 litres although on my own I don't fill it up. I average about 400 litres a day. The trouble is with heating a tank full like this is that the hot water rises to the upper levels of the tank and we are always drawing cold water in from the bottom of the tank.

I have also looked for a 'floating' tank outlet that will draw water from the upper reaches of the tank where its warmer.   

Another option would be to run 2 x 250 litre tanks - heat the one and leave the other cold. Top up the hot as and when.

[concept]

Spruce, what set up do you have?

Currently looking at the 9kw PF system, but worried a little now...

If you keeps regular servicing, are the reliable for what we need?

Hi Concept,
I don't have a system but do have all the components to assemble one. The heater I have is a Thermo Top C which is the same oil burner that PF did use as I was sent a picture of their system.

However, there was a very basic Ionics setup with photos on here years ago which used the bigger Thermo 90 S.

So the Thermo 90 is the better one, and PF don't use this?

Do you know what Pure 2o use in theirs?

[Spruce]

Spruce, what set up do you have?

Currently looking at the 9kw PF system, but worried a little now...

If you keeps regular servicing, are the reliable for what we need?

Hi Concept,

Mail sent.

I know I'm leaving myself open to get shot down here - but these units prefer white diesel - they don't run well on red diesel or heating oil. Boat marina fuel pumps supply red diesel.
But I think the main issue is if the heater isn't running to capacity, they start to cycle (cut on and off) and this is when coking up is more likely to occur.

[premier window cleaners]

Ionics use thermo 90s

[concept]

Excellent, got that thanks.

Will be getting it plumbed into the vehicles fuel supply anyway, so red isn't an issue.

Will enquire with PF, as spending a small fortune and don't want a model of heter that ant suitable.

Never really heard any complaints about Ionics hot systems, so the Pure 2o one, assuming its the same unit, is becoming more interesting.

[Spruce]

Could you not use a webasto from eBay and run it flat out for a couple of hours via a timer before starting work . Using the pump to circulate back to tank . insulate tank to keep it hot most of the day .

I meant to add.

If you are considering buying a unit from Ebay, they must NOT be vehicle related. You only want a Yacht/canal/cruiser unit as they have analogue controllers. The vehicle specific units are CanBus controlled and will only obey instructions from that vehicle's engine management system.

Also remember that you will get a basic heater second hand. By the time you buy a wiring loom, fuel pump, fuel lines, dip tube and connectors, inet and exhaust components, this cheap boiler can become expensive.

I would pay more for the complete unit -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WEBASTO-THERMOTOP-C-WATER-HEATER-CENTRAL-HEATING-12v-/270755819569?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item3f0a4df031

although I have seen them a bit cheaper than this - although without the controller - £70 extra

[Spruce]

I don't know much about the 90s to be honest.

It is a much bigger output heater, and as a mainly 1 man operator I was looking for something smaller that would work harder for me only.

As I stated earlier, I was looking for a more controlled, smaller, more efficient heat delivery, especially with the ever increasing cost of diesel. When I did a prerun of my system on the driveway about 3 years ago diesel wasn't a £1 a litre.

[robert mitchell]

Some of the earlier car ones are analogue,  think the ones from rover were from what I read .

[niceandclean]

You have to accept no matter what, you will need to replace your burner more often than most boat owners. This is because due to the nature of our work, we use it for everyday, all seasons for full days. The guy that comes out and replaces ours says that replacing burners on Webasto units are their bread and butter jobs. He also doesn't recommend running on Red, as Spruce has said, this furs up the units a lot quicker.

[trevor perry]

Spruce, what set up do you have?

Currently looking at the 9kw PF system, but worried a little now...

If you keeps regular servicing, are the reliable for what we need?

Hi Concept,
I don't have a system but do have all the components to assemble one. The heater I have is a Thermo Top C which is the same oil burner that PF did use as I was sent a picture of their system.

However, there was a very basic Ionics setup with photos on here years ago which used the bigger Thermo 90 S.

So the Thermo 90 is the better one, and PF don't use this?

Do you know what Pure 2o use in theirs?

 mine is a purefreedom and it has the Thermo 90

[david washbrook]

To put the record straight pf use the same units as Ionics which are the thermo90 st
But their after sales are miles better in fact Andrew from pf was on the phone only 30mins ago to me

We think the problem may be the water pump at the bottom of the unit I'm meeting an engineer tomoz half way between his work shop and my house to diagnose it correctly

Pf have done everything the possibly can to try and help me out I'm really greatfull for all their help and advice

[Spruce]

To put the record straight pf use the same units as Ionics which are the thermo90 st
But their after sales are miles better in fact Andrew from pf was on the phone only 30mins ago to me

We think the problem may be the water pump at the bottom of the unit I'm meeting an engineer tomoz half way between his work shop and my house to diagnose it correctly

Pf have done everything the possibly can to try and help me out I'm really greatfull for all their help and advice

Please let us know how they go on.

[concept]

To put the record straight pf use the same units as Ionics which are the thermo90 st
But their after sales are miles better in fact Andrew from pf was on the phone only 30mins ago to me

We think the problem may be the water pump at the bottom of the unit I'm meeting an engineer tomoz half way between his work shop and my house to diagnose it correctly

Pf have done everything the possibly can to try and help me out I'm really greatfull for all their help and advice

Interesting post, thanks.

[KS Cleaning]

Spruce, what set up do you have?

Currently looking at the 9kw PF system, but worried a little now...

If you keeps regular servicing, are the reliable for what we need?

Hi Concept,

Mail sent.

I know I'm leaving myself open to get shot down here - but these units prefer white diesel - they don't run well on red diesel or heating oil. Boat marina fuel pumps supply red diesel.
But I think the main issue is if the heater isn't running to capacity, they start to cycle (cut on and off) and this is when coking up is more likely to occur.

If you use red diesel in these systems I was told by PF your warranty will be null and void.

[KS Cleaning]

Could you not use a webasto from eBay and run it flat out for a couple of hours via a timer before starting work . Using the pump to circulate back to tank . insulate tank to keep it hot most of the day .

This is what I do,although it is a bit noisy for startin it up early in the mornin.Takes about 2 hours to heat up 400 litres,then I just run it again for 15 mins when the water temp is dropping later in the day

[robert mitchell]

Do you run the pure water directly through the webasto and does it affect tds?
What model webasto do you use?
I'm thinking of doing this next year .