[tlwcs]

My review of the Sonberg 5.1 KW water heater single operator unit.
I bought this after a Squeaky clean Dave review did on YouTube.
Bought and fitted in April and I used it throughout the summer. I had steam on the glass everyday, customers also noticed enough to ask if the water was hot.
November I came back to the van after the unit had run for 5 hours to find the van full of smoke. I turned the unit off and finished my day.
Sonberg’s customer service was excellent, nearly.
I returned the unit myself as they are 40 miles from me. It was repaired and returned via post within a week. Brilliant. However they would not say what was wrong with it other than it needed a service.
Refitted and two days later it filled the van with smoke again. Sonberg arranged collection this time, I refrained from asking if it required another service and it was repaired and returned within a week again. Excellent service.
Sadly they would only tell me that I must have used poor diesel. Where would you buy poor diesel, I only ever used a high street fuel station. I honestly wouldn’t know where to buy poor diesel.
I lost confidence in it after the second return and now rarely use it. When I do it doesn’t seem to get as hot as it used too, I’m sure they’ve dumbed it down.
So do I rate it, yes, it initially worked very well with hot water to the touch.
Sonberg have been good but I feel frustrated in their reports they claimed that it needed a service or poor diesel was used. On each return they had replaced parts.
It works, recycles each time the univalve is used so it continuously runs avoiding the shut down/recycle, choke it up bit!
I think I’m going to try another unit from another supplier.
Open to offers on this if anyone wants to tinker with it.
Tony

[Splash and dash]

My review of the Sonberg 5.1 KW water heater single operator unit.
I bought this after a Squeaky clean Dave review did on YouTube.
Bought and fitted in April and I used it throughout the summer. I had steam on the glass everyday, customers also noticed enough to ask if the water was hot.
November I came back to the van after the unit had run for 5 hours to find the van full of smoke. I turned the unit off and finished my day.
Sonberg’s customer service was excellent, nearly.
I returned the unit myself as they are 40 miles from me. It was repaired and returned via post within a week. Brilliant. However they would not say what was wrong with it other than it needed a service.
Refitted and two days later it filled the van with smoke again. Sonberg arranged collection this time, I refrained from asking if it required another service and it was repaired and returned within a week again. Excellent service.
Sadly they would only tell me that I must have used poor diesel. Where would you buy poor diesel, I only ever used a high street fuel station. I honestly wouldn’t know where to buy poor diesel.
I lost confidence in it after the second return and now rarely use it. When I do it doesn’t seem to get as hot as it used too, I’m sure they’ve dumbed it down.
So do I rate it, yes, it initially worked very well with hot water to the touch.
Sonberg have been good but I feel frustrated in their reports they claimed that it needed a service or poor diesel was used. On each return they had replaced parts.
It works, recycles each time the univalve is used so it continuously runs avoiding the shut down/recycle, choke it up bit!
I think I’m going to try another unit from another supplier.
Open to offers on this if anyone wants to tinker with it.
Tony

No diesel heater should need servicing that soon , we have 3 hot systems all9 kw 2 Ionic’s thermopures and 1 Grippatank two man set up ,Wabasto told me they don’t need servicing they either work or they don’t use it until it stops working ,the Grippatank one ran for 13,000 hours before it stopped working and then the screen , pin ,and burner Chainbure were replaced . Even cheap Chinese heaters will last longer than yours , I would say it’s not fit for purpose, I eventually replaced the whole unit after 34,000 hours total run time that includes the original 13,000 hours I could have repaired it again but felt after all the components had been exposed to such great heat for so long it was best to replace the whole unit as the plastic bits must be getting brittle.

[tlwcs]

My review of the Sonberg 5.1 KW water heater single operator unit.
I bought this after a Squeaky clean Dave review did on YouTube.
Bought and fitted in April and I used it throughout the summer. I had steam on the glass everyday, customers also noticed enough to ask if the water was hot.
November I came back to the van after the unit had run for 5 hours to find the van full of smoke. I turned the unit off and finished my day.
Sonberg’s customer service was excellent, nearly.
I returned the unit myself as they are 40 miles from me. It was repaired and returned via post within a week. Brilliant. However they would not say what was wrong with it other than it needed a service.
Refitted and two days later it filled the van with smoke again. Sonberg arranged collection this time, I refrained from asking if it required another service and it was repaired and returned within a week again. Excellent service.
Sadly they would only tell me that I must have used poor diesel. Where would you buy poor diesel, I only ever used a high street fuel station. I honestly wouldn’t know where to buy poor diesel.
I lost confidence in it after the second return and now rarely use it. When I do it doesn’t seem to get as hot as it used too, I’m sure they’ve dumbed it down.
So do I rate it, yes, it initially worked very well with hot water to the touch.
Sonberg have been good but I feel frustrated in their reports they claimed that it needed a service or poor diesel was used. On each return they had replaced parts.
It works, recycles each time the univalve is used so it continuously runs avoiding the shut down/recycle, choke it up bit!
I think I’m going to try another unit from another supplier.
Open to offers on this if anyone wants to tinker with it.
Tony

No diesel heater should need servicing that soon , we have 3 hot systems all9 kw 2 Ionic’s thermopures and 1 Grippatank two man set up ,Wabasto told me they don’t need servicing they either work or they don’t use it until it stops working ,the Grippatank one ran for 13,000 hours before it stopped working and then the screen , pin ,and burner Chainbure were replaced . Even cheap Chinese heaters will last longer than yours , I would say it’s not fit for purpose, I eventually replaced the whole unit after 34,000 hours total run time that includes the original 13,000 hours I could have repaired it again but felt after all the components had been exposed to such great heat for so long it was best to replace the whole unit as the plastic bits must be getting brittle.

I know. I have it set up to recycle when the univalve shuts the water off to prevent the coking up bit.

[Spruce]

My review of the Sonberg 5.1 KW water heater single operator unit.
I bought this after a Squeaky clean Dave review did on YouTube.
Bought and fitted in April and I used it throughout the summer. I had steam on the glass everyday, customers also noticed enough to ask if the water was hot.
November I came back to the van after the unit had run for 5 hours to find the van full of smoke. I turned the unit off and finished my day.
Sonberg’s customer service was excellent, nearly.
I returned the unit myself as they are 40 miles from me. It was repaired and returned via post within a week. Brilliant. However they would not say what was wrong with it other than it needed a service.
Refitted and two days later it filled the van with smoke again. Sonberg arranged collection this time, I refrained from asking if it required another service and it was repaired and returned within a week again. Excellent service.
Sadly they would only tell me that I must have used poor diesel. Where would you buy poor diesel, I only ever used a high street fuel station. I honestly wouldn’t know where to buy poor diesel.
I lost confidence in it after the second return and now rarely use it. When I do it doesn’t seem to get as hot as it used too, I’m sure they’ve dumbed it down.
So do I rate it, yes, it initially worked very well with hot water to the touch.
Sonberg have been good but I feel frustrated in their reports they claimed that it needed a service or poor diesel was used. On each return they had replaced parts.
It works, recycles each time the univalve is used so it continuously runs avoiding the shut down/recycle, choke it up bit!
I think I’m going to try another unit from another supplier.
Open to offers on this if anyone wants to tinker with it.
Tony

Firstly, was the boiler unit a Webasto? Secondly, where was the smoke coming from? Thirdly, what colour was the smoke?

Imho, the exhaust gases are 'sealed' within the heater and exhaust pipe until they exit from the exhaust pipe outside the van. So the heater should never fill the van with smoke unless there is a leak, possibly where the exhaust pipe joins the boiler.

[dazmond]

If something sounds too good to be true it often is. Ive tried in the past to have instant hot water on the cheap. (Gas shower heaters for example)....

Nothing beats a 9kw diesel heater for robustness and longevity

[tlwcs]

My review of the Sonberg 5.1 KW water heater single operator unit.
I bought this after a Squeaky clean Dave review did on YouTube.
Bought and fitted in April and I used it throughout the summer. I had steam on the glass everyday, customers also noticed enough to ask if the water was hot.
November I came back to the van after the unit had run for 5 hours to find the van full of smoke. I turned the unit off and finished my day.
Sonberg’s customer service was excellent, nearly.
I returned the unit myself as they are 40 miles from me. It was repaired and returned via post within a week. Brilliant. However they would not say what was wrong with it other than it needed a service.
Refitted and two days later it filled the van with smoke again. Sonberg arranged collection this time, I refrained from asking if it required another service and it was repaired and returned within a week again. Excellent service.
Sadly they would only tell me that I must have used poor diesel. Where would you buy poor diesel, I only ever used a high street fuel station. I honestly wouldn’t know where to buy poor diesel.
I lost confidence in it after the second return and now rarely use it. When I do it doesn’t seem to get as hot as it used too, I’m sure they’ve dumbed it down.
So do I rate it, yes, it initially worked very well with hot water to the touch.
Sonberg have been good but I feel frustrated in their reports they claimed that it needed a service or poor diesel was used. On each return they had replaced parts.
It works, recycles each time the univalve is used so it continuously runs avoiding the shut down/recycle, choke it up bit!
I think I’m going to try another unit from another supplier.
Open to offers on this if anyone wants to tinker with it.
Tony

Firstly, was the boiler unit a Webasto? Secondly, where was the smoke coming from? Thirdly, what colour was the smoke?

Imho, the exhaust gases are 'sealed' within the heater and exhaust pipe until they exit from the exhaust pipe outside the van. So the heater should never fill the van with smoke unless there is a leak, possibly where the exhaust pipe joins the boiler.

Hi Spruce.
It was advertised as a reconditioned Webasto 5.1
I can’t remember the colour of the smoke, but it did stink of diesel. When my mate looked it the thought there was a fuel leak. When it came back, after just needing a service, the tank had been changed.
2 days of use after the return back to me, the smoke was white from a vent?
Hopefully you will see it on the picture

[tlwcs]

[tlwcs]

This is a screenshot of a video sent to them.
It’s taken so long to upload this, the video would take forever and I may only live for another 20 years.
Put .20p in the meter please admin

[Splash and dash]

The white smoke is vaporised but unburnt diesel , this is quite dangerous as it only needs an ignition source and you could experience an explosion the more if the vaporised fuel ( smoke) there is the bigger the bang especially inside the vehicle in open air it’s unlikely to ignite as it won’t reach its UEL ( upper explosive limit )

[tlwcs]

If something sounds too good to be true it often is. Ive tried in the past to have instant hot water on the cheap. (Gas shower heaters for example)....

Nothing beats a 9kw diesel heater for robustness and longevity

I know, buy cheap buy twice. A lesson I learned years ago.
However sometimes I just get tempted 😀