g0ozs Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I am not sure if this belongs in electrics but can't see a better option .. My NCRS box trailer was fitted (after it left service) with an Ebersbacher diesel heater which works quite well. This morning when I was working on a radio in the trailer I had it on for an hour or so when I began to smell fumes - more of hot plastic than diesel - and a few seconds later it all went quiet. On exiting the trailer I saw white smoke emerging from the burner air intake pipe so rapidly switched it off. I've checked that the battery is OK and the fuel tank is not dry so it would appear to be a failure of the heater itself. Has anyone had a similar experience and if so did they find the root cause ? The heater is deeply buried in one of the antenna storage boxes under the trailer so extraction is going to be a pain if required and the more I know in advance the better ... Thanks in advance Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I had one of these , petrol, in my 101 ambulance. You can get manuals for them on line They look simple but my advice RTFM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1950 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) Sounds like an igniter problem, electrodes are usually the problem. Gloves required the sooty oily stuff takes some getting off your hands. Edited February 19, 2017 by john1950 Addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I had one that started only running for a few seconds before cutting out, messed about with it but it got worse until it did nothing at all. Rang the makers and I found out that there is an inbuilt cut out that stops them working at all after a number of false starts. This can only be re-set but returning the unit to maker for check and refurb. Just make sure you don't try and start it too many times, be sure you find the fault and fix it before trying to start it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g0ozs Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 Thanks all. I think because it failed quite a long time after starting (and I haven't attempted a restart being aware of the lockout), smoke came out the burner air intake and there was a strong "cooked plastic" smell coming out of the heater something got very hot indeed so not an ignition failure - I would have thought more likely one of the fans (or its motor) - my own guess is the burner fan/motor (as I could still hear at least one fan when it had begun to blow the hot smell into the caravan, and the smoke came out the intake rather than the exhaust pipe so there can't have been any airflow through the burner) - on reflection I think the fan noise was louder than usual the last few times I used it so maybe bearings had worn out ? I will perform the extraction in due course and advise my findings, but I suspect a new heater may be in order if the heat damage is non-trivial It won't be an easy job because (like a lot of things done by whoever fitted out my trailer as a mobile bar in the past) it has been put together with no thought of ever dismantling it so I think it will be an all-day job. At least it happened after the worst of the winter. I am actually quite tempted to go all-electric if a replacement is needed as my use (as a radio cabin) is nearly always mains powered. Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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