Fast defrosting. Which is better: an alarm system with auto start or a Webasto?

Installation of pre-heater on the car relieves its owner from the headache associated with starting the engine in cold weather. But before purchasing and installing, many car owners have questions about which brand of heater is best suited for them - now the market has no shortage of such products. The initiative of Webasto, which was the first to produce autonomous heating systems for the engine and interior of cars, was supported by other companies, among which the most notable is Eberspacher (created by former Webasto employees). The Russian company, which produces Binar heaters, competes quite successfully in our market with generally recognized leaders, with whose products some European machines are already equipped on the assembly line. The variety of choices often confuses potential buyers. The rather high price of the device fully explains this, so many are interested in what is better - Hydronic or Webasto, and how their cheaper Russian analogue Webasto Binar could possibly be worse?

There are no fundamental differences between Hydronic and Webasto heaters. The differences relate to technological and technical solutions.

How is Hydronic different from Webasta? First of all, it should be noted that there are no fundamental differences between Hydronic and Webasto either in the device or in the method of heating the engine between these products. Distinctive features relate only to technical solutions of some elements of heating systems. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally which is better – Eberspacher or Webasto. But it can be argued that using Webasto (or another autonomous heater) to warm up the engine is better than turning on the engine autostart - doing the latter in a “frozen” state can exhaust the battery life “in one go.”

Main differences

- a pioneer in the production of preheaters. On “northern” versions of cars they are installed by default.

The main differences between Webasto and Hydronic are:

The performance qualities of the heater are influenced by: correct installation, compliance with all operating standards and fuel quality.

• the use of a burner design on Hydronic heaters that is different from that of Webasto and has a longer service life;
• the memory of the Hydronic control unit (controller) has a larger number of fault codes, which makes it possible to more accurately identify the failed element;
• The Hydronic fuel pump is built into the body of the device, which simplifies the installation of an autonomous heater;
• The use of a two-phase combustion system makes fuel combustion more complete and efficient.

But despite the more thoughtful design of the Hydronic heater (compared to Webasto), reviews from car enthusiasts who have tested the heaters in Russian real conditions are equally contradictory and also do not give a clear idea of ​​which is better - Webasto or Hydronic. Having analyzed the comments of the owners of the heaters, we can conclude that the following factors have a real influence on the performance of the heaters:

• integrity and competence of installers of autonomous heating systems;
• climatic conditions of the region;
• quality of routine maintenance and repairs, complete compliance with factory standards for operation and maintenance of the installation;
• fuel quality.

Conclusions and impressions

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the heater. Honestly, I expected a trick from Eber, and even reassured myself that if the heater did not live up to expectations, then it would not be difficult to adapt Webast’s ThermoTop to its installation kit. But in almost all the main characteristics, the heater, in my opinion, surpassed its competitor. Of course, it’s too early to draw conclusions, time will tell, but in essence, the main problem of previous models - heater failure due to a clogged mesh is excluded here, because now it is simply absent from its design. And the design itself, in fact, repeats the proven design of ThermoTops. The heater works like a clock, and even avid Webasto followers, to whom I managed to show off my new product, agree that this “beast” heats the general circuit much faster than its competitor, although, of course, there are some, although not critical, disadvantages.

Webasto engine preheaters are widely known throughout the world and have become widespread on different models and types of vehicles. The name Webasto in everyday life is often used today to refer to the very fact that the power unit is additionally equipped with an autonomous engine heater.

It should not be forgotten that in addition to Webasto, there are other solutions from various manufacturers on the market. For example, as a worthy alternative to Webasto, many drivers choose Eberspacher Hydronic preheaters.

Also on the market are Russian Binar (Binar-5), Planar, Teplostar and similar analogues. In this article we will talk about how Hydronic differs from Webasto, and we will also try to answer the frequently asked question of what is better to choose, Binar, Webasto or Hydronic.

Binar or Hydronic, Webasto or Binar - which is better?

Installation of the Binar heater under the right wheel bumper.

Russian developers of heaters are undoubtedly making progress, creating equipment that better meets the requirements of car owners than the first samples - the range of settings for heating systems is expanding; The heaters already have a modular structure that allows you to expand the capabilities of controlling the device remotely by purchasing and installing additional equipment. But for now, at least according to reviews from companies that install heaters, claims on warranty issues are more often associated with Binar installations.

The main disadvantage of the Binar heater is the faster discharge of the battery. However, this is more than compensated for by the low cost of the Binar heater.

The biggest disadvantage of the Binar heater at the moment is the larger size and weight of the boiler itself than its “big brothers”. Another disadvantage noted by the owners is that the battery discharges faster than when warming up with Webasto. But Binar also has undoubted advantages:

• possibility of installing the boiler in different positions;
• ease of rebooting the controller when it is blocked as a result of failed launches;
• the control panel display does not freeze, like on Webasto;
• the remote control display shows the coolant temperature value, which makes it possible to control the heating - this is not available on imported analogues;
• significantly lower cost of the device and spare parts;
• the possibility of installing another coolant pump and “registering” its data in the memory of the control unit.

In conclusion, we can only advise you to study the reviews of the owners of a specific heater model, preferably those you know personally. Studying the characteristics of devices from documents will not give such a comprehensive answer as checking them in practice.

When it comes to choosing a preheater, car owners most often consider three competing manufacturers. Among them are two “Germans” - Webasto and Hydronic, as well as the domestic Binar. The purpose of this material is to objectively compare heaters from the three most famous brands on the market, and answer the question: what is better to buy - Webasto, Hydronic or Binar?

Content:

What is Webasto?

Call to the service station: - Hello!? Is this a Vibast service? - Yes. - Yeah, do you make them? - No, we are repairing them. What is your problem? — My Vibasta from Eberspächer does not work. — I see, what kind of heater do you have, liquid or air? - Well, so this is a liquid hair dryer... ... This very typical dialogue has already become a living joke for our employees. After all, if we transfer this dialogue, for example, to household appliances, it turns out that the client is interested in whether we can repair the “Ariston TV refrigerator from Indesit”! This is funny and amusing, but it’s time to clarify what these words “vibasta, eberspächer, liquid hairdryer” really mean. A little history. More than 140 years ago, in 1865, in Germany, in the city of Esslingen, not far from Stuttgart, one true Aryan, Jakob Eberspacher, decided to create a workshop for the production of various metal structures, water supply and drain pipes. Jacob thought about his business seriously, for centuries, so he named it by his own name. Thus began a glorious story (“Eberspacher”).

It seems that the city of Esslingen was simply a wonderful source of talented people. Some 36 years later, on March 7, 1901, no less a true Aryan, Wilhelm Baier, opened his own hardware manufacturing enterprise. It must be said that initially both companies produced completely non-automotive products, because there was no automobile industry yet. This is how she made her first successes in the field of construction in the production of metal structures and glass roofs. Wilhelm Bayer's company initially produced a wide variety of products from wire and tin: from mousetraps to components for bicycles from Italian manufacturers - at that time the leaders in this industry.

To be closer to his Italian clients and take advantage of the source of cheap energy provided by the fast mountain river Wurm, in 1907 Mr. Bayer moved his company to the town of Stockdorf near Munich. It was this year that its new name was formed from the first and last name of the founder and the location of the company - WilhElm BAier, STOckdorf - "WEBASTO". Hard work and diligence have allowed these companies to gain a reputation as reliable manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality equipment.

At the dawn of the automobile industry, the founders of Daimler-Benz asked to develop and manufacture an exhaust system (exhaust pipe) for their first car. From this moment the history of the Eberspächer automobile division began.

Webasto also grew along with the automotive industry and, starting from the 30s of the 20th century, increasingly focused on the needs for a wide variety of accessories for car owners and, accordingly, car manufacturers. In 1932, the company produced the first folding roofs for cars and buses.

At approximately the same time, Eberspächer in 1933 and Webasto in 1935, the companies began producing dependent liquid heaters (interior heaters) for cars and buses. An important period of company development occurred in the post-war years, when the German economy was exhausted and the country itself was in ruins. It was the automobile industry that played an important role in the recovery of the German economy. Webasto received orders and was the first to come to grips with the problem of optimizing the climate in cars.

Thus, in 1948, the first autonomous heater for buses was produced, and by the end of the 60s, Webasto offered liquid heaters for any vehicles, as well as air heaters for trucks. Since 1965, Webasto has been producing air conditioners for buses and trucks.

The automotive division of Eberspächer also did not remain aloof from this topic and took part in the legendary project of the post-war years - the Volkswagen Beetle. The fact is that this car had an engine with an air cooling system; it did not have a conventional stove. The Volkswagen concern was faced with the task of obtaining an autonomous heat source independent of the engine.

It was chosen as the developer, which by that time had already earned a reputation as a reliable partner and innovator. And Eberspächer engineers rose to the occasion, offering in 1953 the world's first small-sized air heater. Soon the first engine preheater was developed. From this moment begins the history of the production of autonomous heating systems for vehicles.

Both Jacob Eberspächer and Wilhelm Bayer hardly imagined that by starting their own business, they were laying the foundation on which, decades later, corporations with multi-billion-dollar turnover would grow. Now Webasto is a world leader in the development and production of autonomous heaters, folding roofs and sunroofs, as well as air conditioners for all types of cars.

Eberspächer, along with the production of autonomous heaters, is one of the world's largest suppliers of exhaust systems for conveyors of car factories and glass roof structures in construction. For a long time, these two companies were global monopolies in the production of climate control equipment for cars. And despite the fact that now the list of manufacturers of autonomous heating systems has exceeded a dozen, they all borrow ideas and technologies developed by the designers of the legendary German brands - WEBASTO and Eberspacher.

Well, you might say, why is it that all our autonomous heaters, regardless of which company they are manufactured by, are usually called “Webasto”? I think that the answer to this question must be sought in the history of the Soviet Union. It was back in 1975 that it entered into an agreement with the Soviet government and sold a license to produce its newest liquid heater for trucks, model DBW 2010. It was decided to produce it 180 kilometers from Moscow, in the city of Rzhev, at the ATE-3 plant (later ELTRA "), where the Germans not only handed over the drawings for this heater, but also trained specialists and helped set up production.

The design turned out to be so successful that it is still produced practically unchanged by both the Rzhev plant (now called ELTRA-Thermo, the Pramo concern) and the Webasto-Electron subsidiary in Ukraine. Needless to say, thanks to the Soviet planned economy and the lack of an alternative, the drivers of Sovtransavto (namely, the cars of this organization mainly had autonomous heaters) subsequently began to habitually call “Webasto” any device that provided automatic heating of the system when the engine was turned off .

We are accustomed to the fact that all SUVs are called “jeeps”, high-pressure washers are called “Kärchers”, diapers are called “pampers”, autonomous heaters are called “Webasts”... And even if this is not entirely correct syntactically, but without noticing it, we give a tribute to innovating companies, pioneering companies, thanks to which our lives become a little easier and more comfortable. How does it all work?

The basis of all autonomous heaters, regardless of their design differences, the fuel used and the object being heated, is pure physics and its simple principle - to produce heat it is necessary to burn oxygen and fuel. Moreover, for efficient and reliable operation, these components must burn in a certain proportion. An excess of one of the components leads to heater failure.

As paradoxical as it may sound, the biggest problem facing heater designers is getting the fuel to burn well and evenly. With gasoline it’s still all right, but even setting diesel fuel on fire is problematic! In order to make fuel burn, three main methods are used: spraying, spraying under pressure and burning from a wick. The first two methods, I think, are clear. Therefore, I will explain the third one.

Everyone knows what a kerosene lamp is. The wick in it is saturated with fuel due to the wetting effect, and when we set it on fire, the wick itself does not burn, but the fuel that actively mixes with air on the porous surface of the wick burns. Thus, all heater designs use these three methods or combinations thereof. But schematically, all autonomous heaters and preheaters are built the same way.

Any heater has a burner (combustion chamber) in which fuel is mixed with air and combustion begins. A fuel pump is used to supply fuel to the burner, and an electric air blower (fan) is used to pump air. Mixing with air, the fuel ignites and burns, and the hot gases enter the heat exchanger, where they transfer their heat to the coolant (air in air heaters or liquid in liquid heaters).

The heated coolant enters the car using another fan in the air version or a circulation pump in the liquid version. The combustion process is monitored by a flame sensor (indicator), and protection against overheating is provided by an overheating sensor (thermal fuse), which stops the heater in an emergency situation, ensuring its fire safety. This is the operation scheme of all autonomous heaters and preheaters without exception. Now let's look at the fundamental differences between different designs, their pros and cons.

The first design that we will consider is the heater ...... of the Shadrinsky Automotive Aggregate Plant (SHAAZ), the famous “Zaporozhevsk” stove. However, it is famous not only for being the first autonomous heater produced in the USSR for the national economy, but also for its capriciousness and unreliability.

It works like this: the driver uses a toggle switch to turn on an electromechanical diaphragm-type fuel priming pump, which pumps fuel into the carburetor installed on the heater. Once the carburetor's float chamber is full, a valve in the chamber closes the fuel supply line. Due to the resulting back pressure, the pump membrane stops, opening the control contacts.

Fuel supply is stopped until the carburetor fuel is consumed and the pressure in the fuel supply line decreases. As soon as this happens, the pump membrane will move, closing the control contacts, and the pump will release a new portion of fuel to the carburetor. Simultaneously with the pump, the driver turns on the glow plug installed in the heater burner. The degree of glow of the spark plug can be judged by the indicator located on the control panel.

After about 30 seconds, the driver turns on the purge fan, which forces air from outside into the combustion chamber through the carburetor diffuser. In this case, the fuel, passing through the dosing jet of the carburetor, is mixed with air in the diffuser, turning into a combustible mixture. The heated spiral of the candle ignites the combustible mixture. As stable combustion occurs, the flame indicator heats up and lights up. It turns on a light on the control panel, indicating that the candle can be turned off.

If emergency overheating occurs, a thermal fuse is triggered, which turns off the fuel pump and purge fan. The purge fan has a second impeller that pumps cold air from outside through the heater heat exchanger into the cabin. The stove is turned off manually in the reverse order: the fuel priming pump is turned off first, then when the combustion stops and the control lamp goes out, the purge fan turns off. What are the advantages of this design?

Yes, none. Firstly, due to the use of a carburetor, this design can only operate on gasoline. Secondly, for the same reason, the working mixture is poorly dosed - the carburetor is difficult to fine-tune. Due to the ingress of moisture and dirt, the float needle may become stuck and gasoline may overflow. And this is already fraught with smoke in the cabin and even a fire. Thirdly, this heater can hardly be called autonomous.

Yes, it can work even when the engine is off, but it is impossible to use the thermostat to regulate the temperature in the cabin, because the process of starting and shutting down requires the direct participation of the driver. However, in the West, such a design was used only at the dawn of heater production and has not been used for a long time. And only the orthodox SHAAZ still offers this stove for sale! And the main thing is that someone buys them. Apparently the low price - the main and, perhaps, the only plus - outweighs all the numerous disadvantages for such clients.

Attention! Recently, we began to receive information that “Kulibins” have appeared, which are converting “Zaporozhevsk” stoves to run on liquefied gas. There are even drivers who are very pleased and praise such “crafts.” Unfortunately, drivers who are dissatisfied with these stoves will no longer be able to tell us anything - they are NO longer with us...

But enough exoticism, let's move on to modern designs. The burner design of most heaters and preheaters uses an evaporator. An evaporator is a kind of wick made of non-flammable materials. Early Webasto models used an evaporator made of basalt wool, while modern ones use stainless steel fibers sintered in a vacuum. The use of an evaporator is a kind of “Webasto” strong point, its calling card.

A burner with an evaporator has a number of advantages: simple design, which means cheaper to manufacture; ease of switching to another type of fuel - just change the fuel supply, and the heater can run on gasoline or diesel; This burner design allows the heater to be installed in almost any position.

But along with these advantages, there is only one, but significant disadvantage in using evaporators - high requirements for the quality of fuel, especially diesel. The porous structure of the evaporator, like a filter, absorbs dirt, water, and harmful impurities that are found in abundance in our gasoline and diesel fuel. And if you can still try to filter out mechanical impurities and water, it is almost impossible to remove sulfur and paraffins from diesel fuel.

Due to the fact that the formation of a flame just begins from the evaporator, its temperature during combustion is relatively low. It is enough for the light fractions of diesel fuel to evaporate and burn without problems. But the heavy fractions - sulfur and paraffins - evaporate poorly, accumulate and, under the influence of temperature, gradually coke, clogging the pores of the evaporator. Such an evaporator cannot ensure a normal combustion process and the heater begins to smoke and then stops working altogether. Heaters with such a burner design should only operate on high-quality fuel - for example, German. Where can you get it, German diesel fuel, you ask?

In Germany, of course. Those who refuel at gas stations in our Motherland or, even worse, in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, can only sympathize. What is the way out? We recommend that everyone install additional fuel tanks and add regular lighting kerosene (not aviation kerosene) to diesel fuel. It contains no sulfur and paraffin.

The more kerosene, the longer your stove will work. True, kerosene increases the combustion temperature and if you use 100% kerosene, the burner may burn out or the heat exchanger may be deformed. But here, as they say, you have to choose between two evils - either the kerosene stove works, or it doesn’t work at all. There is one more problem - kerosene is difficult to find in winter... However, the problems with evaporators described above practically do not apply to gasoline versions.

The burner with evaporator was and is used in the following Webasto air heaters: HL(AirTop) 18/24/32; AirTop 2000/3500/5000. And also in liquid heaters: BBW/DBW 46, DW/BW 50, TermoTop C/E/P/T/Z, DW 80, Termo 90. The same burner design is used in the Russian and Turkish OH-32 heaters. Kaelsa" - Webasto’s long-time and main competitor uses a burner design where the combustion process of the fuel mixture is divided into two phases.

The first phase - the formation of a flame occurs on a fine-mesh metal mesh, which is installed in the form of a glass around the candle. The fuel enters the mesh through the supply tube, wets it like a rag and is ignited with a hot candle. When the flame becomes stable, the candle turns off and further combustion occurs on its own. But all the fuel on the grid does not have time to burn, and then the process enters the second phase.

Excess fuel flows into the combustion chamber, the walls of which are lined with the same evaporator - a wick, and burns out there. Unlike Webasto burners, this design is less demanding on fuel quality. The mesh of the candle, where combustion begins and the flame temperature is the lowest, nevertheless does not coke because it is burned by a hot candle when the stove is started. And in the combustion chamber, where the main combustion of fuel occurs, the temperature is already quite high and the evaporator material is well calcined, causing the fuel to burn without a residue.

The disadvantages of this burner design include higher cost due to a more complex device. The advantages are lower demands on the quality of fuel, ease of replacement of consumables - spark plug mesh. As a rule, to replace it, the heater does not need to be disassembled, and sometimes there is no need to even remove the heater.

The design of the burner with a spark plug grid is the main and fundamental difference between the Eberspächer and Webasto heaters, their “strong point” or “know-how,” so to speak. Eberspächer has such a burner design for the following air heaters (D - diesel, B - gasoline, numbers - power gradation options): D/B 1L, 1LC, 1LCcompact, D/B 3LC, D/B 3LCcompact, D/B 5L, 5LC, AIRTRONIC D/B 2/4/5. And liquid heaters: D/B 5W, D 7/9W, HYDRONIC D/B 4/5WS, HYDRONIC 10, D3/5WZ/WS. They borrowed this burner design in their products (“ATESO”, Czech Republic), “MIKUNI” (“MIKUNI”, Japan), “ARDIC” (Sweden), SHAAZ (Shadrinsk, Russia), “TEPLOSTAR” (Samara, Russia).

Different burners - that’s, perhaps, all the differences between the above-described heaters and heaters. Otherwise, the design of these stoves is the same. When we press the “ON” button, the command to turn on is sent to the heater control unit - its “electronic brain”. Next, the control unit performs a pre-start test - and, if all elements and control circuits are in good condition, the startup process begins. The glow plug turns on first, then the purge fan, which pumps fresh air from the street into the combustion chamber.

After 25-30 seconds, when the spark plug is hot enough, the control unit begins to supply short voltage pulses to the fuel pump. The fuel pump is a coil with a piston core inside. When voltage is applied to the coil, the electromagnetic force moves the piston core, causing it to pump a portion of fuel from the tank and compress the return spring. When the voltage disappears, the spring pushes the piston and it pushes a portion of fuel further towards the stove.

To prevent fuel from flowing back into the tank, a check valve is installed in the pump, allowing fuel to flow in only one direction. The design of pumps from different manufacturers may differ slightly, but the essence remains - to supply a strictly dosed portion of fuel in one cycle. Therefore, such pumps are also called dosing pumps. Since the portion of fuel supplied by the pump per push is always the same, in order to increase or decrease the fuel supply, the heater control unit accordingly changes the pulse frequency to the pump.

So, the control unit begins to send impulses to the pump, and the fuel, falling on a hot spark plug, ignites. The increase in temperature in the combustion chamber is monitored by a flame sensor (or indicator). In the first heaters it was ordinary, contact. That is, as it warmed up, the contacts in it opened, and the control unit turned off the spark plug. As the use of semiconductors expanded, sensors began to be made with strain gauges.

An increase in temperature in such sensors causes a change in electrical resistance or voltage, which allows the control unit to more sensitively monitor the presence of a flame in the burner and turn off the candle faster. Some heaters use photoresistors or phototransistors as a flame indicator, which respond to the presence and strength of light radiation in the combustion chamber. In a situation where the flame sensor does not detect combustion within 30-40 seconds (for example, if there is no fuel or it is frozen in the fuel line), the control unit makes a second attempt to start.

That is, the entire startup process begins again. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the heater goes into purge mode, after which it turns off and will not turn on again. In order to make a new attempt, you need to turn off the heater and turn it on again. Well, what if everything is in order with the combustion process? Amazing. Further operation of the stove depends on other sensors.

In air heaters, the temperature increase in the heated room is monitored by a cabin temperature sensor. If this is a mechanical sensor, then upon reaching the temperature set by the driver in the cabin, the sensor will simply turn off the heater, and when the temperature drops, it will turn it on again. If the heater is equipped with a resistor or electronic sensor, then as the interior warms up, the heater will “reduce speed” and the heating power will gradually or stepwise decrease.

In liquid heaters, instead of a cabin temperature sensor, a coolant temperature sensor is used, which regulates the operation of the heater depending on the temperature of the antifreeze. However, there are situations when, for example, as a result of a drop in antifreeze level or failure of the circulation pump, the circulation of coolant through the heater heat exchanger is disrupted.

Or, for example, if at the inlet of the cabin air heater there is an obstacle to the intake of cold air in the form of, for example, a shoe, a canister or just a rag. The situation is serious, because a violation of heat removal from the combustion chamber and heat exchanger can lead to melting of the latter and even a fire. To prevent this from happening, any heater or preheater has an overheat sensor that turns off the fuel supply and turns off the stove if an emergency occurs. Overheating sensors or emergency sensors, as well as flame indicators, are contact ones, configured to operate (open) at certain temperatures.

Thermistor ones are also used. The latter type of sensors allows the control unit to track the initial signs of overheating and prevent it by turning off the heater before an emergency occurs. But now the work is done, the interior or engine is warmed up, we turn off the heater. First of all, the fuel pump is turned off. But inside the combustion chamber the temperature is still very high, and therefore the control unit does not turn off the purge motor immediately, giving time to the combustion chamber and heat exchanger to cool. The purge process is monitored by a flame sensor, which, when the temperature drops, gives the control unit a signal about its completion.

Here is a brief and general description of stoves with burners from Webasto and Eberspächer. As you can see, the design, although not very simple, is at the same time safe. The presence of several power levels in modern models allows heaters to adapt to the heat consumption in the car, thereby saving electricity and fuel. It is not surprising that the vast majority of modern autonomous heaters have a similar device.

The following burner design cannot be called exclusive. The principle of spraying fuel through a nozzle is used by Webasto, Eberspächer, ELTRA and SHAAZ on their heaters. Among the design features of these devices, it is worth noting the use of gear-type fuel pumps, which supply fuel to the injector under high (7-10 bar) pressure. Since the gear pump requires lubrication for normal operation, such heaters can only operate on diesel fuel.

Such burners are designed as follows: a gear-type fuel pump is driven by an electric motor, pumping fuel into the fuel injector line with excess. Excess fuel flows into the tank through the fuel return line. At the right moment, the electromagnetic fuel valve is activated, and fuel under pressure enters the nozzle, at the output of which a fine mist of diesel fuel is formed, which is easily ignited by a spark or a heated spark plug (depending on the design). The nozzle has a strictly dosed hole, the diameter of which, and accordingly the dose of fuel passing through it, depends on the power of the heating unit.

Since the consumption of fuel sprayed by a nozzle is relatively high (usually from 1 kg/hour), the thermal power of heaters that have a nozzle in their design is high (usually in the range of 11 - 60 kW). Therefore, the scope of application of such heaters is trucks, heavy special and military equipment, buses, ships and yachts. There is no need to describe the design and operation of heaters. The operation of the control unit and various sensors is identical to that described in the previous chapter, so we will dwell only on some of the features.

Since in this burner design there is no way to regulate the fuel supply capacity (it is constant), and therefore the heating power, the heater has only two modes: on or off. Therefore, the coolant temperature sensor usually has a large variation in on-off temperatures. For example, the temperature of antifreeze at which heating stops usually lies within 70-90 degrees. The heating process resumes at 40-55 degrees. In the interval between these temperatures, the heater is in standby mode, when the stove itself is turned off and only the circulation pump is running. It provides a gradual and uniform drop in temperature as heat is consumed. Such a burner has few weak points, perhaps only the notorious quality of the fuel.

And only in terms of the presence of mechanical impurities and water in diesel fuel. Therefore, this, in general, old but reliable design has been used for many years and, probably, will still be used by all leading manufacturers of autonomous vehicles. Webasto heaters of the following models have this design: DBW 2010/2012/2016/2020/470, DW 230/300, Termo 230/300/350. This model has D24W, HYDRONIC 16/24/30/35W. ELTRA heaters (Rzhev, Russia) are produced in the following models: 15.8601 (11.6 kW), 15.8601-16 (16 kW), 141.8601(23 kW), 141.8601(30 kW), 141.8601(35 kW).

Heaters of the Shadrinsky plant (SHAAZ), which use a burner with a nozzle, models PZD-30 (30 kW) and PZD-600 (64 kW) are pre-start and do not have a control unit, that is, they are controlled manually. Perhaps these heaters are not equipped with control units intentionally, because the main customer of these units has always been and remains the Ministry of Defense, and the military has increased requirements for the resistance of equipment to electromagnetic interference, which is so afraid of any electronics.

And the last burner design that we will consider. This is a burner with a rotary atomizer. Despite the fact that no company anymore produces heaters and preheaters of a similar design (except, again, SHAAZ), such units are still in operation, and therefore have the right to our attention.

It all works like this. The fuel pump, which can be either an electromagnetic metering pump or a mechanically driven plunger pump, supplies fuel through a thin tube into the combustion chamber. Inside the chamber, a metal cup rotates on the same shaft as the purge fan, into which fuel drips from a tube. During the rotation of the shaft and, accordingly, the cup, due to centrifugal force, the fuel is sprayed into a fine mist and ignited by a glow plug, after which it burns on its own. For better combustion, the bottom of the combustion chamber is covered with asbestos, which serves as a wick for fuel that is not immediately burned. It would seem that everything is simple and ingenious.

However, heaters and preheaters with this type of burner are not widely used. In designs with a plunger pump, which is usually driven by the combustion air fan shaft, it is problematic to organize the normal air-fuel mixture ratio at different speeds. Hence the instability of combustion and coking of the burner during long-term operation at low modes.

Heaters with an electromagnetic dosing pump controlled by a control unit are partially free of this drawback. However, stoves with such burners are quite complex to manufacture and further maintain, which means their cost is high. In general, this burner design is considered dead-end by most leading companies, and, most likely, will soon sink into oblivion, so to speak. We have come across only two models with similar burners - heaters DA6 (special edition for VW-LT) and D3L. Webasto has the very rare HL2012 heater, as well as the still quite common bus heater DBW268, which, by the way, was discontinued only in 2006. In the vast expanses of the former USSR, only one plant made and continues to make heaters of this type - SHAAZ. These are ancient military stoves OV65 and OV95.

That’s all, dear readers, that can be said about modern autonomous heaters and preheaters. It remains to add that the material was prepared using information from the official websites of Webasto, Eberspächer, Teplostar; material from the website https://gsm-timer.ucoz.ru/publ/avtonomki

Which is better: Webasto or Hydronic?

The main differences between Webasto and Hydronic are fuel consumption and power consumed from the battery in different modes. According to the first criterion, Webasto heaters are on average 20% more economical than competing “Germans” with the same thermal power. They also drain the battery less – about twice as much.

If we compare Webasto and Hydronic according to the other criteria presented above, they are not very different. The overall dimensions, weight and cost of modifications of equal power are approximately the same. The only thing worth noting is reliability. As practice shows, thanks to a more thoughtful design, Webasto heaters require much less maintenance and repair than Hydronic.

Comparison of prices for Webasto and Hydronic (Webasto and Hydronic)

A few years ago, the cost of Webasto and Hydronic really differed by a good amount. It was more profitable to install Hydronic (Eberspaecher); it was cheaper, somewhere between 5-10 thousand rubles. Now the price limit has been erased, and you can buy Webasto at the same cost as Hydronic, and even more often cheaper. This is if we are talking about retail prices. But the price range for hydronics is still high and they can offer it to you at a good discount. I also want to note that the cost of Webasto is fixed in all regions of the country, although of course there are some companies that sell it cheaper. The cost of installing heaters is the same. and is about 6-12 thousand rubles, depending on the complexity of the installation.

Thus, Eberspächer's achievements due to the cheaper cost of the heater are lost. Although the controls for this heater are still cheaper, the Eberspacher heater can also be connected to an additional alarm channel, without voiding the warranty. That is, you can already save at least 5,000 rubles. And if you want to start the heater from your mobile phone, then your savings will be 12,000 rubles, which is noticeable, right?

A short review and comparison of German autonomous heaters from our own experience.

Some time ago, common sense finally won the toad and I decided to install an autonomous heater on the gx470, with the expectation that on gasoline alone it would pay for itself in 2-3 years of operation in winter, not to mention preserving engine life and comfort . Because The engine capacity is large, the heater power was clearly chosen - 5 kW. But I still had my doubts with the manufacturer. On the one hand, the proven Webasto ThermoTop Evo, on the other hand, a new product from the previously infamous, again, German Eberspächer - Hydronic 2 version Comfort.

Webasto Thermo Top EVO 5

At one time, “Ebers” established themselves as “heaters with problems.” This was due to two things.

1. First. In pursuit of leadership, in the early 2000s, the Eberspächer company tried to artificially, through the firmware of the “brains,” increase the power of their heaters by 0.2 kW in order to overtake Webasto, its competitor. This caused a lot of failures in the electronics, leading to the heater blocking.
2. Second. The design of Hydronic (Eberspächer) differed from ThermoTop (Webasto) and in the Russian Federation turned out to be less suitable for our fuel, because Due to blockages, it was necessary to periodically clean the mesh in the fire tube. In general, a mass of hemorrhoids.

However, as the manufacturer has now stated, the design of the new Hydronic 2 has changed and has become similar to Webasto. And brain problems were solved back in the same 2000s. The problems were solved, but the residue and distrust remained, especially since Hydronic 2 is in no way cheaper than Webasto. However, Hydronic 2 Comfort offered something more interesting in terms of functionality than Webasto, and the desire to try something new and get a little more out of it still won. Due to the fact that in Russia almost no one knows about the existence of Hydronic 2, and there is no technical information about its structure anywhere, it was decided to familiarize ourselves with the design with my own eyes. So, for this purpose, the Eberspacher Hydronic B5SC Comfort and Webasto Thermo Top EVO 5 (both 5 kW boilers) were disassembled. I was interested in the design of the problem area – the flame tube!

Both fire tubes have a so-called “tablet”, which resembles a pressed metal dishwashing sponge. Eber has a mesh on top to prevent the tablet from “fluffing up”. Fortunately, there was no cylindrical mesh in the flame tube, which had to be cleaned in the first Hydronics. Above the “tablet” in both heaters there is a ceramic glow pin. The design of the new hydronics has really changed and began to resemble the Webasto design. It was decided to install Hydronic 2.

Which is better: Webasto or Binar?

It is quite difficult to objectively compare Binar and Webasto, since with almost the same pricing policy, the main characteristics of the “Germans” are far ahead of domestic heaters.

Thus, Webasto’s fuel consumption at maximum and medium loads is approximately 20% less. German heaters consume 5 times less electricity than Russian ones. In addition, they have an order of magnitude richer equipment, simpler and more convenient operation, higher efficiency and reliability.

Additional Webasto heater controls

For remote control and delayed start of the Webasto autonomous heater, you can additionally purchase a timer. A timer or remote control, as a rule, is not included in the standard package, but it can be installed additionally:

• The timer is mounted inside the car. Using it, we can pre-program the time to turn on the heater (for example, 20 minutes before the planned departure). At the same time, programming the start using a timer makes it possible not only to warm up the engine in advance, but also to ensure a comfortable temperature in the cabin - so that we will get into a warm car.
• An alternative or additional solution for controlling the heater is a remote control. It has a compact size, but allows you to turn on the autonomous heating system for the engine and interior from a distance, as well as select the operating time of the heater. Depending on the modification, the remote control can operate at a distance from 200 m to 1 km.

Note! The main disadvantages of the remote control are its limited range and the risk of malfunctions at low temperatures. In addition, most of these devices only work if the car is in line of sight, i.e. not blocked by any objects.

• GSM modules do not have the disadvantages inherent in remote controls. They allow you to regulate the operation of Webasto heaters either via a mobile network or using the W-BUS digital protocol. To do this, a mobile operator SIM card is inserted into the module: its number is used to control the heater remotely. The Thermo Call mobile application can also be used to control the GSM module.

The use of GSM modules makes it possible to remotely turn on and off heating equipment (engine heaters and autonomous heaters) working with Webasto Thermo Test.

Which is better: Binar or Hydronic?

In a number of parameters, domestic heaters are inferior to Hydronic models. At the same time, they are not much cheaper than their competitors. If we consider one of the main characteristics - fuel consumption, then Hydronics are on average 5-10% more economical than their domestic counterparts. Much more noticeable is the difference between the power consumed from the battery and its proven reliability. The “Germans” are ahead here too.

What's the result?

Taking into account the above, it turns out that Webasto products look not only a more reliable and economical option with an extended warranty, but also more expensive. As for additional equipment, as well as taking into account subsequent post-warranty repairs and maintenance, it is more profitable to purchase an Eberspächer Hydronic heater.

Each product has both its advantages and certain disadvantages, while at the initial stage the cost of the Webasto and Hydronic kits is almost the same. In any case, the final choice still remains with the consumer.

What is Webasto? Operating principle of autonomous pre-heaters. Pros and cons of a liquid heater and an air heater (hair dryer).

Types and features of diesel fuel pre-heaters. Maintainer heaters for constant maintenance of diesel fuel temperature while moving.

Types of engine preheaters: electric 220 V or with an autonomous power source, liquid. Differences, features of selection and installation.

How does the engine start button work? Available options and solutions for installing the starter button yourself. How to install the engine start button yourself.

Airing of the diesel fuel system: signs of malfunction and diagnostics. How to find the location of the air leak yourself, ways to solve the problem.

Remote engine start unit: basic functions. Safety of using the internal combustion engine autostart module, interaction with car alarms and immo.

Conclusion

To get a more clear idea of ​​the heaters of the presented brands, we suggest looking at the table below. It compares three identically powerful models from different manufacturers according to their main technical characteristics. If we compare modifications from the category with lower thermal power, the picture will be approximately the same.

Comparison of Webasto, Hydronic and Binar heaters (gasoline, 5 kW)

Based on the table data, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. The price for Binar is the most favorable, Webasto is about 2,000 rubles more expensive, and Hydronic is more than 5,000 rubles more expensive than its analogues.
2. The overall dimensions and weight of heaters from the same category are approximately the same.
3. In terms of fuel consumption, Webasto is 20% more economical than its opponents.
4. In terms of power consumed from the battery, Webasto is 2 times more economical than Hydronic, and 5 times more economical than Binar.

It remains to add to these facts the real experience of car owners. As many years of practice have shown, heaters under the Webasto brand are much more reliable and require less maintenance than competing products.

If we consider only Binar and Hydronic heaters, then the Germans are ahead by a fairly large margin. Although, if you consider that the prices for them and for Webasto are approximately the same, then the question of which engine preheater is better to choose becomes rhetorical.

A year has passed since the installation of the Webasto autonomous heater. Overall, I’m happy - I set the start program for a certain time, and by the time you arrive, the car’s engine is already warm and ready to drive. The glow plugs do not participate in starting the engine, the USR valve does not operate - all for the same reason: the engine is already warmed up. The only thing that had to be done was to install new batteries; with the arrival of frosts below -20 on the third day, they did not have enough power to start. Webasto sucked everything onto itself.) But here it must be said that the batteries were already seven years old, and they worked out their service life honestly. The batteries were from VARTA, 70 A/H. BLUE DYNAMIC. In the summer, they will still work quietly for a couple of seasons.

What to consider when installing a preheater on a gasoline engine

Let us note right away that many drivers are inclined to believe that with the help of Webasto it is possible to warm up not only the engine, but also the oil in the internal combustion engine. Please note that this is not actually the case. The work of the heater is aimed at warming up only the coolant, which moves in a small circle.

This means that the intake and exhaust manifolds will be warm, and the cylinder head and cylinder block will become hot, while the oil pan will remain cold. Otherwise, the presence of an autonomous engine heater does not mean that thicker and cheaper oil can be poured into the engine for the winter (for example, viscous semi-synthetics instead of synthetics or high-quality hydrocracking). In this case, the issue of selecting a lubricant should be given special attention, taking into account the so-called “winter” viscosity.

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In simple words, for easy starting in conditions of low temperatures and protection of the internal combustion engine in the first seconds after starting, it is necessary to fill the engine with “flowing” low-viscosity oils. However, after the engine reaches operating temperature, the oil film of such low-viscosity oils may be too thin, that is, it is not enough to protect the loaded rubbing pairs.

It turns out that it is necessary to balance between a confident start “in the cold” and subsequent reliable protection of the engine “in the hot”. Often, fully synthetic motor oils are best suited for this task, which naturally cost much more than other analogues. If we return to the above, it becomes clear that the pre-heater does not solve the oil problem.

We also recommend reading the article on how to install Webasto yourself. From this article you will learn about what the process of installing a Webasto autonomous heater on a car looks like, as well as what subtleties and nuances need to be taken into account during installation.

To raise the temperature of the lubricant, you can install a separate engine oil heater in the engine (heater in the oil pan). In this case (if you have Webasto and an oil heater), warming up the engine before starting will be as complete as possible.

• You also need to take into account the features of choosing the system itself. It is advisable to give preference only to proven brands (Webasto, Hydronic; among domestic ones, Binar, Planar, Teplostar are in demand). If you want to supply exclusively Webasto, you need to understand that the list of different heaters from this company is quite wide.

This means that you need to professionally select the most suitable solution for a specific engine (as is the case with other manufacturers). Today, for many gasoline cars, the best option is Webasto Thermo Top Evo 5 diesel/gasoline with an additional Webasto Call Start module (GSM start module).

The presence of such a module allows you to start the heater using a call via GSM. By the way, if the car is equipped with climate control, it is necessary to separately consult with installation specialists so that the correct pairing of the heater with the standard climate system in the car is implemented.

• As for installation, at the initial stage you need to pay attention to whether a standard heater installation was provided for such a machine. In some cases, it happens that on many models of Volkswagen, Mercedes, Volvo and others, you can install Webasto in the same way as this solution is installed directly at the factory. For example, if the factory-installed pipes are installed behind the engine, you can do it in a similar way.

If the installation of the heater is not standard, then all the details and nuances of the installation should be discussed with installation specialists so that the system works as efficiently as possible, there is no loss of warranty on the heater, etc.

Which preheaters are better - Webasto or Binar?

In October 2020, on PartReview, Webasto preheaters were generally better than Binar.

1. Binar took 1st place in the ranking with a PR score of 99, and Webasto took 2nd place in the ranking with a PR score of 98.
2. Webasto's average review score (4.4) is higher than Binar's (4.3).
3. Webasto preheaters have better property ratings than Binar:
4. Warm-up speed - owners believe that Webasto has this property better than Binar.
5. Installation - car enthusiasts claim that this property of Binar is superior to Webasto.
6. Durability - according to reviews it is clear that this property is preferable for Binar than for Webasto.

Webasto quality service and durability

The products of this brand are distinguished by a high margin of safety, since they are assembled only from high-quality materials that have passed numerous tests. Based on these tests, the company received a number of special certificates confirming the European level of quality. Among other things, Webasto offers excellent service, including warranty repair of heaters and post-warranty service. Official service centers always have a stock of the necessary parts to carry out prompt repair work. Unlike its competitor, Webasto is less sensitive to fuel quality, and therefore less susceptible to breakdowns.

Owners of Webasto heaters will always be able to fix the breakdown in a short time, which cannot be said about the owners of Eberspacher. Errors made during Webasto installation will not lead to critical problems and equipment failure. It is also worth noting that this brand is better known to consumers and popular among car enthusiasts.

Which preheaters are more popular - Binar or Webasto?

In October 2020, on PartReview, Webasto preheaters were generally more popular than Binar.

In terms of the ratio of votes, Webasto preheaters surpassed Binar:

• For Binar, the ratio of positive votes (115) to negative (1) was 114 votes.
• For Webasto, the ratio of positive votes (153) to negative (3) was 150 votes.

In terms of the number of reviews, Webasto preheaters surpassed Binar:

• There are 41 reviews written on Binar preheaters: 38 positive, 2 neutral, 1 negative.
• There are 52 reviews written on Webasto preheaters: 44 positive, 7 neutral, 1 negative.