Webasto Airtop 3900 in Prestige 32

[Keith]

I have recently had a Webasto 3900 heater fitted in our Prestige 32 with 4 outlets (both cabins, galley and saloon). We used it for the first time this weekend (outside air temperature about 7 degrees) and were really disappointed with the heat output. It 'took the edge off' the cold, but we couldn't sit in the saloon without fleeces etc on and it still felt a touch parky even then. One of the 2 control knobs has 'eco', 'normal' and 'boost' settings and the other is a temperature dial with a 'comfort zone' and a max setting beyond this. We couldn't notice any difference in heat output between 'normal' and 'boost' or between the 'comfort zone' or max. Has anyone had a similar experience in a similar sized boat?

[ripster1]

We have a webasto on our Prestige 32 and it blasts the heat in. It is probably older than yours and has less controls than you describe. They do have a weird startup routine though. First the fan comes on and cool air comes out of the vents very gently. You hear lots of clicks and clacks rom the heater box for about a minute - still only gentle cold air. Then what sounds like a jet engine starts and on comes the hot air loads of it. We have four vents one in each stateroom, one in the galley and one the saloon. Keeps us toasty on the coldest of days here in the UK. On ours there is also a setting that fans just cool air - just wondering if yours is stuck on this? How powerful is your air output? Webasto diesel heaters are generally very good kit. I rate them higher than the more common ebers.

[Keith]

Thanks! Since my post I asked the fitter of the heater to take a look. The cover on the top of it had apparenly become loose (it looked OK to me, but clearly not) and was allowing the heated air to escape. It now appears to heat far better, although I look forward to giving it a good test when the weather cools a little. Overall, I'm happy and think the problem's fixed. Thanks again .. Keith