1986 Espar Heater won't start

[Porchhound]

Mechanics from marina said it was getting fuel, but it still won't start. It runs for a few seconds, then shuts off. They called the Seattle Espar guy and he said it was probably the computer board, which is no longer available. When the mechanics first worked on it they got it started after several cycles, it then blew out a thick cloud of smoke and worked. It worked for me the next day...once. Any notions? I'm not willing to put $3-4K in a new heater.

[waughoo]

It might need a thorough burner clean and maybe a few small parts such as the igniter and such.  If it is already not working, you don't have much to loose in taking it apart.  Do a bit of you tube sleuthing on espar heater service or cleaning and I'll bet you'll find some good information.

[Noah]

Do some googling. There are several knock-off (similar to Espar) diesel heaters that are being used successfully on boats, RVs, and busses, and cost less than $700 complete. Several YouTube sailors have installed and done reviews. Just need to search.