ITR Stands Behind its Hurricane Hydronic Heater

By
Darrell Nicholson
-
Published: Updated:
1

Three and a half years ago I had a Hurricane hydronic heater installed on our 1969 Grand Banks 32, Athena. Compared to our prior Espar hydronic heater, I have been exceedingly pleased with the Hurricane. It has been completely reliable and it is very easy to service. Recently though, after the unit was out of warranty, the fuel pump failed after 300 hours of use. The Hurricane technician who replaced the failed fuel pump indicated that normally the fuel pumps last much longer, generally 3,000 to 5,000 hours.

I took the fuel pump failure up with Hurricanes parent company, International Thermal Research (ITR), in Canada. Even though the unit was out of warranty, they reimbursed me for the cost (parts and labor) of replacing the fuel pump.

I would highly recommend Hurricane heaters to anyone who needs a heater for their boat; they are reliable, easy to work on, and the company gives excellent service. With our prior water heater, the water pump failed shortly after the warranty had ended; when I attempted several times to contact Espar, they would not even return phone calls.

David von Wolffersdorff

MV Athena, Grand Banks 32

Seattle, WA

Darrell Nicholson
Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.

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1 COMMENT

  1. I would like to contact the author of the article “ITR Stands Behind its Hurricane Hydronic Heater
    Published:October 19, 2017” – David von Wolffersdorff. He lives in Seattle and has a Grand Banks 32.

    I also live in Seattle, have a Grand Banks 32, and want to install the same device in my boat. I would like to know where he had the work done and any tips he can give me.