Boat heating

[MengWalton]

Good Afternoon,

Whilst completely redoing our boat I keep finding myself thinking about heating.....
I currently use 2 electric fan heaters for about 3-4kw of heating we have shore power at our home berth so that's okay for the moment. However I don't leave these on at night as I've seen a couple of these burnout.

I am pondering a more permanent sort of heating but can't decide on the type!

Now I like the look of Diesel heaters they seem like a good idea and I've already got a couple of CO detectors fitted. But even these fit into 2 different cateories. The drip feed type and the fan blown ones like the Espacher or however you spell it!! I like the idea of the espacher however I have heard they are troublesome and I want something reliable. I do like the idea of the drip feed ones especially those with the visible flame but I don't have the floor space for a big standing one!

Gas heaters - Nope don't like the idea of gas on the boat at all especially not for heating.

Electric - Am I missing any options here? The fan units just get in the way and there not bolted down anywhere with wires running across to plugs ect. Oil ones take up too much space and dont heat the boat very well. I suppose the ideal one here would be a fan heater fitted to the waterproof lockers and ducting into the cabin has this been done before?

I don't think I'm missing any out. I'm just struggling to decide its the only part that I'm torn between and its alot of money to get wrong!

Help

Jonjoe

 

[vyv_cox]

Have a look at http://www.planarheaters.co.uk/ Lots cheaper than the German equivalents and based on experience we hear highly reliable. There has been negative comment here (of course) but all spares are available in UK with backup if it proves necessary.

 

[Kwik Decision]

I was also concerned at the reputation Eberspacher and Webasto had for being problematic, and expensive to repair, but I fitted a basic Webasto about 5 yrs ago to our old boat, mainly because Higher Management was finding sailing trips in the shoulder seasons in the UK too cold. It has worked faultlessly ever since and Higher Management loves it! If I were doing the same now, I'd be very tempted by a Planar heater Vyv has posted a link to, purely on cost grounds.

 

[prv]

Blown-air diesel heaters are pretty common on newer boats; if you think there are a lot of problems reported it may just be because there are so many of them out there. Ours is still working well after 18 years, during which I doubt it's had any maintenance.

Personally I wouldn't want something that needed to be plugged in to shore, so that rules out anything electric. If you don't want gas and don't have room for a stove in the cabin (drip diesel, paraffin, wood, etc) then I think blown-air diesel is it. Hence their popularity.

Pete

 

[Tranona]

Realistically on your size boats the only two alternatives are diesel blown air or gas blown air (such as Propex). The former is £2000+ to install and if done properly with a marine kit rather than a vehicle cast off it will be reliable and effective. Gas is about half the price to install but is more limited in capacity, but adequate for your size boat. It should be equally safe and reliable. Most modern boats use gas at least for cooking without any safety problem.

Drip feed type stoves are really not practical in a small boat as they take up too much room, potential problems with flues and tend to be overpowering in the area where they are located, but not heat the rest of the boat.

 

[pcatterall]

I have messed and repaired eberspachers for years but if buying new would be tempted by vyv's recommendation. Of course you would have to add bits to the basic kit shown, silencer, through hull but still a cheap option.

 

[pvb]

I like the idea of the espacher however I have heard they are troublesome and I want something reliable.

If they're properly installed, an Eberspacher/Webasto heater will be incredibly reliable, and will work efficiently without needing undue attention. You hear stories of problems because people buy used heaters out of BT vans, etc, and install them badly, then complain that they don't work properly.

 

[Pete7]

I fitted a Webasto vehicle heater 2 years ago supplied by Butlertechnik. Very helpful folk at a good price and despite all the doom mongering about using vehicle kits on a yacht it has worked perfectly.

http://sales.butlertechnik.com/webasto/webasto-installation-complete-heater-install-kit

However, for the price the Planar kit Vyv has linked to looks very tempting.

What ever you decide do fit heating, it has made a huge difference running the heating drying the boat out last August as the rain lashed down outside.

 

[Fendant]

There is also a new quieter diesel alternative to Eber/Webasto from Germany:
www.aeroheat.de

 

[vyv_cox]

Having posted the Planar link I have to say that I fitted my Eberspacher in 1998 or 9 and it has run faultlessly ever since. Doesn't get much use now in Greece but we test it occasionally. In previous years was used a lot.

 

[pvb]

There is also a new quieter diesel alternative to Eber/Webasto from Germany:
www.aeroheat.de

Gosh, it must be very quiet! My Webasto AirTop Evo is virtually silent most of the time.

 

[Spyro]

I've just switched from a fan heater to a thermostatically controlled oil filled rad. I don't have a diesel heater so only have the luxury when on shore power. The fan was always too hot or too cold switching on and off too often and I would never leave on all night. The only good point was it heated up a big space quickly. The oil filled rad which is 1600 watts on max takes up a little more room but it is so much better at keeping an even temp, it's silent and don'the mind leaving it on all night.

 

[jdc]

In addition to a blown-air heater you might consider adding a heat exchanger, like a car heater. Of course it only works when motoring, and then only if you have an engine which is indirectly cooled (ie one which can take a calorifier). But the output is free and the cost of installation is low - it's just car parts.

We use ours loads: if motoring we dry clothes, oilies etc as well as having a warm cabin. And even for sailing purists, it's surprising how often one motors for 30 mins at the end of the day!

 

[MengWalton]

Thanks for all the replies.
It looks like blown diesel fired heaters are the way to go with the space. I have no problem stripping it down once a year giving it a good clean & replacing things like o rings and gaskets what I want to avoid is replacing expensive components control units ect. every year.

My engine is raw water cooled however It was easy enough to design a route for the water to go through a calorifier at 70 degrees ish before going back to the exhaust outlet and O/B I suppose I could add a heat exchanger for heat but I think it would be putting alot of strain on the SW pump and I would have to add an external one sort of rules that out for now.

I have seen some bulkhead mounted solid/drip fed heaters that I have plenty of space for in the AFT electronics cupboard but then its stuck in a cupboard! not much good!
I guess the way forward is to fit a blown diesel unit, at least I can fit it myself! I'm starting to see how much costs could add up If you get companies to do things for you, I guess I'm lucky I can I've learnt alot about smaller boats these last few months, its all the same as the big stuff just smaller and fiddlier oh and the fact when I order things I actually have to pay for them!!

Thanks everybody!

 

[oldvarnish]

I do like the idea of the drip feed ones especially those with the visible flame but I don't have the floor space for a big standing one!

Refleks make a bulkhead mounting version - I have one

 

[MagicalArmchair]

I know the OP said he didn't want gas - I've been very pleased with my Propex job, and with bubble testers, alarms, isolation valves etc, there is no need for it to be dangerous.

http://www.albinballad.co.uk/how-tos/fit-a-propex-heater/

 

[nauticalnomad]

Move the boat to Spain. You will have 9 to 10 months of Summer.

 

[Trundlebug]

Two more blown diesel heaters that haven't been mentioned and are both extremely reliable.

Mikuni and Wallas.

We have a Wallas Nautic 30D and it's both very quiet and reliable. We've had the boat 10 years this year and apart from changing the fuel filter I haven't yet serviced the heater, although this year I did buy a service kit for it just in case. It has always worked faultlessly.

Mikuni also get very good feedback on this forum for their performance and reliability. Don't know about noise.

Wallas available from http://www.kurandamarine.co.uk/

There's plenty of choice! You don't have to think there's only Eber and Webasto available!

Edit: Another plus for the Wallas is the low power consumption, only about 1.5 amps. I just looked at the Planar heater referred to above. Input 62 watts! That's over 5 amps! Might just have enough power to run it for an hour..

 

[SiteSurfer]

I self installed a refurbished Webasto Air Top supplied by David (from this forum) which came with a warranty from him.
It was less than 50% of the suggested 2k price tag by a comfortable margin and works really well, all the parts were supplied new that came with it too.

No connection other than a very satisfied customer.

 

[pcatterall]

Just a point concerning the Russian built item. I said they looked worth a punt at that price. There are similar Eberspacher kits available at £550 which is not a great deal extra if you need the confidence of the 'name'. In both cases, though, I think you will be very much on your own in terms of back up and support.