Cabin heaters

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mdonnelly

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Looking for a permanent heater for cabin. Really do not want to spend > £1000 for the Eberspacher type! Have seen a Route 2000 catalytic heater which could suit the open plan style of my boat. Anybody got one? Would be grateful for comments.
 
I used to use Catalytic heaters years ago on narrowboats. I happen to like them a lot because they provide a radiant heat that I much prefer to the dry-air of an Eberspacher.

However we are a lot more concerned now about gas safety than we were then and I am not sure of the current view of the safety of these devices.

For hot air heating do consider the Propex - much cheaper than the diesel equivalents
 
Catalytic heaters aren't too bad, the heat is radiant so it needs to face into the main cabin space. They are burning fuel, so water vapour and presumably CO2 are being released into the saloon. Condensation can be a problem but we always solved that with occasional wipes of the windows. Slight risk of fire but not a major one as the heat source is well protected.

If you are prepared to heat with gas you might consider a Propex. I fitted one to my GK29 and found it to be excellent. There are several on Ebay, new 2000 watt ones at £400, several others at less. A used 1600 watt one currently with a bid of £10, 2 days to go.
 
Catalytic are out of fashion for safety reasons other than for very short-term use.

If you don't like warm air (I have to agree with you there) have you considered the Eberspacher 'wet' system - basically it is a diesel boiler producing hot water that you plumb round like a domestic central heating system. All the appropriate bits you need for a boat are available and several people in the forum have them, so if you ask about them in particular, I'm sure you'll get some first hand advice.
 
I now have the second boat with the hydronic type water heaters. No complaints over the last 7 years. An added benefit is that you can heat the hot water as well - however it is best to get a dual coil calorifier if you also use the engine to heat domestic water.

Feeding 3/4" pipes round the boat can also be much easier than finding a route for large air ducts!

First boat had a matrix blower in the saloon and a small rad in fore and aft cabins. I now have different size matrix systems in all cabins.

Downside? Needs more power than with the hot air systems.

Stewart
 
Another downside is cost of fuel if you can't get cheap red. Here in Spain we cannot buy red for boats yet butane is very cheap (€13 for a big 15kg cylinder). Diesel (and petrol) costs about €1 per litre here.
 
I had to take the catalytic heaters out of my boat as they failed the BSS. Obviously not an issue if you are not on the Inland waterways. In order for them to meet the BSS standards they had to have certain markings, one did, one didn't. The one that did was deemed unsafe by the BSS inspector due to it's position.

I currently don't have any heating but would prefer diesel heating over gas.
 
I live aboard and have a Taylor's 079 (or something) which is a paraffin heater. I think they're pretty good, especially if space is at all an issue. Think new they're about 700 GBP, but you may be able to find a second hand one.

It's basically the primus burner unit with a heat diffuser and a flue, provides plenty of nice dry heat. Paraffin is pretty economical as a fuel, but it can be tricky to find a source. The system works on a low pressure (pump by hand) so its infinitely less dicey than gas, you just have to learn to light it properly (need preheating)

With any radiant system in a small space like a boat you will get a tendancy to cook your head while your feet freeze, this can be cure easily by installing a fan, and mounting the heater as low as possible in the first place.

The only thing I would replace my taylors with is a solid fuel stove, which has draw backs in terms of space, for the unit and a buffer zone, and also the fuel, but I reckon in terms of KISS you can't do better!

all IMHO of course
 
Huge problem with catalytic heaters is the water vapour. They produce tons of it. As soon as you turn them off, the air temp falls and the vapour condenses out and soaks everything. Pretty soon, black mould growing on everything. Yuch.
 
'the gas will be expensive'

We didn't find it too bad. At the time we were using Calor and we didn't really notice a huge increase in consumption. If living aboard or sailing all winter it would be worth buying and fitting a bigger bottle, bringing costs down significantly.
 
I have an old Thermex catalytic. It is very powerful and we usually leave the hatch open if using it so condensation is seldom a problem.

I suspect mine would be condemned by all and sundry due to fumes, use of asbestos, 12" of flames out of top when pre-heating and extreme heat output when going full pelt. But it is only ever on when we are awake & reasonably active.

I would not use it if unattended or wanting to sleep or doze - in case of fire or asphixiation. Not actually had ANY problems in 15 years of ownership - perhaps because we respect the potential risk!
 
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