Cabin heaters

[Poignard]

Years ago, all ironmongers(nows thats a old term)carried a range of parafin heaters, with a wire mesh dome, a large wick about 100mm dia which was immersed in a large tank of parafin.gave out about 2kw .Where are they now?

cheers bobt

Here:

http://www.paraffinheaters.co.uk/

The problem now is getting the paraffin at a reasonable price. My local ironmonger used to sell it 'on draught' until the busybodies who check these things found that his dispensing pump wasn't accurate and stopped him. Yes - you've guessed it - it was giving extra.

 

[1bobt]

Here:

http://www.paraffinheaters.co.uk/

The problem now is getting the paraffin at a reasonable price. My local ironmonger used to sell it 'on draught' until the busybodies who check these things found that his dispensing pump wasn't accurate and stopped him. Yes - you've guessed it - it was giving extra.

They are the ones i can remember ,Can heating oil, or lamp oil, be used instead of paraffin,or even diesel?

cheers bobt

 

[Poignard]

They are the ones i can remember ,Can heating oil, or lamp oil, be used instead of paraffin,or even diesel?

cheers bobt

I don't know but I suggest you go outside to try it.

 

[highandry]

I had the white heater/stove version from that firm 1bobt. It worked a treat, I used paraffin from B&Q, about £5+ for 4 litres in a plastic container. The only thing was though, even using it with the main hatch cracked open and the deckhead ventilators open there was a condensation problem. Not just on the cabin windows but under the bunk cushions etc:

Someone told me for every gallon you burn you get a pint of condensation, not sure if I've got those figures correct but when I bought a dehumidifier I ended up with enough collected water to float the Ark Royal! Only used it while fitting the charcoal stove but apart from the condensation it was economical to run and you can keep the kettle on all day..

 

[ribrage]

When i bought the (t)rusty old ketch she was fitted with a HUGE eberspacher heater which was ducted through out the boat the ducting was around 4/5 inches in diameter and went through the locker spaces and took up loads of storage space.

It was unreliable, costly to repair and noisy so i seldom used it, as he boat was in the marina during the winer i relied on the shore power and electric heaters to heat the boat, this was effective and quiet but expensive. If away from the marina I would need to run a generator on deck which was using at least £10 petrol each day !

I researched the alternatives available and settled on the dickinsons as it was bulkhead mounted and required very litle in the way of maintenance as it has no moving parts the other reason i went down the dickinsons route is its actually attractive and has a glass panel that allows you to see whats going on inside the burner.

And having now got used to the flame flickering away in the corner of the cabin am quite happy i chose this model, its been running for a couple of weeks without fault, im now confident enough to leave it running while Im off the boat for a few hours.

As for the running costs, time will tell but so far I havent needed to top up the fuel tanks (they are huge) and can see no discernable drop in its level on the sight gauge, the fuel in the tank is old so im glad to be burning it any way.

And by opting out of the marina for the winter period i saved myself 2k the heater cost under 1k so im saving money by being self sufficient which is exactly what i was after, so at the risk of sounding like an ad for dickinsons..... go buy one

The Dickinson website has pictures of numerous instalations but if your in the poole area and want to take a look at this one e mail the link below and come take a look

nb:

I found a kettle that fits neatly on top of the thing i no longer have to step out in the wind and rain to turn on the gas each time i want a brew, it just keeps getting better !

 

[ianabc]

A Simple Stove?

It would seem to me to be fairly simple to design and build a simple stove that burns either diesel or kerosene.

To prevent carbon monoxide build up and to prevent moisture buildup in the cabin a vent is needed.

(1) We need a 2 or three inch dia stainless steeel pipe and a pipe cap on deck that prevents water ingress.

(2) A tank, the simplest being beneath the burner

(3) A huge circular wick ( 3 inch diameter ?) such as used in the old stoves used when I was growing up in the UK.

The only difference here is that those old heater had no vents, they were portable, about a foot in diameter and 2 feet high.


A stainless steel version with a huge tank and a pipe chimney would perhaps make an excellent weekend stove/heater.

If the top had a small surface to hold a pot it could be advertised as stove.

I did see a Japanese variant of the old British portable heater, it had a very large circular wick.

 

[1bobt]

I had the white heater/stove version from that firm 1bobt. It worked a treat, I used paraffin from B&Q, about £5+ for 4 litres in a plastic container. The only thing was though, even using it with the main hatch cracked open and the deckhead ventilators open there was a condensation problem. Not just on the cabin windows but under the bunk cushions etc:

Someone told me for every gallon you burn you get a pint of condensation, not sure if I've got those figures correct but when I bought a dehumidifier I ended up with enough collected water to float the Ark Royal! Only used it while fitting the charcoal stove but apart from the condensation it was economical to run and you can keep the kettle on all day..

With all that water outside the boat you are bound to have condensation

cheers bobt

 

[highandry]

Good point. I can only imagine the reason there is virtually no condensation with heaters that give "dry heat" is because of the fitted flues take away the exhaust gases. Unlike free standing paraffin heaters which just pump it into the cabin. Anyway, when I get home to UK in 2011 I'm going to raid my piggy bank and get a diesel heater.

 

[1bobt]

Good point. I can only imagine the reason there is virtually no condensation with heaters that give "dry heat" is because of the fitted flues take away the exhaust gases. Unlike free standing paraffin heaters which just pump it into the cabin. Anyway, when I get home to UK in 2011 I'm going to raid my piggy bank and get a diesel heater.

I agree
So if you use a upside down funnel, above the paraffin heater, with a small dia pipe attached ,vented to outside. End of condensation problem and a very cheap way to heat the boat.

cheers bobt

 

[highandry]

Well hurry up and make one then, 'cos if it works really well you could save me some money. Let experiments commence..

 

[sunshinesailing]

Dickinson Newport fireplace

To all of us with Dickinson Newport fireplaces please remember to leave the glass door unlocked tonight so Santa with that big sack can get down the chimney and through the glass door with all your presents.
Merry Christmas and keep warm.

 

[Foxy]

We have a Dickinson Adriatic cooker - which also keeps us toasty in the cooler months. It is a bit of a black art to get it working just right, although its really worth persevering as once you have it sorted, its fantastic. We dont have to go around searching for gas refills etc etc and it really does need almost no maintenance, having very few parts. It does produce a really dry heat, but dont forget, the reason it does this is because it has a chimney - its impossible to run without one.
The importers and dickinson themselves are v helpful. We regularly use it at sea. It isnt gimballed but is mounted athwartships near the centre of the boat. Works fine in most weather.