Chinese (5kw )air heater

pvb said:
But if you click on the seller's name, it's almost certain that it will say that they're "based in China". Unlikely that the stock is in the UK.
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A lot of Chinese stuff seems to come - really - from Portsmouth, even when the seller is in China. I presume that somein is runninga warehousing and forwarding operation there.
 
Bodach na mara said:
The installation of a heater on a boat differs from on a vehicle. The exhaust arrangement has to be without any suspicion of a leak or re-circulation to avoid getting carbon monoxide into the vessel, and the intake for combustion air must be carefully designed for the same reason.
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Cannot the combustion air be sucked from the boat's interior?
 
Graham_Wright said:
Cannot the combustion air be sucked from the boat's interior?
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They look like a Mikuni MY16 heater I have. Combustion air comes in via one of the small pipes on the bottom - as this is not circulated, it's not an issue, but the more fumes present the less well it will combust.. Air to be heated (and circulated) comes in via the much larger input (same diameter as the output), to which an inlet hose can be added. Mind you, if you didn't trust the exhaust, you could use a standard exhaust for an Eber or Webasto.

I've got an Eber on one boat and the Mikuni on the other. I have a CO alarm installed on one (need to add one to the other still). It's more useful for CO from burning gas though as to my knowledge CO generation from diesel combustion is quite low. Not insignificant, and can kill with enough concentration, but very different to CO generated from burning petrol for example.
 
I've ordered one of the ones that claims to be in Portsmouth, UK and should arrive by UK courier.. Seller confirmed that it does exist in the UK warehouse with all duties paid so if anything else transpires I'll just refuse it and start an Ebay claim. £167 with the basic '2 buttons and a dial' control.

In reading every last word of the item description and Ebay conditions and clauses I discovered that I've been unknowingly accruing Nectar points on Ebay purchases without ever checking my balance. It transpired that I could exchange my points balance for a £55 voucher so only had £112 of real money to pay. Awesome :-)
 
pcatterall said:
Well, I guess it could but you are in effect burning up a lot of oxygen which has to be replaced. You would need to maintain really good ventilation and will get a draught.
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I would think that if the combustion air is drawn from the boat's interior, that ensures that at least some fresh air is circulating. Judging by the air coming out of the exhaust, which will be a greater volume because of raised temperature, we're not talking about a howling draught coming in.
 
Could it be because, and I'm purely guessing here, there is a chance of combustion gases getting back down the inlet when it's running its shut down cycle, or shortly afterwards?
Otherwise, I really can't see any reason why it would matter.
 
I'm getting seriously tempted by one of these heaters. Just need to plan the installation...
Is there any reason not to use a normal skin fitting for the exhaust? I'm going to assume a max run of 2m is advisable, as that's what most other heaters seem to need.
 
Kelpie said:
I'm getting seriously tempted by one of these heaters. Just need to plan the installation...
Is there any reason not to use a normal skin fitting for the exhaust? I'm going to assume a max run of 2m is advisable, as that's what most other heaters seem to need.
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Normal skin fitting will transfer too much heat to the GRP. or whatever your boat is made from. The exhaust gets very, very hot.
 
just got mine delivered 18 days no extra customs charges . just going through the box the instructions are in English with Chinese accent. the heater is huge was expecting it to be smaller. going to install it at the back of the quater berth away from the fuel tanks (petrol) i could put the exhaust in to the cockpit or out the transom, an idea . need to buy more ducting
 
Is it only me that is slightly concerned by these heaters? They almost certainly will not meet any type of recognised approval required for sale in the EU/UK. I have heard, admittedly through third parties, of two catching fire while being run off the boat.

I would be quite concerned if the boat next to me in the marina installed one. In fact I would seriously consider moving berths. With the amount being bought, I predict it wont be long before we hear of a boat fire caused by one of these.

Is it worth it? I installed a secondhand Eberspacher for around £500. Surely that is a better way to go than these cheap, potentially unreliable heaters. My hope is that, like much of the cheap chinese rubbish I have bought in the past, they just stop working. Unlike the sort of stuff I bought, the potential for a more serious incident is much greater with something like a fuel burning heater.
 
Would there be an insurance implication too. I would not put it past an insurance company to use the excuse that the heater was not type approved (or whatever) as a way of getting out of paying for a fire caused by one.
 
there's goin to be lots of testing , much research to lessen the risk . have to spend another 120 quid on proper skin fittings/ extras so must make sure the heater is up to the job
 
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