Chinese Heater - another thread

[Wandering Star]

Is anyone using a Hcalory 12V 5KW-8KW Diesel Air Heater to warm their boat? I don’t want nor need a fully plumbed in heater, just something reliable I can stand in the cockpit and pipe the heat through a short length of ducking into the cabin of my 27 feet sailboat. This model being sold by Amazon for £100 includes an integral fuel tank and a remote (Bluetooth) controller and it appears to be exactly what I need fo heat the cabin whilst at anchor on a cold evening.for a very reasonable price.

Since it won’t be plumbed in, I presume It’ll be perfectly safe in use without modification?

I just want a simple and cheap solution - will this be it?

 

[Plum]

Is anyone using a Hcalory 12V 5KW-8KW Diesel Air Heater to warm their boat? I don’t want nor need a fully plumbed in heater, just something reliable I can stand in the cockpit and pipe the heat through a short length of ducking into the cabin of my 27 feet sailboat. This model being sold by Amazon for £100 includes an integral fuel tank and a remote (Bluetooth) controller and it appears to be exactly what I need fo heat the cabin whilst at anchor on a cold evening.for a very reasonable price.

Since it won’t be plumbed in, I presume It’ll be perfectly safe in use without modification?

I just want a simple and cheap solution - will this be it?

Suggest you post a link to the actual one you are looking at. How will you stop the combustion exhaust entering the accommodation?

 

[Wandering Star]

Suggest you post a link to the actual one you are looking at. How will you stop the combustion exhaust entering the accommodation?

I’m afraid I can’t post a link - the Amazon site doesn’t appear to provide a URL to copy, I’m probably wrong but I can’t manage it! I was assuming the exhaust gases would dissipate naturally with the unit standing in the open cockpit? That’s the sort of advice I was looking for - do I need to provide a more efficient exhaust?

 

[Plum]

I’m afraid I can’t post a link - the Amazon site doesn’t appear to provide a URL to copy, I’m probably wrong but I can’t manage it! I was assuming the exhaust gases would dissipate naturally with the unit standing in the open cockpit? That’s the sort of advice I was looking for - do I need to provide a more efficient exhaust?

there have been too many cases of people on boats dying from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result to poor installation of diesel heaters and also from exhausts from portable generator sets in cockpits.

 

[doug748]

Is this the sort of thing?

They also do one like the vertical unit he shows.



Hcalory 12V 5KW-8KW bluetooth Diesel Air Heater Caravan W/ AC Converter Toolbox | eBay

.

 

[johnphilip]

5-8 kw is too much for a 27ft boat. We have just 2kw on our 32footer and it is usually plenty. A smaller unit might also help address the exhaust smell / fumes issue

 

[Wandering Star]

My grandson has copied the link to the one I was interested in however the one you posted I installed 9n the “pelican” type plastic case might also be of interest so thanks Here’s the link to the one I was describing originally:

Amazon.co.uk

Re exhaust fumes, I’d have thought (but I’m happy to be corrected) if the unit was only used in the cockpit whilst at anchor, the exhaust fumes would dissipate downwind naturally. I would of course fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the main cabin.

 

[Wandering Star]

5-8 kw is too much for a 27ft boat. We have just 2kw on our 32footer and it is usually plenty. A smaller unit might also help address the exhaust smell / fumes issue

Oh, that’s interesting - thanks!

 

[Rum Run]

Is anyone using a Hcalory 12V 5KW-8KW Diesel Air Heater to warm their boat? I don’t want nor need a fully plumbed in heater, just something reliable I can stand in the cockpit and pipe the heat through a short length of ducking into the cabin of my 27 feet sailboat. This model being sold by Amazon for £100 includes an integral fuel tank and a remote (Bluetooth) controller and it appears to be exactly what I need fo heat the cabin whilst at anchor on a cold evening.for a very reasonable price.

Since it won’t be plumbed in, I presume It’ll be perfectly safe in use without modification?

I just want a simple and cheap solution - will this be it?

Something to consider is the heat of the exhaust gasses - I have a self-contained heater with the combustion air inlet and exhaust underneath, and the exhaust gas would set fire to GRP or timber quite quickly if it were stood on the deck. The exhaust tube would scorch anything it touches too.

 

[wonkywinch]

My grandson has copied the link to the one I was interested in however the one you posted I installed 9n the “pelican” type plastic case might also be of interest so thanks Here’s the link to the one I was describing originally:

Amazon.co.uk

Re exhaust fumes, I’d have thought (but I’m happy to be corrected) if the unit was only used in the cockpit whilst at anchor, the exhaust fumes would dissipate downwind naturally. I would of course fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the main cabin.

From that Amazon link . .



Probably an accurate rendition.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

My grandson has copied the link to the one I was interested in however the one you posted I installed 9n the “pelican” type plastic case might also be of interest so thanks Here’s the link to the one I was describing originally:

Amazon.co.uk

Re exhaust fumes, I’d have thought (but I’m happy to be corrected) if the unit was only used in the cockpit whilst at anchor, the exhaust fumes would dissipate downwind naturally. I would of course fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the main cabin.

There have been cases of generators used in cockpits killing people. You can't rely on the exhaust not entering the cabin via the main hatch. The only safe way is for the exhaust to be securely discharged outboard.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

My grandson has copied the link to the one I was interested in however the one you posted I installed 9n the “pelican” type plastic case might also be of interest so thanks Here’s the link to the one I was describing originally:

Amazon.co.uk

Re exhaust fumes, I’d have thought (but I’m happy to be corrected) if the unit was only used in the cockpit whilst at anchor, the exhaust fumes would dissipate downwind naturally. I would of course fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the main cabin.

And if there's an eddy downstream of the hatch? Or you're lying to tide, not to wind?

CO emission in the cockpit cannot be guaranteed to be safe.

 

[ChromeDome]

I have one of the built-into-a-plastic box models. I found the one showed to be unsuitable due to build quality.

Note: There are no 5-8 kW heaters. They are all 5 kW unless physically larger - and you'd struggle to find any China-heaters that are.
Recent heaters sense the room temperature on the remote and while approaching the set value (in auto mode), they turn the performance down to prevent frequent stop/start. You may see that as an automatic kW-adjustment.

Original thread: Eberspacher D3LC vs Chinese brand vs Planar Russian ( Latvian)

My post from there:

Wanted to add a recent (yesterday) experience:

For general use a mobile diesel heater was needed. I browsed the web and found the common "all-in-one tin box" units that I looked at some time ago but found too flimsy. Searched on and decided on a Kroak 5 kW with power adapter to eliminate the need of a battery and an app (nice, not need to have).

View attachment 170556

It arrived well packaged (better than the typical Chinese burners) and included a pretty good (!) instruction manual covering also the app etc.
Surprisingly it even stated contact info for questions and support (I haven't tested, but upfront better than no info at all).

View attachment 170557
View attachment 170558
View attachment 170559

The unit is well put together, I'll report back when it's been tested.
It appears to be a Hcalory product.

My post after testing it is in the same thread, #219

 

[fredrussell]

The general rule with ‘Chinaspachers’ is that the heaters themselves are ok but that all the fittings etc that come with them are awful, and not to be trusted. Your best bet is to buy a heater, bin all the crap that comes with them, and do a proper install using Eberspacher, Webasto or Planar ancillaries (which will fit).

 

[Refueler]

My grandson has copied the link to the one I was interested in however the one you posted I installed 9n the “pelican” type plastic case might also be of interest so thanks Here’s the link to the one I was describing originally:

Amazon.co.uk

Re exhaust fumes, I’d have thought (but I’m happy to be corrected) if the unit was only used in the cockpit whilst at anchor, the exhaust fumes would dissipate downwind naturally. I would of course fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the main cabin.

Exhaust fumes unfortunately would swirl / be drawn down ... any air flow over the cabin / stern and then cockpit tends to deflect down ... bit like the back end of an SUV / Estate car ... back gets dirty quickly because of the down and drag draft.

 

[Dutch01527]

From that Amazon link . .

View attachment 173303

Probably an accurate rendition.

I used to have one like the one pictured above. The unit was good but the metal case was very flimsy. I now have one of the suit case type plastic ones which is much more robust. Good bit of kit.

 

[Chris.noble]

I’m afraid I can’t post a link - the Amazon site doesn’t appear to provide a URL to copy, I’m probably wrong but I can’t manage it! I was assuming the exhaust gases would dissipate naturally with the unit standing in the open cockpit? That’s the sort of advice I was looking for - do I need to provide a more efficient exhaust?

Hi got one in my boat very good but you must not let the exhaust fumes enter the boat on Amazon you can get a exhaust outlet to the outside make sure you don’t mount the unit I the way of the exhaust it gets very hot

 

[ChromeDome]

The one I got came with a 50-60 cm flex pipe to fit to the exhaust (and muffler if so desired).

The pipe can be extended somewhat - you just need to use at least the same diameter and a product that can cope with temperature (I measured 160 C).

 

[wingcommander]

My first Chinaspacer was portable in a home made plastic tool box made to attempt a more waterproof housing ,and with a legnth of 60mm ducting was used in van/ boat whatever. I then decided to permanently install in 27ft boat cockpit locker, having bought replacement quality fittings. Takes up very little space
Would fully recommend a CO detector or two, however its installed .

 

[Thresher]

Is anyone using a Hcalory 12V 5KW-8KW Diesel Air Heater to warm their boat? I don’t want nor need a fully plumbed in heater, just something reliable I can stand in the cockpit and pipe the heat through a short length of ducking into the cabin of my 27 feet sailboat. This model being sold by Amazon for £100 includes an integral fuel tank and a remote (Bluetooth) controller and it appears to be exactly what I need fo heat the cabin whilst at anchor on a cold evening.for a very reasonable price.

Since it won’t be plumbed in, I presume It’ll be perfectly safe in use without modification?

I just want a simple and cheap solution - will this be it?

That's exactly how I use my 5kw £100 Chinese diesel heater on my 27 feet sailboat. I stand it on a sheet of 18mm ply to stop the exhaust from scorching the grp and have a spare washboard with a 4" hole cut in it for the flexible ducting pipe to go through.
A few points though. You don't have to run it at 5kw, I think that you can run it as low as 2kw. You have to make a waterproof covering for the unit as the 12v connections outside are exposed to the elements. You have to run a cable from the unit to your 12v supply and they take quite a lot of electricity, 50w. And they are quite noisy. OK if you have the anchorage to yourself but if there are other boats then they won't thank you.
Fumes are not a problem, especially with the washboard in. Any CO causing restriction in the air supply becomes immediately apparent, try putting your hand over the air intake and you will see what I mean.