Diesel Heaters

[bluet36]

We are live aboards on a small boat, and are in need of information regarding diesel heaters.

We don't have enough headroom for a Taylors or Refleks or similar and don't see the point of spending up to 1000 pounds on a hot air system which will just flatten the battery.

We've looked at the Force 10 Cozy Heater, which is the sort of thing we had in mind, but we have heard some bad reports about it.

Gas is not an option as we cruise and can't carry enough!

Any ideas?

P.S. It's cold at the moment and we can't use mains leccie outside the marina.

 

[Guest]

We used a taylors diesel heater on are contessa 32 while we lived aboard for 2 years, pumped from the main tank, and got around the chimney length by having half the chimney on the coach roof, this worked well but you need an H top.
Are pump failed after 6 summer months not used bit I believe that taylors have now over come this problem.
I would buy another taylors on of the best bits of kit we had.

 

[tomboy352]

I always fancied a ballanced flue heater myself, as you are not stuck with flue length or blowbacks down the flue. Problem is that Ive never seen one commercially but I know a bloke who converted a( Reflex ?) see PBO back 2 or 3 years.- It was a bit "Heath Robinson" but he assured me it worked ok. I'd be interested if they are available.

 

[BrianJ]

easy solution.... sail in the Tropics South Pacific is great.
BrianJ

 

[toobaz]

Hot air system is more than likely your best option, although it comes in with a heavy bill. The power drain on the batteries are minimal if they are in good condition. Fuel consumption is about .38 of ltr an hour.
Had trouble with our heating and had to move to a 5 klw ebasterd heater............the price didn't impress me, but it is heaven having warm air when and when you want it, especally when it comes to living aboard.
BAZ

 

[Grehan]

What have you heard is wrong with the Force 10 Cozy?
(allegedly . . ) (apart from the daft name)

 

[bluet36]

We heard that the Force 10 blows itself out every 15/20 mins, splatters diesel on to the hot surfaces, reignites with a bang and fills the cabin with smoke! It's overpriced, poorly made and the manual is incomplete and poorly written (but this was an American opinion). The same person said the heater gives out great heat though.

If anyone knows different, please let us know. Maybe Force 10 have ironed out these problems.

South Pacific sounds great, but we are stuck in North Holland for a couple of years earning beer vouchers.

We are on a 25ft boat so we can't have a flue sticking out too far.

Hot air blowers are really out of the question as we are going to get rid of the engine and will have limited electrical capacity.

 

[Guest]

Try solid fuel and a deck cargo of best Welsh steam coal!

 

[Guest]

Go raid a lorry breakers.

If space is a real problem, and your not going to be using it all year a Eberspacher/Webasto/Wallas type may be the best option, however as mentioned the cost can be prohibitive, indeed I would like to fit one but cant afford a new one. Therefore it occurred to me that as these things are fitted to trucks the cold world over, try a lorry breakers. The lorry might be bust but the heater may be fine!

Just a thought...

Stan

p.s small space and solid fuel options equal scary poisoning scenarios, be careful.

 

[vyv_cox]

The Force 10 Cozy is basically a primus stove in a tin. I never fancied being ripped off quite that much.

Have a look at http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/ for plenty of options. There is a Dutch agent, we have seen them at Ijmuiden show but sorry didn't keep details. For info, 1 kW = 3412 BTU.

Before fitting heating ourselves, we were quite keen on the idea of a system like these. We found that they require quite a lot of floor space, which doesn't exist on our boat. Bulkhead ones could not be fitted either, as the main bulkhead is immediately beneath the mast and we didn't fancy burning sails and all others were inconvenient for one reason or another. Also, check the output of these - some don't give a lot of heat. Our experience on 27, 29 and 34 foot boats is that 2 kW is not enough. No point in spending lots of money on something that doesn't work in Northern Europe temperatures.

As others have said, the Eberspacher is excellent. Battery drain is much lower than we expected, a heavy belt while the glowplug is operating but pretty small after that. Once the cabin is up to temperature the fan is running very slowly.

 

[Abaker]

We are also liveaboards, in Toronto at the moment using shore-powered electric heat, and looking for a diesel heater. Previously had a Wallas 2400 burning kerosene (paraffin). Low power consumption, excellent heat when working, but unreliable. Eventually sold cheaply to someone who wanted to repair it. Have two friends who use Dickinson heaters and are happy with them. Just discovered another similar, but perhaps better product which goes by two names: Sigmar or Fab-All, same product but two companies. Latest SSCA members equipment survey included high rating for Fab-All based on very small sample of three. See: www.sigmarine.com or email their Irwin Allen (address on website) who promptly answered all my questions. They seem to have a good balanced-draft heater, often the only solution to smoke, soot, and oxygen supply problems common to many diesel heaters of this type. Their (smallest) Model 100 (max. 10,000 BTU) occupies less space than the smallest Refleks or Dickinson. Don't know whether Sigmar has European distributor. Good luck.

 

[Mirelle]

The flue can come well outside the cabin, and yes you most certainly need an H shaped head. All diesel pot burner type stoves are sensitive to blowbacks, which is why you need the long flue and as mentioned an H head.

We use solid fuel (poisoning scare is just that - a scare - the the risk of CO poisoning is identical, whatever the heating source) and the above decks flue is in two parts so the head and longer length of pipe can be unshipped and replaced with a plug about 10" above the deck.

Try to site the flue abreast of the mast so you don't get air washing down off the mainsail when sailing and causing a blowback.

Remember to site the stove as low down as you can (on the cabin sole) or you will get a pool of cold air there.

For a small boat, a Pascall Atkey Pansy charcoal stove works well. But on the whole I would go for the Taylors; they make good kit - and they will be happy to advise on installation.

 

[tomboy352]

THanks for the Sigmarine site.

A friend fitted a Dickinson, believing that the fanned air supply would protect him from downdraughts. He fitted flue as recommended but used an expensive cowal that looks like a paint tin inverted .....instead of the H flue. A nearly new Nauticat in beautiful condition. He had two blowbacks on windy days . The mess was heart-rendering. He now uses his Eberspacher until he can change the flue.

Any fossil fuel based heater which does not burn correctly can produce C O .
A roomsealed/ballanced flue unit will not poison you if it burns incorrectly. Any blowback on the Air supply will be countered by the same pressure on the flue side,canceling out the Blowback. As it does not draw the air supply from inside the cabin, the is no need for ventilation and you dont get cold areas below the level of the heater.