Eber D3L any ideas please

[Pete735]

Since owning my boat, my Eber has always been very smelly and I've always assumed that there was a small exhaust leak and these fumes were being sucked into the inlet and hence the boat. Irritating, but as I would only run it for a few minutes not the end of the world. I was working on the boat yesterday and thought I would see if was running - not run for 4 months. Fired up ok and ran, and I happened to have one of the stern lockers open and realised the smell was coming out of the locker. The exhaust pipe is sheathed in an asbestos like (in appearance only) material. That was wet and as the heat dried it out, smelly steam was coming off it and being sucked into Eber. I know the stern locker has a small leak somewhere and water collects there between stern and a stern bulkhead.

Next time I visit, I'm going to glass in a couple of pads, make up a couple of straps and support pipe out of any water (will probably try some silicone sealer around all joints but I cannot see this being 100% successful).

This asbestos like sleeve seems to be acting like a "wick". I've googled to see what tubular insulation is available, but it's all quite pricey. Does anyone know of alternative materials I could sleeve exhaust with to protect fibreglass yet not absorb water?

One other option is to duct clean outside air into mouth of Eber, however, this would be awkward as fresh air inlet is only 50mm from stern and would require a specially made up bend. I would move Eber towards bow, but wiring harness is so short that all the electrics would have to be resited and it begins to turn into quite a project!

Alternatively, clamped firmly, does it need insulation?

 

[savageseadog]

A better plan for the exhaust I think is to put a stainless mesh or cage round it. It also has the two benefits of making the exhaust cooler and the heat going in the locker. That's what I'm doing with mine anyway.

 

[pvb]

The exhaust on my heater is also insulated with the woven stuff, but then the whole lot has been encased in a length of small-diameter hot air ducting. This is quite a neat and easy solution and would have the benefit for you of keeping water out of the insulation.

 

[Pete735]

I had not thought of this. Do you have a source in mind for mesh/cage?

As an experiment, I had planned to remove the sleeve altogether and run the system, more to check smell disappears than anything else though.

On an unrelated note, I assume postman deliverd OK?

 

[Pete735]

One of my google searches was "flexible aluminium ducting" all I came up with was 100mm dia and I was looking for something in the region of 50 - 60mm. Thought I may visit a scrapyard and check under the various bonnets, I may come up with the couple of feet I need.

 

[pvb]

60mm easily available - see here for example.

 

[savageseadog]

Thanks for taking an interest. I did mean take the insulation off as well by the way. I was going to get a piece of rock wool pipe insulation and cut some slices off as spacers/supports, I reckon the hull might need protection so a strip of Asbestolux for that. You could try ebay or a a scrapyard. I'm in the fortunate position of having a nice new piece of stainless welded mesh lying around.

 

[Pete735]

PVB, I had wondered about plastic pipe used for hot air ducting, but exhaust temperatures will be far higher (and I'm not sure if sleeving will add enough protection, particularly near manifold) and I was a bit uneasy about it, hence looking for the aluminium. Still, it's an option to try next time I am on boat and whilst it's still out of the water. It will certainly keep water off sleeving.

 

[castaway]

I had a very small leak in my Eber exhaust ... just enough to make a smell in the boat and worry me about CO poisoning.

As a quick fix (as the leak was rather elusive) I bought some tumble dryer outlet ducking and attached it to the Eber intake so it could draw clean air from outside the locker .... Worked well until I found the time to do a proper fix.

Nick

 

[pvb]

The link I gave you was for the normal flexible metallic ducting. This is what's on my exhaust.

 

[Pete735]

Thanks for pointing that out, it looks ideal. I will get a metre.