Generator usage

[Bouba]

Picture the scene, long winters night not a breath of wind but very cold. So you want the electric heating on from sundown to bedtime. But when you look outside there is a cloud of fumes just abaft. How long do you keep the genny running for? And is this headache imaginary?

 

[longjohnsilver]

Fit a diesel heater! Judging by recent threads there are some very cheap models available.

 

[Bouba]

Fit a diesel heater! Judging by recent threads there are some very cheap models available.

That won’t go down well at home after convincing the other half that it was necessary to spend a fortune on a generator

 

[sarabande]

Are you on a mooring ? Or in a marina.? Can you turn the boat end for end ? What's the wind forecast overnight ?

Break out the woolly bed socks and the spare duvet.

 

[BruceK]

Mapism tells us it's 15C there. Stop being a wuss, don the budgie smugglers and go for a cooling evening dip.

 

[Momac]

On the inland waterways it is considered inappropriate to run a generator or engine between 8pm and 8am (C&RT Bylaws).

 

[jrudge]

Picture the scene, long winters night not a breath of wind but very cold. So you want the electric heating on from sundown to bedtime. But when you look outside there is a cloud of fumes just abaft. How long do you keep the genny running for? And is this headache imaginary?

What generator ? I have never had fumes etc on onan. Yes you can smell it if you stick your head close to the exhaust but that is all. Need a service ? Blocked air filter?

 

[Portofino]

In the Med ( SoF ) theres no restriction on running a geny .
Larger boats do it day and night .The usage decreases proportionally to size.
Socially in busy anchorages due to noise travelling more at night and the smell of fumes then you can feel pressurised if packed in esp in a yachtee place to turn it off, but I,am wearing a mobo hat in the summer season in all eclectic boat not requiring heat - poss Aircon to blast down cabin temps before bed .

I guess this the same as blasting heat around the boat in the winter .Our reverse cycle AC works a treat on the dock shore power the odd night I kip on the boat in the winter - winter check visit .

However fumes .
Tbo In deadpan calm busy summer days in the Cote d Azur there is a haze ,a brown haze about 2/3 M high over the water .
Although nobodies boat smokes in the sense of J Rudged mech hiccups ( blocked air filters etc ) ,due to the shear vol if vessels mobos they leaves a haze - no wind .
When it’s breezy as it is in 98 % of the days esp in the afternoon the wind disperse the fumes , you see nought .
So I can visualise Boubas fumes ( perfectly serviced ) from a geny in a cold still wind less anchorage .
More geographically speaking if anchored near steep shore side hills the air will drop down to the sea , the sea being as low it can go so any “ fumes “ will just hang in there still .
Additionally ( compared to summer ) the cooler winter night air will exacerbate water condensing out making the fumes more visible .

Well with small boats sub [ insert your M ] you are never far way from the geny and despite sound proofing you can always hear them .As said in the summer not see any fumes , smell then occasionally if the wind blows them back into where you are sitting .
We never sleep with ours on , but thus far 14 years never wintered boated at anchor .

Sounds like a 21 century problem and I would not worry about it .The only caveat on a small boat is we never sleep with it on .Thinking that Windermere incident ( and many others ) death by CO gas etc .
It’s well maintained etc etc we have CO alarms and so forth .It can’t kill if it’s off .

As said I don,t know how cold it gets on board @ anchor winter Med boating @ anchor ? Our seasons deliberately May to Oct .
During the winter lay up we place electric oil heaters run from the shore power I guess with an inverter at anchor theses would knacker your domestic bat bank ?

How are you actually using the newly fitted geny ?

 

[rotrax]

I fitted a used-1500 hours-Westerbeke 8KW Genset to our motorsailer 2 seasons ago, 3000 plus NM's covered since, many at anchor or on a mooring, no shorepower. Used every morning as required-tank of hot water for showers- and if we need the microwave or 240V power any other time

Certainly no smoke, and no smell of fumes when genset in use. It is not used for heating, we have an excellent Webasto hot air system.

Perhaps you genset has a fault.

 

[Bouba]

In the Med ( SoF ) theres no restriction on running a geny .
Larger boats do it day and night .The usage decreases proportionally to size.
Socially in busy anchorages due to noise travelling more at night and the smell of fumes then you can feel pressurised if packed in esp in a yachtee place to turn it off, but I,am wearing a mobo hat in the summer season in all eclectic boat not requiring heat - poss Aircon to blast down cabin temps before bed .

I guess this the same as blasting heat around the boat in the winter .Our reverse cycle AC works a treat on the dock shore power the odd night I kip on the boat in the winter - winter check visit .

However fumes .
Tbo In deadpan calm busy summer days in the Cote d Azur there is a haze ,a brown haze about 2/3 M high over the water .
Although nobodies boat smokes in the sense of J Rudged mech hiccups ( blocked air filters etc ) ,due to the shear vol if vessels mobos they leaves a haze - no wind .
When it’s breezy as it is in 98 % of the days esp in the afternoon the wind disperse the fumes , you see nought .
So I can visualise Boubas fumes ( perfectly serviced ) from a geny in a cold still wind less anchorage .
More geographically speaking if anchored near steep shore side hills the air will drop down to the sea , the sea being as low it can go so any “ fumes “ will just hang in there still .
Additionally ( compared to summer ) the cooler winter night air will exacerbate water condensing out making the fumes more visible .

Well with small boats sub [ insert your M ] you are never far way from the geny and despite sound proofing you can always hear them .As said in the summer not see any fumes , smell then occasionally if the wind blows them back into where you are sitting .
We never sleep with ours on , but thus far 14 years never wintered boated at anchor .

Sounds like a 21 century problem and I would not worry about it .The only caveat on a small boat is we never sleep with it on .Thinking that Windermere incident ( and many others ) death by CO gas etc .
It’s well maintained etc etc we have CO alarms and so forth .It can’t kill if it’s off .

As said I don,t know how cold it gets on board @ anchor winter Med boating @ anchor ? Our seasons deliberately May to Oct .
During the winter lay up we place electric oil heaters run from the shore power I guess with an inverter at anchor theses would knacker your domestic bat bank ?

How are you actually using the newly fitted geny ?

Porto, it’s exactly as you described. The cold air makes the vapour noticeable just like a car exhaust in winter. We use it mainly for the electric heaters, to charge everything including phone and to make hot drinks. I just want to get a sense of what the forum would do on a dead calm night. I also would never sleep with the genny on.

 

[Bouba]

Are you on a mooring ? Or in a marina.? Can you turn the boat end for end ? What's the wind forecast overnight ?

Break out the woolly bed socks and the spare duvet.

Last night and now we are at anchor. We have the extra duvet and two hot water bottles which are so effective that we don’t even argue over them!

 

[Bouba]

Mapism tells us it's 15C there. Stop being a wuss, don the budgie smugglers and go for a cooling evening dip.

Thank you Bruce, from now on I’ll man up!
On Xmas day it was 23c but it’s dipped a bit since then but still warm when the sun is out.
The nights are so chilly....

Wuss

 

[Bouba]

What generator ? I have never had fumes etc on onan. Yes you can smell it if you stick your head close to the exhaust but that is all. Need a service ? Blocked air filter?

As Porto said it’s visible because of the cold air the Onan is new and not had its first service yet but I’m pretty sure it can still kill!
It didn’t help that last night was misty so I wasn’t sure if the fog I was in was natural or me so I thought I’d ask the forum what would make them turn off their generator

 

[mcanderson]

Personally I would use the generator without concern. Player comfort is key to enjoying a full year round boating experience. We leave our boat tomorrow having spent Christmas on board here in Beaulieu. The days are wonderful, but the heating is definitely needed. Like Bouba the hot water bottle is a winner in the evenings.

 

[vas]

not of much help (my generator yanmar is about to be fully rebuilt, so it's smoking a little, but dumping some diesel on the water behind which is annoying...)
but I'm impressed with you guys!
Temps here up to xmas eve were too good to be true (18C) and I did visit the boat to do a couple of things and tidy up, but now although it's still sunny it snowed on the mount above and temps are down to 3-6C overnight and maybe 10-12C daytime. No way I'm going there other than to check the lines!
If I suggest to my wife to get the boat out she'll look as if I'm mental, if I mention staying overnight she'll probably call the police to come and pick me up!

I much prefer sitting at home with underfloor heating and the fireplace on.

and to be on topic, just use the thing Bouba! after all you're probably alone in the whole anchorage, no?

 

[Bouba]

not of much help (my generator yanmar is about to be fully rebuilt, so it's smoking a little, but dumping some diesel on the water behind which is annoying...)
but I'm impressed with you guys!
Temps here up to xmas eve were too good to be true (18C) and I did visit the boat to do a couple of things and tidy up, but now although it's still sunny it snowed on the mount above and temps are down to 3-6C overnight and maybe 10-12C daytime. No way I'm going there other than to check the lines!
If I suggest to my wife to get the boat out she'll look as if I'm mental, if I mention staying overnight she'll probably call the police to come and pick me up!

I much prefer sitting at home with underfloor heating and the fireplace on.

and to be on topic, just use the thing Bouba! after all you're probably alone in the whole anchorage, no?

Vas, I don’t get the mental look, I get the look that says this is going to cost you. She’s actually on her paddle board with her dog right now so I know she’s happy in the sun. After lunch we are off to the island for a couple of nights. This has been a good December’s boating after the stormy October and November. I’m very happy being the only boat around

 

[Bouba]

Personally I would use the generator without concern. Player comfort is key to enjoying a full year round boating experience. We leave our boat tomorrow having spent Christmas on board here in Beaulieu. The days are wonderful, but the heating is definitely needed. Like Bouba the hot water bottle is a winner in the evenings.

A fellow winter boater, we mo’bo’ers can be as hardy as the raggies

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

I haven't got a generator so when we go down for a couple of days in the Winter we stay firmly plugged in to the pontoon! I have got a Honda 2.0 genny left over from motor racing days so think in the Summer I might take it along for when we're anchored and stick it on the swim platform.

 

[petem]

Hmmm, I foolishly got lured into going to Gozo / Malta for new year otherwise we'd have been on the boat. Frustratingly the sea looks like glass out there at the moment.

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/w...-valenciana/alicante/altea-playa-la-roda.html

 

[Bouba]

I haven't got a generator so when we go down for a couple of days in the Winter we stay firmly plugged in to the pontoon! I have got a Honda 2.0 genny left over from motor racing days so think in the Summer I might take it along for when we're anchored and stick it on the swim platform.

Ha, I started with a Honda suitcase on the swim platform. But I had people literally begging me to stop and when I did other boaters clapped. You have no idea how antisocial you are about to become