Getting rid of Gas

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alan006

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I've got to get myself another cooker for the boat and I was thinking of doing away with gas and going for a parrafin or meths cooker. This would save me having to deal with the gas regulations. Has anyone else done this and if so would they recommend it and possibly recommend a cooker as well
To get hot water I could put in a calorifier with an electric element to run off the generator/shore supply.
 
If you don't mind the cost, a taylors 030 model takes some beating. The grill is a bit redundant, but it runs forever on a small tank of paraffin, belts out great cooking heat, and looks fantatsic. Best of all it won't blow your boat up!
 
Why do you want to get rid of gas alan?

Certainly on mine, and if your intended to live aboard, the Rinnai gas water heater is probably the best thing I ever fitted to my boat. No waiting for water to heat up and run out!
 
We have fitted a 2 burner Origo (meths) stove on the Nancy Blackett. It's proven much easier to use for the numerous and irregular crew we have passing through. The previous cooker, a paraffin Taylors, was certainly not paddy-proof, and by the end of every season one, if not both, burners, had packed up. I believe its very good in the hands of an experienced user though.

The Origo, whilst slower to boil than the Taylors, does not of course require the hassle of pre-heating the burners. We don't have an oven, so I can't comment on that.

The Origo is very simple, reliable, and well made.
 
Taylors do need tweaking, and getting to know how they light is the trick. However, seen loads of pricey yet dangerous -and heatwise, gutless- gas installations on various boats, usually with dodgy gas alarms. Don't tolerate them anymore.
 
Hi Alec,
Well I think getting away from gas might give several advantages. Gas is probably regarded by the insurance companies as higher risk. Some people say its not so safe. If later on I want to base the boat on the inland waterways its one less set of regulations to worry about. I've never used anything apart from gas so I thought I'd see how good the alternatives are, I don't want to spend the money on gas, run all the new lines etc and then decide to change so nows a good time to learn about it.
I'm also thinking about using a drip feed diesel water and air heater which I could slot in the engine room nicely.
Alan
 
Taylors paraffin stoves are the mutts nuts in that department.

I must say though that recently I sailed across Biscay on a boat that used Origo meths cookers (two single burner units) and they did seem brilliant. As they're not a fixture you can take them anywhere you like in the boat, before you light them. Great if you're eating in the cockpit or something like that.
 
Fair point alan, although the inland waterways regs are not exactly tough by any means. I have fitted a couple of gas systems to friends boats, as well as my own. My friends ones have passed the BBS standards with no trouble at all. I replaced all his fuel lines at the same time seen as though I had a big reel of pipe and he wanted to add racor filters.

If your going for a diesel heater, why not add a feed to a calorifier for your hot water? The yard owner here has a coil fitted inside his taylors drip feed heater, as well as a hydronic eberspacher to provide both heating and hot water. A couple of valves mean the eberspacher provides hot water without providing heating if required.

All that leaves is something to cook with. There plenty of suggestions here. Never had any cooker other than gas though myself. I think gas systems are perfectly safe so long as somebody competant puts it together. I added a bubble tester to all the installations I have done, so that you can give a check check everytime you switch on the gas bottle for peace of mind.

Alex
 
THanks for the comments everyone, sounds like the Taylors cooker has a very good reputation. I'll have to start saving up.
 
Got rid of gas two years ago and installed Taylors 030L. Once we'd cracked the priming trick (we use solid fuel rather than meths) it's proved fabtastic.
 
I have always used a two-burner Primus stove with pan clamps. The burners are self-clearing and very controllable. The Taylors stoves use the same burner. These stoves can still be found in 2nd-hand chandleries etc.. Mine is 40-plus years old, needs filling only twice a year and holds pressure for weeks. Strongly recommended.
 
[ QUOTE ]
we use solid fuel rather than meths

[/ QUOTE ]
Nice trick, but a bit girly. (Ooh I can hear the comments now!) Same with blowtorches. The knack is to actually crack the valve as the last flames of the meths lick the burner.

Apropos of Tobble's comment, my livaboard pal was going to be cremated, and his ashes mixed with red lead and putty, and caulked into the hull of Espanola...

Then he had her fully coppered. So its a cardboard box and the duckpond for him now.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
We have an Origo 6000 twin burner and oven. Pricey, but freed up loads of locker space when we removed the two gas bottles. Oven gets really hot, and the smell can be avoided by using denatured alcohol bought from a furniture restoring supplier.

Wonderful piece of kit.
 
Meths stoves are fine. After a while, you learn that in the UK, the blue dye is put in to make you throw up if you decide to start drinking the stuff. Doesn't smell nice either. It's possible to buy clear meths in the UK but only in industrial quantities.

However if you go to France, they sell nice little half litre bottles of 'Alcool a bruler' over the counter.
Probably also make a mean cocktail! Old Frank
 
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