heater install ? take air from inside the boat ?

[simonfraser]

Hi, i am tempted to take the air for the diesel heater from inside the boat as it will heat the boat up faster and use less fuel etc.

(exhaust to the outside of course !)

good / bad idea ?

thanks

 

[savageseadog]

That's what we have and I suspect what most boats have. There is usually sufficient other ventilation to provide some fresh air exchange on most boats. The other benefit is that depending on the exact siting of the heater there will be useful air circulation to the heater which is always a help.

 

[simonfraser]

thanks, & you are still allive, encouraging )

 

[Guest]

You are right that down drafts caused by wind pressure differences around a boat cabin are a cause for concern. Spray hoods do not help.

We have had the burner blow out but still with a pool of hot diesel in the burner. It is quite alarming when the air finally gets sucked back in and it ignites. Quite an explosion enough to lift the cast iron lid off.

A balanced flue would be a lot better. However having all that air sucked out from low down is definitely good for the air quality inside.

 

[savageseadog]

I was talking about an eberspacher/blown air type heater

 

[LORDNELSON]

We have an eber inside the boat with the exhaust exiting. Never had any problem with it. Main problem with the eber concept is to ensure, to the extent possible, that the exhausted fumes to not blow into the boat; not usually a problem at anchor becuse usually one lies to the wind but can be a problem moored to a pontoon, piles etc.

 

[pete]

Hi
I have fitted a "Y" valve into my Eber air inlet which can take air from the aft cabin or via the cockpit locker (which is vented to outside) and this works very well but I wouldn`t take the air for combustion from inside.

Pete

 

[Guest]

I thought all Eberspachers had those concentric balanced exhaust ports. I was going to use one on a tiny hot exhaust generator once. Otherwise would'nt the hull melt?

There are 2 inlets on a Eberspacher: a big one from the boat air and a small one for the combustion air.

 

[savageseadog]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought all Eberspachers had those concentric balanced exhaust ports. I was going to use one on a tiny hot exhaust generator once. Otherwise would'nt the hull melt?

There are 2 inlets on a Eberspacher: a big one from the boat air and a small one for the combustion air.

[/ QUOTE ]They aren't a balanced flue or anything like it. What you are looking at is a concentric exhaust the exhaust gases go down the tube in the middle and the outer tube insulates it. It just stops the exhaust fitting oveheating the surface to which its mounted.

For better or for worse I also take the burner inlet air from inside the boat. I havn't seen any specific advice against doing so and neither have we had any problems.

 

[gianenrico]

Gentlemen,
anyone with hot water heating ? I'm planning to install one and would like to know which heating element have satisfied You.
Thanks,
Gianenrico

 

[spannerman]

Just make sure that there is no danger of sucking gas or battery gases ( these should be correctly vented anyway but its amazing what you find on older boats as things get added) into the combustion inlet. As regards the fresh air inlet again, check that it can't suck up diesel/oil/battery fumes/gases and recirculate them around the boat otherwise it will be sore throats and running eyes for everyone.

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I had assumed all along they cooled the exhaust with inlet air. I was wrong.

My earlier post referred to flue drafted diesel heaters. Like Gypsy Moth IV has or had.

 

[Pye_End]

Both my air inlets are from the boat.

Mine is in a cockpit locker, so can pull a little from outside through the lid, assuming the channels are easonably clean.

 

[Birdseye]

So after a good curry and a night on the beer, you really fancy superheating and re-circulating the atmosphere inside the boat?

 

[Pye_End]

Well, if I want more ventilation I open the cockpit locker a tadge.

 

[Micky]

I have fitted several Eber units. All have taken the air from inside the boat. The reason i set them up this way is, if you take cold air in from outside the boat, the heater will keep running flat out. Having the inlet pipe inside the boat lets the warm air keep the Eber running to suit the temperature, the hotter the air, the slower the heater runs.

Could be the wrong way, but i have never had any problems.

 

[Bejasus]

it all depends which thermostat is being used. The older Eberwhatsits like the D1L & D1LC mainly had the 4 position switch and these have to have the air recirculated from inside the boat as the switch was only a setting and the thermostat was inside the unit in the air inlet side. If the fresh air was drawn from outside, then the heater would just try to get hotter & hotter to reach the setting. Later units with the digital settings, had the sensor in the digital unit itself, so better to draw the fresh air from outside, or at least it didn't matter.

 

[garvellachs]

We've installed a couple of these in successive boats. The first drew cold air from outside the cabin for both combustion and the warm air. For the second we started off drawing both from the cabin, but it didn't seem to dry things out in the way we had got used to with the previous installation. So we pipe the air to be warmed in from outside now and I think it works much better - drier and fresher. True, it uses more fuel and amps, but the boat is much more comfortable in our opinion. Airtronic heaters.

 

[simonfraser]

thanks for all your comments, i'll start with the air from inside & note the improvement in drying if i take it from outside later

 

[Talbot]

I was advised to not take combustion air from inside the boat as that would bu using up a significant amount of heated air. I draw this from the wheelhouse area.

The air to be heated comes from the centre of the saloon, thus drawing more heated air towards this area.