Heating a Leisure 17 SL

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atelford

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Ive posted about this before but here goes part two. I have a Leisure 17SL. Its currently in a marina and when the temperature looses a bit of its chill I would like to stay over. I do not and will not have access to mains electricity. I have plenty of duvets and sleeping bag etc so that element isnt an issue. Its more to take the chill off the cabin air.

Until last week I used a gas cooker burner to pump some heat in. The condensation wasnt too bad, the downfall however is when the whole lot went up in a ball of flames in the cabin. With everything extinguished and a lucky escape I have now decided that gas no longer has a place on board.

So...... Any other suggestions ? I have a cigarette lighter adapter wired into the boat and a 75amp battery which is fully charged and removable if need be so recharging the battery on a daily or weekly basis is not an issue.

Ive heard ceramic heaters are useless, but as I say.... its only to take the bite out of the chill when in the cabin.

Lets hear the suggestions !!!
 
789006ig.jpg
Costs £49.99 from here

Keep you very warm and you can cook on it. They do one for a bit more that can be left on for prolonged periods but beware of C0 and C02 build up. Perhaps a C0 alarm from Tesco's? (about £15)
 
Agreed, and who would buy parafin by mail order? Maybe the extra cost is because of the high cost of a courier for flammable liquid? Or maybe it's to discourage purchases?!
 
Last Year I bought a Catalitic Heater. It is used by lorry drivers to heat their cabins. It uses small catridges, it has an oxygen depletion automatic valve, and a tilt shut off valve. It is very safe as it does not generate CO2 and portable; produces appro 2kw of "flameless" heat and is very small; at about £80 is excellent. Each catridge will last about 5 to 6 hours at a cost of £1
 
In addition to my previous reply above, this catalitic heater does not produce any odour and has an automatic piezo ingition button. Heats up my 32ft boat with no problem.
 
[ QUOTE ]
It is very safe as it does not generate CO2

[/ QUOTE ] Oh yes it does, water vapour as well. Perhaps you meant carbon monoxide CO.

Not sure if catalytic heaters can produce CO or not but the oxygen depletion valve should operate first if they can.
 
[ QUOTE ]
789006ig.jpg
Costs £49.99 from here

Keep you very warm and you can cook on it. They do one for a bit more that can be left on for prolonged periods but beware of C0 and C02 build up. Perhaps a C0 alarm from Tesco's? (about £15)

[/ QUOTE ]Excellent heaters, but probably a bit much for a 17SL. I use one in a 23SL, and have to keep turning it off 'cos it gets too hot!
 
I think you must have had a bad fault of some sort. I have not had a problem in 35 years of gas in boats, 40 years of gas in caravans & motorhomes, or 60 years of gas (initially town gas, more recently propane from bottles) in the home.

Perhaps I am just extremely lucky, but I don't think so.
 
The oxygen requirement of a small catalytic will be quite modest, and easily satisified by keeping a window or hatch slightly ajar whilst it is in use. I would recommend it is turned off when you turn in, and not used in very confined spaces.

I have to unblock air vents for domestic gas appliances every day of my working life as a gas engineer. The tenants moan about the draught they create. I have to tactfully explain the risks.

In my youth, camping in very cold places I used a primus stove blasting away in the tent for ten minutes before going to sleep, and again in the morning before getting up. We never came to any harm, but I would say I was oblivious of the risks in those days. Just use common sense and obey the instructions.

FWIW I think the catalytic heaters sound really good for small boats. At present I just light the Origo...and most of the heat goes out of the hatch which is above it /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I'm a great fan of hot water bottles as well /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Tim
 
tks for that observation.

Hot water bottles - hmm.

What about heating up a block of metal on the stove so that it acts as a heat store, then using it in a semi-insulated box to release the heat throughout the night ?
 
First of all - Why did the gas 'go up in a ball of flame ?'. Thousands of boats for decades have had gas in various forms and been quite happy. It's only when faulty or improper procedure that has caused the few incidents. Some may argue with that and I can understand that if you had an incident - you would be wary of it's use again. But more boats have been lost due to other reasons than through gas on board.

Anyway to heat a small cabin that has virtually no insulation is not so easy. Think on a car - you have nice and warm from the engine supplied heater. Switch all off and sit there. It very quickly cools and becomes cold. Your boat will do same. I know mine does and it has more warmth retaining items than yours.

Without mains electricity you are going to find it hard to 'take of the chill', a) because most forms of heating require air circulating, b) often require ventilation.

Trying to use a small to medium size 12v accumulator will fail in short time, as the wattage needed to give you heat is far more than the battery can provide over length of time.

So how ? Charcoal burner ? Drip feed diesel burner ? Eberspacher / Webasto / Mikuni ?

I know a boat that had a paraffin heater set into a slot in the cabin floor. He only put in enough paraffin for a single short nights use - so it never risked spillage etc. Being locked into the cabin sole it was secure. But the condensation / ventilation required was significant. I would not recommend this though for pure safety reasons.

Here is my crewing with another in Sweden and his use of "Trafalgar lamps" and a small parafin lamp hanging over saloon table ..............

Image121.jpg


Surprisingly cosy and the warmth may not have been great - but certainly took the edge of the chill. If I had clear bulkheads - I would be looking for same ...
 
To those asking why the gas was risky: Im not sure. I didnt do anything silly. I positioned the gas bottle in straight, lined up with the little metal catch and then locked it in. Then lit it. The gas must have been leaking from somewhere close to the gas bottle and eventually it caught. I understand that its rare, but the decision has been made not to allow a repeat performance. Im liking the idea of a tilley lamp / pressurised lamp. I take in the comments about the car cooling down quickly etc, this is something I already realised. It is really to take the chill off in the evenings and in the mornings. Thanks for all suggestions
 
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