heating /aircon help

[Guest]

I am after a bit of help as neither Eberspacher nor CruisAir seem to interested in actually talking about what there systems do ormaking any sort of suggestions...

I have a 46" motor cruiser on a 24v system and want something that will primarily heat the boat and dehumidify....aircon is a secondary consideration as I live in the UK as you will see from looking out of your window at the moment...but if I can get an all in one fandango system all the better.

The layout is as follows: 1 x double berth up front 2 x heads 2 x smaller berths (PT/SB) 1 x dinky crew cabin for non-claustrophobic dwarves but great for keeping the tools in 1 x good sized saloon and diner

Questions: --what do you use and are you happy? --I want to leave it on to heat a bit but mostly dehumidify when I am not there --What is better, diesel or electric power (I have shorepower and always run the genny while underway for 240v) --Can I get a heat/dehumid/aircon unit and will it actually work --I want to regulate the heat in some cabins, do I need to have different piping / outlets for these or is it controlled from the outlet itself --I would like to heat the engine room (not the best insulated bit of the boat but more for frost / dehumidification than anything else) is a spaceheater better than routing the 'cabin' heater down there???

cheers stefan

 

[Guest]

Stefan, in my experience, trying to get one unit to do all this will probably mean that you will get a mediocre result in all areas. Air con systems do offer a reverse cycle option, but in our cold winters you will need some back-up from another heating source. If you are using the boat in the UK then an Eberspacher system would be your best bet.....

Eberspacher are great for heating but very expensive to repair [see my earlier post] and if you choose the right system for your size of boat- D5L or D8L will certainly provide the heat you need. Temperature control in each cabin is by closable vents which is adequate although with warm-air heating you do get a greater temperature fluctuation that you would at home with gas central heating.

With regards to dehumidifying, I have a similar sized boat and use a £100 freestanding unit from Homebase and it does a great job. Some of the more expensive units have A/C as well which would probably be fine for the saloon on all but the hottest UK days. It should be possible with a bit of DIY to remove it from its box and build it into the boat if you wanted.

As for engine room heating, I use a couple of 200w greenhouse heaters running on 240V and they are sufficient to keep the frost at bay - engine rooms are on the whole quite will insulated, normally with above zero water underneath the hull & plenty of soundproofing, though you probably wouldn't want to sleep in that temperature! Using the primary heating for doing this job 24hours/ 7days when you are not using the boat would be very expensive!

 

[Guest]

I had a 45ft. We used Eberspacher heating, a freestanding de-humidifier which was plumbed to drain into the bilge (but I don't think that is necessary these days) and 60watt tubular heaters in the e/room. On another boat I just had Homebase dehumidifier standing by the sink and draining into it. The one draw back is being on a berth where the shore power trips off and you don't know about it until you think "It b**** freezing I think I'll check the boat today" and find the water system is frozen.

 

[Guest]

cheers

probably will stick with eberspacher then (if they ever reply) and look at greenhouse heaters for the engines...

just quickly - what is the 'temperature sensor' all about if temp control is via closeable vents and is the unit very noisy??

cheers stefan

 

[Guest]

Marc,

Can't add much to the advice already given, but I just had an Eberspacher fitted to my 21 ft work-boat ( half the length of yours!) and it works extremely well, comes with a seven day timer so you can set heat-on periods up to a week in advance, modulates the air output temperature and air-flow to maintain an even heat.

If you switch the unit to manual, and the lowest heat setting it provides a 'frost-stat' setting, although annoyingly the unit will only run for a pre-set period when it comes on There is a remote temperature sensor which governs the output, I quess this should be situated where you need the finest temperature control. If you put it in the main saloon and sleep in a cabin you may find the cabin too hot/cold. Temperature is easily manually controlled from the main control unit, fits on the dash, the size of a packet of fags or less.

I only got one cabin, but was on the boat in -5C in December, with a warm place to sleep and demisted windows in the morning in about ten minutes. Suggest you investigate the Eberspacher hair-dryer option if you carry female supercargo, or want to dry your shoes off.

For de-hum the simple answer seems to be to keep the heating on at a low level, maybe backed up by a shore-powered 240v Dehumidifier and a switch mode battery charger. I just got a de-humidifer for my apartment, B&Q - 100 quid, the size of a tiny fridge, it pulls out over a litre a day and a small one would seem ample for your boat and easy to stow. Slightly noisy fan though.

The Eberspachers have a reputation for expensive spares, but having a warm dry boat is worth it for me, as I use the boat all year round. Mikuni make similar units, no idea of spares prices, but like all boat stuff I buy a load of spares whenever I install something new, as prices only ever go up .(Hint)

If the Eberspacher is fitted in the engine compartment there may be enough heat radiation from the unit and ducting to keep the space frost-free, presuming you don't have sea-water or rain water swilling about. A note with the dehum unit instructions says damp air need s more energy to heat than dry air.

I guess you have shore-power fitted, I had a second auxiliary deep-cycle battery fitted to run the heater overnight at anchor, so it didn't kill the main battery if left on, but the Eberspachers shut-down automatically at 10.5 volts to 'prevent' this happening. Fitting was by Felton Marine at Eastbourne who did a neat job of everything. Be prepared for a 'jet-turbine' type whine when the unit is going full tilt.

As to air-con, I only sail in the UK. Most of the time I'm trying to stay warm.

Suggest you start with an Eberspacher or Mikuni heater as a starting point, having a warm boat is a remarkable luxury .

Regards

Sue

'Glicca'

Cowes www.glicca.com

 

[Guest]

The temprature sensor is just a thermostat that comes with the system. It is seperate from the control unit so it can be sited in the place where you need the best control.

Depending on the unit, the thermostat will switch the heater through a range of 4 heat settings and 'off' to maintain the temperature. The D5L on my last boat had 4 heat settings, the D7L I have now has only two - it's like a furnace!!

The closeable vents are usefull for moderating the temperature output from vents furthist from the heater.

The sound you get depends on where you site the heater, so bear that in mind when you are planning instalation. The only sound is from the motor, not combustion as it is just a maintained flame so it is not too intrusive.

 

[Guest]

One vent remains open at all times as there is no air release valve. My DL5 is excellent but not to be used for keeping the boat warm when absent. Consider wireing. Before the battery isolator or after? Ebespacher are not too bothered but my dealer refused to connect other than to the isolated terminals and this means you need the battery programmer so as you do not have to reset every time. Apparently these are standard now but some units may still have the old non battery backup type.

being isolated when the batteries are off also means that you are unable to programme the heating to come on half an hour before you arrive at the boat. Many Marina's insist that Batteries are left off if the boat is unattended for any time so consider this wireing thing carefully.

Good luck

 

[Guest]

why is it \'not to be used...when absent\'?

is this just wiring or is it dangerous??

cheers

 

[Guest]

cheers very much for your note NM

cheers very much for your note NM

 

[Guest]

Re: why is it \'not to be used...when absent\'?

Eberspacher say that the continuous stop start cycle for a heater if it is used to protect from frost is not good for this type of heater. It apparantly causes a build up of sooty deposits which can cause malfunction and/or breakdown. Much better for frost protection is a low kw heater on shore power.

Thats what they told me anyway!

Chris