Heating.......can I leave the oven on????

[aquaholic]

Normally have some great day sails over the winter but was hoping to have a couple of overnighters at anchor, only problem is we dont have a heater and was wondering about possibly leaving the oven on low with the door open, have a gas detector system just in case but wondered what others do in the winter.

 

[Georgio]

Normally have some great day sails over the winter but was hoping to have a couple of overnighters at anchor, only problem is we dont have a heater and was wondering about possibly leaving the oven on low with the door open, have a gas detector system just in case but wondered what others do in the winter.

Tilley lamp gives of lots of heat and a nice bright light but does result in a little more condensation. Like having the oven on you need to make sure there is some fresh air venting through the boat.

 

[fireball]

not generally a good idea as it results in a lot of water (condensation) being produced ...
How about you boil the kettle and make up a couple of hot water bottles ...

 

[Flapjack]

I think the issue with leaving the oven on isn’t gas but a build up of carbon monoxide which as far as I know a gas detector wont detect but I could be wrong.

 

[robp]

I would not go to sleep with a gaz/calor oven on. You might not wake up. If you have enough ventilation, it'll be cold anyway.

 

[fergie_mac66]

carbon monoxide given off by oven so ventilation required hot water bots for bed however me being a yorkshire man we use a couple of 3 litre cider bottles dont 2 inch gap and squeeze before closing dont put water hotter than about 60 degrees bottle lasts a couple of weeks and stays hot all night infact right up till dinner following day!. Hmmm if you empty a couple before filling and bed then you sleep too well to care if its cold! tilley lamp or better still a colmans give off huge amounts of heat but vents open worth getting a monoxide detector. in marina we use a electric blanket (type that you can leave on ) worth there weight in gold !

 

[dylanwinter]

ten tea lights

I use half a dozen or more tea lights on a plate

last for four hours

100 from ikea cost £1

D

 

[duncan]

wus - hot toddies and sleeping bags!

OTOH I just fitted a D2 back in '03 and never regretted it.

 

[DaveS]

I agree with others that in principle this is not a good idea. I might consider it if, at anchor and not affected by tide, I could arrange a good and guaranteed stream of ventilation. Otherwise it's just too risky IMHO.

Also, again as others have said, it will put water vapour into the cabin which will (unless the ventilation rate is very high) condense out on cold surfaces: windows, hull (if uninsulated) which you will see, inside lockers and behind panels which you won't see.

If you've access to shore power then an electric heater is a much better bet; if not then HWB + drams would be my preference.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

I think the issue with leaving the oven on isn’t gas but a build up of carbon monoxide which as far as I know a gas detector wont detect but I could be wrong.

If it is burning correctly I don't think the problem is carbon monoxide but ventilation & even then in a domestic setting 'natural ventilation' is usually sufficient (the draft from around windows/doors etc).

 

[jimi]

You could consider a portable catalytic gas heater, perhaps?

 

[aquaholic]

Thanks for all the tips, will try the hot water bottles and tea lights me thinks! quite like the idea of waking up the next warning
Unfortunatley I am at that stage where we will possibly change the boat next year so dont really want to spend alot of money on a heating system for someone else to enjoy next winter!

 

[BSSOffice]

I use half a dozen or more tea lights on a plate
D

Dylan, please no,

Have a read this... http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/4722068.Boat_fire_victim_at_Honeystreet_tried_to_escape/ (and we have more candle fires on record)

...and so the thought of you rolling around in a North Norfolk harbour with a dozen loose tea lights is quite worrying.

There's some other advice here http://www.boatsafetyscheme.com/downloads/Fire_Kills_A5_On_Boats%20PRINTED%20FINAL(reduced).pdf

And on the subject of heating, to avoid the silent, deadly hazard of carbon monoxide, especially in the restricted air space of a boat cabin, LPG ovens should not be used as space heaters

HTH
Rob

 

[Lakesailor]

LPG ovens should not be used as space heaters

Are they safe when used as ovens?

 

[island163]

Thanks for all the tips, will try the hot water bottles and tea lights me thinks! quite like the idea of waking up the next warning
Unfortunatley I am at that stage where we will possibly change the boat next year so dont really want to spend alot of money on a heating system for someone else to enjoy next winter!

Was out last week with temperatures down to zero and no boat heating. Base layer, mid layer, socks, wooly hat and zipped up sleeping bags kept us warm enough. Not elegant but it works fine. Hot water bottles would have been luxury

 

[dylanwinter]

tea llights

Dylan, please no,

Have a read this... http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/4722068.Boat_fire_victim_at_Honeystreet_tried_to_escape/ (and we have more candle fires on record)

...and so the thought of you rolling around in a North Norfolk harbour with a dozen loose tea lights is quite worrying.

There's some other advice here http://www.boatsafetyscheme.com/downloads/Fire_Kills_A5_On_Boats%20PRINTED%20FINAL(reduced).pdf

And on the subject of heating, to avoid the silent, deadly hazard of carbon monoxide, especially in the restricted air space of a boat cabin, LPG ovens should not be used as space heaters

HTH
Rob

man I love it when people think I do dangerous stuff

next time I spend an evening on the boat I am going to have two plates of tealights just because I am a thrill seaker.

I am so pleased that there are people around who worry about such things -


the slug is a triple keeler - spends most of its life sitting on the sand so no rocking

I seldom wear a life jacket, don't own a bike helmet, I smoke two cigars a month and drink whisky or wine almost every night.

Dylan

 

[vyv_cox]

Are they safe when used as ovens?

A valid question after reading this thread. There seems to be widespread misunderstanding about carbon monoxide. The oxygen content in the boat would need to be remarkably low before CO would be produced in preference to CO2. I most definitely could not get my boat that air-tight and I congratulate those who can.

 

[blackbeard]

The only time my CO monitor has sounded was when I was cooking on a cold evening with main hatch shut and washboards in.
I wouldn't ever leave the oven on overnight with hatch closed and washboards in place, even though the boat has a fair amount of ventilation.

 

[Searush]

The "classic" boat heater is an earthernware plant pot inverted over a hob burner. I understand it generates a fair bit of heat even after th eburner is switched off. Consequently, you can be awake while it is on (hatches vented) & turn it off as you go to bed & close the hatch, the heat will slowly dissipate, hopefully after you are asleep.

I have never used it as I have a catalytic heater (probably asbestos ) but I wouldn't sleep with any heater on. I'd even be suspiciuos of leaving an externally vented ebosplutter or similar on - it could always suffer an exhaust problem after all.

Dylan, I think you are correct, the risk of a tea light falling over, even in a storm, is pretty low. But I still wouldn't be comfortable leaving them burning while asleep, any more than I would my gimballed oil lamp - but it's more about air quality & smells when the candle burns down or the lamp runs out of oil. The damn things really can stink.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

A valid question after reading this thread. There seems to be widespread misunderstanding about carbon monoxide. The oxygen content in the boat would need to be remarkably low before CO would be produced in preference to CO2. I most definitely could not get my boat that air-tight and I congratulate those who can.

A maladjusted pressurized fuel burning stove of any kind can produce CO in fatal quantities, if the oxygen flow to the flame is insufficient so that the fuel is not completely burnt, resulting in a reducing environment in the flame. This has nothing to do with the ambient oxygen level - it is to do with rates of flow and cooling rates in the flame. It is, regrettably, a cause of several fatalities in the Polar regions in cases where there was insufficient ventilation to carry the CO produced by a maladjusted primus away (cf THIS).