Heating options

[Harmony]

Hi,

I have just purchased a 30ft cat and am intending living aboard, can any one give me some info as regards heating? I have lived aboard classic sail boats in the past but large enough to have wood burners, the cat on the other hand is relatively small and I cant find anywhere to put the burner.....

I would be grateful for any suggestions for alternative methods of heating

 

[Simes]

Just posted about heating, we are looking at runing the heating from the engine, gen set, stove and any thing else we can get. Am happy to talk further if needed.

Simon

 

[Harmony]

I don't have the option of engines to supply heating so I recon I'm down to Diesel heaters of some sort, does any one have experience of any of these?

I see a few second hand units on ebay, is there any thing I need to look out for or avoid?

what size unit would I need?


before this boat I had a 50ft Looe Lugger that I ran a full central heating system using just gravity from a small baby range, on which all the cooking was also done. It worked a treat supplying both hot water and central heating

 

[Anonymous]

It's a big subject but to give an overview, diesel heaters fall into two primary categories - blown combustion chamber (e.g. Webasto) and open flame (e.g. Taylors, Force 10). The former use electricity to keep the combustion running so make a noise (internal and external), use dc, and moving parts wear out. A further division of blown combustion chamber units is direct water heating (so you can run a pressurised central heating system just like a domestic one) and warm air. The latter makes even more noise and uses even more electricity - and not everyone likes to live in that environment.

We are living aboard our Nauticat 42 in Chichester Marina where the electricity is reasonable (4.5p per kWh) so we have a 2kW electric convector (i.e. silent), a 2kW fan, an 800W oil-filled electric (for our bedroom) and two compressor dehumidifiers running 24/24 each giving out around 200W if you take into account the latent heat of evaporation released by the condensate. We also have a 5kW Eberspacher warm air unit which we don't use much in the marina. The electric heaters are seldom on full power for long. The key to managing with marina electricity for heating, we find, is to have a decent ac ammeter where we can see it - near the galley. We have electric hot water, a normal kettle, toaster, microwave, electric steamer and electric grill which also share the same 16A marina supply. When you get used to it, it's no bother even for SWMBO who is as non-techy as they come.

It was challenging in Deauville last November in very cold weather with a maximum power of 6A, but then we had the generator and Eberspecher.

We mostly cook with gas (butane) and heat the cylinder electrically in cold weather and whenever the contents are low, or we are cooking a roast.

 

[TigaWave]

We found our Eberspachy thing excellent, used very little diesel, you could divert all the warm air to one cabin to warm it very quickly, or dry the shower out, almost silent operation in the Lazarrette, with exhaust as far back as it would go. It was a 1991 model still working great with no maintenance. We were living aboard in the Uk in Nov.

 

[Talbot]

I have a 4kw eberspacher fitted to my Catalac (9m cat) Very neat, and very efficient. My boat is in portsmouth area if you want to come and look at the installation.

 

[boatmike]

Quick answer would be fit an eberspacher water heater and matrix heater units. NOT an air heater. You can get domestic HW and cabin heat from one unit. They are less temperamental than air heaters. They dont require loads of ducting, and the electrical drain on the batteries is less. Avoid second hand air heaters like the plague. Most of them have been removed from a boat at some time and you should ask why? Repairs and overhaul on an air heater could cost more than you paid for it. I have both on my 37ft cat because I already had an air heater and added the water heater afterwards. Also I am a marine engineer and can diagnose faults and service them myself. Unfortunately a full system is likely to set you back about £2000 but properly installed and maintained will give you years of faithful service and constant HW with low cost and drain on the batteries. Talbot's cat and mine are near one another on Hayling Island so if you want to see my installation too PM me. I can furnish tips on installation that will help if you go that way.

 

[philmarks]

Well, my Eber (DL7C) caught fire on Friday. Three extinguishers used (one failed). Fortunately no damage other than to heater and some cleaning up to do, I'll be glad to chuck it. So, I'm starting with a clean sheet now...and some very big replacement extinguishers.....

 

[Anonymous]

Have you discovered what caused the fire? Did flames and smoke enter the living accommodation? When you consider that one tends to leave the heater running when leaving the boat for a few hours, your experience is very concerning.

Finally, do you know why the extinguisher failed? Is there anything we can learn from that? What extinguishers did work and did you find them effective, and worth carrying in the future?

 

[boatmike]

One tends to leave heater running whiole leaving the boat for a few hours?
Er.... No.....
Not a very good idea........

 

[Anonymous]

If a heating system is unsafe to leave running overnight or when going ashore for a while then it is totally unsuitable for liveaboards. Are you saying that Eberspachers, Webastos, etc., are unsafe to be left unattended? If so, why, and I wonder if the manufacturers would agree? There is nothing to that effect in my Eberspacher manual. That is why I am so concerned to hear of one starting a fire that required several extinguishers to douse.

 

[Harmony]

Ok, I moved on the cat yesterday, and been freezing my bits off (is it very windy or am I not used to it anymore?)

the last owner showed me a cleaver trick with a clay flowerpot turned upside down on the gas stove.......

It works a treat, keeping the cabin very warm and doesn't seem to put so much moisture into the air. still only a temp measure though.

sorry to hear of the fire!!

I am making my way round to Chichester at some point so will look up the folk from there.

 

[jpceir]

"The key to managing with marina electricity for heating, we find, is to have a decent ac ammeter where we can see it - near the galley."

A good idea - so where does one get such a thingy, and how is it wired up to the boat's shore supply?

 

[Anonymous]

I bought mine from RS Components (you no longer need a trade account to order from them) RS Components I've just checked my order last September....

287-2059 Ammeter, moving iron, 25A, direct connection EACH £19.65 +VAT + delivery

This has proved to be an ideal ammeter because it is moving iron, it is non-linear and gives the greatest deflection per volt at around 16 Amps which is the normal marina supply. It worked fine on a French supply limited to 6 Amps, as well. The other benefits of this meter are good sized display, rugged construction, no shunt required and good terminals for connection.

I fitted mine with a 20A rubber flex, using only two of the cores. I broke the supply from the output of the isolator to the boat system and wired the meter in series. Note: It is important to use flex, not solid wire, as solid might break with vibration on a boat. Also, please make sure that you protect the rear terminals of the meter so that anyone putting an arm into a void, feeling around to find a fuse, or feed more cables, etc., cannot accidentally touch the live terminals. Even if you know it is there, imagine the risk to others - maybe after you have sold your boat, or a boatyard. Do please be careful, at 230V this could and probably would kill if an arm got trapped in a tight space due to a shock.

 

[Sea Devil]

Unless you are on a mooring the easiest and possibly best way is a domestic blow hearter - costs less than UKP20 and really does the job.

 

[jpceir]

thanks for the tip, Lemaine

 

[philmarks]

I never left the boat unattended with the heater running. It was always difficult to start. BTW I did have it serviced. I believe that fuel pooled inside and ignited. I think that's why there is the "engineer reset" issue which has been discussed on other posts, mine did not seem to require engineer reset. I'll stick with fan heater/genny for now, as I'm heading south to warmer climes.

All extinguishers were dry powder. I also used a fire blanket. I think that the bigger the extinguisher the better, so you can give it one big blast. I've bought a massive new 9kg dry powder, plus a couple of 2 kg dry powders.

Whilst I was in extinguisher renewal mode I checked my engine room halon replacement and found that it had corroded (<2yrs old) and lost its gas. Manufacturers replaced under guarantee (5 yrs) and recommended that I coat it with grease. A bit worrying for a marine extinguisher....