Importing dickinson heater from Canada to uk?

[Acid_clown]

Hi,
I want to buy a dickinson newport heater from Canada to the UK, the company have notified me that it is non CE approved, I've tried looking around for information on importing non CE stuff and come up with nothing, am I likely to run into any issues importing a non CE certified product from Canada? I don't want to have a hoop jumping fiasco,
Thanks
AC

 

[geem]

Hi,
I want to buy a dickinson newport heater from Canada to the UK, the company have notified me that it is non CE approved, I've tried looking around for information on importing non CE stuff and come up with nothing, am I likely to run into any issues importing a non CE certified product from Canada? I don't want to have a hoop jumping fiasco,
Thanks
AC

I did exactly that about 12 years ago. Dont remember it being difficult. At the time the exchange rate was benifical but I doubt it is worth it now. Why not just buy from UK dealer?

 

[Acid_clown]

Cool, I'm after the propane heater, there are no UK or eu suppliers of the propane heater, buying direct from Canada is my best option

 

[wully1]

I had one brought back from Canada, no problems and A LOT cheaper than buying one here. As they are on sale here I can't see what the problem is....other than Dickinson trying to protect their importers profits?

 

[Tranona]

In theory you will be committing a criminal offence if you import something that is not CE marked. That is the whole purpose of CE marking - to ensure that products meet minimum standards. It could, of course (and very likely) that the heater does in fact meet the standards but the manufacturer will not apply the mark for goods sold in Canada as there is no reason to do so.

You have to weigh up the costs (including shipping, clearing and VAT plus the probability of being caught illegally importing the item against the saving compared with buying a legal item here.

 

[pvb]

In theory you will be committing a criminal offence if you import something that is not CE marked. That is the whole purpose of CE marking - to ensure that products meet minimum standards. It could, of course (and very likely) that the heater does in fact meet the standards but the manufacturer will not apply the mark for goods sold in Canada as there is no reason to do so.

You have to weigh up the costs (including shipping, clearing and VAT plus the probability of being caught illegally importing the item against the saving compared with buying a legal item here.

I don't think there's much risk of getting caught. However, a more worrying risk is that, in the event of a fire, the OP might find that his insurance is invalid if he's fitted an unapproved heater.

 

[Len Ingalls]

Think I read on Dickinson website that they now own SigMar. Possibly the Sig line has CE sticker.
http://www.sigmarine.com/manuals/SIG-Cozy-Cabin-2011-2.pdf

I can't believe that Dickinson haven't bothered to get CE approval.
They are UL & CSA approved & are the most popular marine heater in N.America.

Definitely get your insurer's written approval.

OH Canada.....

 

[Tranona]

I don't think there's much risk of getting caught. However, a more worrying risk is that, in the event of a fire, the OP might find that his insurance is invalid if he's fitted an unapproved heater.

Depends if it is opened at customs. However, i note that the OP is after the Propane rather than diesel version (see post#3), so maybe there is a sound reason why the manufacturer does not offer the product in the EU whereas it does offer its other products. So perhaps even more reason not to take the risk.

 

[Acid_clown]

Hmm, I've been doing some digging on this, and found out about something called a mutual recognition agreement between Canada and the EU which agrees that both parties recognise conformity assessments and testing certification with each other, so any Canadian safety testing will be recognised by the EU, and vice versa. There are other MRAs for the EU with USA, Japan, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. Whether that would cover non CE marked items is probably something up for debate, these MRAs are massive walls of text and could probably be interpreted in any way you want if you pick it apart!

 

[pvb]

Out of interest, why do you want to buy one of these rather old-fashioned propane heaters? They only have about 1.5kW output, take up space in the boat, and need a flue and insulation. And they're not particularly cheap. If you want to use propane, have you considered the Propex HS2000, which can be tucked away in a locker, has greater heat output, and may well be cheaper to buy?

 

[Acid_clown]

I like the feature of having a fire, always had a woodburner, but want something more instant and less maintenance than a solid fuel burner now, so the spot is already there for the dickinson heater. My burner is hot, if I put a shovel of coal in before bed I can keep toasty all night with the skylight open, so the 1.6kw dickinson will be plenty.

I've looked into propex and webasto forced air heaters and I'm not sold on the fact they draw so much power when running, 2 amps is quite a lot over the course of a day, my power setup is 100w solar, 220ah batteries, and I like keeping it simple. It gives me enough to run lights, laptop, fridge, phone charger etc, but I'd have to up my power setup if I went propex, so it'd cost more than the dickinson eventually.

The other thing that puts me off propex is the noise, I like the pure silence when I'm out and about, I don't want to sit in a box with the white noise whooshing through the air vents, and then step outside and hear that weird gurgling noise from the exhaust.

 

[Tranona]

Hmm, I've been doing some digging on this, and found out about something called a mutual recognition agreement between Canada and the EU which agrees that both parties recognise conformity assessments and testing certification with each other, so any Canadian safety testing will be recognised by the EU, and vice versa. There are other MRAs for the EU with USA, Japan, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. Whether that would cover non CE marked items is probably something up for debate, these MRAs are massive walls of text and could probably be interpreted in any way you want if you pick it apart!

You misunderstand mutual recognition. It does not mean that foreign standards are acceptable in the EU, just that if the item is tested in the other country to the same standards as the EU, that test will be recognised.

So. Does not mean that the heater you are talking about is CE marked, and if it is not it is illegal to import it and use the UK.

Propane heaters of that type with open flames have not been approved for use in boats for some years, which is probably why they have no CE approval. Diesel fired heaters are much more practical in a boat and Dickinson have a range that is CE approved.

 

[Gremlin97]

I like the feature of having a fire, always had a woodburner, but want something more instant and less maintenance than a solid fuel burner now, so the spot is already there for the dickinson heater. My burner is hot, if I put a shovel of coal in before bed I can keep toasty all night with the skylight open, so the 1.6kw dickinson will be plenty.

I've looked into propex and webasto forced air heaters and I'm not sold on the fact they draw so much power when running, 2 amps is quite a lot over the course of a day, my power setup is 100w solar, 220ah batteries, and I like keeping it simple. It gives me enough to run lights, laptop, fridge, phone charger etc, but I'd have to up my power setup if I went propex, so it'd cost more than the dickinson eventually.

The other thing that puts me off propex is the noise, I like the pure silence when I'm out and about, I don't want to sit in a box with the white noise whooshing through the air vents, and then step outside and hear that weird gurgling noise from the exhaust.

Hi Acid Clown.
I realise this thread a bit old now. But just wondering if you ended up importing the Newport Dickinson p9000 for a finish? And if so how did it go? Any issues?

 

[dgadee]

Moved ...

 

[Tranona]

This thread was about importing the Newport Propane fireplace, not the diesel or paraffin heaters. The propane heaters are not available in Europe and as the original post says are/were not CE marked.