Lagging eber hot air pipes.

[AIDY]

any recommendation for a cheaper alternative to lag the eberspacher hot air pipes on the boat..... The Thinsulate stuff seems rather expensive for the quantity i require.

 

[vyv_cox]

any recommendation for a cheaper alternative to lag the eberspacher hot air pipes on the boat..... The Thinsulate stuff seems rather expensive for the quantity i require.

I bought a sheet of aluminium-backed foam lagging from B&Q, or its Dutch equivalent. It's PVC foam I think, about 2-3 mm thick. Cut it into strips and wound it around the flexible tubes. Where it is visible in the saloon also wound some blue cloth that matches the upholstery.

 

[AIDY]

Thanks... it looks like i can get a roll of foil bubble wrap from wickes which looks a suitable alternative, just need some foil tape and a few tie wraps unless anyone else has any better ideas.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

You can buy "fleece" material off the roll at any fabric outlet including Thinsulate equivalent. Very easy to make long tubes up from this stuff (including double thickness) and slip it over the pipes. To protect the fleece you can wrap the lagging with heavy gauge polythene such as old cattle feed / fertisliser type bags. The long bags are best as you can slit down both sides to get a 2m sheet which you cut lengthways again to make the desired width to wrap around. The inside of the bags is white. Duct tape seals the plastic wrap longitudinally.

Very cheap to do. This is my project for extending the Mikuni heater to the fore cabin on my own boat. I want to insulate very well as I intend to have a perforated pipe running along the back of the oily locker in the heads.

I am not sure just how much "fleece" thickness I need to insulate. All my ducting will be behind lockers so visual appearance is not important.

Very PBOish I admit but who wants to pay rip off prices!

 

[V1701]

I've been wondering about this as well but don't yet know how hot the pipes get, after a while on full heat. Be useful to hear how you get on with the Wickes solution...

 

[michael_w]

I've used cheapo felt pipe wrap for the always dry bits; cheap as chips from any plumber's merchant. For the potentially soggy bits ie: the cockpit locker, I used foil backed bubble wrap insulation.

 

[fluffc]

I've used large-pipe insulation from builder's merchant too - it is a soft green stuff and about 1" thick.

Note that the air is very hot in the pipe, particularly where it exits from the heater, so I would advise against using bubble wrap.

 

[michael_w]

The proper bubble wrap/aluminum foil stuff is fireproof. I've tried to make it catch fire with my acetelene/propane mix blowtorch with out any success. The felt insulation starts some 6' away from the heater.

 

[Heckler]

any recommendation for a cheaper alternative to lag the eberspacher hot air pipes on the boat..... The Thinsulate stuff seems rather expensive for the quantity i require.

The man I get the Ebers from deals in BT vans, as well as an Eber they have a propane 2 burner grill BUT also V important they have fire blankets. Much the same as we use on our boats. They are basically a fi glass blanket, I cut them in to strips, first putting a line of duct tape on the cut to stop it unravelling. I then use this longitudenly and duct tape the edges together, works a treat.
Stu

 

[ralf2]

OK skipper stu this sound s good any chance of a photo?

 

[dulcibella]

Useful! I accidentally cooked a Portuguese sausage that was in contact with a non-insulated hot air pipe.

 

[AIDY]

thinking about it i've accidently melted a flip flop on my old boat ! but that could of been on the zaust

 

[snooks]

I don't know whether the Webasto stuff is any cheaper it's called thermaduct or thermoduct. Cut it to the length you want, stick a carrier bag over the end of the tubing and slide the ducting over it.

Just a thought

 

[Heckler]

OK skipper stu this sound s good any chance of a photo?

After chrimbo! Although nothing to it!
Stu

 

[PCUK]

Standard loft insulation wrapped with Duct tape. Cheap, 100% effective and safe.

 

[daveyw]

If the hot air pipes are within the cabin space, why lag them? The heat loss will be into the boat interior which is where you want the heat anyway.

 

[Heckler]

If the hot air pipes are within the cabin space, why lag them? The heat loss will be into the boat interior which is where you want the heat anyway.

On my previous boat I ran the pipe under a shelf in the aft cabin, it warmed it a treat, however it wasnt doing the wood any good, so i lagged it, it still leaked enough heat to warm the cabin. The prob on this one is that the boat dealer who fitted it ran the pipe thro lockers etc, i store a spare sail in one, i had to lag it to stop it damaging the sail and it is the same with the rest of the lockers the pipe runs thru, unuseable unless the pipe is lagged.
Stu

 

[hoverjumper]

Boat Mart Article

I've been wondering about this too. My Mikuni ducting runs in a wide 180 bend inside the sugarscoop void before entering the cabin and I reckon I'm losing a lot of heat in there in the winter. I plan to have a go with a DIY approach at some point.

Mikuni have insulation on their website listed as "coming soon" although it has said this for a while. No price given. http://www.mikuniheating.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=72&pg=1

There was a neat article published in Boat Mart a while back showing the heater ducting running inside a locker being boxed in and then insulated with rockwool. I will try to attach the article here, if it doesn't work, PM me with your email and I'll send it.

 

[snooks]

If the hot air pipes are within the cabin space, why lag them? The heat loss will be into the boat interior which is where you want the heat anyway.

Unless you live in a locker you're not benefiting from the heat.

Also every time the ducting turns 90 degrees it looses something like 2.5% of the heat which is compounded along it's length. The most efficient systems have the straightest ducting

 

[steve123]

I used Armaflex to insulate my eberspacher pipes, bought from a local heating insulation supplier. See: http://www.armacell.com/www/armacell/armacell.nsf/ansHTMLSeitenLookUp/UK-TI_Frame?OpenDocument
and select Class 0 Armaflex.

Large variety of sizes, easy to use and cheaper than some of the alternatives.