On the subject of Parafin Heaters?

[CES]

Just purchased a colvic watson 23Ft6in (By the way, thanks go to all those who offered advice, info etc) The current gas installation leaves a little to be desired. Am thinking Blakes parafin heater, and Origo spirit stove, for cosy, non shore power reliant weekends aboard. Don't have a huge budget, probably second hand stuff, am I on the right track?

 

[bumblefish]

Will let you know, that is my set up, although the heater came with the boat, just had to buy new cowl and service the burner.

 

[sarabande]

Welcome to the World of Watsons !

Any form of heating fuelled by hydrocarbons (paraffin, spirit, butane, etc) needs very careful ventilation, as if you burn them in an enclosed space the by-products of combustion will enable your heirs to collect on the insurance pretty quickly. Also for every gallon of fuel you burn, you put roughly one gallon of water into the cabin air.

Look for a stove which has a form of heat-exchanger, where the flames heat a steel chimney or similar, and then go straight outside to atmosphere. The steel chimney heats the cabin air which is a) dry b) free from carbon dixide, fuel particulates, carbon monoxide, etc, etc.

There all kinds of heating regulations for the inland waterways people, so it might be worth looking at their advice from the RYA, to give you an idea of good practice.


hot spot

 

[vyv_cox]

I find it difficult to believe that to upgrade your gas installation would be more expensive than buying the kit you mention. If you go ahead you will have to supply two different fuels for equipment that, despite the claims of their enthusiastic owners, is less convenient, less efficient and only marginally 'safer' than gas.

There are hundreds of thousands of boats on the water with gas fuelled cookers, ovens and space heaters. Very, very few of them catch fire or explode as a result of the fuel chosen. No doubt there are defects and faults but installation and checking by someone who knows what they are doing will overcome these.

My recommendation is to have your installation upgraded by an expert, learn how to keep it in good condition and enjoy the benefits of bottled gas. I speak as someone who has cooked on paraffin stoves for many years but now recognises that any benefits that this gives are completely outweighed by the advantages of gas.

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

I have the Taylors 030 cooker and am more than happy with it. I got rid of a very good gas cooker for this installation and have no regrets. For heating, I found the price for Taylors too steep to justify. I went for solid fuel. However my boat is old and wooden and possibly lends itself better to this arrangement than others.

 

[rjp]

I installed an Origo stove this year and am delighted with the performance and not in the least bothered by the occasional smell. Methylated spirit is readily available in places like B&Q but only in small containers in my area, which makes it expensive and a bit of a pain. However I do think I might have found a supplier who can sell me larger quantities (25 litres) but still need to follow this up. Nothing at all wrong with the stove itself though.

John

 

[Malish]

Taylors heaters are good, fairly indestructible pieces of kit but you will find that the rarely appear for sale second hand (and sell v quickly when they do). I was lucky enought to get one second hand but you may have to buy new.

 

[johnkeith]

I've got an Origo as well - let me know if you find a good supplier of larger quantities of meths.
ta,
John

 

[Guest]

Supplier of large quantity Meths? Try these folks (usual disclaimer)............. Look under solvents etc.

http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk

Lots of other useful stuff as well, if you have a mosey around their site, Like Raw linseed oil, real turpentine all available in larger quantities and good prices, and rapid delivery. The other way of obtaining large quantities of "meths" is to get a licence from Customs and Excise, for the purchase of IMS (Industrial Methylated Spirit). This is a colourless spirit that has a higher clorific value than meths and smells quite pleasant, works very well in Origo Cookers, in fact better than meths, (burns hotter).

Getting the licence is simple enough, you just got to ask for it, and tell them what you want to use it for. If you Google up IMS Licence, you will probably find your way to them, or phone your local Customs Office, and they will give you the number. The office that deals with it is in Glasgow (I think).

I suppose I had better say it, IMS is not mixed with Ethanol to make it undrinkable, nor is it dyed purple, but if you drink it, it will probably KILL YOU!

Best, Charlie.

 

[bumblefish]

What sort of container would you store methylated spirit in, in large quantites?

 

[Guest]

If you buy it from the folks I mentioned in my previous post, it comes in 1/2 gall, or 1 Gall Cans. If you get a licence to buy IMS, it usually comes in plastic containers, I don't see a problem with either, as long as you stow them properly?

Charlie.