Propex Heaters

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banger

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Has anyone had experience of these, good or bad points, all info welcome, I am considering heating on the new boat, unfortunatly I cannot fit the Taylor Parafin unit I have, and Ebbers etc are expensive, not keen on gas but I have to consider all systems.
 
Just gone through the thought processes and now have an old Propex. No experience of using it yet but..
Mines 20 yr old and works on a bench test
Man I spoke to a Propex today was extremely helpful
I think the propex may be less complicated than an Eber
Propex seem to be cheaper
Ebers run diesel, Propex run Propane. I already have both on the boat.
Refuelling diesel for the Eber is usually done when you refuel the boat
When my Propex rund out of gas, so does the cooker so could have a cold AND hungry night sometime
Sensible precautions with propane means the drive to the boat is still the riskiest part.

Overall I went for the Propex (but would have gone Eber at similar price)


Just some thoughts..


Steve
 
I fitted one a long time ago. Very successful, half the price of a diesel heater at the time, not too heavy a user of gas. If you are pontoon/marina based with easy access to gas bottles it should be a doddle. We were on a swinging mooring a long way from the beach at the time and it didn't prove to be unmanageable.
 
Hi-
I've got a Propex (1800 IIRC) in my camper.
This weather I leave it on all night safely.
I run it on propane or butane and it is happy with either.
It can sulk (go through start up then shut down repeatedly) if the battery volts are down. Usually starts eventually
Not too power hungry and the fan is not obtrusive.
Nick
 
I'm sure Propex heaters are perfectly safe, and I wouldn't be concerned about having one on my boat. However, they do have some installation constraints which you need to investigate before deciding what to buy. In particular, Propex suggest a maximum exhaust length of 1 metre, and a maximum distance to the first air vent of 1.5 metres. In all but the smallest boats, this could be difficult to achieve.
 
NickRobinson said:
Hi-
I've got a Propex (1800 IIRC) in my camper.
This weather I leave it on all night safely.
I run it on propane or butane and it is happy with either.
It can sulk (go through start up then shut down repeatedly) if the battery volts are down. Usually starts eventually
Not too power hungry and the fan is not obtrusive.
Nick
Click to expand...

Spot on - I have an older 1600W model and would echo all that, and like Vyv am on a swinging mooring so low electrical draw helpful when no handy mains. When I was having issues with it sulking I found their technical support to be very helpful - although in the end I just replaced the old thin wiring with better size/quality and have had no issues since...
.
 
Main problem, being gas and expensive to run (but cheap to buy) apart is they switch off when temperature is reached and fire up when the temperature falls leading to temperature fluctuations and high battery consumption, if you crank them up so they keep running then quite good and very cheap, though I would neither fit one or have one. I had one a long time ago on a 25' boat and it struggled to heat using fresh air and would only cope by recirculating the air which I personally don't like.
 
David2452 said:
Main problem, being gas and expensive to run (but cheap to buy) apart is they switch off when temperature is reached and fire up when the temperature falls leading to temperature fluctuations and high battery consumption,
Click to expand...

Not sure about the "high battery consumption", they don't use glow plugs like diesel heaters, and use little power when running.
 
No they are spark ignition but it does take a bit and if they are cycling on and off it adds up, a bit like Wallas, really low consumption when running for long periods but heavy if on and off.
 
David2452 said:
No they are spark ignition but it does take a bit and if they are cycling on and off it adds up, a bit like Wallas, really low consumption when running for long periods but heavy if on and off.
Click to expand...

I don't think it takes that much! In fact, Propex say on their website "Unlike some heaters, there is minimal electric current consumption during ignition so cycling the heatsource on and off does not have the effect of additional battery drain."
 
I have been using one from new for 10 years - in a vw camper. If you are happy to have gas on a boat, I am not, it will be safe a reliable if installed correctly. They do need a good battery though as stated earlier.

I can't compare with other types unfortunately. My boat now has a Wallas diesel hob / heater. Brilliant so far but its going to be a slow cooker to start up each time in the summer.
 
Sorry for bumping an old thread, but obviously you gents know about Propex systems - or, you have opinions anyway.

Anybody know why their 'Malaga' water heater is recommended for camper vans, but only for boats on inland waterways? Something about the system needing to be kept level?

http://www.propexheatsource.co.uk/heaters/malaga-water-heater

Are other Propex heating systems perfectly okay on heeling, sailing, seagoing vessels?
 
I thought this thread looked familiar.. I posted ages ago when I'd bought an old Propex but before I fitted it (the original 1600 I think). It worked well in my boat and I regretted letting it go when I sold the boat. One of the things I really liked was that I could get the heater going 1/2 hour or so from the mooring so it was warn inside when I'd parked. Heeling and bouncy stuff didn't seem to affect it.

New boat has a taylors paraffin, I don't feel confident trying to light that anywhere other than when I'm parked.
 
No idea about the water heater and cannot guess either. I am very familiar with fridges that need to be kept level but not heaters.

I have fitted two Propex air heaters, one on a yacht a long time ago and one on a motorsailer this year. They work perfectly and are not affected by heeling. As is always said in these threads, they are either on or off, no sophisticated variation in motor speed as with our Eberspacher but this is not a problem to us, bearing in mind that they cost half as much.
 
I don't agree with David who says he doesn't like heating recirc air and prefers to draw cold air in. I would have thought this would increase the fuel consumption enormously especially on a cold night (which is when you most want it).
 
ghostlymoron said:
I don't agree with David who says he doesn't like heating recirculated air and prefers to draw cold air in...
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. Whatever system I use, I'll make sure I can pull a lever to select between drawing in fresh air from outside, or re-circulating what's already in the cabin.

There'll be plenty of times when it's beneficial to suck in some fresh cold night air - possibly every hour or so in a very small cabin - but as long as the cabin air is perfectly breathable, it's always going to be much easier, faster, more efficient and cheaper to raise the temperature of air that's already been through the heater in the last hour.
 
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