solar thermal kit for overwinter ?

[sarabande]

The boat is ashore and due to an as yet unfound deck leak (serious work in progress ), the inside has mould on many surfaces.

Rather than cause any vast increase in man-made climate change by plugging a heater in to the boatyard mains socket, I have been looking at solar thermal.

The target would be a non-pumped system relying on thermocycling. I can put a couple of panels on the ground next to the boat cradle, but am slightly perplexed about piping the warmed water up and into an air exchange heater inside the cabin.

If the insulated pipework goes up and over the coaming about 2m above the panel, then through the washboards into the air heater in the cabin about 1.5m above the panel, will that be sufficient to encourage the flow of warmed mixture from the panels into the boat ?

Or do I also need a solar powered circulating pump ?

All suggestions and advice gratefully received.

 

[Pete7]

Don't think that is going to work, indeed might make things worse as you now provide a warm and damp environment for mould to grow.

What you need is 3 things. Ventilation, ventilation and finally ventilation. So find a drafty old barn and stick it in there with everything open or removed, think mice etc. Failing that tarps over the top and open it up to breath.

You don't need heat, you need it to be dry and that means ventilation even if its cold. The cold won't hurt it, the damp will.

Pete

 

[Wing Mark]

Ventilation is good, mostly.
In the West Country, particularly near the coast, it's often damp and things kept in well air places get green and mouldy.
The best is either heat and ventilation, or controlled ventialtion, as in whenever the outdoors is drier than indoors, open the windows.
When the sun isn't shining, a little bit of heat can do a lot of good.

My boat has one of those solar powered fans. It's pathetic, but I wonder if the idea is right?
A decent solar panel and a grown-up fan?
A solar panel that just controls a mains fan?
If you want a project, a fan controlled by indoor and outdoor humidity and temperature sensors ?

I've even wondered about one of those greenhouse auto vent things that never worked on my Dad's greenhouse.....
Personally I'm on the scrounge for some ply or plastic to make another washboard with lots of louvres in.