Taylor's model 65 paraffin cabin heater - advice needed, please!

Gordonmc said:
I am not a member of the Taylors appreciation society having removed one in favour of a charcoal burner which is less temperamental and is silent.
However, the location poses the same problem of transferring heat from, in my case, the heads/forecabin into the saloon.
The solution for me was to use an ecofan sitting on top of the stove. These little fans use no power... they work on the Sterling heat engine principle... and circulate hot air wherever they are pointed. A fabricated bracket may be needed to position the fan where it will have best effect.
Take a look at: http://www.ecofan.co.uk/woodstove-ecofans.html
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Hello Gordon
As a youngster I fell for the idea of having a charcoal burner after experiencing one in a boat some 40+ years ago.
I have heard good and bad about them.
Could you tell more of your experiences, have you photos, manufacturers info, costs pl's?
ta
Scotty
 
On my boat I have a Canadian built version of the same type of kerosene (paraffin) heater, mounted rather too high on the bulkhead, I'm changing a few things and will be lowering it as much as possible without restricting the space behind the cushion which is a trotter box. My tand is installed under the v-berth and plumbed through the hanging locker to the heater. In the second picture is an installation that parsifal may want to think about for his Twister, a heater inset through the bulkhead thereby taking up no physical space in the main cabin.
 
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Thanks and more thoughts

Thanks to Parsifal for the link to VORTICE, most helpful - they do a wide range of flex ducting diameters including 80mm.
Agree with ECC to use the Squeezy technique with Meths and a few drops around the primer hole on the 79D makes the initial ignition very easy. I assume yours is a 79D but you are using paraffin. I have connected into a spare outlet on the gravity fed CAV primary filter, for Diesel to the engine, to supply my 79D.
Point taken on a fresh air supply but the gaps in Vitalba`s bulkheads provide plenty of circulation though thanks for the tip re the surveyor.
With regard to drawing exhaust gas into the cabin which really does concern me, the 79D the does not have an open Primus type flame but combustion takes place in the confines of the Burner Pot which has a number of small holes to allow the air in. If the fan is causing too greater depression I assume the burning process would be severely restricted or cease. To this end (and in the dark of night) I watched the flame as I moved the fan closer to the grille on the front of the outer casing until it touched. It had no effect that I could see.
I also checked the the temperature of the bulkhead (.500" painted Ply) to which the 79D (running at max.) is attached. Although the outer casing was very very hot, the back which is insulated, was touchable while the bulkhead (with the extra 1" stand off) was not even warm. I do hope these precise scientific measurements of temperature are not wasted on you all !
Increasing the air flow around the Burner Case (which is immediately above and attached to the Burner Pot) will reduce the exhaust gas temperature and therefore the effectiveness of the flue, but this seems insignificant as the outside of it remains untouchable (another scientific term) all the way up.
GordonMC - I didn`t understand the "silent" bit about charcoal burners, presumably your Taylor was a Primus type that roared. The only sound my diesel type makes is the drip drip of the fuel in the sightglass - and why tempramental? VITALBA.
 
Scotty_Twister said:
Hello Gordon
As a youngster I fell for the idea of having a charcoal burner after experiencing one in a boat some 40+ years ago.
I have heard good and bad about them.
Could you tell more of your experiences, have you photos, manufacturers info, costs pl's?
ta
Scotty
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Scotty; The charcoal burner is a home made (not by me!) piece of work in 2mm stainless plate. Its essentially a box with doors top and bottom for fuel (top) and an ash pan. The grate is an old cast-iron drain cover.
DSC_0008.jpg

The flue was a larger diameter than the 28mm Taylors one it was replacing. I got some tube and a length of flexible pipe from a boy-racer car exhaust fabricator. He made up the "H" chimney as well. The locker door to the left of the heater was charred, either by the Taylors overheating or flaring up, so I used the side of an old stainless cooker as a reflector panel.
Since fitting I have used wood, peat, charcoal lumpwood and briquettes. The wood and peat had me reaching for the Laphroig but produced a lot of tar and I have settled on a mix of lumpwood and briquettes, the proportion depending on how fast a burn I am looking for. Charcoal also eliminates fall-out on the deck. I will be on the boat tonight (loch mooring) so I will start off with lumpwood and add briquettes to keep the thing going. Its normally still warm in the morning.
Vitalba, Yes, the old Taylors had a primus-type burner with a pressurised remote tank which is the same modus as Parsifal's model. It was temperamental because it went in a huff if it wasn't pandered to by pumping up the pressure every now and again.
 
Gordonmc said:
Scotty; The charcoal burner is a home made (not by me!) piece of work in 2mm stainless plate. Its essentially a box with doors top and bottom for fuel (top) and an ash pan. The grate is an old cast-iron drain cover.
DSC_0008.jpg
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That looks familiar! ;) When I had it it was mounted about 3' 6" above the deck so it was hot-heads and cold-feet! When I got it (with the Twister) it didn't have a removable grate at all - just a piece of perforated steel plate with small holes which was difficult to clean and soon got blocked with ash. I was delighted to find that that the cast iron grate from our kitchen gulley fitted perfectly, and the couple of steel angle slides I fitted enabled it to be pulled out for cleaning so it performed much better.

Anyway I'm glad to see that you are still making good use of it. :D
 
The larger the fuel tank the better off you are. It shouldn't be full as it needs air under pressure to work. A tank of say 3 gallons half full of fuel will need a lot less pumping than either a smaller tank half full or the same 3 gallon tank that is full. The paraffin burners are available in either the "roarer" or "silent" types. But it is the sound of a warm boat.
 
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parsifal said:
That looks familiar! ;) When I had it it was mounted about 3' 6" above the deck so it was hot-heads and cold-feet! Anyway I'm glad to see that you are still making good use of it. :D
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I should have recognised the handle, Parsifal.
As a follow-through I spent the weekend on the boat taking advantage of the first forecast we have had for a long time that didn't involve rain.
I used the heater on both Friday and Saturday nights with the temperature outside well below freezing.
Best of all the charcoal was still glowing the following morning.
 
Omissions, Correction and real Science

Omission: I should have mentioned that the Main air intake in the Taylors 79D (diesel) is through the base of the Burner Pot which is level with the open bottom of the outside casing. As such I feel it is unlikely that drawing hot air from around the top of the Burner Case will have a detrimental effect on the air flow required for good combustion let alone draw out the exhaust gas.
Correction: After running the 79D for four hours yesterday I did find that the insulated back casing did get very hot (but not very very hot) though the bulkhead still remained only warm. The Coachroof beams 2" each side of the flue were surprisingly also only warm.
The floor (9" vertically bellow the 79D) did not even get warm but on the outboard side where the gap is reduced to 3.5" due to the curvature of the hull the planking did get very hot (due to radiation I assume) and needs shielding.
Science: Yesterday the outside temperature was just above freezing. With the Forepeak door closed and Heads door open to the Cabin and all hatches battened down I took the following readings 48" from the 79D on the Cabin side near the bulkhead (the 79D being in the Heads area).
Cabin floor 6 degs C
Eye height sitting 14 degs C
Eye height standing 21 degs C
Clearly there is a need to get the heat down and I suspect it will have to be force fed rather than gently circulated. Any more thoughts? VITALBA
 
re taylor heater

Have aquired a S.H heater from the for sale section and am currently fitting to my HR Rasmus

Its got space to mount it on the Bulkhead with the header tank in the heads on the other side

Its Diesel so less issues as i only need a pump from the red diesel tank to top up my header tank. Fuel feed is under head pressure only. Have tested it at home etc.

Its a Taylor branded Canadian design now called a SIG 100 but I found an installation booklet on the web that also covers the paraffin version and may be of use to those doing the same thing.


http://www.sigmarine.com/manuals/sigdiesel2008.pdf

Here's the link - it also talks through a balanced flue installation, ventilation etc.

Euan
 
I think I'd rather be cold than have one of those monsters down below + the huge pipes and holes in the deck ... Did spend some winter time on a friend's yacht many years ago ... he had a portable catalytic heater ... reckoned the thing was perfectly safe - could have played football with it - and it certainly kept the boat warm ... some condensation as I remember but I think you get that with most heaters in a cold boat. No doubt these have been seen off long ago by Health & Safety zealots!
 
Regarding charcoal heaters ,I have one from Bengco they are in Hamble Point, don't have their number but they advertise in the Mags, cost around £400.
Can be a sod to start, you really have to pre-heat the flue but when it is going it is excellent,I can fully recommend them
 
taylor's model 65

Hello everyone. Kairos, where did you get the burner for the stove? Also, Parsifal and Kairos, I look in the stove and I see ceramic pieces, which I assume are for heat retention. Some of these are broken. Are these in your stoves? I have got the stove to light, but obviously it needs something to tame it! I had good luck preheating it with a small propane torch. I have cleaned it up and it is a beautiful little stove and would very much like to get it in good working order. Thanks, Dan
 
danielguiod said:
Hello everyone. Kairos, where did you get the burner for the stove? Also, Parsifal and Kairos, I look in the stove and I see ceramic pieces, which I assume are for heat retention. Some of these are broken. Are these in your stoves? I have got the stove to light, but obviously it needs something to tame it! I had good luck preheating it with a small propane torch. I have cleaned it up and it is a beautiful little stove and would very much like to get it in good working order. Thanks, Dan
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There are no ceramic pieces in my Taylor's stove. Only some vertical tubes of wire mesh. At the top of these is an asbestos :eek: disc.
 
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