Tested an Origo Heatpal last night!

[Zagato]

I bought an Origo 5100 yesterday and tested it out last night. It's designed for boats and camping and burns meths. You can use it as a heater or cook on it.

It was pretty cold in the boat last night but I had this running for about 3 hours with plenty of ventilation whilst I read tucked up in my sleeping bag (opened both hatches to get a through flow of air!). It gives out 1.5W of heat so won't turn your boat into a sauna and would struggle to heat a big cabin but in my 24' boat bolt hole it was fine.

It heated a cup of water in about 4 minutes and heated a can of soup in about 6 mins (handy as my gas cooker is not connected at the moment). I am very pleased with it although the downside would be the pricey £139 cost and judging how much meths you are going to need. Filling the canister with meths is also not easy without spilling anything so I use a bottle used for filling gearboxes in tight spaces, it has a looped extension pipe Oh it's not small, H29cm x W27.5cm

Take the top off and you can cook on it...

If anyone knows a cheap source of meths I would be interested - I was stuck with paying £19 for 5 litres at the Chandlers!

 

[Rigger Mortice]

If anyone knows a cheap source of meths I would be interested - I was stuck with paying £19 for 5 litres at the Chandlers!

I've just checked the price at my local agricultural supplier. They charge £11.52 for 5 litres.

 

[Ru88ell]

You can get it for half that. Google 'bulk methylated spirit'.

 

[Zagato]

Thanks both - much better

 

[Coaster]

Glad to hear about another satisfied Origo customer. We have an Origo 6000 oven which I installed 3 years ago and it's excellent. (See post #43 in this thread).

There have been several threads about the supply of meths. This is a recent one. We buy ours from John Penny in Southampton. I see that the current price is £7.95 per 5 litres, buying between 2 and 7 bottles (if that's the right term) plus VAT and carriage.

 

[Seashoreman]

Meths

Restexpress.co.uk is an furniture polishing supplier, they have a deal on 4 X 5l = 20litres for £40.56 inc p&p.

 

[PhillM]

Slightly suprised how much meths everyone is using. You drinking it?

My Origo cooker uses one small half litre bottle every 5 days of regular use. I use it for boiling the kettle, making meals and somtimes to warm the cabin (by boiling the kettle again).

If either after a week of non use, or I light it and the flame is low, I rock it on the gimbals and that seems to swill the meths around and gets it going.

Oh and using the rubber mat after evey use, also seems to preserve the meths a lot longer and prevents the smells.

 

[Coaster]

My Origo cooker uses one small half litre bottle every 5 days of regular use...

Is that per canister or half a litre divided amongst all the canisters? We have three canisters, two for the hob and one for the oven, and probably fill one about once every four days, putting in about a litre. I haven't worked it out accurately but we probably use 20 litres each year.

 

[Sandyman]

''It gives out 1.5W of heat so won't turn your boat into a sauna''

So take it you missed out a K

 

[Graham_Wright]

It gives out 1.5W of heat

Gerroff!

 

[PhillM]

Is that per canister or half a litre divided amongst all the canisters? We have three canisters, two for the hob and one for the oven, and probably fill one about once every four days, putting in about a litre. I haven't worked it out accurately but we probably use 20 litres each year.

Per canister. I only have a single burner and do everything on that. I doubt my canister would take 1 litre.

 

[Mirror Painter]

Zagato

Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm on your boat? I am particularly interested because last week I replaced a butane 'briefcase' stove with an Origo 1500. Before my tin of food was cooked the alram was going mad! Admittedly the stove is about 18" under the alarm but this never happened, with the same ventilation, when using the butane cooker.

Still glad I bought the Origo and just moved it from cabin to cockpit and used it there. But my idea of using it as a cheeky cabin heater are dashed - hence my question to you.

 

[Zagato]

''It gives out 1.5W of heat so won't turn your boat into a sauna''

So take it you missed out a K

Taken from the manual, I wondered also where the K was

 

[PhillM]

Zagato

Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm on your boat? I am particularly interested because last week I replaced a butane 'briefcase' stove with an Origo 1500. Before my tin of food was cooked the alram was going mad! Admittedly the stove is about 18" under the alarm but this never happened, with the same ventilation, when using the butane cooker.

Still glad I bought the Origo and just moved it from cabin to cockpit and used it there. But my idea of using it as a cheeky cabin heater are dashed - hence my question to you.

I dont have a monitor but am cautious of the risk. Small boat and the "galley" is port side directly under the hatch. We always have either the hatch open or one washboard out when we use it. Even with the draft, it still heats the cabin enough for spring and autum wet / cold evenings.

 

[Zagato]

Zagato

Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm on your boat? I am particularly interested because last week I replaced a butane 'briefcase' stove with an Origo 1500. Before my tin of food was cooked the alram was going mad! Admittedly the stove is about 18" under the alarm but this never happened, with the same ventilation, when using the butane cooker.

Still glad I bought the Origo and just moved it from cabin to cockpit and used it there. But my idea of using it as a cheeky cabin heater are dashed - hence my question to you.

Strange - no I don't, I'm looking for a cheap one (we don't have an Aldi around here )

I had the main hatch and fore hatch open a tad giving a nice flow or air and the boat also has 3 cabin top vents so I had plenty of ventilation. I find as long as you are warm enough when well wrapped up that is fine. e.g so your breath isn't visible!

My father was too tight when we were kids to install radiators in our rooms so I spent the whole of my youth being warmed by calor gas heaters - no problem as long as you have lots of ventilation. I'm thinking of ripping out my kids rads and flogging them for a nice Eberspacher