What heating systems do you use? Benifits?

[lennartl]

Planning for Liveabord year around with start from Sweden next year.
First winter will be someware around north Europa, Canal, BIS, then MED for some years. Can you give some good advice about diffrent heating systems, our describe your own heating system benifits/disadvantages.

 

[Bobobolinsky]

A one kilowatt fan heater with thermostatic control. Keeps the boat dry and warm. There are people on here who would not eat an FB pie, but put a pie in the oven for a quick heat.
Without shore power, Eber Hydronic with small rad in the saloon and blowers in the cabins

 

[Tranona]

Planning for Liveabord year around with start from Sweden next year.
First winter will be someware around north Europa, Canal, BIS, then MED for some years. Can you give some good advice about diffrent heating systems, our describe your own heating system benifits/disadvantages.

Not easy to advise based on so little information, particularly about the size and type of boat and whether you want to be self sufficient or use shorepower.

The main types are hot air, either diesel or gas heated, hot water systems, usually diesel fired, free standing stoves, either solid fuel, diesel or paraffin.

Each of these have their advantages and disadvantages in both installation and use. In smaller boats, diesel fired hot air is probably the most popular.

 

[duncan99210]

When we have free or inclusive shore power then we use a 2kw fan heater. No free power then we use the Ebers 4d warm air system, which is marginally cheaper than paying for the fan heater at the rates we've been charged in marinas.

The major advantage of the Ebers is the fresh air that is drawn into the boat from the outside, which helps keep the condensation under control. Otherwise, cost drives things.

 

[binch]

Heater

We installed a kabola drip feed oil heater in our new boat. It was professionally installed.
It was appalling. It went out. It made cubic feet of soot. It flared up for no apparent reason.
The manufacturers were unhelpful, their attitude seemed to be "You bought it, now you've got it".
Deciding it would make a better anchor than heater we gave it away. For a year now, we have used a small mixed solid fuel stove.
Yes it requires getting rid of ash every 48 hrs, and the logs etc are bulky and awkward. But about 60% of our fuel comes free in the form of driftwood.
Chop your own logs ; they warm you twice.

 

[chinita]

Sorry to hear that, Binch.

We have a Taylors drip feed diesel on the bulkhead. It is fab. Problem is that the dog always grabs the best spot directly underneath it.

If the OP goes for something like that I think that an H shaped chimney is far better than the issue one - although the issue one is shiny and pretty (probably why they issue it ).

 

[bhangmaster]

We have an Eberspacher on our boat, ducted to the heads, our cabin and saloon. It works very well, but if we have shore power we use a small fan heater. It also depends on the size and type of boat. Our friends have a 40ft Dutch Barge with drip feed diesel heater and radiators. We visited them last winter when thjey were iced in and the system was almost too hot.

 

[Parsonsheath]

Taylor drip feed.

Chinita,

We are looking at heating,drip feed diesel seems to give us more independence BUT we had bad experiences with arefurbishedTaylor cooker some years back.

Do you get flare ups,and how easy is it to light?

 

[lennartl]

Not easy to advise based on so little information, particularly about the size and type of boat and whether you want to be self sufficient or use shorepower.
QUOTE]

Sorry

It´s a 48-fot salibot, OnOff made of GRP with 15mm divinycell isolation.
In summer 80/20 at anschoring / shorepower
Wintertime more shorepower.
Have 600 liter diesel tank, 400W solar panels, gasolin gen Honda 20I, windgen AirBreeze, 600 amp battery bank. Victron inverter

Today no heating system in the boat. Some problems to install hot-air chanels/tubs in the boat.

 

[Tranona]

With that size if you want to heat the whole boat (rather than just the saloon) then a diesel powered hot water system with radiators seems the obvious choice. Running insulated water pipes is easier than hoses for hot air.

 

[dslittle]

When we have free or inclusive shore power then we use a 2kw fan heater. No free power then we use the Ebers 4d warm air system, which is marginally cheaper than paying for the fan heater at the rates we've been charged in marinas.

Exactly the same set up as us. We do additionally have a 1200w Halogen Heater which gives a good local heat with a nice 'warm' light (which the dog won't move away from!!!)

 

[ribrage]

heater

Planning for Liveabord year around with start from Sweden next year.
First winter will be someware around north Europa, Canal, BIS, then MED for some years. Can you give some good advice about diffrent heating systems, our describe your own heating system benifits/disadvantages.

sat in a marina with elctric hook up , then its an electric oil filled radiator and a small blown air heater with a dehumidifier to keep everything dry.

forget running Eberspankers and all the blown air heaters they will be cheaper to operate initially then cause nothing but grief in the years ahead, if you factor that into the equation then a simple electric heater is cheaper.

on the hook i have a dickinsons newport drip feed heater, fitted it myself, puts out around 4 kw, i mounted a fan close to the flue and get the benefit of some of the waste heat as well, one other option is a water coil around the flue which will give you hot water.

the unit is attractive and has a glass panel so you get the fire flickering away in the corner which is cosy , but does take some getting used to at night when you are laid in bed and can see flames reflected off the varnish work

I have a fire alarm mounted above the unit and a fuel tap mounted within easy reach of my bunk (just in case) ! you do get some carbon deposits in the burner unit and it has to be cleaned out once a week , but its a fifteen minute job, just a bit messy.

no connection to the company but a happy customer

 

[ukmctc]

I use an Eberspacher D4, excellent and provided you service them regularly no problems at all. We have just renewed ours, our last one was 30 odd years old, so heres to another 30 years of warmth.

 

[GrahamM376]

Our own heating is Eberspacher blown air, with the air inlet in an outside locker which has the advantage (as with similar types) that stale and moisture laden air is expelled from the boat, rather than being recirculated. Disadvantages are ducting installation and no hot water.

I would look at the Eberspacher or Mikuni hot water types as they're much easier to install and, with a double coil calorifier, you can have hot water for showers without starting engine or generator.

If living aboard in winter, it's important to heat all the boat to avoid condensation in cold areas. We have fan heaters for use when on shore power.

 

[sailinglegend420]

We have a 12,000 BTU reverse cycle 240v Air Conditioner/Heater unit. Takes 1,000 watts AC and gives out 3,000 watts of heat by taking the extra energy out of the water. This is not a wind up - it really works. Air ducts to all the cabins keep down the damp - and its a real boom with the air con in the med in July and August. Even has an auto-dehumidifier mode for when you leave the boat.

Run the DC genny via victron inverter when at anchor for the air con in summer months.

Search the archives for more on this.

 

[rotrax]

We have a 12,000 BTU reverse cycle 240v Air Conditioner/Heater unit. Takes 1,000 watts AC and gives out 3,000 watts of heat by taking the extra energy out of the water. This is not a wind up - it really works. Air ducts to all the cabins keep down the damp - and its a real boom with the air con in the med in July and August. Even has an auto-dehumidifier mode for when you leave the boat.

Run the DC genny via victron inverter when at anchor for the air con in summer months.

Search the archives for more on this.

Our boat has a "Cruisair" Air Con. system. The only time it was used for heating it would get to 68 degrees F-the water tempreture was very low-and we thought it was a bit noisy. However, now we are marina based with a high power shore power inlet I shall try it again. I suspect ours will not be so economical as yours as it is the US 120v system which is run from a 6KA transformer. The output in heat is rated at 16,000 BTU'S so it should work fine if we can get enough heat out of the seawater. Watch this space............

 

[Fizzwizz]

We have a 12,000 BTU reverse cycle 240v Air Conditioner/Heater unit. Takes 1,000 watts AC and gives out 3,000 watts of heat by taking the extra energy out of the water. This is not a wind up - it really works.

I'm pretty dubious about this. Any salvaged heat due to the latent heat of condensation will either dry up as the moisture is removed, or will just go to re-evaporating any moisture left around so won't be useable. There's no cheating the first law of thermodynamics

Think about it, if what you say is true you could use 1kw of your 3kw heat to drive your system giving you 2kw free heat. I'm pretty sure perpetual motion is yet to be achieved.

... Fizz

 

[sailinglegend420]

I'm pretty dubious about this. .........There's no cheating the first law of thermodynamics

..............I'm pretty sure perpetual motion is yet to be achieved.

I knew thare would be one non believer.

Google Wikipedia for COP - "Coefficient of Performance":

"The coefficient of performance or COP (sometimes CP) of a heat pump is the ratio of the heating or cooling provided over the electrical energy consumed. The COP was created to compare heat pump systems according to their energy efficiency."

The equation is: COP = Qh/W

where
Qh is the heat supplied to the hot reservoir
W is the work consumed by the heat pump.

A COP of 3 is quite normal

"According to the first law of thermodynamics, in a reversible system we can show that

Qhot=Qcold + W, and W= Qhot-Qcold,

where Qhot is the heat taken in by the hot heat reservoir and Qcold is the heat given off by the cold heat reservoir.

Therefore, by substituting for W,

COP=Qhot/(Qhot-Qcold)"

But then I assume you knew that anyway!

 

[Fizzwizz]

I knew thare would be one non believer.

Google Wikipedia for COP - "Coefficient of Performance":

"The coefficient of performance or COP (sometimes CP) of a heat pump is the ratio of the heating or cooling provided over the electrical energy consumed. The COP was created to compare heat pump systems according to their energy efficiency."

The equation is: COP = Qh/W

where
Qh is the heat supplied to the hot reservoir
W is the work consumed by the heat pump.

A COP of 3 is quite normal

"According to the first law of thermodynamics, in a reversible system we can show that

Qhot=Qcold + W, and W= Qhot-Qcold,

where Qhot is the heat taken in by the hot heat reservoir and Qcold is the heat given off by the cold heat reservoir.

Therefore, by substituting for W,

COP=Qhot/(Qhot-Qcold)"

But then I assume you knew that anyway!

I stand corrected. Just done some reading and I understand how now. The energy is from heat separation rather than heat generaton. I've not come across the concept of COP before, though have some understanding of Joule-Thompson theory. Very interesting, and thanks for
Scuppering my scepticism. Though I bet it gives you cancer

... Fizz

 

[Saguday]

We also have a US Cruisair 16,000BTU air con unit which is reverse cycle. It's kept us cool in the very hot US summers and warm in Maine when it got cold.

Yes they can appear to be more than 100% efficient and don;t take that much current when running, but watch the start-up current, typically 2-3x more, which can trip out the dodgier pontoon supplies.

Haven't got round to putting a transformer in for it in the UK yet though. It's moving up the priority list a bit but the thing is two electric oil rads (which we leave on over winter) and a 2kW fan heater for boost do the job nicely and only cost about 50 quid from Tesco's... a cheap transformer is nearly 300...