Winter Heating

[Mattaeos]

Hello Everyone,

I'm writing to you guys for any tips you may be able to give me about living aboard my boat, a Bavaria 34, over the winter months.

I am situated on the south coast of the UK, where all of a sudden the weather went from a delightful 10-ish degrees overnight, to a not-so-delightful 5 degrees (so far, first night back after a weekend away).

So my current system consists of a Webasto air heater system, for bursts of heat when I get back from work etc. and a little oil filled radiator that I use overnight to stop the boat getting too cold for when I wake up in the morning. The problem with my Webasto is that the thermostat is attached to the unit, in a stern locker, so leaving it on the thermostat to heat up when it gets a bit cold isn't an option. I'm also very aware of the noise that it makes outside (although I've been assured it's not a hindrance by a neighbour) so even if I did move the thermostat I would prefer to not leave it on overnight.

My oil filled radiator does enough to make sure limbs don't start breaking off in the morning, but at the same time a little extra heat would definitely be appreciated.

So, what I'm here to ask you guys is what would you recommend using as an extra heating system?

I read a few articles on using tea lights in a clay pot, which from what I can gather works exceptionally well, but I watched a video straight after saying that they can be very dangerous and potentially ignite, so if you have any personal experience with these or can provide me with more info that would be appreciated.

Also, to make matters even more awkward, I only have one available plug socket (the other two are my battery charger and alarm clock, both very essential). so if there are any options for not using electric, I'd be very interested to hear about them!

I've heard greenhouse heaters work well, but on the other hand the fuels create condensation (so I've heard).

I'm going to stop writing before the post gets to a ridiculous length, so I thank you in advance for your thoughts and information.

Regards,

Matt

 

[Hadenough]

Sort your webasto out, silencer, remote thermostat and timer. Don't even think about tea lights and flowerpots that's for airheads. Have you got a dehumidifier? Keeping the air dry introduces about the same heat as those IMHO useless oil heaters and -- err, keeps the air dry. Get a leckyblanket you won't need the heating on all night.

 

[ip485]

Whats wrong with the Webasto? I would use that all the time. They are bulit for that and it it gets too hot cant you cycle it? To be fair "they" prefer running at high heat to avoid coking, but I see no reason not too run it on a lower setting and have it decoked. Ran mine all weekend as was on board and lovely and piping. I fall back on an electric radiator when not on board to prevent freezing.

As an aside running a dehumidifier if you can, perhaps while you are out, is a really good idea, not least because the dry air its creates is much easier to heat and "feels" warmer than damp air.

 

[Mattaeos]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies, I'm pretty new to this liveaboard stuff.

I did look into silencer kits, but I was unsure how effective they really were, any personal experiences?

Regards,

Matt

 

[GrahamM376]

You don't say if your elec supply is metered or free. If free, suggest using a fan heater when aboard and the oil filled at night. Otherwise, as already said, sort the Webasto out with remote thermostat and controls.

 

[ribrage]

Hello Everyone,

I'm writing to you guys for any tips you may be able to give me about living aboard my boat, a Bavaria 34, over the winter months.

I am situated on the south coast of the UK, where all of a sudden the weather went from a delightful 10-ish degrees overnight, to a not-so-delightful 5 degrees (so far, first night back after a weekend away).

So my current system consists of a Webasto air heater system, for bursts of heat when I get back from work etc. and a little oil filled radiator that I use overnight to stop the boat getting too cold for when I wake up in the morning. The problem with my Webasto is that the thermostat is attached to the unit, in a stern locker, so leaving it on the thermostat to heat up when it gets a bit cold isn't an option. I'm also very aware of the noise that it makes outside (although I've been assured it's not a hindrance by a neighbour) so even if I did move the thermostat I would prefer to not leave it on overnight.

My oil filled radiator does enough to make sure limbs don't start breaking off in the morning, but at the same time a little extra heat would definitely be appreciated.

So, what I'm here to ask you guys is what would you recommend using as an extra heating system?

I read a few articles on using tea lights in a clay pot, which from what I can gather works exceptionally well, but I watched a video straight after saying that they can be very dangerous and potentially ignite, so if you have any personal experience with these or can provide me with more info that would be appreciated.

Also, to make matters even more awkward, I only have one available plug socket (the other two are my battery charger and alarm clock, both very essential). so if there are any options for not using electric, I'd be very interested to hear about them!

I've heard greenhouse heaters work well, but on the other hand the fuels create condensation (so I've heard).

I'm going to stop writing before the post gets to a ridiculous length, so I thank you in advance for your thoughts and information.

Regards,

Matt

1 St choice : extension cable and an electric fan heater plus a dehumidifier
2 nd choice : B AND B

oil il filled radiator on 24/7 and a fan heater to boost the heat when it's needed the dehumidifier will keep it all dry
the blown air heating used for long periods using diesel and the maintenance costs are more expensive than buying a cheap fan heater and extension cable

 

[Thedreamoneday]

You can buy oil heaters which have a hot blown air function too (so only 1 plug) this way you can give a boost if required.

The one I bought last year also has a thermostat, from memory it was only about £50.

 

[Andyloc]

We have lived aboard for 5 years and use a small fan heater over the winter months and dehumidifier crystal boxes dotted around in lockers and under the floor. Keep well ventilated when possible and keep the bilges as dry as possible Works for us.

 

[pmagowan]

Insulation.

 

[Yngmar]

Look into a programmable timer for your Webasto or a remote thermostat (usually one includes the other). That should be the bulk of your heating. Although they can stink up the marina a bit, quiet or not. Alternatively, get an electric fan heater for a quick burst of warmth or heating up a cold cabin in the morning.

The little oil heater may be a bit weak (mine is) - consider getting a bigger one if you have the room to stow it in summer.

When buying electric heaters, do the math - your typical shore power is 16A at 230V, so you have a total budget of about 3700W. Anything you want to have running at the same time should add up to no more than that in total wattage (keep some reserve for the kettle).

Things I would avoid are open flames (risks fire, CO poisoning and Oxygen deprivation) and halogen heaters (too risky in a cabin made of mostly flammable materials).

And obviously a dehumidifier, the desiccant type, not the compressor type. But you probably have that already.

Asda currently has a sale on Pingi dehumidifier bags for £6 in the car section (basically a big sack of silica gel - the colour-changing type and can be "recharged" in microwave/oven). Great for tossing into lockers.

And if you're cold at night, a thick warm duvet (or winter sleeping bag) makes your body heat completely sufficient. Make sure it's large enough so you don't lift the sides when turning

Edit: Also, find and fix your drafts! A few rags stuffed in the right places work wonders and are much faster and cheaper to implement before starting to install insulation.

Edit2: Disregard insulation. Your Bavaria is already pretty well insulated (for a boat), due to the closed cell foam core used in the hull above the waterline and the air layer between outer and inner deck (if the 34 has that, but it does have the foam core for sure). Do watch out for condensation in the ceiling panels though.

 

[ip485]

I do apologise I hadnt read properly why you didnt use the Webasto.

I agree well worth moving the thermostat - this should be reasonably straight forward. I find a lot of live aboards use them, and I doubt once you are / they are tucked up below the noise is really an issue. Both boats each side of us use their and I cant hear them. They really should be that smelly and if they are it may be a sign it needs a decoke.

 

[laika]

Nighttime: stacks of bedding + we run the dehumidifier to stop being woken up by ice water dripping from the windows.
Day/Evening: £5 ASDA Fan heater, bought last year while First Mate was waiting for me to fix the Ardic diesel heater (which still isn't fixed). Hot water bottles on laps under blankets when it gets really cold.

 

[V1701]

Pound for pound if you've got shore power electric is the most economical, especially if you include up front cost price. I prefer oil filleds rads over fan heaters as they're silent and it doesn't go as cold when they cycle off with the thermostat. Dehumidifier if you need one. Electric blanket makes a whole world of difference, the modern ones use very little electricity. I have mine under a thin duvet with a thicker duvet on top. In my experience the blown air heaters don't like being run for extended periods on low heat, they coke up and are relatively complicated to decoke/service, unless you can be arsed learning to do it yourself, even then if you need parts they're expensive. If I was having another diesel heater I'd have a Refleks or a Sigmar drip feed heater depending on the boat. These are flued and keep things very dry. There's also flued charcoal heaters, Wallas gas powered blown air heaters that seem to get good reports but expensive to use and woodburning stoves but not really for a modern Bavaria, here's a pic of the one on my boat in Greece, made out of an old scuba tank...

Coulpe of threads worth a read:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?296804-I-fancy-a-woodburner-on-board
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?291757-cabin-insulation