9th November 2012 - Ashore For The Winter

Jeff's blog of his life living aboard a yacht, at anchor, in the UK, with his wife, a dog and a baby.

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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Jeff wrote:Not really keen on that idea tbh. Too much to go wrong. Give the Eber time! Ours was a brand new D4 that coked up in two months, running mostly on low, 8 hours a day.
Thats right cheer me up :lol: Its a dull old rubbish day here and after spending all day repairing one of the windscreen wipers the bugger has packed up again on test :evil: so it looks like a trip to Force 4 (who have taken over from yacht parts )
Discus
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Post by Discus »

If your ever coked up then the air supply was restricted or more likely it was the red diesel it was run on. Thousands of them run/ran on lowsetting in bt vans and such like for years on low sulphur road diesel, no doubt with a periodic Italian tune up! Why not run your eber from a dedicated 50 litre tank running white diesel? :idea:
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Post by Jeff »

Espar said it'd still probably coke up unless run at max. And even if it didn't, it still uses a load of a lecky, is noisy, only warms the aft cabin and has no "romance" to it whatsoever. Also, we need backups anyway. I like backups.

After a lot of reading and talking to people I am now very close to purchasing a Sigmar 120 bulkhead mounting diesel fired heater (which has a window onto a nice yellow flame when running).

Here's one in use:

Image

How nice is that!

I want one!!!
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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Looks as if your mind is made up . save me the chore of googling what sort of price are they ? Looks a nice bit of kit BTW
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Post by Jeff »

Depends on the installation. You can get an optional "barometric balancer" in one of the flue pipes, you might need a few 45 degree bends... and the biggest modifier is if you make up your own header tank or have one made - or use the "main diesel tank" fuel pump option.

I'm in two minds (as always). If we went for the Sigmar 120 I like the idea of a separate header tank but it's hard to know where to install one (knowing our boat's layout). The electric pump option would be harder to install (pipe run is awkward and long) and would use electricity when heater is running - but apparently it's a teeny amount - so may go that way in the end.

Wondering about bodging together a header tank using a fuel can and cable gland/copper pipe, and just literally hanging it on a hook on the bulkhead - while we ponder how to improve it and possibly install the lecky pump. Saves dosh in the short term also.

But to answer your question, if you DIY the header tank, need no 45 degree bends, and don't have the barometric balancer section of flue, it's just over £1k inc VAT and del. So relatively cheap really compared to the alternatives.

And the 120 will kick out 3.5kW on max blast! Toasty!
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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Price seems reasonable for such a pretty bit of kit ,lots of romance :wink: Howeverrrrrrrrr 3.5kw is a good output but remember that will only heat one cabin . Towser being a bit of a ship is I bit different than the run of the mill main cabin plus the forepeak .Foreward cabin heads and after cabin and wheelhouse won't benefit a lot from it.......... Or will they ??
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Post by Jeff »

We only really need to heat the saloon and wheelhouse with it. The heat from it I think will rise by convection, up the wall, along the ceiling, and then up into the wheelhouse - filling it with warm air slowly from the top down.

At the same time by radiation it'll be heating the saloon.

We're from Yorkshire Terry! We don't mind cold bums when we go to the heads, and we prefer it cold in the bedroom :)
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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Jeff wrote:We only really need to heat the saloon and wheelhouse with it. The heat from it I think will rise by convection, up the wall, along the ceiling, and then up into the wheelhouse - filling it with warm air slowly from the top down.

At the same time by radiation it'll be heating the saloon.

We're from Yorkshire Terry! We don't mind cold bums when we go to the heads, and we prefer it cold in the bedroom :)
it wasn't my intention to compare the northerners resillience to the cold to us softy southerners :D Remember we southerners had outside bogs in the early part of the last century so we know a cold arse is like :lol:
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Post by Jeff »

We still have them Terry ;)
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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

hi Jeff have you decided on a heater ? A big decision I guess .

Are you staying in Yorkshire for the winter or just for Xmas .

Terry
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Post by Jeff »

Still not 100% decided. Mainly because I can't work out where to install the thing without having to make modifications to the saloon seating arrangements. Think I might have to buy one and take it to the boat so I can ponder it more tangibly.

In Yorkshire until weather improves and boat is ready. Hopefully back aboard before end of March. April at latest.
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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Jeff wrote:Still not 100% decided. Mainly because I can't work out where to install the thing without having to make modifications to the saloon seating arrangements. Think I might have to buy one and take it to the boat so I can ponder it more tangibly.

In Yorkshire until weather improves and boat is ready. Hopefully back aboard before end of March. April at latest.
Jeff rather than buy one why not ask around if anyone has the model you are considering and ask for critical dimensions and make a cardboard mock up ?

terry
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Post by Jeff »

Far too sensible Terry!
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Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Jeff wrote:Far too sensible Terry!
if its good enough for nuclear submarines its good enough for Towser :wink:
Terry T
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Post by Terry T »

Can you buy "wire" screens for diesel/coal burners or do you have to make them ?
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