Espar heater for CD36

[Vonnie Pedersen]

We are thinking of installing a heating system on our boat, we like to use it in the winter in SF. Anyone have any experience with installing one. What about cost? Any better ideas for heating?



pavnsail@aol.com

[Tim]

We are thinking of installing a heating system on our boat, we like to use it in the winter in SF. Anyone have any experience with installing one. What about cost? Any better ideas for heating?

We installed a Force 10 Cozy Cabin propane heater on our CD 36 two years ago and it works great. We ran the line back to cylinders that we installed (inside the recommended sealed container with dedicated thru-hull vent underneath the stern), and also installed an alarm system with soloniod shutoff device. We run a small fan to distribute the air effectively, and keep the port open a bit for fresh air (highly recommended!). We installed the unit on the bulkhead on the port side, between the folding table and the cabintop on the port side. It has a vent that goes through the cabin, which I sealed with glass to protect the inner wood from moisture and rot. I considered the unit you mentioned, but the cost was more, and we were installing propane for the oven anyway.




tim@iga.org

[Tim]

We are thinking of installing a heating system on our boat, we like to use it in the winter in SF. Anyone have any experience with installing one. What about cost? Any better ideas for heating?

We installed a Force 10 Cozy Cabin propane heater on our CD 36 two years ago and it works great. We ran the line back to cylinders that we installed (inside the recommended sealed container with dedicated thru-hull vent underneath the stern), and also installed an alarm system with soloniod shutoff device. We run a small fan to distribute the air effectively, and keep the port open a bit for fresh air (highly recommended!). We installed the unit on the bulkhead on the port side, between the folding table and the cabintop on the port side. It has a vent that goes through the cabin, which I sealed with glass to protect the inner wood from moisture and rot. I considered the unit you mentioned, but the cost was more, and we were installing propane for the oven anyway.




tim@iga.org

[Bill Bloxham]

Check the archives here: http://64.27.86.49/forums/genlmesg/index.pl
There have been a number of threads on espar heaters.



mmmmmmbill@aol.com

[Tom Blanchard]

I'm now installing a Force 10 Cozy Cabin heater in a Cape Dory 36 (hull #44) which I just bought. We had the Force 10 in a 45 foot ketch before this. The heater is very reliable and inexpensive to buy and install. The only caution is to keep lots of space on the sides of the heater.



ptblanchard@aol.com

[Ken Coit]

Tom,

Where did you find "enough" space on the 36?

Thanks,

Ken

I'm now installing a Force 10 Cozy Cabin heater in a Cape Dory 36 (hull #44) which I just bought. We had the Force 10 in a 45 foot ketch before this. The heater is very reliable and inexpensive to buy and install. The only caution is to keep lots of space on the sides of the heater.

parfait@nc.rr.com

[matt cawthorne]

Vonnie,
I use a force 10 because I don't like running the batteries down in cold weather. The down side for me is that I am not comfortable sleeping with the Force 10 on. A friend has insatalled an Espar heater on his CD-36 and loves it. He claims that he can have the cabin up to 70 degrees in less than 1/2 hour when it is 15 degrees outside. The Force 10 would not ever get the cabin up to 70 degrees if it is 15 degrees out. The down sides for the Espar are cost and electricity. He had problems with the unit not starting because the voltage dropped when the startup load came on. The unit would detect the low voltage and abort the start up. This was only a problem for him when the temperature was really cold and he was not connected to the battery charger. The last time we talked about it he was going to check and see if the wire was undersized or if there was a bad connection causing an extra voltage drop.


matt



mcawthor@bellatlantic.net

[tom blanchard]

Ken, I mounted the force 10 to port of the mast on the main bulkhead with the burner at or just above the dining table level. Exhaust vent can go straight up. I used 1" copper for exhaust becauce it transmitts heat and is cool when it reaches the deck opening. No previous leak problems thru deck. Use flex hose under the floors back to gas locker.
Tom



ptblanchard@aol.com

[Dennis Robinett]

We are thinking of installing a heating system on our boat, we like to use it in the winter in SF. Anyone have any experience with installing one. What about cost? Any better ideas for heating?

I had an old Espar heater in my Cape Dory 36 when I purchased it last spring. I found that the reason it didn't work was salt water had come back into the unit and the repairman called it "toast". The unit is installed in the engine compartment on the starboard side with the fresh air intake in the pilot berth. The exhaust goes out in the back of the stern across from the engine exhaust and did not have a loop in it to keep out seawater. I plan on installing a Webasto(also a German unit diesel fired) unit that I purchased this week. All total came to 1800 dollars. Fortunately for me all the ductwork is in the boat on the port side with outlets in the cabin and in the head. I have not used this type of heater on a boat yet. I used a Force 10 in my Cape Dory 30 for 15 years and it worked fine.



CDSailor@aol.com

[chuck yahrling]

We are thinking of installing a heating system on our boat, we like to use it in the winter in SF. Anyone have any experience with installing one. What about cost? Any better ideas for heating?

I put in an ESPAR on my CD-27 (yeah, I know it's kinda extravagant) a few seasons ago and it has worked reliably summer and winter, except for the time it went to 10 below and the diesel gelled. Fuel additive fixed that. I installed it myself and was careful to put it in the back of the starboard locker, way higher than the exhaust outlet, as they specify. I also put the supplied plug in the exhaust fitting when on the hard.

With it I bought the install kit Ocean Options puts togther, which includes 6 gauge copper wiring harness and a hefty fuse. ESPAR recommends a direct connection to the batteries to reduce voltage drop, and it's really essential for a good installation. If yours is wired through your conventional panel I would change it.

I hear a bit of fluctuation in the fan speed when the unit is firing up, due to drain from the glow plug, but that is because the computer regulates the current as pulses to the plug, not a constant stream. Once it lights up there's very little current drain. I've always left it on low all night and had plenty of juice in the AM.

With a small boat space is always a problem, and there the ESPARs are unbeatable, despite the cost and complexity. The real value to me is the two streams of hot dry air that you can direct toward a wet cabin sole or damp bedding.

Evans Starzinger complained about glow plugs (reliability and availability) in a past issue of SAIL mag, but he and Beth go on extended Blue Water adventures where simpler is better.



cyahrlin@cisco.com