Heater

[Steve Laume]

I just ordered a 2800 BTU heater that works off of the engine cooling water system. I was wondering if anyone else has hooked up one of these little puppies.

It needs to go into the fresh water circuit. I am thinking it would precede the hot water heater. It also seems like there should be shut offs and a bypass for when it is not needed. That would require three valves unless there is some other nifty way of doing it.

It sure will be nice to have warm dry air flowing over my bunk and into the cabin on those cold damp days up north this summer. I am tired of being cold after this winter, Steve.

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[Chrisa006]

Steve,
You may not want to put it before the HWH as you lose temp. going through each device. This may mean you cannot get adequate HW when the heater is running. If you can hook them up parallel depending on the volume of water from the engine it may work better. I'm sure someone has figured this out and tested it.

[jbenagh]

I'd be inclined to put it after the water heater. Once the water heater is hot you have minimal temperature drop across the water heater. I guess it depends if you're going to use the cabin heater when you run the engine a fairly short time.

I think the cabin heater is a good idea. Where will you mount it?

[mgphl52]

It sure will be nice to have warm dry air flowing over my bunk and into the cabin on those cold damp days up north this summer. I am tired of being cold after this winter, Steve.

How *long* does it hold heat? Surely you don't plan to idle the engine at night for comfy sleeping???

[Steve Laume]

I like the concept of duel loops for the heater and water heater. I will have to look at things and see how practical the hose runs would be. I would still want to be able to shut down the heater loop for when I am in warmer climes. I would tend to favor the heater if I tie them together because I would want the warmth over hot water. My shower is in the cockpit, so if it is cold enough to need the heater I might not want to use the shower until the cabin was nice and warm.

I looked at a few locations for mounting. I ruled out anything on the starboard side because the hot water lines would then run under my ice box. If it is mounted anywhere in the aft end of the cabin it will be pulling air from the engine compartment. That would be cold and possibly smelly air instead of the air in the cabin. I removed the seat backs and made up doors for the openings behind them a long time ago. I have pretty much decided the mount the heater as high as possible and centered in the starboard side. I always sleep on the starboard side and there are times when it would be heavenly to have warm air fill my bunk. I believe I can run the hoses up high in the stowage area and then under the locker behind the stove to get to the engine compartment. I might have to cut some small vents, somewhere, to let in return air.

I realize this is only a heating solution for the times that the engine is running. It will be dry heat and so often it is not the cold so much as the dampness that makes life miserable. Every time I need to charge my batteries it will also give me an opportunity to warm up and dry things out. And then there are those long foggy days with a chill in the air and no wind, Steve.

[ric14854]

Definitely let us all know how it performs once you get to test it under cold weather conditions.

I have considered one as well for just being able to get the warmth up and not consume fuel. Not practical for long term warmth as the engine needs to run, but bet it will be pretty cozy once it heats up the cabin.

Your idea of a 3 way valve to allow choosing HW or heat is an interesting idea. Warm weather it's always HW and no additional heat in the cabin....but always one loop is on, so the engine cooling is always functional.

[John Stone]

Why did you decide to go with an engine driven hot water heater vice a kerosene, diesel, or wood burning heater?

[Steve Laume]

Why did you decide to go with an engine driven hot water heater vice a kerosene, diesel, or wood burning heater?

I have a Cozy Cabin diesel heater that I have never been able to get to burn right. Of course the burner is the problem and I can not seem to find parts. The plan is to have both working. Free heat from the engine and the diesel stove if it was really cold or just felt good.

I always run the engine at the end of the day, if I am coastal cruising, to get the sails down and set the anchor. I would run the heater on high with the cabin closed up. It should get nice and warm by the time I would go down below. It would be kind of nice. If I can get the diesel heater working, I could burn that on days when I was staying in one place and didn't need to run the engine.

Both systems would complement each other nicely, Steve.

[John Stone]

Copy. Makes sense. Thanks Steve.

[Tom Keevil]

We plumbed our space heater and water heater in series, with the space heater first in line. Hot air was a priority for us over hot water. There are no valves. In our cruising area, a little heat is rarely unwelcome, but in reality it generates surprisingly little heat if we don't have the fan on. With the fan going it produces a vast amount of beautiful heat when the engine is running. This is especially welcome after a spell of cold wet weather, as we can dry clothing as we motor along. On a cold day one of us can go below to quickly warm up, or else just sit in the open companionway with the heat flowing out around your body. We really haven't noticed any difference in our production of hot water. That engine coolant is pretty darn hot.

Of course it produces zero heat with the engine off, so we have alternatives. If it's just a bit cool, we light our trawler lamp. If it's chilly, we build a wood fire in our solid fuel stove. If we're at a marina, we plug in our electric heater. If it's early in the morning, and we just want to take off the chill while getting dressed before an early departure, we light our Mister Buddy propane heater. This may seem like a lot of heat infrastructure, but it is very welcome in Alaska and Northern British Columbia.

[Capt Hook]

Tom,
Did you close off the V berth area and install the wood stove on the closure?

[Tom Keevil]

No, it covers the bulkhead to the port of the mast. The V-berth access is on the starboard side. I don't have a great photo of it, but this rather cluttered shot shows the layout.

[Frenchy]

Tom, I like the little access door you added at the bottom of the wet locker. That's something to mentally
file for my future projects. It seems I often learn something on this board-though this is a little off topic
(apologies). - Jean

[Capt Hook]

Tom,

Thank you. After I posted the question I thought maybe I saw a passageway to the right but this is a clearer picture. Boat looks very nice.

[Steve Laume]

Tom, it stands to reason that an Alaskan boat would have the heating systems worked out. That is a great location for the heater as it is low and near the engine. The CD-30 is a a bit too small to make that work.

I might go with a straight loop this year as I am heading North. It will give me a chance to see how the much heat is generated when the fan is not in use. I hope to get my Cozy Cabin heater up and running and I also purchased a trawler lamp last year to generate a little bit of heat when not much is needed. If I head back south again, I can always plumb in a cut off for the heater. On my last Bermuda trip I might have run a heater, if I had one, just to dry things out.

Your cabin sole is beautiful, as is the rest of your boat. When I step inside of Raven, I can see a lot of work that needs to be done. I will do what I can and then just go sailing, Steve.