Cabin Heater Options for CD27

[Tom Keevil]

Fred,
I didn’t mean to run down Webasto. I just know several folks with diesel heaters of that type (I don’t know the brands) who have had them die when they were on long cruises in the cold and wet BC coast.They were not happy. As I recall there was some special reset procedure that further complicated it. Of course I probably know a lot more people who never had a problem, but they don’t tell me about that.

Certainly these heaters are quieter than generators or diesel engines, but that’s a pretty low bar. In a quiet marina I can certainly hear them sitting inside my closed up boat.

[atcowboy]

Tom ...
I guess I'll find out about maintenance. So far haven't touched it. But still low hours - maybe 100 if that ... the manual actually cautions against disuse - encourages lighting it up in the summer and running it for at least an hour just to move fresh fuel through the lines/pump and burn carbon out of the chamber. Apparently carbon buildup it the problem and can be avoided by running the unit for at least a complete cycle as I've described.

edit: did some reading last night ... Webasto does not call for any regular service ... there is no a service interval and no service routine ... the fan is use rated at 50,000 hours ...

I ended up buying a 5kW heater, it should be here today according to FedEx. Excited to bench test it and see what she does.

It sounds like during the summer it might behoove some users to be able to pickle the unit so they don't "have" to run it for an hour. Does webasto have directions for that?

I imagine in my case, except the hottest month, I won't need to worry about it. There were several nights last season where it was "chilly" enough (not actually cold, probably 60*-65* but high humidity in the boat thus feels cold) where I would have turned on a heater to dry out the inside of the boat.

I'm very excited about this purchase. Nothing in the boat ever felt close to dry. If I was hanging something outside to get the damp out, I would need to make sure it was very hot, very sunny, no wind, and make sure to get it inside before the dew. That is a lot of rare variables in Narragansett bay. I remember one sunny day checking on my nylon sleeping bag and standard house pillows throughout the day as they hung on the foredeck in the sun. I was so excited for the un-clammy night I was about to have. I went to retrieve them at dusk, and they were more wet than when I'd put them out. Then there was the time I retrieved them before the dew got to them, but by the time I crawled into them the cabin humidity ruined the dry splendor. Or the time it was blazing hot out, but the gentle breeze over the bow seemed to pick up enough evaporation off the bay that they just didn't dry at all.

Ahhh, memories of first world problems.

Hopefully the heater can help on the worst nights. I want to get several fans to help move air through the boat more effectively also.

- AT

[Steve Laume]

I have messed with a couple of different heating options but this reply will be to the dampness.

I had one offshore trip in hot weather where I could not open anything because of the waves and spray. The inside of the boat was like a hot basement full of billy goats. It was damp and it stank. That was the worst but I have had my share of experiences with dampness

The first rule to to keep salt water from ever touching anything down below. This might not be possible but at least try to keep it off of your bedding. Once things get salty, they will never dry. Since this is not always possible, I have found nylon and cotton / polyester are both horrible when damp. What works best is a fleece blanket near your skin. It may still be damp but it won't feel quite as bad. Make it up into a taco and put whatever else you might need on top.

When things are cold and damp, the little Cozy Cabin diesel heater feels very nice, Steve.

[atcowboy]

I ended up buying a Chinese parking heater and am very happy with the bench tests. I'm now waiting for a myriad of parts to come in for ducting/exhaust/etc.

I have found that this company https://www.suremarineservice.com/ makes a gentle sweeping 90* condensate trap P/N W005-130-24, price is $117.62, and is not listed on their site for whatever reason. This is quite expensive, but the $86 Planar trap costs $100 to ship from Canada. I have been unable to find a local Planar distributor. Ebersaecher has a "similar" 90* trap but it has an abrupt 90* turn where two 45* cut pipes are welded together. If you are looking for a buy-it-online experience, it looks like Sure Marine and Planar are the only routes. But at $120 and $186, I think there is still some room to have it made locally for a little less.

I was also able to find an Australian that makes a proper thermostat for these heaters. Ray's site can be found here; http://afterburner.mrjones.id.au/index.html For a fairly reasonable cost you can get a programable thermostat that can do a LOT more than the one that comes with the system - like turn other appliances on/off (like a fan) I'll let his site tell you all the things. But the BIGGEST thing it will do for you is SHUT OFF or TURN ON the heater based on temperature. So if it gets chilly the furnace will turn itself on, and if the lowest heat output is still too hot it will turn off. When on, it will still ramp up/down as they normally do (not like a home furnace that is only on or off). Kind of the best of both worlds, and will allow me some peace of mind that if I leave my dogs onboard they will neither freeze nor be baked alive.

- AT