Oil filled radiators

[comfortably numb]

Perhaps I should have put this in the equipment section but I thought that with the onset of winter this may be of interest to a wider 'audience'.

 

Being at one end of our 62' boat our stove doesn't heat the other end, even with an ecofan. I have central heating but it is an old Alde and uses too much gas to be economically viable. I'm therefore looking for something to take the chill off the other end (the bedroom), and was wondering about those oil filled radiators. Powering it/ them isn't a problem as we will be hooked into shore power for the winter.

 

We shall be living aboard for 5 to 6 days a week throughout the winter.

 

 

So I have several questions

 

1. Are they any good?

 

2. What is the best size or design, bearing in mind also the room constraints of a NB?

 

3. They appear to greatly vary in price depending upon output/efficiency etc, so what would be the optimum size/output?

 

4. Have any of you got a specific model/type that you can recommend?

 

5. Would one be sufficient or would I need two? Or would two smaller ones better than one larger one?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Neil

[Naughty Cal]

We have a small 600w one which we leave on 24/7 in the cabin of our boat all winter. It kept the cabin above 10 degrees all winter although it wasn't such a cold winter last year.

 

Obviously when we are there we put more heating on but we found 600w to be a nice size for the area.

[Tony Brooks]

As this has reared its head again the usual warning - read your insurance documents in great detail.

 

A poster on this forum told us THEIR insurance policy would not cover them if such heaters are in use unless they are marked as suitable for marine use.

 

This may or may not be the case if the boater is in constant attendance as indicated by the OP but leaving them on 24/7 as an anti-frost precaution would trigger this clause if there was an accident.

 

Don't shoot the messenger, read your policy to be sure. My insurance contains no such clause.

[Naughty Cal]

We took this up with our insurers last winter and they were happy with us leaving heaters on as this was providing frost protection.

[Kwacker]

At work, we use three De Longhi TRD0615T (1500w max, 3 heat settings, thermostat & timer) to keep our 20ft x 14ft office toasty (1 wall is single glazed glass!).

We have tried all sorts of electric heaters over the years and for background heat they are by far the best.

 

If you want spot heat, the halogen lamp heaters are better, and they give a nice warm glow.

[bottle]

 

1. Are they any good? Yes but so is a fan heater

 

2. What is the best size or design, bearing in mind also the room constraints of a NB? The largest wattage you can fit and supply

 

3. They appear to greatly vary in price depending upon output/efficiency etc, so what would be the optimum size/output? see answer two

 

4. Have any of you got a specific model/type that you can recommend? No but thermostatically controlled is a must, a timer not so much

 

5. Would one be sufficient or would I need two? Or would two smaller ones better than one larger one? Again wattage and the space available is the deciding factor.

[Ssscrudddy]

Not in relation to a boat. But I have a 3KW Delonghi heater oil filled rad. It has 24 hour timer, & thermostat. It easily heats my 20ft x 20ft room (on land) in a dodgy old half derelict mansion. It can get too warm for the room if I turn it right up. I have also lent it to a girl in the past who used it to heat a whole 2 bed house with open plan living room & kitchen & stairs & leaving the bedroom doors open (just to take the chill off) when her heating packed up.
I have used the same heater in a 12 ft x 8ft room & it's far too much for such a small space.

I will be taking it with me when I get my boat.

I also have a 2KW 1 as well which isnt quite enough to heat my bedroom which is also 20ft x 20ft

That's based on it being below freezing outside all day & all night

Edit to say, I have had a few different makes over the years, but Delonghi is by far the best I have tried.
I have also used a few of these heaters (1KW) in a big Victorian terraced house when I was running a B&B when the heating packed up, 1 in each room.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Ssscrudddy

[bottle]

 

I have used the same heater in a 12 ft x 8ft room & it's far too much for such a small space.

 

Sorry but I have to disagree, if the thermostat was set correctly it would turn off when the desired temperature was reached, so cannot be to big unless you mean physically.

 

To heat any space the amount of heat input must be greater than the heat loss, so the bigger the heat input the quicker the space heats up, the quicker the heat input is turned off, if thermostatically controlled.

 

If the heat loss is greater than the heat input (small wattage heater) then the space will never heat up, so wasting the energy used.

[Alastair]

I've used a 'ceramic' fan heater on a boat.

 

It had a tilt switch so would turn off if knocked over.

 

low-power setting with low-fan so could be set to constantly be stirring warm air around the boat.

 

Very quiet.

 

An oil heater will lose most of its heat straight up the vents. Ideally you need something that will stir up the air.

[Tony Brooks]

I've used a 'ceramic' fan heater on a boat.

 

It had a tilt switch so would turn off if knocked over.

 

snip.

 

Just to point out that would not satisfy an insurance company that specifies "approved for marine use" in the event of an accident.

 

Also what happens of the fan seizes up and no one is around. I have had this on a fan heater at home, but I smelt the burning plastic.

[Ssscrudddy]

 

Sorry but I have to disagree, if the thermostat was set correctly it would turn off when the desired temperature was reached, so cannot be to big unless you mean physically.

 

To heat any space the amount of heat input must be greater than the heat loss, so the bigger the heat input the quicker the space heats up, the quicker the heat input is turned off, if thermostatically controlled.

 

If the heat loss is greater than the heat input (small wattage heater) then the space will never heat up, so wasting the energy used.

It would chuck out too much heat for a room that small

[bottle]

Have it your way.

 

I can't be arsed

[smileypete]

I think Ssscrudddy has a point, a large oil filled rad stores a fair bit of heat and this keeps pumping out for a while after the stat turns off.

 

If the boat has reasonable insulation then a small ~800W oil filled rad should do the OP fine, plus a fan heater on 1kW for the odd blast warming up from cold or before getting out of bed on a cold morn.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited September 21, 2013 by smileypete

[bottle]

So adjust the thermostat to a lower setting.

[smileypete]

Nahhh, fit a PID controller

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited September 21, 2013 by smileypete

[Glynn]

Have you ever thought of one of these ( link below )

We have had one for a few years, they are fantastic.

No smell , the blow the heat around are thermostatically controlled and very cheap to run. We run ours on kerosene @60ppl !.

It would heat a narrowboat up from freezing cold to upwards of 20 odd degrees in minutes.

 

http://www.dry-it-out.com/inverter-5006-3kw-liquid-fuel-heater-free-fuel

[Ssscrudddy]

What smileypete said. IMO you need it appropriate size (in terms of heat) for the room. Too small obviously it wont heat it, but too big you have to have the termostat so low that although it turns itself off, its belting out heat far too quickly for the small room, then it stays off until the temp gets down to the oh so low thermostat setting that it gets cold again, before it turns on back on & kicks out too much heat for the small room because although the thermostat reacts it carries on belting out heat.
Otherwise they are great

Edited September 22, 2013 by Ssscrudddy

[Robbo]

What smileypete said. IMO you need it appropriate size (in terms of heat) for the room. Too small obviously it wont heat it, but too big you have to have the termostat so low that although it turns itself off, its belting out heat far too quickly for the small room, then it stays off until the temp gets down to the oh so low thermostat setting that it gets cold again, before it turns on back on & kicks out too much heat for the small room because although the thermostat reacts it carries on belting out heat.

Otherwise they are great

Doesn't make much of a difference with a oil heater as it heats up a mass, this balances out the high and lows. Makes a difference with a fan heater.

[comfortably numb]

Thanks everybody for your informative answers to my questions. You've given me quite a few options to consider so I will bear in mind the information given.

[Robbo]

Have you ever thought of one of these ( link below )

We have had one for a few years, they are fantastic.

No smell , the blow the heat around are thermostatically controlled and very cheap to run. We run ours on kerosene @60ppl !.

It would heat a narrowboat up from freezing cold to upwards of 20 odd degrees in minutes.

 

http://www.dry-it-out.com/inverter-5006-3kw-liquid-fuel-heater-free-fuel

I have one if these, it's very good. Some down points though.,.

 

When first switched on it needs do a 30min full heat cycle no matter what the thermostat says.

 

Minimum output is 800w, unless you use the Eco mode which it turns it self off, but you'll get a blast of heat when it turns back on.

 

Slight smell of paraffin when first start and when stop.

 

Loses time and timer settings if unplugged.

 

Requires around 800w of electric for 2-3 minutes when starting (from cold)

 

Minimum thermostat setting is 12'c

Edited September 22, 2013 by Robbo

[blackrose]

 

1. Are they any good? Yes

 

2. What is the best size or design, bearing in mind also the room constraints of a NB? I'm afraid I can't help you if your boat is too small. I've got a widebeam so I don't have to worry about these things.

 

3. They appear to greatly vary in price depending upon output/efficiency etc, so what would be the optimum size/output? I've got a 2.5kw output model with 3 different power settings. Just make sure it's one which is thermostatically controlled, so you set the temperature and it will switch itself on and off. The cheap ones just stay on all the time and waste energy.

 

4. Have any of you got a specific model/type that you can recommend? As above

 

5. Would one be sufficient or would I need two? Or would two smaller ones better than one larger one? For a NB perhaps.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated. You're welcome

 

An oil heater will lose most of its heat straight up the vents. Ideally you need something that will stir up the air.

 

It's called "convection"

 

Oil filled radiators don't lose any more heat through the vents than any other type of heater. You think that a fan in a heated boat will stop the heat going out of the vents? If anything it's the opposite!

Edited September 22, 2013 by blackrose

[Robbo]

I've used a 'ceramic' fan heater on a boat.

 

It had a tilt switch so would turn off if knocked over.

 

low-power setting with low-fan so could be set to constantly be stirring warm air around the boat.

 

Very quiet.

 

An oil heater will lose most of its heat straight up the vents. Ideally you need something that will stir up the air.

 

A fan heater is very good for quick heat, but as it only just heats the air up when you open the door all the heat goes out and the cold comes in. If you have a oil radiator the heat is still retained in the mass of the radiator.

[Alastair]

 

Just to point out that would not satisfy an insurance company that specifies "approved for marine use" in the event of an accident.

 

Also what happens of the fan seizes up and no one is around. I have had this on a fan heater at home, but I smelt the burning plastic.

I take it you haven't come across the ceramic-element heaters. No part of the heater gets hot enough to start a fire. You can turn the fan off completely with these heaters if you want, they are designed that way.