Chimney

We have an all diesel boat with Wallas Hob & Oven and Bubble fire. The Wallas set up is fine most of the time but we did have some problems initially mainly due to the power supply. The Wallas sale literature states that they each take 0.5 amp but dosn't tell you thay thay take 8 amps for the first 8 minutes to fire the Glowplug. I had to run in bigger cables to reduce the volt drop. They are also voltage critical and the controls will 'lock out' if supply voltage is too low, this tends to be more of a problem in mornings. I have improved our installation by fitting a change over supply from the engine battery which can be used if the domestics are low. This works fine provided I dont crank the engine with the hob or oven on as they dont like the volt drop. Ideally they should have their own dedicated battery. Repairs are also expensive, last year I paid nearly £500 for a repair to the Hob. As a result of the early problems it had sooted up under the ceramic plate and the only way to clear it is to smash it!! Kuranda the UK agents last year charged £45/hr plus vat for labour. The Bubble works well and also supplies 3 small rads but and a second coil in the calorifier, the rads are ok but only takes the chill of the water in the calorifier. The circ pump is a little noisy and also take 1 amp although it is controlled by a pipe thermostat on the outlet pipe from the boiler which cuts the running time down. With hindsight and now knowing the costs invlved, particularly with the Wallas equipment, gas is a better option.