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Hi all, I recently purchased a narrowboat and am now settling in to living aboard. There were a couple of things about my boat that appealed to me, one of the tipping points was the bubble corner diesel stove, it is back boiled and supplies heat to the back cabin through a radiator and also heats my hot water. Another thing that appealed to me was the "switch on and leave it" possibility as I work full time and that way I can keep the place warm whilst in out, especially at the moment. Anyway, i come home the other night and open the back door and the air is almost purple with fumes, a seal failed on the stove and allowed diesel to escape the burning pot and evaporate off the hot surface to the rear, the cabin was filled!!!!!!!! Dear lord, the fumes would have turned even the most hardened stomach! The alarms were all blazing, luckily I didn't switch a light on or i fear the air would have ignited. Of course I undertake the reccomended cleaning guidelines as per the bubble owners manual, but that doesn't anticipate failures of this magnitude. I have been on the phone to a guy who services these, its nearly £200 not including parts! This should be done yearly. Due to this i am now reconsidering the entire arrangement, as in 2.5 years I could buy a mid-low end multi fuel stove for the price of the servicing alone! Now that I'm actually living aboard Im also noticing issues with the arrangement I did not anticipate with my rose tinted glasses, I constantly burn my leg and hand on the piping for the backboiler as I walk through the boat. I think I just want to rip it all out. Im on a 57ft trad stern, the stove is located just inside the cratch doors and presently I find that the stove struggles to heat the rear cabin, there is no obstruction between the stove and the rear cabin, we wanted the air to flow through the walkway for most efficient heating. Am I correct in believing diesel stoves don't burn as hot as multifuel stoves? Im talking output not burn efficiency. To heat the space Im considering a 7kw multifuel stove (reminder Im on a 57ft boat), would this be sufficient? Even being next to the cratch doors? I know this is not an ideal location but Im trying to work with what I've got, I don't want to move it unless totally necessary. Off a "good fill" how long can one expect a coal fire to last? 8-9hrs? I am considering removing the backboiler system, relying upon immersion to heat my water whilst in the marina and the engine when out and about, do many have this arrangement? Also, I find that I'm using in excess of 40l of diesel in a week, equating to roughly £30, is there any saving on coal? Im sure you can guess this isn't my reason for wanting to switch, bit its nice to know. Thanks in advance! If you never get a response from me its because the diesel stove has finally finished the job!
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