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Install a Pot belly Clark Stove


HarrisonMelecchi

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Hello, I'm planning to install this small pot belly on my 26ft fiberglass boat. I've just got the stove and I have to buy everything else and even to make to hole in the celling (and protect its walls). Does anyone know which collars I must to use when I make the ceilling hole.. I know it is 2 layers of fiberglass and one of wood between them. I also have to remove the rest of the structure around the stove, but it is already in the position I want to keep it.It is hard to find someone to help me with that, so any tip would be very welcome. I read lots of manuals,  but I know it can be really dangerous,  so that's why I'm asking here to be more confident. Thanks!!

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No one has replied, probably 'cos they are not keen on the idea as proposed.

Obviously, you can't have wood / curtains etc close to a fire.

I would expect to see a "hearth", to which the stove would be bolted.

I am no expert, but I would be looking for another boat, before spending too much on converting what may never be a safe/affordable/comfortable liveaboard [I am assuming this is why you need a stove].

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/search/&q=soliftec&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy

PS Those cushions look pretty dodgy too :)

You could spend a lot of time and money and still fail Boat Safety Certification.

Edited by LadyG
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Agree with the above.

Clarke fitting instructions for a house are

https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals2/potbellystove.pdf

 

These state a min gap of 800mm to a flammable wall (wood etc) which applies to boats, houses, sheds etc. 

 

The standard pot belly stove is 7kW which will be much too hot for a small boat.

It is also only intermittently rated.

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Most grp petrol powered boats that have heating usually fit a blown warm air system,either diesel or gas powered.

Propex gas heaters are about £600 plus fitting,and a Chinese diesel heater about £150 plus fitting.

The gas and diesel heaters take up very little space unlike a solid fuel stove which also needs storage space for wood/coal and space is usually at a premium on grp cruisers.

There is also safety to think of.If your boat is petrol powered then your fuel system must be 100% compliant with the bss regs.I am sure you are aware that any petrol vapour and a naked flame spells disaster.I would love to have a solid fuel stove on my llittle grp boat,but lack of space and the difficulty making the installation safe,I decided not.

There is a boat moored close to me who is in the process of fitting a Chinese Planar diesel heater,and me being a cheeky person,asked if I could have a look once installed.The owner readily agreed,so I will see how difficult the fitting was,and how it performs.

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If you really want to install that stove there you're going to have to remove all that flammable crap within the vicinity and build a hearth lined with fireproof material e.g. Masterboard) and covered with tiles or some other decorative covering (I used anodised aluminium). If you don't build a hearth then the idea is a non-starter.

1 hour ago, Captain Fizz said:

Those stoves leak fumes like a colander !! You probably won't last the first night!!

 

I installed a Clarke stove on my first boat. They're not the best but if you can find one without a cracked casting then they're ok. I lived with it for a couple of years.

Edited by blackrose
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I have experienced what those stoves are like on a boat - my advice is don't go there!

 

It is impossible to get any real control over the air intake (the casting is poor) meaning the fire draws up constantly until the cast iron glows red. Air getting in - fumes getting out. It is an accident waiting to happen. These stoves are not suitable for a boat in my view 

  • Greenie 1
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1 hour ago, cheshire~rose said:

Air getting in - fumes getting out.

 

That doesn't really follow. Air getting in = air getting in. Fumes only come out through a gap or crack only happens if air is NOT getting in. 

 

There is a lot of hysterical nonsense written about stoves and flues. 

 

 

  • Greenie 2
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26 minutes ago, CompairHolman said:

Machine Mart stoves have always looked cheap and nasty Chinese / Indian castings made of junk grade iron to me .

When did you last look? A lot of their new stoves are really nice - DEFRA approved too. 

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36 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

That doesn't really follow. Air getting in = air getting in. Fumes only come out through a gap or crack only happens if air is NOT getting in. 

 

There is a lot of hysterical nonsense written about stoves and flues. 

 

 

Apologies for coming across as hysterical. A stove glowing red in a VERY small cabin which was very obviously totally unsuitable would have that affect. 

Perhaps it's better not to care about safety

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4 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

Perhaps it's better not to care about safety

 

Perhaps it is better to keep some perspective.

 

Crossing the road is dangerous too. A degree of risk is what life is all about, Shirley. Managing the risk is what it's all about, not eliminating and avoiding every scrap of it. Stay in bed if this is your approach. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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You know me well enough to know that's not my style. There was sufficient wrong with the stove in question (and it's fitting) for me to know it was a death trap. I couldn't imagine any way of making it safe for a boat based upon it being impossible to regulate. 

I would hate to think of anyone spending time and money trying to fit something that was later found to be totally inappropriate, especially if they paid with their life. 

 

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I've had experience of these stoves, and they are just not at all suited for use on boats.

 

It is a very poorly constructed stove. There are lots of gaps in it which means whatever you will burn the thing will end up like a furnace. The one I used didnt leak any fumes in really it just pulled air in and took off. You could hear the thing roar with all the air getting in.

 

I used to have to throw a bucket full of ash over the actual fire / coal inside to try and calm it down, but then the thing would end up going out. Try and get brave and give it a poke? It would roar away again.

 

Far too much heat in a cabin, it would consume fuel at a great rate and then go out after a couple of hours so in the middle of a freeze I had to set my alarm to keep adding fuel through the night so we didnt freeze to death.

 

It has no fire bricks so radiates heat out like a bugger. And once the fire actually goes out, cools down rapidly so pretty much useless.

 

I would not use it and go for something boat worthy. The Boatman Stove by Northern Fabrications is a much safer bet. You will be asking for problems if you use that Pot Belly stove.

 

I think they are more suited to heat workshops where you can keep the thing going with chucking off cuts of timber in during your working day.

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21 minutes ago, Liam said:

I think they are more suited to heat workshops where you can keep the thing going with chucking off cuts of timber in during your working day.

Yup, that’s exactly what they’re intended for. 

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