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Keeping the boat warm


Deano1234

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Hi i have a wide beam 60x10 with a back boiler, which i am guessing is what you mean by a water heater, my system runs 2 large double rads, and a towel rad, from a multy fuel burner, which is 8kw . This system generaley works well, depending on what size and how your boats layout is a squirrel might be hard pressed if its the only form of heating as i understand a squirrel is about 5kw, others with similar stoves to you will i am sure be able to give better info.

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its the biggest squirrel so i was told when i bought the boat just disappointed with how much fuel i had to burn just to get the rads warm. going to in vest in new radiators and see what the output is like. im on  the thinking of having a diesel heater as back up in the cold winter months.

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I think even the bigger output Squirrel (I thought it was 6kW?), is a tad undersized for a widebeam if that's your only form of heating. My widebeam is 57' x 12' and I have a Morso Panther which is rated at 9 kW. It depends on where the stove is located in the boat too.

 

However, you don't seem to be disappointed with the lack of heat so much as how much coal you have to use to obtain that heat? Is that right? How much coal are you using? I can go though 3 x 20kg  bags a week if it's very cold outside and I'm onboard all the time. Also how is the circulation in your central heating system powered? Pump or thermocycling?

 

Before changing the radiators you need to establish what output backboiler you have in your stove (in btu or kW) and combined radiator output as they should roughly match. If you just put bigger radiators in your system and that's well in excess of your backboiler output you're just wasting your time and money.

Edited by blackrose
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9 minutes ago, Deano1234 said:

its the biggest squirrel so i was told when i bought the boat just disappointed with how much fuel i had to burn just to get the rads warm. going to in vest in new radiators and see what the output is like. im on  the thinking of having a diesel heater as back up in the cold winter months.

 

The Squirrel backboiler is rated at 1kW if I remember correctly, the stove itself is rated at 5kW.

 

Have you got a 5kW heatsource with a 1kW back boiler 50 feet away from where you actually want the heat?  Do you have a central heating system that needs 5kW to drive it being fed from a backboiler that provides 1kW maximum?

 

I'd have a word with the boatbuilder if it's a new boat ... or just reduce the flow rate through the radiators if it's not ...

 

More seriously, you either need to understand how the system works or get in someone who does before you make any changes.

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As blackrose says I dont think a squirrel is big enough for a widebeam. I had a 15kw multi fuel stove on mine that I kept ticking over way below max output but that if given a blast was great to get boat up to temperature. My narrowboat now has a squirrel a friend bought for his barge and after one year took it out and sold it to me as it wasnt big enough, he then bought the same type stove I had on my widebeam.

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In winter a Squirrel will just about heat a 48 foot long  narrow boat cabin (as opposed to a 48 foot boat)  if it is fired hard into a decent radiator system and is centrally placed in the boat. It will burn at least 6kg of fuel in 24 hours when so used from my experience.

Edited by Tracy D'arth
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24 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

In winter a Squirrel will just about heat a 48 foot long  narrow boat cabin (as opposed to a 48 foot boat)  if it is fired hard into a decent radiator system and is centrally placed in the boat. It will burn at least 6kg of fuel in 24 hours when so used from my experience.

 

If you block up those ruddy Houdini hatches with a good bit of insulation, you'll change your mind ...

 

... in fact you'll be stood on the towpath in your underwear with 1/3rd bag daily of a good smokeless fuel in a squirrel in a 48 ft cabin, assuming there's any insulation at all.  Centrally placed rather than the stupid bow door position makes your argument worse, not better!

 

Edited by TheBiscuits
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Our squirrel does for our 70 footer , middle cabin sited, heats our main living area well, even in 2009 and 2010, didn't use the Eberbastard for anything other than hot water for shower.

Back cabin has Epping, only lit when cruising in exceptional Winter cold, or we fancy cooking whilst cruising in winter.

 

It would struggle to heat a widebeam, I have moved a few with similar output stoves, and they arent big enough.

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27 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

If you block up those ruddy Houdini hatches with a good bit of insulation, you'll change your mind ...

 

... in fact you'll be stood on the towpath in your underwear with 1/3rd bag daily of a good smokeless fuel in a squirrel in a 48 ft cabin, assuming there's any insulation at all.  Centrally placed rather than the stupid bow door position makes your argument worse, not better!

 

48 foot cabin is on a 65 foot boat.

I don't buy fuel in 18kg bags, do you?

The stove is central.

Its minus 5 outside, canal frozen.

If I block the houdinis it goes dark.

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I think you could spend quite a lot of time and money messing about with the squirrel but ultimately it's not big enough for the boat. If it were me I'd just take out the squirrel, sell it and replace it with a bigger stove. You won't cut your fuel bills but at least you'll be warm. 

 

I guess part of how easy it is to install will depend on where it's located and whether your hearth is big enough.

 

This is my Panther.

IMG_20170918_202214.jpg

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Got a 5kw Morso multifuel with a back boiler running 2 double radiators and a towel rail centrally placed. Usually only have one rad and the towel rail on and find that the boat is easy warm enough.  I do wear about four t-shirts and slipper socks in the winter months though.

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