Opinion on this stove placement

[Balloon]

Hi, I’m considering a purchase of this boat however I have some concerns about this stove placement:

can anyone advise me please! Firstly I’m assuming the curtain is a big no no? Also the wood panelling near to the flue. And lastly the steps. 
 

Thanks in anticipation. 

[Tony Brooks]

All depend upon separation distance and if there are any signs of overheating. If there are no signs of overheating, I would be more concerned about how the stove and what looks like the metal surround are secured.

 

I agree, the stove looks a bit close to the cabin side at the top and the wood looks as if it's discoloured there, but that might be dust from constantly rising hot air.

[Balloon]

Thanks for this @Tony Brooks  - what do you make of the discolouration on the roof. Is this normal? 

[Tracy D'arth]

15 minutes ago, Balloon said:

Thanks for this @Tony Brooks  - what do you make of the discolouration on the roof. Is this normal? 

The lining damage looks more like water ingress.  Its a common siting, the curtain is a no-no.  The stove must be secured so that it will not move when the boat hits something or the flue gets ripped off under a bridge.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

I'd be most concerned about the curtain immediately above the stove and next to the flue. I would look to replacing this with a removable bung to block the window at night that can be fixed in place, or blocking that window off full time.

The what appears to be a steel surround looks interesting. Not seen something like that used with a Squirrel before. Wonder if it was purchased, or made for the boat? There seems to be a gap between it and the ceramic tiles, which should drop the temperatures that the tiles experience (good), as well as setting up convection currents in the cabin air as it heats up, helping spread the heat (also good).

It may be difficult to remove the ash pan without removing the cabin steps. Hard to tell from a picture.

The fibreglass seal for the door glass appears to be hanging out. Easily fixed.

Agree with @Tracy D'arth, the roof lining appears to have water ingress damage. Most likely from the roof collar. This may have been fixed, or could be on-going.

Check the sides of the steps for heat damage.

Jen

[MtB]

The steps look as though they might be designed to be pushed back into a space behind the bulkhead, judging by the edging/frame pinned to the bulkhead where the back of the step meets the bulkhead.

 

And yes the staining on the vertical cabin lining looks like water but the blackening of the deckhead where the flue actually passes through looks like scorching to me. 

 

[Balloon]

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. I am glad others have noted similar to what I was thinking. 
 

if the wood is scorched around the flue where it leaves the boat, would this be a problem that could be resolved by using a double walled flue? And in fitting this, any water ingress could also be resolved?

 

if there has been water ingress, does stopping that fix the issue, or are there long term problems that result after water ingress? 
 

thanks again 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 minutes ago, Balloon said:

f the wood is scorched around the flue where it leaves the boat, would this be a problem that could be resolved by using a double walled flue? And in fitting this, any water ingress could also be resolved?

Yes to both. The second question, only if the fitting is done competently. However, the scorching can also be resolved by cutting away the wood from around the single skin flue, leaving a gap that can be bridged with something non heat conductive and non flammable. This is how it is usually done.

 

[Balloon]

Ok, great, thank you for that. 
 

Some people mentioned that the stove and surround should be secured - is there anything in particular I should be looking for as to how it should be secured? I’m viewing the boat this week. 

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, Balloon said:

Ok, great, thank you for that. 
 

Some people mentioned that the stove and surround should be secured - is there anything in particular I should be looking for as to how it should be secured? I’m viewing the boat this week. 

 

Give it a really hard push and pull to see if it moves. Look for fixings through the floor.

[Balloon]

Thanks everyone. I’m often pleasantly surprised by the willingness of others to give their time freely to help strangers on the internet! I do appreciate your time. I’ll let you know how I get on when I see it! 
 

I spent my entire childhood living aboard various sailing boats and houseboats but this is my first foray into the world of narrowboats so I may have more questions as time goes on! 

[MtB]

33 minutes ago, Balloon said:

Ok, great, thank you for that. 
 

Some people mentioned that the stove and surround should be secured - is there anything in particular I should be looking for as to how it should be secured? I’m viewing the boat this week. 

 

The most likely incident to cause the stove to move and damage/disconnect the flue is the boat being drawn unexpectedly forwards in a lock and the bow hitting the sill. The potentially sharp shock of the boat stopping dead as it hits the immovable sill can cause the heavy stove to move forward within the boat.

 

You need to make sure the stove is securely fixed to prevent this. The method of fixing doesn't matter, as long as it really is fixed.

[OldGoat]

Apologies for not answering the question BUT

 

One of the disadvantages of the 'normal / default' layout is that's there is nowhere convenient to put the 'obligatory' fire. Having burnt my hand slightly on a boat were were viewing, I instantly decided that a normal layout as not for us - hence building a boat with a reverse layout.

Putting a heater by the front door - apart from the above - wastes a lot of heat - warming the front doors  and being fitted tightly agains the wall - even with a tiled surround will dry out the the woodwork in time.

I suspect the damage in the ceiling is a result of not having a suitable roof collar available (I had a helluva job in finding an angled collar for our boat where the fire is placed in 'a more usual' location....