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Engine bay thermal insulation


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The engine bay in our widebeam was at least partially insulated by the previous owner; he also added a waterproof, low power electric heating column.  I assume this was done to prevent damage/problems caused by freezing.  Incidentally, what kind of damage are we likely to be talking about?

 

The problem we're having is that the insulation--synthetic fibre under/within aluminium-like foil skin--beneath the deck boards has become waterlogged from rain.  I don't think this is helping the deck boards and it seems to ensure that the engine is continually doused in water.

 

Can anyone recommend an insulation material that will be better suited?  Any other thoughts?

 

Many thanks

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Insulated waterproof box over the engine? Cruiser sterns are notorious for dripping water into the engine bay. Are the deck drains clear and big enough?

The insulation is most likely sound proofing rather than frost prevention which it would not help anyway.

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As @Tracy D'arth says, it is more likely to be there as sound insulation. There may be a layer of lead sheet inside, which would confirm it as proper sound insulation, which is also fire retardant. If it is getting water logged, I would be looking at the drain channels and making sure they were clear so water flows overboard. If they are not working properly, then look at modification and improvement. Everything under the boards should be proof against freezing temperatures anyway, with the exception of a calorifier and any potable water piping to and from it, which should be insulated directly to slow down cooling. Even in a frozen canal, the unfrozen water underneath and around the engine hole should keep the temperature near, or just above zero.

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11 hours ago, danbettles said:

The engine bay in our widebeam was at least partially insulated by the previous owner; he also added a waterproof, low power electric heating column.  I assume this was done to prevent damage/problems caused by freezing.  Incidentally, what kind of damage are we likely to be talking about?

 

 

If the engine is raw water cooled, damage could include freezing of mud box, pipes, heat exchanger, etc. - anything which contains raw water.

 

If it's the "standard" closed loop keel cooling found on most canal boats, then as long as your anti-freeze is correctly topped up I can't help thinking thermal insulation is a bit of a waste of time, unless there's something else down there like a calorifier which contains fresh water. The insulation might prevent a bit of condensation on the bare steel insides of the engine space, but as you've found, it's just as likely to become water-logged itself by rain water that finds it's way in there - especially if it's a cruiser stern engine bay. Then of course the water can't escape, in which case you'd be better off with bare steel and a bit of condensation which can easily evaporate when conditions improve.

 

42 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

As @Tracy D'arth says, it is more likely to be there as sound insulation. 

 

 

Yes, could be, except that the OP also mentioned a waterproof, low power electric heating column. So it sounds like the previous owner was concerned about freezing down there. Could be for two different purposes of course.

Edited by blackrose
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Our Dutch barge has the calorifier in the engine bay it is well insulated but we still half empty it for the winter as well as draining the pipework, no point in taking chances especially as our boat is in Europe and we can't get to it if temperatures drop suddenly.

It happens we woke up this morning to find the house stone cold, boiler decided it did no longer wish to function, why does it always happen on one of the coldest days of the year?  

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On 04/01/2022 at 21:42, Tracy D'arth said:

Insulated waterproof box over the engine? Cruiser sterns are notorious for dripping water into the engine bay. Are the deck drains clear and big enough?

The insulation is most likely sound proofing rather than frost prevention which it would not help anyway.

 

Thanks for all your responses: very helpful, thanks 🙂  

 

I had a big tidy-up at the weekend: removed all the deckboards, stripped the soggy insulation, and gave the gutters and drains a good clean.  I hadn't seen the drains before and they were hard to spot with all the sludge that had accumulated--another item to add to the maintenance checklist.  Thankfully the underside of the deckboards are in good shape--they'd been very well painted, apparently.  I'm expecting to see a lot less rainwater accumulating now, which is good.

 

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A note for others who may stumble on this. 

 

I spent a little more time in the engine bay today.  Two things I noticed, in particular:

  • The condensate pipe from our combi boiler terminates near the bilge--I'd wondered what that pipe was for.
  • A lot of condensation has been building up.

 

So, it looks as if there are two additional sources of water--other than rainwater.

 

Sounds as if a boiler can create quite a lot of condensate; I wonder that accounts for a large proportion of the water.  Apparently condensate is acidic, so I'll see if I can find a suitable soakaway.

 

I've switched off the waterproof heater bar: I'm wondering if that's been encouraging condensation.

 

We'll see.  I'll report back if I have any success.

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