Calorifier

[nb celestine]

I have a Beta 38 with a horizontal calorifier in the engine bay and while running the engine to see where all the flow and returns were I was wondering why hot coolant was going to the skin tank when I wanted it all to go to the calorifier so the water would heat quicker and then when the calorifier was up to temperature, the water could then go to the skin tank.

Are all set-ups like this? It seems a bit of a waste really. Paul.

A bit of advice would be appreciated but I,m out all evening so wont be able to answer any questions. Thanks.

[alan_fincher]

Well on my BMC installation, the hot feed to the calorifier is taken from what would normally be the feed to the cab heater, if it were in a vehicular application.

 

So as soon as there is any heat in the engine coolant at all, the calorifier would start to heat.

 

Up until the point engine thermostat temperature is reached, only the calorifier, and not the skin tank, will be heating.

 

After that it's all controlleds at engine stat temperature anyway, so the calorifier should be getting all the heat it can realistically dump.

 

I can't see why a Beta can't work the same way, but I don't know how these are "plumbed".

 

One of the previously reported problems on marinised Betas driving calorifiers is that the stat operating temperature is very low, (in the 70s). If you have a higher value stat, then instinctively to me the calorifier must heat faster. In my BMC it's 82 degrees, and I can't understand why it is good to cool a more modern engine to a lower temperature than that ?

[Tony Brooks]

Well on my BMC installation, the hot feed to the calorifier is taken from what would normally be the feed to the cab heater, if it were in a vehicular application.

 

So as soon as there is any heat in the engine coolant at all, the calorifier would start to heat.

 

Up until the point engine thermostat temperature is reached, only the calorifier, and not the skin tank, will be heating.

 

After that it's all controlleds at engine stat temperature anyway, so the calorifier should be getting all the heat it can realistically dump.

 

I can't see why a Beta can't work the same way, but I don't know how these are "plumbed".

 

One of the previously reported problems on marinised Betas driving calorifiers is that the stat operating temperature is very low, (in the 70s). If you have a higher value stat, then instinctively to me the calorifier must heat faster. In my BMC it's 82 degrees, and I can't understand why it is good to cool a more modern engine to a lower temperature than that ?

 

 

I suspect it nothing to do with the cooling of the engine but more the fear of litigation if someone scalded themselves with calorifier water at close to or above 90C. Your stat only starts to open at 82C so I doubt it will be fully open until at least 86C and the calorifier will get close to that temperature.

 

In my view the engine should have its "normal" (non-marine) stat fitted along with a thermostatic mixing valve for the hot water, but the marinisers have no way of ensuring one is in fact fitted.

[casper ghost]

My engine doesn't have a thermostate, but I do have a lever to divert all the cooling water through the calorifier to aid heating. You just have to ensure the lever is in the right place..

Casp'

[Chalky]

On my Isuzu the calorifier starts to heat before the skin tank flow is warm, so I presume its taken off before the thermostat connection. I've added a plate heat exchanger off a combi boiler (£10 off ebay - cheaper than alde!) into the circuit and use this to run some rads in the cabin.

 

In the past one of the tricks to get more power out of an engine was to fit a lower temperature thermostat - thus the factory standard 82deg thermostat in an MGB. (complete pain since no one stocked them!). I used to fit an 86 so I had a heater that worked and reduced fuel consumption. Perhaps this also applies to a diesel. If the engine is cooler do you get greater expansion of the charge and more power?

[OldGoat]

You can't expect the heat exchanger part of the calorifier to be 100% efficient, not if you expect to be able to afford one. One's I've seen just have a little finning around a flexi copper pipe, so the heat transfer is mediocre.

 

Anyway the flow through the coil is quite fast so the output pipe is likely to be quite hot.