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Cheap heating idea

nebulae

By nebulae
in Boat Equipment

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nebulae Proficient

nebulae

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When we removed the Lister from our trad stern boat,the one downside was the loss of warmth for the steerer.At the time we were breaking an old Escort van.I removed the heater compleat.The heater matrix is a nice removable module.I hacked the plastic case down to the minimum to hold the matrix and the fan.Mounted on the side of the engine box at the steerers feet.Conect into the calorifier circuit and hi presto warm steerer, warm engine room and takes the chill off the cabin.On a wet day we leave the engine running for half an hour after we have moored,to dry off wet clothes.The escort fan has three speeds.We dont bother to turn the heater off in the summer,just open the doors.Its worked well for five years and is a cheap dodge.Also loses a bit of engine heat when running hard on the river.

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Bobbybass Experienced

Bobbybass

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I have pondered doing this in the past.

 

I concluded..that it would have to be the same level as the engine...or lower...or the engine coolant would run out....

I have only got a place a little higher than the engine..

 

Is this the case do you think..?

 

tah..

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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I have pondered doing this in the past.

 

I concluded..that it would have to be the same level as the engine...or lower...or the engine coolant would run out....

 

It shouldn't if air can't get in, water cant get out. It may be a bugger to bleed. My calorifier is higher than the engine and to bleed it after changing the coolant I extend the filler up with a length of plastic pipe above the hight of the bleed screw.

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Chalky Experienced

Chalky

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Did something similar but used a plate heat exchanger out of a combi boiler. One side in the calorifier circuit, the other in the central heating. Has same effect and allows me to heat the entire boat when cruising.

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Bobbybass Experienced

Bobbybass

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Having the matrix higher shouldnt be a problem all the truck i work on are fitted out this way some are 3 feet above the engine.

 

 

Lynall

 

I'm sure you're right..here's what I'm struggling to imagine...?

 

My coolant on the Beta 43..is in the top of the engine ...and is topped of with the usual radiator type cap...an expansion gap of an inch or so...and a pressure release hose that takes any extra pressure that is released into an overflow bottle..

The hot water...comes from the engine into the skin tank...with a spur send/return to the calorifier..

 

Now here's what I can't imagine:

If I add another spur to an old car heater..and the unit is higher than the engine...when I release the radiator cap..whats to stop the water flowing down and finding its own level..overflowing the engine top expansion tank...and pouring out ?

 

Are you saying..it doesn't do that..?

 

Cheers..

 

Bob

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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It will only run out one end of you let some air in the other.

think of a hosepipe full of water with both its ends in a bucket.lift the middle high as you like and...

 

^^^ This is what you are missing Bob

 

For example, the heater box on my MG is higher than the engine and the radiator

 

Richard

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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Using car heater units in water cooled engined boats was a popular thing to do years ago to blow warm air into the cabin area when a lot of people carried out diy ships lifeboat conversions and the like. The old Ford 100E's Delaney-Galley heater units being quite compact were a popular one, along with other simple recirculary type heater units like Smiths as used in certain BMC cars and others.

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pearley Veteran

pearley

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This is what we have with an adaptor on the outlet to take two hoses.

 

http://www.diavia.it/eng_aura.php?categoria=89&sottocategoria=0&marchio=0&id=117

 

We were lucky is as much as the company we owned before retiring installed vehicle air conditioning and we had a couple of these in stock.

 

We often fitted a second air conditioner and heater in the space above the drivers head on Transit minibuses. A bugger to bleed the air out of the coolant but once you had it gave no trouble. We later bought a thing from Hella that evacuated all the air from the cooling system which made filling a piece of cake.

 

Regards

Pete

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mrsmelly Veteran II

mrsmellyDonate to Canal World

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And do you know what else you can do with a Heater box. Butcher an old tumble dryer, fit the Heater matrix in side and Hey presto a working tumble dryer without the need for shore power just a small inverter to turn the moter round.

 

Darren

 

Bizz would be proud of you :D

 

Tim

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