Rayburn Classic

[junior]

I'm currently looking at a boat that has a Rayburn Classic installed in the galley. It is the only way of cooking and also the source of the heating.

 

I have no experience of Rayburns, let alone one on a boat. Can anyone tell me anything about them? Are they any good? Will it warm the boat? How easy to get going/keep going? Could a man cook on one?

[Trento]

Dionysus has a Rayburn No 1 solid fuel cooker installed. It supply's heat via a back boiler for the central heating and domestic water.

I have no gas onboard so all cooking is done on the Rayburn, depending on your cooking skills almost anything can be "cooked"..

 

 

Their not the most fuel thrifty units, but during the past two winters it has managed to keep the boat warm and cosy..

 

Due to the nature of the beast, dust is sometimes a problem..

 

Throughly recommended..

[carlt]

I will say that my Rayburn was the best piece of equipment I ever had on a boat.

 

The boat was toasty warm, the Sunday roast was the nicest you could want, bread and pies were delicious perfection.

 

I lit it in October and it stayed in until March burning mainly wood but with a few pieces of smokeless chucked on at bedtime to keep it in overnight.

 

A man will cook on one but you would have to chop him up or buy an Aga, with the larger oven.

 

SueB will be along shortly to tell you that they are a pile of crap.

[Timleech]

I wouldn't fancy having it as the only means of cooking. We have a Rayburn in the house, it;s running in all but the hottest weather (200 year old house, needs constant airing, and it gives all the hot water we want), but do most of the real cooking on bottled gas, except in depths of winter when it's cranked up higher.

 

Tim

[magnetman]

I had a Rayburn MF on a narrow boat for a few years and it was a nice thing to have but

 

loads of fuel

loads if dust

 

 

mine wasn't near a door so all the ash had to be transferred through the cabin in the ash pan which created a lot of dust.

 

I am very tempted to have one on the barge but I would want an opening window or side door next to it so the (large) ash pan can be got outside quick.

 

or run a diesel version

 

i'd definitely have at least a gas hob as well

 

I know people like gas free but it is a very convenient fuel and not at all dangerous with a good installation.

[Athy]

Rayburn Classic? Is that the actual name of it?

We have a Rayburn in our house and are very pleased with it, would not be without it in fact. Be warned that after it comes on (ours is oil-fired) it's about 20 minutes before you can cook anything on it or even boil a kettle.

[carlt]

I wouldn't fancy having it as the only means of cooking.

I have an Origo spirit stove for the summer days.

 

The only time I had a dust problem was when I ran out of wood and had to use straight smokeless but if emptied carefully it was never any worse than any other burner nor did I find it any less efficient than any but the smallest of burners.

[junior]

I wouldn't fancy having it as the only means of cooking. We have a Rayburn in the house, it;s running in all but the hottest weather (200 year old house, needs constant airing, and it gives all the hot water we want), but do most of the real cooking on bottled gas, except in depths of winter when it's cranked up higher.

 

Tim

Thanks, something I had never thought of. So if I want to do any cooking in the summer, it will be the equivalent of having the SFS on in the boat? Or can you choose to have it on cooking only and not heating?

[Athy]

can you choose to have it on cooking only and not heating?

 

 

Yes - though of course it will radiate heat when cooking. If it does not have a separate control for the heating, just turn the radiators (if there are any) off.

It looks to me like a Rayburn Royal (1970s/ 80s). Is it oil, gas or solid fuel fired?

[RLWP]

just turn the radiators (if there are any) off.

 

I have brought this up before on here and not managed to establish a proper answer.

 

Solid fuel boilers on new build boats seem to bring up issues with the RCD. The main concern seems to be dumping heat if the dampers are left open. One solution I have come across has a circulating pump running continuously on an electrical circuit that cannot be switched off, which would require either the radiators on or a separate heat dump to the canal

 

Anyone else got a Rayburn through RCD?

 

Richard

[Athy]

At least one of the boats we inspected at Crick had a range cooker (Heritage Uno I think), so the builder must have expected it to pass the test or he would not have installed it.

[junior]

can you choose to have it on cooking only and not heating?

 

 

Yes - though of course it will radiate heat when cooking. If it does not have a separate control for the heating, just turn the radiators (if there are any) off.

It looks to me like a Rayburn Royal (1970s/ 80s). Is it oil, gas or solid fuel fired?

From what I can work out from the add it is a Rayburn 121 S Classic. I looked on the Rayburn website and it does seem to be a model that exists and is still available to buy.

 

As to what fuel it uses, I must admit I just assumed it would be solid fuel. It is a gas free boat.

[casper ghost]

Anyone else got a Rayburn through RCD?

 

Richard

What was done on Cobbett with Jill's range?

Casp'

[RLWP]

What was done on Cobbett with Jill's range?

Casp'

 

See above post

 

Richard

 

At least one of the boats we inspected at Crick had a range cooker (Heritage Uno I think), so the builder must have expected it to pass the test or he would not have installed it.

 

True, and the builder will have had to meet the RCD. How did they do it?

 

Richard

[Matthew Dowson]

In answer - Yes, Yes, Easy, Yes.

But I would agree with another poster - creates dust and you'll be wiping your interior surfaces regularly, and we have a small hob which is essential unless you can spend your life thinking 30 minutes ahead, as you don't want the Rayburn belting hot enough to boil a kettle, or roast something all the time. Throw in some small bits of wood to get up to quick heat for frying etc. It does consume quite a bit of coal, easily £20 a week. I like it but could equally live without it. A small solid fuel stove would probably warm up the boat quicker and use less fuel. Great to lean up against though on cool days, try doing that with a Morso.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Matthew Dowson

[richardf]

I work in the range industry and folk often think that running a solid fuel range just involves burning a small amount of wood - probably picked up by the roadside! In reality, the Rayburn working in a domestic environment with a CH boiler for heating and water will consume 7 tonnes of wood per year! Not to be underestimated!

[carlt]

the Rayburn working in a domestic environment with a CH boiler for heating and water will consume 7 tonnes of wood per year! Not to be underestimated!

For a house perhaps but I burnt far less than that on my Rayburn, heating a 72' narrow boat (unless the equivalent of a roof full of wood weighs 7 tonnes of course).

[Athy]

I we have a small hob which is essential unless you can spend your life thinking 30 minutes ahead, as you don't want the Rayburn belting hot enough to boil a kettle,

 

Boil kettle while cooking breakfast. Fill Thermos flask with boiling water. Use to make hot drinks as required throughout the day. That's our method with the Rayburn at home. We do have an electric kettle but it rarely gets used more than once a week.

[magnetman]

For a house perhaps but I burnt far less than that on my Rayburn, heating a 72' narrow boat (unless the equivalent of a roof full of wood weighs 7 tonnes of course).

 

I got through 50 bags of Homefire in one winter on the one I had. this was in a fairly badly insulated (1" polystyrene) all steel 55ft narrow boat with 3 small radiators and a 12 gallon calorifier.

 

I did have some wood about but not very much. The Rayburn MF which seems to be equivalent to the current 212 or 216 was going full time day and night.

 

I disagree quite strongly with the suggestion that you can just turn off the radiators if you don't want them while the stove is going - where does the excess heat go? I had mine 'kettling' and occasionally boiling through the vent even with 3 radiators I suppose if you had a system which would automatically top up the header tank then you'd be ok but it doesn't seem that sensible.

 

 

Totally agree with the electric kettle option you can get small ones which will run happily on an inverter

[Trento]

" I suppose if you had a system which would automatically top up the header tank then you'd be ok but it doesn't seem that sensible"

 

I use a pressurised system with no header tank, the accumulator and pipework are pressurised to 4 psi, regarding the RCD, I have a Danfoss (240 ac) circ pump wired to a temperature switch which turns on the pump when temp in the boiler reaches 70 C, a second pump running on 24vdc is activated when and if the temp in the boiler reaches 80 C. The system has three radiators and a towel rail. I have no problems in meeting the RC Directive. (to date after three years operation, the secondary pump has not been activated and is only run as part of the weekly system checks)

Regarding cooking on the Rayburn in summer, when is it really that hot that the Rayburn with an open hatch and windws is unmanageable?

I concede the dust problem, but that is a matter of goodhouse keeping, its managable wth time...

Ciao.