More plumbing advice needed

[Theo]

Here is the plan:

 

1. Set up the calorifier so that the engine can heat it via the unused coil.

 

2. Install a radiator/Towel rail in the bathroom, plumbed in parallel with the Mikuni heated coil.

 

3. Now the unorthodox bit: Also connect the Rad/Rail in parallel with the engine heated coil with suitable valves so that it is fed by only one at a time.

 

What are likely problems wit this plan, apart from the balancing of pressures between the two, at present, isolated systems?

 

Nick

[Alan Saunders]

You will have the same antifreeze mixture in both systems.

 

If you can turn on the circulating pump on the Mikuni circuit without firing up the Mikuni you will get some heat transfer from the calorifier to the radiator. My Alde keeps the engine warm just with the gravity flow in the engine - calorifier circuit.

 

Even more unorthodox why not connect the radiators etc in series with the keel cooler and recover even more heat from the engine?

 

There is a nagging feeling that this is so obvious that it would normally be done that way if there were no a serious snag.

 

Alan

[ChrisPy]

even more unorthodox - why not isolate the keel cooler loop except in the heat of summer, so all the heat is re-cycled in the boat? lots of radiators needed.

 

.............. wow, that's a lot of heat when cruising. ......... the better half might even be tempted to join me .

[Theo]

even more unorthodox - why not isolate the keel cooler loop except in the heat of summer, so all the heat is re-cycled in the boat? lots of radiators needed.

 

.............. wow, that's a lot of heat when cruising. ......... the better half might even be tempted to join me .

 

 

I don't have keel cooling. Raw water cooling of a heat exchanger.

 

Nick

[magnetman]

Engine driven central heating can and is done but means a lot of engine running. John on 'Druid' does this.

(Most people probably have met John if they've been around the cut a bit, he's the talkative bloke with big ear-rings he has a 64ft (approx) Les/Bob Allen boat called 'DRUID Warship class' on a brass name plate. The boat is in a bit of a generally uncleaned state with loads of windows, he goes to all the nationals and does a lot of walking as well as boating. He's a real character)

A friend of mine is planning to do this on his widebeam, run the rads off the engine calorifier circuit. I don't really see it being that clever because of required engine running times but it'll probably have some effect i expect.

edited

Edited February 9, 2007 by magnetman

[dor]

I've explained my system before, but just to refresh: I have a twin coil cal, with an Alde. Obviously either the engine or alde can heat the calorifier. I have fitted two full-flow valves to the circuits, one to cut off the rads and one to cut off the Alde's calorifer coil. If I open both valves and just turn the Alde pump on (not burning) my rads get too hot to touch after a while, from heat transferred from the engine using the calorifer as a heat exchanger. I've got a flap valve in the flow circuit from the engine to stop heat in the calorifier keeping the engine warm.

 

So I have options of: Engine to heat hot water only, alde to heat hot water only, alde to heat rads only, alde to heat hot water and rads, Engine to heat hot water and rads. The only one missing is to for engine to heat rads only, but you always want hot water anyway.

[magnetman]

I've explained my system before, but just to refresh: I have a twin coil cal, with an Alde. Obviously either the engine or alde can heat the calorifier. I have fitted two full-flow valves to the circuits, one to cut off the rads and one to cut off the Alde's calorifer coil. If I open both valves and just turn the Alde pump on (not burning) my rads get too hot to touch after a while, from heat transferred from the engine using the calorifer as a heat exchanger. I've got a flap valve in the flow circuit from the engine to stop heat in the calorifier keeping the engine warm.

 

So I have options of: Engine to heat hot water only, alde to heat hot water only, alde to heat rads only, alde to heat hot water and rads, Engine to heat hot water and rads. The only one missing is to for engine to heat rads only, but you always want hot water anyway.

 

Sounds good. I was referring to a system which was engine ONLY when I mentioned in my view it wasn't that clever, not a multiple source system.

 

 

I know I am living in the paleolithic era but I couldn't be doing with any kind of heating which relied on electricity, engine running or anything other than coal/wood, with natural thermosyphon heat transfer to the radiators. I want it to be 100% reliable.

[Theo]

I've explained my system before, but just to refresh: I have a twin coil cal, with an Alde. Obviously either the engine or alde can heat the calorifier. I have fitted two full-flow valves to the circuits, one to cut off the rads and one to cut off the Alde's calorifer coil. If I open both valves and just turn the Alde pump on (not burning) my rads get too hot to touch after a while, from heat transferred from the engine using the calorifer as a heat exchanger. I've got a flap valve in the flow circuit from the engine to stop heat in the calorifier keeping the engine warm.

 

So I have options of: Engine to heat hot water only, alde to heat hot water only, alde to heat rads only, alde to heat hot water and rads, Engine to heat hot water and rads. The only one missing is to for engine to heat rads only, but you always want hot water anyway.

 

 

My boiler is a Mikuni. Can you turn on the pump without the burner?

 

Nick

[David Schweizer]

Balliol Fowden was doing this 25 years ago. My boat built by Braunston Canal Services has a single coil calorifier which is fed by the engine coolant water via the outlet designed for the cab heater if the engine was in a van. The water is then fed through the radiators, and returned to the engine, The Gas Central heating boiler is also connected to this system betwen the calorifier and the first radiator, which means that the water can be heated by either the engine or the boiler, or both. Contrary to what has been suggested the radiators start to heat up within minutes of the engine starting and normally reach full temperature within half an hour - no slower than if the boiler was used.

 

One of the drawbacks with the original system was that whilst the radiators could be turned off during the summer, the boiler was still heated up by the engine, so I have introduced a system of gate valves and ball valves to regulate the flow, preventing unwanted heating during the summer. One of the biggest challenges was to design the system in such a way that the system could not be over pressurised with all the valves accidentally closed, but now it has been installed it works well.

Edited February 9, 2007 by David Schweizer