Dopey boyfriend ;-)

[Jen_Juniper]

Hello everyone,

Just wondering if you could help please! My boyfriend mike lives on a boat. We're currently off on holiday in a cottage in Derbyshire, and he can't remember if he turned the heating off before we left. It's an Erberspracker heating system, that runs off diesel from the engine. He definitely did not leave the engine on. He thinks it had half a tank full of fuel when we left.

We were just wondering...what's the worst that could happen if he did? Will he just lose a tank of fuel (which wouldn't justify driving back to *****) or will it damage the heating system somehow?

I'd be super grateful for your advice so we can decide whether to head back to London in a hurry, or relax and head to the pub!

Thanks in advance,

Jen

Edited February 15, 2015 by DeanS
removed boat location for safety sake

[blackrose]

I think it would just run the tank dry eventually. Once it couldn't get any more fuel the eberspacher would just cut out.

 

But if the boat isn't on shore power with a battery charger switched on it may also flatten the batteries.

Edited February 15, 2015 by blackrose

[Jen_Juniper]

Thank you very much blackrose, doesn't sound too catastrophic!

[MtB]

I'm inclined to think it's 50/50 whether the batteries will run down first or run out of fuel but it depends on how much fuel 'half a tank' is. I think they burn about half a litre an hour.

 

Whichever happens first though, no damage will result. And he probably did turn it off, he just can't remember actually doing it. I often can't remember turning the gas off, and I invariably have when I get back to the boat.

 

MtB

[Tom Richmond]

The other day I left the boat for a week, drove about an hour before realising I had not turned the gas off, drove back (a second hour) to find the gas safely off and resumed my journey feeling somewhat sheepish (a third hour...) better safe than sorry though.

[MtB]

The other day I left the boat for a week, drove about an hour before realising I had not turned the gas off, drove back (a second hour) to find the gas safely off and resumed my journey feeling somewhat sheepish (a third hour...) better safe than sorry though.

 

 

On the other hand, I once had the keys to a customer's house to refit the bathroom while he was away on holiday. One Friday night I had driven most of the way home when it crossed my mind I couldn't actually remember closing and double-locking the front door as usual.

 

Thinking I must have done I almost didn't go back to check, but I did go back, and a good thing too. When I got there I'd not only left the front door unlocked, but wide open too.

 

Good thing I'm SUCH a responsible tradesman...

 

Edited February 15, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[Jen_Juniper]

I think he probably did too! Thanks MtB, it's good to have the reassurance. A lot of expensive things have gone wrong with his car lately so I'm keen to help him avoid another big bill!

[MtB]

Hmmmmm... 'other boys are available'...

 

 

MtB

[jake_crew]

Is there anyone nearby who could check - even just to listen for it running - for you ?

[luctor et emergo]

Am I the only one who opened this thread, expecting tales of mirth involving a simian and a bottle of Talisker. ..?

[MtB]

Might be an idea to take your boat name off your profile, having just advertised the fact you are miles away on holiday!

 

 

MtB

[OldGoat]

It all depends on:-

How big a battery bank you have,

How much fuel there is in the tank,

 

Why:-

The ebersplutter is very economical of fuel,

doesn't take a lot of power when running,

DOES take a lot of power when it starts up.

 

Once it has got the boat 'toasty' it'll go into reduced heat and power mode. After it has tried the reduced heat a number of times, it'll go into sulk mode and power down completely.

 

So I suspect that your batteries may not be run completely flat,

nor will your tank be empty

 

That's what happens on my boat - but then I do have thermostats on some of the radiators (the bathroom and calorifier are always 'on' to provide a heat sink)

 

I could be wrong....

[mrsmelly]

The other day I left the boat for a week, drove about an hour before realising I had not turned the gas off, drove back (a second hour) to find the gas safely off and resumed my journey feeling somewhat sheepish (a third hour...) better safe than sorry though.

 

Do you turn the gas/electric/water off at home before you leave to go to the boat? Not a funny question realy but we are long term liveaboards and never turn anything off. I reckon with the four yearly mot on boats that the services are less likely to fail than in the average house which in many many cases are never checked out!!

 

Tim

[Chagall]

Might be an idea to take your boat name off your profile, having just advertised the fact you are miles away on holiday!

 

 

MtB

 

My thought too... if she doesn't log in again she may not have realised, could the mods perhaps blank the location and boat name for now I wonder?

 

edit to add...although the location is listed as their holiday destination, so I guess looking for the boat name where it actually is would be the proverbial needle! ...but still, so I've done a busy body bit and alerted the mods.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Chagall

[tree monkey]

Am I the only one who opened this thread, expecting tales of mirth involving a simian and a bottle of Talisker. ..?

As it appens.......

[Neil Smith]

She said

 

 

My thought too... if she doesn't log in again she may not have realised, could the mods perhaps blank the location and boat name for now I wonder?

 

edit to add...although the location is listed as their holiday destination, so I guess looking for the boat name where it actually is would be the proverbial needle! ...but still, so I've done a busy body bit and alerted the mods.

She said back to *******, but then that's a big place but better safe than sorry.

 

Neil.

Edited February 15, 2015 by DeanS
removed boat location

[DeanS]

I've removed the boat name and location for safeties sake.

[Nightwatch]

We helped the in laws move from their bungalow in Ledbury in Herefordshire to their new home in Hampshire.

 

We travelled back to Herefodshire to clean up the bungalow ready for handing over keys. We got back to the bungalow at about midnight. Have you got the keys? No,you had them. We slept in the cab of the transit Luton. In winter, in the middle of an elderly persons complex,(we couldn't run the engine.)

 

About eight am we decided we ought to sort this out. I was to break in and get the window fixed etc.

 

After about ten minutes a friend came across the road and offered a bunch of keys we didn't know about. In laws had given them to him incase he needed to get in. We were both tired and embarrassed. Always the way isn't it.

 

Martyn

Edited February 15, 2015 by Nightwatch

[David Mack]

 

 

On the other hand, I once had the keys to a customer's house to refit the bathroom while he was away on holiday. One Friday night I had driven most of the way home when it crossed my mind I couldn't actually remember closing and double-locking the front door as usual.

 

Thinking I must have done I almost didn't go back to check, but I did go back, and a good thing too. When I got there I'd not only left the front door unlocked, but wide open too.

 

Good thing I'm SUCH a responsible tradesman...

 

 

 

But did you 'fess up to the customer?

[MtB]

 

 

But did you 'fess up to the customer?

 

 

Of COURSE I did....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok, nope.

 

 

MtB

[BlueStringPudding]

My Eber cuts out when the hot water tank gets up to temperature. If his is the same then it'll cut out way before either the batteries die or the fuel runs out.

[Paul C]

TBH the worst that could happen is you flatten the batteries or run out of diesel. At this time of year, a boat left with no heating will go quite damp inside, which is never any good.

[Iain_S]

 

 

On the other hand, I once had the keys to a customer's house to refit the bathroom while he was away on holiday. One Friday night I had driven most of the way home when it crossed my mind I couldn't actually remember closing and double-locking the front door as usual.

 

Thinking I must have done I almost didn't go back to check, but I did go back, and a good thing too. When I got there I'd not only left the front door unlocked, but wide open too.

 

Good thing I'm SUCH a responsible tradesman...

 

 

Are you SURE it was you that left it open?

 

Iain

Edited February 15, 2015 by Iain_S