Boat heating

[Kb76]

Hello.. It feels like spring is here at last and after surviving our first winter in our narrowboat we look forward to some sunshine and a little less mud!! Anyway I wanted some advice on upgrading our heating system for next year. We are thinking of getting a new stove. with backboiler fitted to heat 3-4 radiators. Is this the best (and cheapest) option or should we be considering diesal heating systems? Can anyone give me a rough idea on costs for this including fitting? It's all early thoughts but I would really live a warmish bedroom next winter. Thanks in advance :-)

[Paul C]

Diesel central heating system has the advantage that if plumbed in to allow, it could produce hot water without heating the boat's interior. It would depend on how you use the boat, what other equipment it has, and how you currently produce hot water whether its a sufficiently large advantage.

 

I imagine costs could vary significantly based on how easily pipe runs can be put into the boat. You'd probably need to rebuild the hearth tiling too, if pipes need to be installed through it I can foresee it cracking/getting destroyed in the process of doing so. Not sure what your current stove is or where its located, hopefully you can avoid needing to seal up its flue hole and cut another, ie you can re-use the existing flue position.

[Kb76]

We are cc' sand currently have gas heating for water and an old morso stove for heating. It's a great stove but just want that but more heating. Thanks for your reply

[Paul C]

Personally I'd go for diesel but its because it has advantages over the back boiler option which you might not personally benefit from as much as us.

[Loafer]

I'd go for another solid fuel stove at the cold end of the boat. Works well here. I hate jet engines in my boat.

[Pete & Helen]

Like a lot of things everyone will have their own personal opinion on what's best. We have limited experience (as many others also have) but you have to consider the installation costs and the running costs for heating systems and the comfort level you want.

 

We have a solid fuel burner and only use coal. this costs about £2 a day to run and is in 24*7 from mid October to April this keeps us nice and warm and supplies 2 radiators and warms up the hot water (I'm not going to say its hot enough for a shower but hot enough for most other things, washing up can be supplemented by a hot kettle) We time showers and using the washing machine for when the engine has been running.

[Kb76]

Thanks guys, but what about rough ideas of costs of buying and installing, bearing in mind we would need all of tid fitted ??

[b0atman]

The best in my opinion is multifuel stove with backboiler feeding radiators and ? calorifier by convection/gravity? so no pump.

My last boat fed 3 radiators and a calorifier stove was Morso Squirrel .

Plumbed into this was engine cooling system and an eberspacher .

Remember when everything fails you will still have a fire which can burn most things .

if you already have a Morso then it is a straight swap out.

If you are not prepared to have a go at DIY then better have plenty of money try to shop around for best deals.

There are plumbers etc on here who can do the work but you maybe will be best taking boat to their area

[mrsmelly]

Hi

diesel at some point WILL go wrong. A bigger output stove or another at back end but i think u may have insulation issues as my squirrel was enough in a 70 footer.

 

Tim

Edited March 9, 2015 by mrsmelly

[Athy]

I suggest (as hinted by Mrsmelly above) that you should have two independent heat sources, for example diesel central heating and solid fuel stove. Then if one fails (electrical or mechanical fault in the former, damp or poor quality solid fuel in the latter) then you've got back-up.

[Kb76]

Hi

diesel at some point WILL go wrong. A bigger output stove or another at back end but i think u may have insulation issues as my squirrel was enough in a 70 footer.

 

Tim

Do you think? That's interesting. Our stove is on its way out and there are small gaps in the back of it. Also planning to re insulate the bedroom this summer as well. Or maybe we just live heat! Thanks

[smileypete]

Do you think? That's interesting. Our stove is on its way out and there are small gaps in the back of it. Also planning to re insulate the bedroom this summer as well. Or maybe we just live heat! Thanks

 

Do get that sorted ASAP, and have a couple of CO alarms, best have at least one with a display.

 

Been loadsa topics on boat heating in the past, maybe trawl the search facility over summer.

 

A backboiler gravity system can depend on boat layout, even the much maligned Ecofan can help a bit.

 

For warming the arctic end of the bote, a blown air diesel or propex heater might do OK.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited March 9, 2015 by smileypete

[NMEA]

There is no single best solution, what there is though is a best solution for your usage pattern and expectations, so what are they.

[MtB]

Thanks guys, but what about rough ideas of costs of buying and installing, bearing in mind we would need all of tid fitted ??

 

£3,000

 

 

MtB

[mrsmelly]

Do you think? That's interesting. Our stove is on its way out and there are small gaps in the back of it. Also planning to re insulate the bedroom this summer as well. Or maybe we just live heat! Thanks

 

Hi

 

Yes I think you will find forstly that you will have poor insulation, it does make a humungous difference to heat retention and I speak from experience of well and not so well insulated boats I have lived on.

There is nowt wrong with many of the forms of diesel heating as a back up system but will cost you a good few quid to fit from scratch.

A good squirrel properly set up and careful use of vents will perform well enough for a narrowboat that is well insulated.

One thing to remember is that for every radiator you fit you take heat away from where the stove is situated as you dont get owt for nowt as the saying goes.

 

Cheers

 

Tim

[dccruiser]

I have diesel heating as well as a stove on a 60' boat, the boat gets so hot if we dont keep the stat turned down we have to open all the doors to let heat out, although it all works really well and we have constant hot water i am still changing the stove to one with a backboiler so i have 2 ways of heating the rads, the stove is right at the front and with the stove alone lit the kitchen at the back end of the boat is cold, saying that it is only a small stove and will be replaced by a large aarrow stove.

 

Rick

[Sabcat]

Have you tried messing around with your ventilation? Our 62ft boat is heated by a Squirrel with no radiators. In the winter I close down all the mushroom vents (not fully) at the front of the boat and down to the bedroom (at the back of the boat ) where I wind the vent fully open. This draws the warm air down the boat and make it all warm. The bedroom is still cooler than the saloon but not so dramatically.

 

Not sure if will work for you but if it does it's free.

[dccruiser]

Have you tried messing around with your ventilation? Our 62ft boat is heated by a Squirrel with no radiators. In the winter I close down all the mushroom vents (not fully) at the front of the boat and down to the bedroom (at the back of the boat ) where I wind the vent fully open. This draws the warm air down the boat and make it all warm. The bedroom is still cooler than the saloon but not so dramatically.

 

Not sure if will work for you but if it does it's free.

Thanks for that i will give it a go ... i have to add i currently have wooden doors both ends and a wooden hatch, none of which are at their best, so i am fitting steel ones soon and hopefully getting rid of the current draughts and the half glazed front doors, so hopefully that will help a lot, also as i have the bricks with it i will try the aarrow without the backboiler first just to see how it performs.

 

Rick

Edited March 11, 2015 by dccruiser