Bulkhead mounted charcoal heaters

[chubby]

Hello

 

im going thru considerations for an heater at the stern of my 58 ft trad . For space reasons i would ideally prefer bulkhead mounted but a small refleks may be ok possibly .

Anyway , does anyone have experience of Bengco charcoal heater ? Theres one on ebay just now . Ive read countless yacht forums on this heater type , they seem to be popular . Less so on narrowboats but that makes sense due to the availabilty of coal tho there was one fitted into a little tug i saw on rugbyboats website called " isadora "

Can you use those compressed heat logs in such a burner , cut into smaller pieces ?

Reasons to like it for me : Price , size , simplicity , ease of installation , bulkhead mounted .

Any thoughts on such heaters , good or bad would be very welcome .

cheers

[Theo]

Could you post a picture or a link, please.

 

Do they have a proper flue?

 

N

[tree monkey]

Hello

 

im going thru considerations for an heater at the stern of my 58 ft trad . For space reasons i would ideally prefer bulkhead mounted but a small refleks may be ok possibly .

Anyway , does anyone have experience of Bengco charcoal heater ? Theres one on ebay just now . Ive read countless yacht forums on this heater type , they seem to be popular . Less so on narrowboats but that makes sense due to the availabilty of coal tho there was one fitted into a little tug i saw on rugbyboats website called " isadora "

Can you use those compressed heat logs in such a burner , cut into smaller pieces ?

Reasons to like it for me : Price , size , simplicity , ease of installation , bulkhead mounted .

Any thoughts on such heaters , good or bad would be very welcome .

cheers

no opinion on the heater but charcoals expensive dirty and bulky, plus the compressed heat logs vary in quality, from good to useless and they HAVE to be stored dry, allow any moisture into the bag and they have a habit of bursting apart.

have you considered Taylors heaters?

http://taylorsheatersandcookers.co.uk/

[Aground]

Or Samphire Heaters?

[chubby]

Cheers Guys

 

Ive considered just about everything ! Nothing is " set in stone " & im flexible - its all about availabilty & if im honest .... cost . Im not looking for " cheap "( to buy or run ) but at the same time i m not minted & the heater is for just the bedroom / bathroom & for use during very cold spells . The becton bunny at the front runs 24/7 during the winter & the extra one will be as & when .

 

Samphire stove is a cracking bit of kit i think - but at £1000 its not going to happen but i very much like it & its a good looking thing too .

 

Taylors heater is again very good . Its a waiting game on ebay tho for me , brand new is again just not poss . Refleks too

 

Im also rubbish with computers and so cannot do a link . sorry folks - i really am basically " illiterate " at computers & such & do everything via my iphone which is all i have . On ebay if enter " boat heater " it comes up at top. Its the entire package : stove / flue / deck fitting / chimney / cap / stainless heat shield / Bolts .

If suitable & the price is ok then its a " job done " price as its almost complete & not , i imagine , a huge job to fit ( tho drilling a hole thru a perfectly waterproof roof scares the life out of me !) . I would also take extra precautions when mounting it using extra heatproof material onto which i would fit the stainless steel shield or use tiles possibly instead .

I guess im looking to see what folk think of these heaters . Charcoal seems pricey when i look , but if i can use a mix compressed sawdust logs ( u can appear to buy small ones on ebay ) , lumpwood charcoal , those fuel/ sawdust paper wrapped logs from poundland etc then it might be worth further consideration . Recommended use seems to be putting the charcoal into paper bags & dropping the lot in so theres no messiness at the point of use & the lumpwood charcoaI then leaves very little ash ?? I dunno ! I need to be sure as ive not seen one come up on ebay before & it might be a while before one comes up again .

 

It also looks nice to which is important to me . Like i say , its an extra heat source rather than a main one , so it needs to be cost effective but at same time i m not buying cheap stuff of which theres lots on ebay Buy cheap means buy twice to me .

 

cheers again

 

ETA : there was one on a boat called " isadora " on brokersge at Rugby boats , but i think it s sold . The info brochure is still viewable on tinternet if googled to see how it looks when fitted . I think its a looker

Edited August 23, 2015 by chubby

[RLWP]

 

Richard

[tree monkey]

 

Richard

Ohhhh that's lovely, details please

 

Oh hang on is that the charcoal burner?

 

 

 

It is lovely

Edited August 23, 2015 by tree monkey

[RLWP]

Ohhhh that's lovely, details please

 

1/. Google it, like I did

 

2/. If you do, there's no website for the manufacturer

 

Richard

[chubby]

Yep

 

Theres little in the way of info on tinter from the maker . The yacht forums have a good amount of info on charcoal heaters generally . Other makes are called " pansy " & " hampshire " . I also like the idea of them being made here in the UK , mostly on the south coast & i like thier " old fashionedness " ( fashionedness , incidentally is a real word .... i just invented it ) .

 

As i say " boat heater " ... then select auction & its first or second . Its less than £30 just now but its clearly going to sell for much more . If my suggestions or ideas regarding fuel type are suitable for such a heater then i think i ll be bidding as its simplicity appeals to me - no pumps , no power , no servicing etc & for occasional use could be perfect

 

cheers again

[RLWP]

I have a couple of reservations. First off, I think anyone burning charcoal in a confined space like a boat needs their head examining. It's a well know source of carbon monoxide

 

Setting that aside, it would be worth checking with the BSS about the installation. I would be concerned about ventilation, flue size, bulkhead preparation and heat shielding

 

I'll let you deal with the mess from charcoal and ash

 

Richard

[tree monkey]

 

1/. Google it, like I did

 

2/. If you do, there's no website for the manufacturer

 

Richard

Sorry for my apparent idleness, on my phone with a shaky Internet signal

[chubby]

Cheers Richard for your forthright opinion on charcoal usage . I guess theyre popular on yachts etc but then theres less regulation on that type of boat ( i think ) .

In all honesty , i expect you re correct about using charcoal . Its why i ask questions on here as i often need honest , considered advice so im grateful to you . I would be using it mostly for the burning of compressed sawdust type logs & only for several hours in the evenings in the very cold bit of winter , say December to February .

Mess is a concern though too . As i say , i need to be certain about the heater & its suitability & if im not certain then i don t buy it & i ll wait until something more suitable comes along like a small refleks stove . If i wait for a Davey hotpot on ebay i ll wait forever i expect & Refleks come up reasonably often & that would also suit my usage needs .

 

Thanks again for your thoughts , i do like straightforward replies such as yours

cheers

[craftycarper]

Cheers Richard for your forthright opinion on charcoal usage . I guess theyre popular on yachts etc but then theres less regulation on that type of boat ( i think ) .

In all honesty , i expect you re correct about using charcoal . Its why i ask questions on here as i often need honest , considered advice so im grateful to you . I would be using it mostly for the burning of compressed sawdust type logs & only for several hours in the evenings in the very cold bit of winter , say December to February .

Mess is a concern though too . As i say , i need to be certain about the heater & its suitability & if im not certain then i don t buy it & i ll wait until something more suitable comes along like a small refleks stove . If i wait for a Davey hotpot on ebay i ll wait forever i expect & Refleks come up reasonably often & that would also suit my usage needs .

Thanks again for your thoughts , i do like straightforward replies such as yours

cheers

. Looking at those pics I would suggest the flue diameter may well be your biggest problem, I know a lot of French wood stoves, beautiful as they are, are frowned upon due to there smaller flue diameter

[RLWP]

Thanks again for your thoughts , i do like straightforward replies such as yours

cheers

 

 

I could well be wrong though

 

Richard

[ditchcrawler]

I have a couple of reservations. First off, I think anyone burning charcoal in a confined space like a boat needs their head examining. It's a well know source of carbon monoxide

 

Setting that aside, it would be worth checking with the BSS about the installation. I would be concerned about ventilation, flue size, bulkhead preparation and heat shielding

 

I'll let you deal with the mess from charcoal and ash

 

Richard

I wouldn't fancy one but I don't think there would be any problem BSS provided it was installed with the same due regard as any other heater.

[Paul C]

You say its an extra heat source, what's the main one? What else have you considered as a secondary one? Whilst I'd always recommend a secondary heat source (in case the primary one breaks down, or is otherwise unavailable) its not essential eg if the boat isn't used much in winter, and you were on a budget or simply had too little space to install something.

[Neil Smith]

You say its an extra heat source, what's the main one? What else have you considered as a secondary one? Whilst I'd always recommend a secondary heat source (in case the primary one breaks down, or is otherwise unavailable) its not essential eg if the boat isn't used much in winter, and you were on a budget or simply had too little space to install something.

In post 5 he said he has a becton bunny.

 

Neil

[chubby]

Hello

 

i ve got a decent stove at the front of the boat & it suffices for most of the winter . But the back of the boat got cold last winter & i got i ll several times ( unrelated but who wants to cold when ill - i live onboard ) . I also have an eber which i use mainly for hot water . But they use much 12 v power & i dont like to use it for heating as such . At the end of the day i can sleep on the dinette bed when its really cold ,

BUT , ideally id like to have a second heat source for the bedroom & bathroom . If im honest then i guess it would be a bit of a luxury perhaps but i do live aboard & if i can do it on a budget then why not ? What i cant do due to lack of space is have a hearth & a heavy stove - even the Boatmans too big .

When i saw this stove on ebay i thought it might be suitable as its the right size , bulkhead mounted , a " marine " heater & appears to be a respected make ( why do yacht types use charcoal ? does it just take up less space than coal ?) & then i would install it completely in line with the BSS regs regarding heat deflection . I think ( im 90% sure ) that it has an inner chamber so the exterior gets hot but not super hot ... i ll have to check further on this .

If charcoals risky then i guess i could use it for compressed sawdust heat logs .

Unfortunately i cannot afford a Samphire stove , or a Davey Hotpot ( which is perfect i think for my needs ) so im considering alternatives . I ll keep checking ebay , theres a SIG Marine taylors type heater on there at the mo too . I started a thread a while back about a second stove but started this today as it was specific to this charcoal burner and they seem very rare on narrowboats - this isadora at rugby boats ( now sold ) is the only one ive found .

Thanks again

ETA : if no joy then maybe i ll cough up the price for the Davey next year

Edited August 23, 2015 by chubby

[Paul C]

Thanks for the info - and I'd missed that the primary was a solid fuel stove, but guessed as much but didn't realise partly the issue was it was at the front of the boat etc.

 

Ecofan....??? (can of worms)?

 

I wonder if there's any more mileage in getting the Eber working better, eg addressing its electricity consumption with an upgrade of some kind in the electrics so its easier to cope with its consumption; or modifying the pipework so the radiators (does it feed radiators too, or just fitted to heat domestic water?) can be heated using engine coolant. This is effectively "heat for nothing" if the engine's on already - and if not, then the engine being on while stationary, which probably often occurs in winter, can have a triple benefit of heating space, water and charging batteries. There are issues with overcooling the engine but they are manageable. If you go for 2x heat sources the plumbing can be complicated, either they share a circuit (eg the engine would heat the eber, the eber the engine) of if there's a valve to isolate them, you'd need 2x header tanks of antifreeze etc. Plenty of info on the forum somewhere, on how to successfully plumb it.

 

For completeness, its also worth mentioning a back boiler, although I'd prefer the simplicity of 2 entirely separate sources of space heating.

[robert anthony]

Hi Chubby, I too was looking at the Davey Hotpot for my boat as I thought it would be perfect for heating up my 25' cabin. I also looked at the boatman but was too big for for the space I wanted to fit it. In the end I bought this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121176736492?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I've not got it fitted yet so can't comment on heat output plus the weather is not really cold enough to say if it's up to the job or not but at £159 delivered I thought I would try it and see.

[magnetman]

There is another option and I have occasionally seen them on ebay.

 

It depends on your attitude to bottled gas and I am not 100% sure on the BSS situation.

 

A "cozy cabin",bulkhead mounted flued LPG heater with a built in oxygen depletion sensor and a flame failure device.

 

I did actually buy one of these years ago to fit in a small motorsailer but in the end I fitted a Davey hotpot.

 

Unfortunately I don't have it in my "stores" (massive load of old junk) on the vessel I presently occupy

[magnetman]

(last one on eBay was in may and sold for about £200 all in - shipped from the USA)

 

Nice little unit but must point out I never actually got mine going so no idea how good it would be !!

Edited August 23, 2015 by magnetman

[chubby]

Cheers again folks

 

Paul C - the eber works completely fine . Im very happy with it . Since stripping it down to service & replace a little filter about 16 months ago its run very well . Recently i had a few probs - my fault tho & once sorted the ebers running well again ... for now .

 

Robert , That little stove @£159 i did notice . Ive been on ebay most days lately looking for small stoves , refleks , taylors etc . Im not sure tho about those - the same guy makes a very nice looking taller version but i think that they might not be very controllable - i don t know as ive never owned a dedicated woodburner , just multifuel stoves . On one of his youtube vids he does say " they get VERY hot " & that concerns me .

 

MagnetMan . No probs with gas for me but the stove u refer to would be a long way from my gas locker . Also , would i be right in thinking that gas heating creates condensation .

 

Theres no rush to get this sorted . I ll keep mooching on ebay for now . Theres a SIG Marine taylors type heater on there now but i ll wait & see . I think i prefer the simplicity of solid fuel if poss or a Refleks at the right price .

Otherwise its hot water bottles and a thicker duvet !

 

cheers

Edited August 23, 2015 by chubby

[magnetman]

The cozy cabin has a 1 inch diameter flue which means it is dry heat.

 

There are some other flued LPG heaters about like the Pelgrim Bambino (rather larger) as well.

 

I see - its at the stern with gas locker at the front of the boat. Bit complicated.

 

 

What about a small diesel or paraffin hot air blower unit of some sort?

 

Eberspacher D1?

Mikuni MY16?

 

I know they use a bit of power but not a great deal and if it is super chilly then maybe a bit of extra engine or Genny time is worthwhile anyway?

 

Wallas do a good warm air unit as well. And propex but that's gas again.

 

Do you really -definitely- not have space to fit something like the Boatman stove?

[magnetman]

"Cabin heater" on eBay turns up a Taylors (good quality unit but may need practice) and SIG marine diesel heater.

 

I guess there will be a lot of bidders for these as they are also suitable for campervans and motorhomes and winter is fast approaching

 

(BTW I wouldn't rule out the paraffin Taylors heater as it may well be easier to live with and if you fitted a dedicated tank for it and only use it occasionally it is not going to create a running cost nuisance

 

I had a second hand one of these years ago on a boat and it was a good quality well made item