Hurricane Zephyr (Hot Water System)

[Mohsen]

Hi Ladies and gents,

 

Im looking at purchasing one of these bad boys, on the understanding that it'll do my rads and instant hot water, removing the need for a calorifier. The only thing I'm not getting is this line in the brochure:

 

Domestic water temperature rise of 36° C at 3.8 lpm

 

http://www.dieselheating.com/Hurricane%20Zephyr.pdf

 

I would have thought 3.8 lpm is a pretty poor output for a shower. No ?

 

Many thanks for opinions,

[Tony Brooks]

I could not see any mention of instat hot water (probably me) in the PDF and I understood the Huricane heated a calorifier. Best check with Calcutt.

[ditchcrawler]

Bruce on sanity has one, maybe he will be along soon.

[MtB]

"Space heating and on demand hot water" according to the sub-headline on page one.

 

'On demand hot water' is ambiguous, this is a sales document produced by sales professionals who have no technical understanding. It also mentions a 9.5 litre 'tank capacity' so I suspect it is a boat version of the 'storage combi' sometimes sold for houses.

 

I'd say it heats domestic water at 3.8L per minute but you can draw it faster as the 9.5 litre buffer tank is already hot and masks the poor HW performance until you've exhausted it.

[Mohsen]

"Space heating and on demand hot water" according to the sub-headline on page one.

 

'On demand hot water' is ambiguous, this is a sales document produced by sales professionals who have no technical understanding. It also mentions a 9.5 litre 'tank capacity' so I suspect it is a boat version of the 'storage combi' sometimes sold for houses.

 

I'd say it heats domestic water at 3.8L per minute but you can draw it faster as the 9.5 litre buffer tank is already hot and masks the poor HW performance until you've exhausted it.

 

I assumed the 9.5L tank was the diesel tank?

[MtB]

 

I assumed the 9.5L tank was the diesel tank?

 

Assumptions can catch you out badly!

[MtB]

The manual also says there is an expansion tank. From the diagrams it looks about 9.5 litres...

[Mohsen]

I spoke briefly to a bloke from Calcutt boats today at Crick. He told me that it would provide instant hot water and would remove the need for a calorifier. I asked him about the flow rate (lpm) but he couldn't confirm it.

 

As I understand it, an expansion tank is a vessell to give space for overheating water to move to. Not sure how this effects the meagre LPM output?

[MtB]

 

As I understand it, an expansion tank is a vessell to give space for overheating water to move to. Not sure how this effects the meagre LPM output?

 

 

This is correct.

 

My point was both you and I might have both made incorrect assumptions about the meaning of 'tank capacity' in the sales blurb. Tank capacity *might* refer to expansion tank size. But we don't know as the blurb doesn't say.

[I Spartacus]

I noticed the bit about the buffer tank. Mike is correct I expect you will be using that buffer tank first. Keston Boilers used to do a domestic

one, they were good, but when you had used the buffer tank up they were not so good.

[MtB]

I noticed the bit about the buffer tank. Mike is correct I expect you will be using that buffer tank first. Keston Boilers used to do a domestic

one, they were good, but when you had used the buffer tank up they were not so good.

 

 

Have you seen it described as a buffer tank somewhere then? Where?!

[I Spartacus]

 

 

I was agreeing with what you said in one of your earlier posts, I would either call it a buffer tank or a reserve to get you

started as soon as you turned the tap on.

[Robbo]

I usually find reading the manual has a lot more useful information that the brochure...

 

http://itrheat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ZEPHYR-MANUAL.pdf

[Roger Crown]

Bruce on sanity has one, maybe he will be along soon.

Bruce has removed his and had a Webasto installed

[MtB]

I was agreeing with what you said in one of your earlier posts, I would either call it a buffer tank or a reserve to get you

started as soon as you turned the tap on.

 

 

I know you were agreeing with me, but WHY were you agreeing with me? I was just guessing the purpose of it. Did you see something in writing to confirm my guess was correct?

I usually find reading the manual has a lot more useful information that the brochure...

 

http://itrheat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ZEPHYR-MANUAL.pdf

 

 

I scanned through that yesterday and I'm still none the wiser.

[Robbo]

I know you were agreeing with me, but WHY were you agreeing with me? I was just guessing the purpose of it. Did you see something in writing to confirm my guess was correct?

 

 

I scanned through that yesterday and I'm still none the wiser.

Looks like the hot water for taps is a simple heat exchanger system, the tank is for the coolant and also contains the electric heating element. 9.2 explains it. Edited May 29, 2016 by Robbo

[Tony Brooks]

chatted to Calcutt today. It seems it is like a combi-boiler using a heat exchanger for the domestic hot water as Robbo said. I am also told it has another heat exchanger so it can heat a calorifier but then again it may be the same heat exchanger being used for a different purpose. I understand they have been testing them on two hire boats and have not hit any hot water problems.

[BruceinSanity]

Bruce on sanity has one, maybe he will be along soon.

This is not the one I've just had removed, it's a further development. It would be a great system if more reliable, but we had repeated failure of the compressor that pressurises the fuel line. At £550 to replace, we got fed up and have now installed a Webasto.

 

OTOH, there are other satisfied users on here. Note that Calcutt is the only supplier, so you are dependent on them for support.

 

ETA... and, of course, no calorifier means no hot water from engine cooling system and no way to fit an immersion heater for when on shoreline. In fact, when the Hurricane fails, you'd be without hot water.

Edited May 30, 2016 by BruceinSanity

[MtB]

ETA... and, of course, no calorifier means no hot water from engine cooling system and no way to fit an immersion heater for when on shoreline. In fact, when the Hurricane fails, you'd be without hot water.

 

 

And not that Bruce said 'when', not 'if'...

[Robbo]

OTOH, there are other satisfied users on here. Note that Calcutt is the only supplier, so you are dependent on them for support.

ETA... and, of course, no calorifier means no hot water from engine cooling system and no way to fit an immersion heater for when on shoreline. In fact, when the Hurricane fails, you'd be without hot water.

The zephyr has a immersion and can connect to the engine cooling system, however it's a more indirect method than the calorfier and a much smaller tank so you won't benefit much (more for central heating) The system looks more ideal than the calorfier method for boaters who stay put for long periods of time that are not on shore power.

 

I would be interested to see how long you need to run the tap for to get hot water if the tank is cold and if you can feed it hot water from the calorfier so can get best of the two systems.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Robbo

[Robbo]

I would be interested to see how long you need to run the tap for to get hot water if the tank is cold and if you can feed it hot water from the calorfier so can get best of the two systems.

I'm answering myself here, but looking at the manual as the hot water feed is just via a heat exchanger it should be okay to feed from a calorfier, the burner comes on via a aquastat not a flow sensor.

[Robbo]

Another thought, this method can be applied to any heater like a ebersplutter, but you'll need one above 7kw to get any useful instant hot water. I'm planning to get a PJ bubble boiler and may use this method to get instant hot water.

[Jon12345]

These people do 2 firms do off the shelf oil/diesel combis for boats. I have no experience of them personally but apart from the main heat exchanger they use pretty standard household burners with honey/satronic controls, danfoss oil pump etc. So at least you could get the parts when they fail at reasonable money and from most heating spares stockist in any town.

 

http://www.maritimebooster.nl/index.php/en/productinformation/models-and-prices

 

http://www.kabola.co.uk/kabola-hr-500-240v-combi