Paraffin Cabin Heating

[Arthur Brown]

Home heating kerosene is available much more cheaply than the quoted prices above (ca. 40/litre) BUT you need a supplier for that purpose, and you may need to buy 250litres at a single transaction -that's a lot for a small boat (1/4 tonne)

 

Given that you have two months to get the heating working, you'd well consider getting something professionally fitted with a suitable vent and flue.

[Alan de Enfield]

When I was a lad the local hardware sold "pink paraffin" you had to bring your own can and they filled it up. This was in the 80s.

 

I expect elfin safety has seen them off.

 

Nah -

 

".....they asked me how I knew, that it was Esso Blue........."

[FORTUNATA]

The charcoal burner sounds the most practical option. Electric heaters are great for chilly nights but you need real intense heat when there's ice. Paraffin systems are a nice throwback to traditional cabin heating. The snag with that seems to be the cost of the fuel.

[jonathanA]

When I was a lad the local hardware sold "pink paraffin" you had to bring your own can and they filled it up. This was in the 80s.

I expect elfin safety has seen them off.

Nope my local hardware store still sells it from a tap in the wall by the litre and you bring your own container. Was a bit pricey at £1.20 a litre last winter, the price depends on what it costs them when they fill their tank.

[rogeriko]

Parrafin is the same as 28 sec heating oil currently available for around 32p a litre before vat 5%. There must be a way to get some delivered for heating. It is also the same as Jet A1 so any local airport could sell you some.

Edited September 15, 2016 by rogeriko

[FORTUNATA]

A proper boat paraffin heater I just found is the Wallas. They have good reviews but they tend to be around £800.00. I bet at the end of the day any seasoned boater can make a heater for a fraction of the cost. Especially a charcoal heater. I recently had to dismantle my other pot-belly heater and felt there hadn't been enough fire-rope around the roof timber. The amount of dirt and ash and dust was also scary. It must have been the cause of my itching eyes. So whatever you fit needs a bit of care. I am so far swayed more towards charcoal. By the way does anyone remember those old red bar electric fires? They were all the rage in the Seventies. We had one electric fire that lit up to resemble a coal fire, but gave off lukewarm heat. It was about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

[Arthur Brown]

Be very careful that you can find a charcoal supply for the winter months. Normally charcoal is available for the BBQ season only.

[MtB]

Be very careful that you can find a charcoal supply for the winter months. Normally charcoal is available for the BBQ season only.

 

AND charcoal only contains about 10% of the heat energy of solid fuel, £ for £.

[X Alan W]

 

Nah -

 

".....they asked me how I knew, that it was Esso Blue........."

With other brand's one buys"Smoke gets in your eyes"

[Jrtm]

 

 

Paraffin is typically about £8 a litre when sold in coal merchants, so its the most expensive of all the fuels to heat yer boat with.

Your being ripped off massively! You can get 5L from b and q for half that!!

Think i paid £3 something last time wasnt that long ago as needed it for the blowlamp

[Robbo]

Your being ripped off massively! You can get 5L from b and q for half that!!

Think i paid £3 something last time wasnt that long ago as needed it for the blowlamp

 

It's £6.91 at B&Q for 4L so £1.73 per Litre

http://www.diy.com/departments/bq-paraffin-4l/257116_BQ.prd

 

 

I go to the nearest Fuel place and it cost 80p / litre in March, but 90p the previous October. This was at the pump.

Edited September 16, 2016 by Robbo

[Jrtm]

 

It's £6.91 at B&Q for 4L so £1.73 per Litre

http://www.diy.com/departments/bq-paraffin-4l/257116_BQ.prd

 

 

I go to the nearest Fuel place and it cost 80p / litre in March, but 90p the previous October. This was at the pump.

Still cheaper than £8 a L as above! (I get discount from b&q 25% off as i get my misses rents to buy my stuff!)

[MtB]

Yes I got my prices wrong. On reflection what I bought last time was box containing 4 x 2ltr of paraffin. The whole box was about £17 IIRC from a coal merchant in Oxford. So about £2 a litre.

[Robbo]

Still cheaper than £8 a L as above! (I get discount from b&q 25% off as i get my misses rents to buy my stuff!)

 

However for a 24ft boot electric heating is cheaper if the shore line can provide the amps required.

[FORTUNATA]

The paraffin system is appealing but I see the system itself as too expensive. You're talking 500 quid or more for the unit. I try to avoid Ebay as well as I found customer service really bad and lots of cheating. A very small burner might be an approach if economy is still a big factor. The challenge would be safe installation and some way to avoid ash on the paintwork. I am notoriously tight and recycle a lot. Recently I found a slung and cracked narrowboat shower tray. I concluded by cutting out the good half, I might be able to bond the rim of the other broken part to it. That would create one whole shower tray of the right size.

[magnetman]

. By the way does anyone remember those old red bar electric fires? They were all the rage in the Seventies. We had one electric fire that lit up to resemble a coal fire, but gave off lukewarm heat. It was about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

I have two of the old electric radiant fires on my barge. They are single bar 1kw each. Not for main heating but they are good for occasional use for "spot heating"

 

We're on shore power now in the winter so it seemed sensible to have them as an option. Some of the older ones are nice looking items one of mine has a copper reflector which is nice. About £20 on eBay or less.

 

I would consider it as main heating on a small grp with shore power.

Edited September 16, 2016 by magnetman

[Guest]

I have two of the old electric radiant fires on my barge. They are single bar 1kw each. Not for main heating but they are good for occasional use for "spot heating"

 

We're on shore power now in the winter so it seemed sensible to have them as an option. Some of the older ones are nice looking items one of mine has a copper reflector which is nice. About £20 on eBay or less.

 

I would consider it as main heating on a small grp with shore power.

Thinking back to when we had a Dawncraft, I think a small electric heater would be enough, especially fan assisted. A few sheets of that foam insulation board on the roof held down with a few bricks, clingfilm secondary galzing inside windows and the jobs a goodun (seems to be sheets of that foam board floating in the cut these days.) Fan heater a few quid from Argos. Less CO risk, minimal installation cost, dry and instant heat, easily controlled with a thermostat.

 

Here you go: Two heat settings up to 2Kw and built in thermostat. If it isn't up to the job you will be 8 quid out of pocket (or just take it back and get a refund). Must be worth a try? Keep you cool in summer too.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4152174.htm

Edited September 16, 2016 by Guest

[FORTUNATA]

I've had days when I came back with hands frozen, wet feet and freezing. In such conditions a fan heater just didn't have the raw heat you need. Fine for chilly nights but once you get ice and snow, you're talking survival. I've had a woodburner up to about 8 times the heat of my electric heater. Even then it took ages for the floor to warm. By the way, one boater made the mistake of over-stacking his solid fuel stove. I was on my boat and could hear shouting and yelling - someone running around like a headless chicken. And then sirens. It turned out the boaters had managed to get their stove out of control. From a red glow, the chimney stack started to glow white. Surrounding fixtures threatened to melt. As a last resort, the boater filled a jug of water up and threw it at the stove. That resulted in a loud crack and injury due to scalding water. It was left to the Fire Brigade to reign in The Mother Of All Fires.

[Paul C]

........Yet other boaters seem to manage to control a solid fuel stove perfectly adequately. I don't know the particular details about your boat but our boat had flammable material surrounding the flue and roof, so it was a case of suitably cutting it back then using non-flammable material (a piece of stainless steel sheet with a hole in it) to cover/trim the area. And of course, a suitable hearth. So I still believe that a normal solid fuel stove is the most sensible heating solution for a boater, irrespective of the construction material of the boat. I guess limited/no space, could make it a further complication though.

[magnetman]

The electric fires I have are excellent for instant warming of surfaces like hands because they radiate the heat.

 

They are the old type bar heaters wirh a reflector behind the element.

 

Completely different item to a fan heater

[Guest]

I've had days when I came back with hands frozen, wet feet and freezing. In such conditions a fan heater just didn't have the raw heat you need. Fine for chilly nights but once you get ice and snow, you're talking survival. I've had a woodburner up to about 8 times the heat of my electric heater. Even then it took ages for the floor to warm. By the way, one boater made the mistake of over-stacking his solid fuel stove. I was on my boat and could hear shouting and yelling - someone running around like a headless chicken. And then sirens. It turned out the boaters had managed to get their stove out of control. From a red glow, the chimney stack started to glow white. Surrounding fixtures threatened to melt. As a last resort, the boater filled a jug of water up and threw it at the stove. That resulted in a loud crack and injury due to scalding water. It was left to the Fire Brigade to reign in The Mother Of All Fires.

How many watts was the electric heater? We have been aboard our 57ft steel NB in winter, frozen in, yet a small Villager Puffin stove kept us warm enough.

When moving we use a heater which uses waste heat from the engine (no stove lit) and this is rated at 4Kw. Plenty warm enough in winter.

I suspect your problem is non existent insulation; easily remedied by temporary sheets of celotex on top of the roof/large deck areas. Dead easy to knock some temporary cheap/free double glazing over windows with wood and polythene. That is survival; you aren't the first!

ps doubt if you will ever get the floor warm, buy thermal socks/slippers.

Edited September 16, 2016 by Guest

[magnetman]

........Yet other boaters seem to manage to control a solid fuel stove perfectly adequately. I don't know the particular details about your boat but our boat had flammable material surrounding the flue and roof, so it was a case of suitably cutting it back then using non-flammable material (a piece of stainless steel sheet with a hole in it) to cover/trim the area. And of course, a suitable hearth. So I still believe that a normal solid fuel stove is the most sensible heating solution for a boater, irrespective of the construction material of the boat. I guess limited/no space, could make it a further complication though.

A 24ft grp cruiser is pretty small.

 

I agree that solid fuel is the best option on boats in general but very small stoves like the faversham and Davey hotpot and some cheap eBay welded things are a bit of a pain to keep in all the time and something like a boatman or a aarow acorn is going to make the boat uncomfortably warm

 

Still not sure if the boat is on mains electric. I am guessing it isn't.

Edited September 16, 2016 by magnetman

[Guest]

A 24ft grp cruiser is pretty small.

 

I agree that solid fuel is the best option on boats in general but very small stoves like the faversham and Davey hotpot and some cheap eBay welded things are a bit of a pain to keep in all the time and something like a boatman or a aarow acorn is going to make the boat uncomfortably warm

 

Still not sure if the boat is on mains electric. I am guessing it isn't.

It is. Fortunata uses 240V lighting from the mains. Don't know the size of main breaker though, he hasn't said. I know what I would do in that situation.

[Guest]

........Yet other boaters seem to manage to control a solid fuel stove perfectly adequately. I don't know the particular details about your boat but our boat had flammable material surrounding the flue and roof, so it was a case of suitably cutting it back then using non-flammable material (a piece of stainless steel sheet with a hole in it) to cover/trim the area. And of course, a suitable hearth. So I still believe that a normal solid fuel stove is the most sensible heating solution for a boater, irrespective of the construction material of the boat. I guess limited/no space, could make it a further complication though.

Certainly agree re solid fuel, but judging by smaller cruisers we have owned, there wouldn't be much space for them. I have seen it done, but something else usually needs sacrificing. I remain convinced that insulation (or lack of) will be the main problem, meaning a larger heating appliance will be needed, largely to heat the outside of the boat.

[FORTUNATA]

Well, I raised this thread as I might be downgrading to GRP. You're correct there is an AC supply so any electric fire is an option but don't forget power cuts sometimes happen. It won't be as hard to heat as a narrowboat but charcoal seems the best option so far. Living space is a bit more than a tourer caravan but clutter isn't an option. The lighting so far is AC halogen but soon LED DC lights will follow. The shower part of it may well be electric design as I dislike gas. As Catweasel says insulation is crucial and so is the need to plug any roof vent leaks before winter.