Heating system

[Martyndj]

I would like 2 radiators fitted in the rear of my narrowboat (bedroom and bathroom) I haven't got any idea of the sort of heating system I need, can anyone advise as to what I need and possibly give me a ball park figure as to costs please. Many thanks Martyn.

[MtB]

The first thing to consider and decide it the fuel you'd like to use. Solid fuel, diesel or LPG?

[Martyndj]

Hi Mike, I was advised to look at diesel system but to be honest I didn't really understand a lot of what was said and I have no experience of any of the alternatives, which is why I asked for help on here, I'm not the most technically minded person I'm afraid. Cheers

[MtB]

It can be quite difficult to live on a narrowboat and avoid learning about technical stuff. Do you live aboard or is this for a holiday/hobby boat?

 

Diesel is probably a good choice if you want to be able to just switch it on and off like in a house. Mikuni, Webasto and another brand whose name escapes me make diesel heaters that will operate a couple of radiators. These are not noted for reliability though, but the fuel is probably the easiest and least trouble to obtain.

 

I'd say the gear to fit such a system will be in the ball park of £1k, and the same again to have the whole thing fitted if you are not up for DIY.

[Jess--]

the name that escaped MTB would be eberspacher

 

 

the downsides (as I understand it) with the diesel heaters is that they like to be run hard and then shut down not the ticking over - on / off that you may want to run a heating system, they are more suited to getting a boat warm fast while another heating system (log burner etc) warms up.

 

the LPG alternative would be one of the Alde water heaters, I think the costs are similar but the alde would be happier with continuous running but may cost a little more than the diesel heaters to run

[Dave Payne]

Do you have a stove at the minute on the boat?

[MtB]

the name that escaped MTB would be eberspacher

 

 

the downsides (as I understand it) with the diesel heaters is that they like to be run hard and then shut down not the ticking over - on / off that you may want to run a heating system, they are more suited to getting a boat warm fast while another heating system (log burner etc) warms up.

 

the LPG alternative would be one of the Alde water heaters, I think the costs are similar but the alde would be happier with continuous running but may cost a little more than the diesel heaters to run

 

 

That's the one! Or Ebersplutter as they are coined due to their supposed unreliability. The reports of unreliability seem to have subsided since the change in the specification of red diesel a few years ago now, to be fair. It is now closer to the road diesel the things are designed to run on.

 

LPG costs will be higher in my opinion. The kit is more expensive, the installation quite a lot more expensive, and running costs astronomical. But reliability greatly enhanced.

 

Attempting to add a back boiler to an existing stove is another option but often results in buying a new stove...

[sunho]

 

 

That's the one! Or Ebersplutter as they are coined due to their supposed unreliability. The reports of unreliability seem to have subsided since the change in the specification of red diesel a few years ago now, to be fair. It is now closer to the road diesel the things are designed to run on.

 

LPG costs will be higher in my opinion. The kit is more expensive, the installation quite a lot more expensive, and running costs astronomical. But reliability greatly enhanced.

 

Attempting to add a back boiler to an existing stove is another option but often results in buying a new stove...

 

Eberspachers are ok but if they need to be fixed, Usually the jet burner fails, it usually means sending it away to be repaired about a week, that's another £rand and as Mike said about the diesel they prefer to be fed from a separate tank. They take approximately 1 litre per hour. What size is the boat?

[Martyndj]

Yes I live aboard and have done for the past 4 years but my situation has changed during the past 18 months. I have squirrel fire in my 60ft boat which will stay.

 

I unfortunately have an illness, which, one of the side effects is that my immune system is very low, I'm therefore trying to minimise some potential health problems by ensuring the rear of the boat (bedroom & bathroom) remains at a decent temperature during cold weather.

[sunho]

Yes I live aboard and have done for the past 4 years but my situation has changed during the past 18 months. I have squirrel fire in my 60ft boat which will stay.

 

I unfortunately have an illness, which, one of the side effects is that my immune system is very low, I'm therefore trying to minimise some potential health problems by ensuring the rear of the boat (bedroom & bathroom) remains at a decent temperature during cold weather.

So sorry to hear about your heath, long term I would go for webasco or eberspacher my eberspacher lasted me 5years but not known how long the previous user had it on board, it packed up during the winter while cruising on the River Lee an engineer who knew about Eberspachers and webasco (who was recommended from a marina) came out took it away told me the sad news that the jet burner had gone as I said earlier it cost me a £rand + a week to get it back, coming home was cold as that boat had no log burner but had 5 rads plus no hot water!! First thing in the morning it would be turn on all 4 hobs on the cooker to get warm and make a cup of tea, but the warmth only seemed to do from the knees upwards, I was grateful re-install it once posted back to me, it was nice to be home again.

All the best to you on finding something that helps

Forgot to mention that mine was feeding from the main tank where particles and or things were not making it work as well as it should, the tube feeding it is only 2mm dia, not much and no filter for the feed, engineer did recommend a separate tank for webasco and eberspacher.

Good luck

Edited January 23, 2017 by sunho

[Dave Payne]

Is the stove located at the front of the boat or towards the back near the bathroom and bedroom?

[chubby]

My tuppence worth

 

It sounds to me that if you require extra heat at the rear of the boat for health reasons as much as simple comfort reasons then reliabilty is key .

To me ebers and the like are good bits of kit but id question thier reliabilty . I have an eber - its 90 % reliable .

When an eber goes wrong theres rarely an easy fix and sods law dictates that it will let you down when u really need it most . Like i say mines mostly fine and i use it predominantly for hot water rather than heating as such .

I always think reliabilty is best served by simplicity . The less that can go wrong the better . So , my suggestion would be to consider the possibilty of another stove at the rear of the boat . It may be a total non starter due to lack of room etc , but worth a thought . In which case could you have your current stove somewhere mid way along the cabin length ( if currently at bow ?)

 

You can get small stoves like Pipsqueak & Hobbit ( solid fuel ) , there are Refleks stoves - some quite small , some with backboilers - if your calorifiers nearby the stove option could give hot water too . These would give 24/7 heat thru winter . Not a cheap option but neither is an eber / webasto .

My boat gets cold at the back (58 ft trad ) so i bought a Taylors heater on ebay . Its bulkhead mounted and therefore takes no floor space and no need to build a hearth etc . Due to lack of time ive had no opportunity to fit the bloody thing tho . It cannot however run 24/7 so its only for when im actually there - if i ever fit it !

I guess my point is that there are other options besides ebers . A stove at the back would negate having to install radiators ( though with a back boiler you could do this too ) .

I think a stove , be it solid fuel or a diesel refleks type is an option to consider if theres room for one as the reliabilty issue disappears and the heat is 24/7 . This heat would also tackle condensation issues also

 

Food for thought maybe ?

Cheers

Edited January 24, 2017 by chubby

[MtB]

I agree with Chubby above. There is no heating system as reliable as a basic solid fuel stove when reliability is important. (Almost) nothing to go wrong!