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Any opinion on Diesel Heaters please


Bread

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7 minutes ago, Matt&Jo said:

So this is purely a hot air blower and not plumbed into rads etc?

 

Does anyone have a hot air blower in their boat? Are they effective?

We have a Truma gas powered water heater and hot air blower. The blower takes the chill off when it’s really cold, and warms things up nicely when it’s not so cold. But I wouldn’t be without the Boatman solid fuel stove.

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I have a solid fuel stove but id love to get a hot air blower for the back of the boat to heat from the engine room gorward to tge bedroom and for 175 quid its not a bad price......better than the £1000 for a webasto or eberspacher.....

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On 28/08/2018 at 18:27, Bread said:

Secondly it says constant temperature controlled. Does that means I can install a timer on it? And I can't control the temp?

 

A little bit more. It appears there are various versions of control panel supplied with this unit. The one that arrived with mine is incredibly cheap and nasty in construction but reading about it on line it appears to have both a thermostat and a timer built into it. 

 

More here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/chinese-diesel-vehicle-air-heaters-troubleshooting-parts-sales/what-to-expect-the-first-time-you-press-the-on-button/180629295927467/

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On 29/08/2018 at 20:30, Matt&Jo said:

So this is purely a hot air blower and not plumbed into rads etc?

 

Does anyone have a hot air blower in their boat? Are they effective?

I have a 3.5 KW Mikuni Air Heater in the boat with Metal 100 mm Ducting.good for fast warm up and no cold spots anywhere.will use a Gallon of Fuel in 8 Hours at full Power.

Solid Fuel Stove for main heating.

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You're right Mike, that's pretty interesting. I've bought it so I'll let you know how I get on. It might be that I use it as the initial warm up then switch the Alde boiler on overnight and see how much gas that takes.

 

Cereal Tiller, that's good to hear. So it should in theory cost around £4.50 a night if I ran it all night? Unless it's red diesel then should be a little cheaper

 

Thanks for that 

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On 29/08/2018 at 09:47, doratheexplorer said:

My Alde has a heat setting on the unit going from 1-7 and a seperate thermostat, further down the boat.  I've found that setting the dial on the unit to 4 or 5 will still keep my boat pretty warm unless it's super cold outside,

Running my alde that high would have it almost boiling, 1 1/2 to 2 at the most on mine

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On 29/08/2018 at 09:47, doratheexplorer said:

If you're living on your boat in winter, you really need a solid fuel stove.  With the Alde or a diesel heater as back up.  Having said that, the Alde heaters aren't as thirsty as some people think but you need to learn how to best use them.  My Alde has a heat setting on the unit going from 1-7 and a seperate thermostat, further down the boat.  I've found that setting the dial on the unit to 4 or 5 will still keep my boat pretty warm unless it's super cold outside, but the gas use is far, far less.  If i set the dial to 7, it truly guzzles gas.  Also, think about other ways to improve the heating in your boat.  Make sure your doors and windows fit snugly, use those foam strips to seal up draughts.  (Don't cover the actual vents though - you need them).  Also put some of that heat-shrink plastic film over your windows/portholes.  It makes a huge different to how warm and cosy your boat will be and less condensation too.

 

I'd recommend managing as best you can with the Alde for now and save up for a proper stove.  You won't regret it.  Relying on a cheap diesel heater through winter is asking for a breakdown when it gets really cold.

the heat shrink film sounds like a great idea but if there's still some condensation running down onto the woodwork, can you peel away the taught film and put back or does it kind of ping to half it's size?

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sounds like every Alde Heater May be different. If I left my old Alde heater on 1.5 - 2 I’d have rather reached the summit of Everest than sleep there the night. It’s all trial and error by the sounds of it. Will definitely report back on findings once in A&E with frostbite 

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12 hours ago, Markinaboat said:

the heat shrink film sounds like a great idea but if there's still some condensation running down onto the woodwork, can you peel away the taught film and put back or does it kind of ping to half it's size?

I don't know.  I don't get condensation on the wood.  That sounds like a problem.

9 hours ago, Bread said:

sounds like every Alde Heater May be different. If I left my old Alde heater on 1.5 - 2 I’d have rather reached the summit of Everest than sleep there the night. It’s all trial and error by the sounds of it. Will definitely report back on findings once in A&E with frostbite 

There are different sorts. 

 

My point was that I think there's a temptation to run it on max.  I'd estimate that running on 7 compared to 5 puts out about 25% more heat but uses about 3 times the amount of gas.  I don't know why but that's what happens.  Say I'm just using it to heat water.  It's much better to heat slowly for 90 minutes than to heat quickly in less than an hour.  It just seems to work much more efficiently that way.

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3 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

I don't know.  I don't get condensation on the wood.  That sounds like a problem.

There are different sorts. 

 

My point was that I think there's a temptation to run it on max.  I'd estimate that running on 7 compared to 5 puts out about 25% more heat but uses about 3 times the amount of gas.  I don't know why but that's what happens.  Say I'm just using it to heat water.  It's much better to heat slowly for 90 minutes than to heat quickly in less than an hour.  It just seems to work much more efficiently that way.

Was just thinking of the worst times when condensation may run down the aluminium/steel frame of the windows at the sides and onto the wood which is mahogany in very good condition my boat. The film may make enough of a difference so as not to be an issue?

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1 hour ago, stegra said:

I wonder if the more expensive types such as this 3M is any better, has anyone tried different types?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-Interior-Shrink-Window-2141W-6/dp/B00002NCJI

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1 minute ago, Markinaboat said:

Was just thinking of the worst times when condensation may run down the aluminium/steel frame of the windows at the sides and onto the wood which is mahogany in very good condition my boat. The film may make enough of a difference so as not to be an issue?

In theory if you fit the secondary glazing film when there is very low humidity (don't wait for winter!) there should not be enough moisture trapped between the film and the glass to condense.

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5 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

In theory if you fit the secondary glazing film when there is very low humidity (don't wait for winter!) there should not be enough moisture trapped between the film and the glass to condense.

good point. Maybe at the end of October.

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3 hours ago, Bread said:

Doratheexplorer.....Brill, ill defo give that a go. Thanks so much 

The downside is that you cant open your windows in winter.  So be careful you don't let your stove get too hot when it's raining or you'll have to open doors and let the rain in to cool down.

2 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

In theory if you fit the secondary glazing film when there is very low humidity (don't wait for winter!) there should not be enough moisture trapped between the film and the glass to condense.

Yes, definitely don't put the film over damp windows.

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