Bavaria Yacht Info

Member Forums => Bavaria Yacht Help! => Topic started by: elias on May 21 2019, 21:20

Title: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 21 2019, 21:20
Hi! I was wondering, is there any tested solution to fight cold inside a sailboat ? Not heavy winter , something around 10 celsius !
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: tiger79 on May 21 2019, 21:50
Diesel warm air heater - Webasto or Eberspacher are the quality brands, there are cheap lookalikes if you want to risk them.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Yngmar on May 21 2019, 21:53
The standard solution is a forced air diesel heater, available from the Eberspächer/Webasto cartel, good quality Russian copies thereof from Planar and varying quality Chinese copies from eBay/Ali. Downside is, this involves laying large air ducts through the boat with outlets in various cabins.

Alternatively you can fit a hydronic system, which just needs hot water pipes but either radiators or blown air (powered fan) outlets. Downside is, it's another thing that can leak.

The more traditional solution is fixing a drip Diesel heater (e.g. Refleks). These have the advantage of requiring power, but the disadvantage of taking up a lot of space in the cabin and requiring a chimney.

Finally, Wallas makes a Diesel stove/oven that can be fitted with an optional fan hood that allows the stove to heat the room. There is no open flame, it works much the same as above forced air diesel heaters.

Take your pick :)
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Salty on May 22 2019, 07:36
Hi! I was wondering, is there any tested solution to fight cold inside a sailboat ? Not heavy winter , something around 10 celsius !

Where is the boat likely to be at the time, at sea, berthed in a marina, on shore laid up for the winter, or all or any of those ?? In a marina or on shore there is often the opportunity for mains electricity powered heating which may not be much more expensive to use than a diesel heater.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 22 2019, 16:11
At sea , in Greece , May to October. Needed for first weeks of May and last of October.
Yngmar ,  propex gas heater looks interesting, any ideas?
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: tiger79 on May 22 2019, 17:58
propex gas heater looks interesting, any ideas?

Their largest model is only 2.8kW output, which isn't a lot for a 44ft boat.  It also uses 225g of gas per hour - putting that into perspective, a 907 Camping Gaz cylinder would only last 12 hours.  You'd need to carry a few spare cylinders...
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Noelio Abrunhosa on May 22 2019, 20:55
hi.
we replaced our faulty eberspacher with a chinese model. very happy with it. it fitted win the exact same mountings etc. used this winter with no hicups.

regards Abby
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 23 2019, 06:16
Hmmm...
any links?
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Clivert on May 23 2019, 07:21
Don't put an outlet in the head.
It just encourages people to take their time !!
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Symphony on May 23 2019, 09:39
Blown hot air is the way to go for your intended use. If you are installing it yourself then the Russian Planar are worth considering because of the significant saving in material cost. However if you are paying somebody to do it, the heater unit itself becomes a much smaller proportion of the overall cost and using one of the more established makes might be worth it. As well as Webasto (which is the one used on Bavaria installations in the UK) and Eberspacher also consider Mikuni www.mikuniheating.com which is widely used in the UK particularly for boats used on our inland waterways as well as yachts.

However once you have seen the cost and disruption of a good installation you may find wearing extra clothes in the cooler evenings at either end of the season a more effective strategy!
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Harry Brown on May 23 2019, 11:01
Go for something like this. I'm not saying this particular one, you can get cheaper, I've just linked it for your info.
I know many people have fitted these in boats and campers garden sheds, workshops etc. All very impressed by them!
Hell, for the price, install two!  ;D

https://ebay.us/Vh4pnM (https://ebay.us/Vh4pnM)
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Bav32 on May 23 2019, 18:27
I went with a Finnish brand called Safire. That's not the cheapest one out there but the heater wont burn down your boat ;)

Safire heaters are quiet, efficient, has low elecricity consumption and have a ventilation function. And on top of all a kick-ass support with a lot of knowledge of heaters. I just installed a safire heater a year ago and I love it. They are apparently using the same fuel pumps as webasto and all the big companies.

Their internet pages are only in finnish, but they will probably answer questions in english too: https://safire.fi/heater_product/safire-36di/

I'm not a salesperson, I'm just a happy customer :)
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 23 2019, 18:46
Thank you all guys!
I ll do the installation by myself, summer is almost here, so i ll start in 6 months. the use of the heater will be around one month per year. So i ll buy a cheap to see how it goes , and upgrade depending on how often i will use it. Yngmar, you are right, diesel is better.
Thanks again!
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: sunshine on May 23 2019, 20:42
The Mikuni gets my vote. Thermostatic control and drops to a lower output to maintain the desired temp once reached. I've read elsewhere about insulated ducting improving the efficiency of the system. Worth seeking out since you lose a bit of he's into the voids where the ducting runs.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Bav32 on May 24 2019, 08:04
The Mikuni gets my vote. Thermostatic control and drops to a lower output to maintain the desired temp once reached. I've read elsewhere about insulated ducting improving the efficiency of the system. Worth seeking out since you lose a bit of he's into the voids where the ducting runs.

I insulated the ducting near the fridge and in spaces that would not heat the interior. There is no need to insulate ducting in the saloon. Remember that you loose the most heat in the first meters of the ducting.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 24 2019, 10:32
Even i said goodbye , are there any pictures of the vents in the living room of somebody? I was thinking to install a main vent underneath the stove that is empty and looks like wasted space
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Ziffius on May 24 2019, 13:38
Elias, do you have a generator? I find my Webasto heater on my Bav 39 uses a fair amount of amps especially when starting up but gets you toasty especially aft cabins and saloon. Forward cabin takes longer as it’s so far from source. I find I run it if really needed, to take the chill away before diving under the duvet. I don’t leave it running all night. Loacation the Ionian March and May. At last it’s warm enough out here now to not need it.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 24 2019, 16:44
True is not so cold , but i host freedivers and i freedive too so it would be fantastic to protect from shivering after the dives . I dont have a generator , just a 80w panel and is more than enough for the loads we use .
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on May 29 2019, 06:48
And ine idea for heating room and water ? Diesel fuel too
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: sy_Anniina on May 29 2019, 09:21
Last weekend I was sailing in 9-13C weather and my Eberspacher D4 (or D5 - have not checked) provided enough heat at around half-power setting. If you run your engine even somewhat while leaving / entering marina or anchorage, that may provide enough heat for the water, assuming you connect your calorifier to engine cooling circuit.

There are eberspacher (and other brands) diesel heaters for hydronic systems, providing hot water both for heating and consumption. Downside is as Yngmar stated complexity of system (blowers / radiators) as well as potential leaks.

BR,

Tommi - s/y Anniina - Bavaria 40 (2001)
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Yngmar on May 29 2019, 15:42
And ine idea for heating room and water ? Diesel fuel too

A hydronic system piped through the calorifier (hot water tank) will provide both hot water and room heating.

Normally the engine coolant is already plumbed through the hot water tank on most boats and you get hot water from there. If you usually motor, you can also have radiators/blowers heated from the engine.

What suits best depends mostly on how you use the boat.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on October 07 2019, 18:53
update! I just ordered a cheap 2kw diesel air heater, just to try it.
question
1. is it a good idea to link the exhaust of the heater to the engine's exhaust, how long can ot be?
2. i will use the extra 10l tank provided in the package instead of drilling the main...or is there a T link that i can put on the main fuel tank?
3. i m thinking just to drill a heat vent underneath the last step of the staircase , will that increase the noise coming from the engine room too much?Maybe the duct pipe isolates the noise?
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: semaphore on October 07 2019, 20:31
1. is it a good idea to link the exhaust of the heater to the engine's exhaust, how long can ot be?

I don't think you want to link the exhausts. The manual for my heater says max 2 meters.

2. i will use the extra 10l tank provided in the package instead of drilling the main...or is there a T link that i can put on the main fuel tank?
much?Maybe the duct pipe isolates the noise?

I have a 20l tank in the starboard deck locker. It is in the way, and not easy to fill and I will be returning it to the main diesel tank. However, there's already a tap on the tank. I don't know for certain about T's on fuel lines,  but I seem to recall reading that it's not a good idea.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Yngmar on October 08 2019, 09:51
update! I just ordered a cheap 2kw diesel air heater, just to try it.
question
1. is it a good idea to link the exhaust of the heater to the engine's exhaust, how long can ot be?
2. i will use the extra 10l tank provided in the package instead of drilling the main...or is there a T link that i can put on the main fuel tank?
3. i m thinking just to drill a heat vent underneath the last step of the staircase , will that increase the noise coming from the engine room too much?Maybe the duct pipe isolates the noise?

1. No, that is the worst idea. The engine exhaust is not designed to run dry and will melt, either killing you by fire or fumes.

2. To run it from the main tank, you need to install a new tap, usually leaving the standpipe a bit higher than the engine one, so the heater can't drain the tank to the point where you can't motor anymore.

3. You can install ducting through the engine room if you have to, as long as it doesn't create an opening into the engine room.

Please re-read the installation instructions carefully, there is a lot of good advice in them. If your heater didn't come with any, download the installation instructions for a similar Eberspächer or Webasto heater, their advice applies to the copies too. Especially the sections about exhaust installation, ducting, spacing around the heater and fuel installation, all of which are potential fire hazards if done incorrectly.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on October 08 2019, 13:37
Thanks a lot! I ll try to stay away from the  news   :D :D :D !
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on October 08 2019, 14:49
Another idea ...
Instead of drilling the tank for diesel supply , can I just use a T fitting of the diesel return of the engine ? What are those 2 white hoses connected together with a pipe in the second picture ?
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Rampage on October 08 2019, 17:22
One of the pipes is the supply to the engine, the other is the return pipe, which brings the excess fuel from the injectors back to the tank.  You can’t tap into the return pipe, as it will not go far enough down into the tank.  I wouldn’t tap into the fuel supply as there’s a good chance of exhausting the fuel in the tank, meaning you couldn’t run the engine.  Best solution is to put a separate off take into the tank for the heater, making sure it doesn’t go all the way to the bottom of the tank, as Yngmar as already said.
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on October 09 2019, 14:31
A techinician told me that those 2 white hoses that are connected are just waiting there to supply fuel to the generator or heater. So I skipped drilling my tank....

But I am very concerned where to put the vent of the heater, does anybody installed a heater on BV44 or 46 that they are similar?
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: Yngmar on October 09 2019, 20:59
On a boat that size, you normally don't have just one outlet, you have ducting branching to every cabin (or every cabin you wish to heat at least). Else you only end up with one warm cabin and have to keep the cabin door open to inefficiently heat the others by indirect ventilation.

(https://www.pfjones.co.uk/images/detailed/77/Eberpacher_airtronic_marine_sailing_pzzr-fv.jpg)
Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on December 15 2019, 18:47
UPDATE

I finally installed it.
1. the harness was quite short , so i made it longer with merging new wires.
2. the relay fuse on the panel was dropping on the start (ignition). It seems that it draws way more than 15 Amps , adding that i used inappropriate cross section cables ( 6 meter , 2.5mm^2 cross section) for trying it to cross through the control panel. Finally i stayed short , with negative on the engine and positive 4mm^2.
3. A smell of heated kind of glue at the first hour ( i used red gasket sealant at the exit on the through hull exhaust but i dont believe is that hot to create smell)
4. I didnt used the silencer ( i m having it welded to be airtight) but it is rather quiet

Title: Re: Central Heating ideas for Bavaria 44
Post by: elias on December 22 2019, 07:58
UPDATE
 for all those who wrapped the exhaust with the fiber heat resistant tape ( i thing is glass). It will create smoke and smell the first times of use. It is cause "are made with binders which are specially formulated starches that give the wrap’s fibers some structure and lubrication during the weaving process. Once the manufacturing process is done, however, the job of the binders is complete. Resultantly, when the high temp exhaust tape becomes exposed to heat, the binders tend to burn off and cause exhaust wrap smoking"