Best Heater-Diesel, Propane or other?

[Northern Spy]

I'm in Spartanburg, SC. Here's an idea. I've been looking into these to heat a bathroom addition on my shop. There is a lot of good videos on these heaters on youtube. Search diesel parking heater. They aren't loud and mounted in the ER they should be easy to plumb. They come with everything to set up and run. They can also be customized as far as plumbing everything for fuel, exhaust, and heat output ducting.


Amazon.com

Careful with that idea. My insurance specifically states all heaters on my boat have to be UL or CSA approved. ETL doesn't cut it.

 

[tiltrider1]

Well, the Hurricane II Hydronic furnace is pretty nice (despite my current non-start problem). Mine came with the boat I bought so I didn't choose it, but have been pleased with its performance.


A dockmate (same one that lent me the compressor) ended up replacing an 18 year old Hurricane with a new one. Like me, his came with the boat he bought a couple years ago. He could have chosen anything, and has done a number of installed of other systems, but has liked the Hurricane so much that he went with it again.

If you need help Breakwater Marine just across from Gig harbor are Hurricane dealers. No start is most likely a stuck brush on your compressor. Last year my hurricane would fail to start on first try. Swapped the compressor, solved the problem, then I opened up the old compressor and found a stuck brush. Now I have a spare.

 

[dhays]

If you need help Breakwater Marine just across from Gig harbor are Hurricane dealers. No start is most likely a stuck brush on your compressor. Last year my hurricane would fail to start on first try. Swapped the compressor, solved the problem, then I opened up the old compressor and found a stuck brush. Now I have a spare.

I didn’t know that Breakwater were dealers. Thanks for the tip.

I hope to try swapping the compressor on Friday and see if that does the trick. I took out and cleaned the nozzle, it has good voltage, so the compressor is the next. If that doesn’t work, then I may punt to someone with more experience and a lot more flexibility than I posses.

 

[37Pacific]

heater for a boat

we have an Espar diesel heater for our 37 ft Pacific Trawler. quiet, odor free, no special fuel since it runs off the main fuel tank. maintenance free.

 

[tiltrider1]

I have had espar, webasto, and hurricane. None of them are maintenance free. Espar and webasto will eventually coke up plus you will have glow plug issues eventually. If you use them enough you will have to replace bearings. The hurricane’s weakness is the nozzle and the electric motor on the compressor. What makes the hurricane more desirable is its simplicity to maintain.

If an espar or webasto needs maintenance, you have to drain the coolant and remove the unit to work on it. With the hurricane you never need to drain the coolant. For the nozzle you just pull a pin and it slides out. For the compressor it’s 4 bolts and 2 hose clamps.

This does not make the hurricane the choice for all. The are bigger units, and take more space. Under 40’ of boat and the more compact diesel heaters tend to be a better choice.

I have had a Wallace but never reached the 1000 hr mark with it so I don’t know it’s longterm maintenance requirements. They are quiet.

 

[psneeld]

My Wallas just passed 3500 hrs in 6 years of snowbirding.

The only maintenance has been filter cleanings and thermocouple cleanings, plus just replaced a bad gliw plug for $20.

Not always at convenient times so now I just do the cleanings once in the beggining and middle of a trip south/north.

Each cleaning takes less than 1/2 hour.

If I ran it on high more often, the thermocouple may not soot up as often.

 

[ben2go]

Careful with that idea. My insurance specifically states all heaters on my boat have to be UL or CSA approved. ETL doesn't cut it.

 

[FF]

"If I ran it on high more often, the thermocouple may not soot up as often."

Back in the day a neighbor had an Espar factory trained guy come to assess a smoke , and slow start problem.

The "factory approved " technique was a piece of ply to block the air flow so the safety shut the unit down.

3 or 4 "overheats" and the unit was again functional.

 

[Adopo]

Congrats on the Scout! I own hull number 2 of the Fairchild Marine boats. Looks like yours is a California boat too. As to keeping warm my only experience with heaters on boats was a bulkhead mounted diesel Dickerson Newport on my Westsail 32 sailboat. It looked beautiful but I never got it to work worth a damn.....and I was in Florida at the time. I solved the cold issue by sailing to the BVI......where are you going to be boating?

Love your Boat! Julie and I visited with you, but for the mast, it would be on Lake Keowee. I thought long and hard about it. You are most gracious, and I would recommend anyone looking for one of these to go see your boat. I am looking for one of these...like you have in your boat!

 

[Adopo]

I'm not the intrepid blue water cruiser that some of you are..

And as for boating, yes it's not like I'm in the Arctic or taking the North Western Passage. Just a country club cruiser in upstate SC at the Blue Ridge foothills. Today its a high of 47, but we will see days in the 20s or colder, but not many. And in 120 days for so I expect to be nice out. Then it will be hot! But in the meantime I hope to wear out the lake while no one is out but us. Gorgeous lake, needs be cruises as often as possible. If interested in a second home or retiring, you really should put it on your radar.

https://reserveatlakekeowee.com

Thanks to everyone for the answers on here, I'm sure I am not the only one that has found this to be helpful.

 

[Nomad Willy]

tiltrider1 wrote;
"Espar and webasto will eventually coke up plus you will have glow plug issues eventually."

I run kerosene now and is reported to be much more clean burning.
Had about 1000hrs on the clock.

 

[AKDoug]

Part of the difference in experiences with sooting may be lower grades of fuel, up here we get only #1 diesel due to the colder temperatures. The retailers don't want to stock more than one fuel, and they don't want to mix or drain supplies in the storage tanks, so we just get #1. I have talked to people who have never had issues with sooting running diesel fuel in their forced air heaters.

 

[River Cruiser]

I use this kerosene heater for about 30 to 45 minutes to warm the galley and solon 1st thing in the morning. After that the onboard electric wall unit will maintain a comfortable temperature.
The China made diesel fueled forced air heaters are less than $150.00, the reviews I’ve seen on YouTube seem positive on their performance. The kerosene unit I’am using is trouble free and requires very little maintenance, the only problem is the space it requires during cold weather when I have it on the boat.
What is the thoughts of other cold weather live aboard boaters are these forced air units worth having? I really do not like adding holes in the boat and for the last few years I winterize and go home after thanksgiving to 1st two weeks of December. I return mid February to mid March depending on weather. Let me hear your experiences and opinions.

 

[Fish53]

I use a woodstove but I'm sort of odd anyway.

 

[FF]

Any unvented heater will add moisture to the cabin air .

Usually over a pound of water for every pound of fuel burned.

Look in hanging lockers and other cabinets to see how much water is condensing there , and weather it is a bother for you..

Running an unvented heater for months on end can condense water under your sleeping mattress.