new spring/summer project... heat

[Manny]

Any tips on installing a dickinson solid fuel heater? Any tips on use? Any chance someone has installed one on 27' Hunter (75-84) or similar size boat? I am waiting for delivery of a used heater that I purchased and I am trying to plan the install. I did download the manual from the Dickinson website and have read through briefly just to start planning. Due to a few factors I don't think I can mount it down close to the sole, not sure if that makes a huge difference, but let me know what you think... Cutting that huge hole in the cabin top doesn't sound like fun either
First thing to purchase is a CO detector, any recommendations?

Thanks,

M

 

[py26129]

We had a Force 10 solid fuel fire place installed on our last boat, a Paceship 26. It was there when we bought the boat and we used it occasionally at the beginning and end of the season. I fed it small chunks of wood and it produced a good amount of heat but required constant attention and you had to be very careful that any wayward embers did not land on the cushions.

An interior and exterior pic is attached.

Matt

 

[TomY]

Any tips on installing a dickinson solid fuel heater? Any tips on use? Any chance someone has installed one on 27' Hunter (75-84) or similar size boat? I am waiting for delivery of a used heater that I purchased and I am trying to plan the install. I did download the manual from the Dickinson website and have read through briefly just to start planning. Due to a few factors I don't think I can mount it down close to the sole, not sure if that makes a huge difference, but let me know what you think... Cutting that huge hole in the cabin top doesn't sound like fun either
First thing to purchase is a CO detector, any recommendations?

Thanks,

M

It's always hard to mount any heater down low in a boat, but look things over again and see if there's any possibility of getting it as close to the sole as possible. Solid fuel is tricky but it's fast and simple. We use hardwood chunks in our boats fireplace. Once it heats up, it really put's out a lot of heat as radiation warms everything in the boat. This old Simpson Laurence solid fuel burner has a door that can be removed(for the photo) but is usually in place when it's burning.

 

[Manny]

Matt,

your setup looks similar to how I was thinking of installing mine, the only difference is on my bulkhead the table is on the starboard side, so I was thinking I would mount my heater over the port settee. How often would you get wayward embers??? Was that something only when adding fuel? Also what is the backing material behind the heater?

Kris,

That's a really slick looking installation on an angle, that may give me an idea or two. I'd like to get it down low but that means I would have to reengineer the foldout table. I'm thinking if I can make the table a bit smaller I may be able to get away with it. The problem is routing the chimney around the table... See attached picture.
Is that pan at the bottom part of the original heater or is it something that you made for it?


Thanks,

M

 

[joker460]

You could look at this type of diesel space heater, Compact design.

http://www.navstore.com/webasto_air_top_2000_air_heater.aspx

 

[TomY]

Matt,

your setup looks similar to how I was thinking of installing mine, the only difference is on my bulkhead the table is on the starboard side, so I was thinking I would mount my heater over the port settee. How often would you get wayward embers??? Was that something only when adding fuel? Also what is the backing material behind the heater?

Kris,

That's a really slick looking installation on an angle, that may give me an idea or two. I'd like to get it down low but that means I would have to reengineer the foldout table. I'm thinking if I can make the table a bit smaller I may be able to get away with it. The problem is routing the chimney around the table... See attached picture.
Is that pan at the bottom part of the original heater or is it something that you made for it?


Thanks,

M

That ash pan was built for the installation back in 61. Alot of these were installed in boats back then and the builders did their own touches to fit the designs.

I agree, if you could get any bulkhead heater down low below the table, that would make a big difference in output. A lot may depend on how much you'll use the heater. The solid fuel heaters got much hotter so you need to keep safe clearances for the pipe and heater.

 

[PaulK]

The trickiest part is getting the stovepipe through the cabintop in a place where the chimney won't be in the way on deck. One snagged jibsheet or boom vang will rip it right out, and it needs to be sufficiently clear of the mast that crew won't use it to brace against - or it needs to be strong enough to hold up to it if they do. Some people have run the smoke up through their masts in order to avoid this problem, but that may be going overboard in your case. Also, it looks more shipshape if your chimney goes straight up, instead of perhaps going through the cabintop at an angle.

 

[Manny]

Thanks for the replies. One other thing I am curious about... Does the smoke cause any sort of soot, staining, or any other problems on the cabin top?

M

 

[mitiempo]

It can if the heater is not burning efficiently.

 

[thinwater]

Thanks for the replies. One other thing I am curious about... Does the smoke cause any sort of soot, staining, or any other problems on the cabin top?

M

Some (most in some areas) ban solid fuel heaters for this reason.

* Get ash on someone's boat and you may be buying new sails or a paint job.
* The stink down wind can be terrible.

Unlike houses, 50-200 feet apart with stacks 25 feet in the air, boats are 4 feet apart and stacks are at knee height. I have a wood stove at home but feel these have no place in a marina. Rather like chewing tobacco at the dinner table.

--------------

As for installation, this post is about a propane heater, but it covers making the deck hole and the sheet snagging issues. Of course, a propane vent is low-profile and also cooler, since it is a double pipe.
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2009/10/let-there-be-heat.html

 

[Manny]

Matt, Kris, and Thinwater,

After checking you pictures (Thinwater I looked at your blog) I don't see the barometric damper that dickinson highly recommends on their stove... Any reason these don't have it? Actually Kris I don't see the chimney pipe run, so I appoligize if you have one and I can't see it.

M

 

[TomY]

Matt, Kris, and Thinwater,

After checking you pictures (Thinwater I looked at your blog) I don't see the barometric damper that dickinson highly recommends on their stove... Any reason these don't have it? Actually Kris I don't see the chimney pipe run, so I appoligize if you have one and I can't see it.

M

Which we don't use(the damper, which is just left fully open). Chimney draft is tricky on a boat. In gusty swinging conditions, when the boats angle changes constantly, backdrafting can happen. Wind from forward isn't a problem.

The stack on deck screws into a deck plate and rises about 2 feet. I leave a hatch cracked forward to try to keep a positive air pressure in the cabin(air over the companionway tends to pull air out creating a negative pressure which you want to avoid)

On the downside, a solid fuel burner is just like a woodstove or fireplace at home. It's work, there's ashes to deal with in the pan and a bit on deck(not really a problem for us). I wouldn't rely on it for heat living onboard nor would I install one unless I was prepared for the downsides.

On the plus side, it takes no battery power, it's simple, nothing to maintain or fix when it breaks. An open warm fire is something we enjoy in the spring and fall coastal cruising in New England. Here in Maine, the smell of woodsmoke coming from a nearby boat isn't unusual. Another plus(and this can be incorporated in some installations), there is a grill into the head which makes it the warmest place onboard.

You can just see the pipe damper above the stove.

 

[py26129]

Manny

Sorry for the slow reply.

The backing material behind the heater is a thin sheet of stainless steel, mounted in .25" standoffs to provide a little airspace between the bulkhead and the sheet. There is at least another inch or 1.5. inches of agap between the heater and the stainless.

Embers were not a big issue only every once in a while when addine more wood to the stove. What we did to save the cushions was to take an old towel, fold to fit, and put it on the cushion below the heater.

We sis get the occasional bit of staining on deck, but never enough for it to be a bother. Come to think ofit, most was confined to the chimney top. It would loose it's shine and be a duller color.

Hope this helps a bit.

NMatt

 

[mitiempo]

Some (most in some areas) ban solid fuel heaters for this reason.

* Get ash on someone's boat and you may be buying new sails or a paint job.
* The stink down wind can be terrible.

Unlike houses, 50-200 feet apart with stacks 25 feet in the air, boats are 4 feet apart and stacks are at knee height. I have a wood stove at home but feel these have no place in a marina. Rather like chewing tobacco at the dinner table.

I agree, solid fuel heaters have no place in a marina where boats are very close together - sails and canvas are expensive. If you are moored in a bay great. At the dock either take advantage of the power offered and use electric or install a diesel furnace like an Espar.

 

[Manny]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback.

M

 

[mitiempo]

At the dock the best heat is either electric on shorepower or an Espar type heater that does not send ash or soot over neighboring boats.

At anchor the wood or coal stove works well.