Hi folks, As the title suggests, I'm wondering about pros & cons of propane vs solid fuel heaters. (Dickinson more specifically) With my climate and work schedule, I do a lot of winter sailing here in the NW. And I'd like to have a bit of cabin heat to allow more weekending in the San Juans/Gulf Islands. My Ranger 28 is not huge inside so a low BTU output is fine. My primary questions would be: noise of the heater in operation (does the propane heater hiss?), mess (how much ash would be coming off the solid fuel?), difficulties with downdraft/cabin pressure. At this point cost is not a huge factor in the decision making process. Thanks all, Craig
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I lived aboard with propane
I like Propane but it does have some draw backs. It is heavyer than air so can collect in the bilge and cause the big one. You can have a detector installed in your bilge or do as I did check the bilge twice a day with your nose if you have a good one. I also checked all the fittings weekly with a soapy spray bottle to check for leaks. I think being very careful with the stuff is the answer. Compressed Natural gas is the best as it is lighter than air and will rise and disapate in the air. Harder to fine is its problem.
I like Propane but it does have some draw backs. It is heavyer than air so can collect in the bilge and cause the big one. You can have a detector installed in your bilge or do as I did check the bilge twice a day with your nose if you have a good one. I also checked all the fittings weekly with a soapy spray bottle to check for leaks. I think being very careful with the stuff is the answer. Compressed Natural gas is the best as it is lighter than air and will rise and disapate in the air. Harder to fine is its problem.
I can't compare them...
I have only owned propane. I have a Dickinson p-9000 direct vent fireplace. Works great, was easy to install, and is very attractive. No worries about c02 because it is direct vent. I already had propane on board for a Force10 stove with oven. Maybe I should be worried about having propane on my boat, but I'm not. I am fairly careful. I turn the gas off at the tank when I will not be using gas for a while and always close the solenoid valve when appliances are turned off. Kenny's suggestion to check occasionally with soapy water is a good one.
I have only owned propane. I have a Dickinson p-9000 direct vent fireplace. Works great, was easy to install, and is very attractive. No worries about c02 because it is direct vent. I already had propane on board for a Force10 stove with oven. Maybe I should be worried about having propane on my boat, but I'm not. I am fairly careful. I turn the gas off at the tank when I will not be using gas for a while and always close the solenoid valve when appliances are turned off. Kenny's suggestion to check occasionally with soapy water is a good one.
noise?
Liam, Does your P-9000 make any noise during operation? Aside from when you might have the fan turned on of course. I hate background "noise" per se, and am wondering how quiet the unit is, liek when I'm curled up with a good book while on the hook. As far as leakage prevention goes, the tank outside (currently used for the cookstove) gets turned on & off for each usage. However, if I were to add the heater (and all that extra fuel hose) inside, then I will put in a solenoid shutoff switch in the cabin that would shut both hoses off at the tank. cheers, Craig
Liam, Does your P-9000 make any noise during operation? Aside from when you might have the fan turned on of course. I hate background "noise" per se, and am wondering how quiet the unit is, liek when I'm curled up with a good book while on the hook. As far as leakage prevention goes, the tank outside (currently used for the cookstove) gets turned on & off for each usage. However, if I were to add the heater (and all that extra fuel hose) inside, then I will put in a solenoid shutoff switch in the cabin that would shut both hoses off at the tank. cheers, Craig
Hey Craig
With the fan turned up to max it is very noisy, but really puts out the heat. Once the cabin has warmed up some and I turn the fan down to 50% or less it is very quiet and still cranks out a lot of heat. With the burner all the way up and the fan to max it is rated at 9000BTU. With the burner all the way up and the fan off it is rated at 5500BTU. This thing does a great job heating my 33 foot sloop. I would guess that it is just a tad cooler up there in BC than it is in San Francisco. I only sail San Francisco and south. Good luck.
With the fan turned up to max it is very noisy, but really puts out the heat. Once the cabin has warmed up some and I turn the fan down to 50% or less it is very quiet and still cranks out a lot of heat. With the burner all the way up and the fan to max it is rated at 9000BTU. With the burner all the way up and the fan off it is rated at 5500BTU. This thing does a great job heating my 33 foot sloop. I would guess that it is just a tad cooler up there in BC than it is in San Francisco. I only sail San Francisco and south. Good luck.
The burner on my force ten heater
is the same size as the burner in the oven, I have gone for two summer seasons cooking on the stove on one tank(twenty pounds) of propane. I don't know what cold is for you, but frost on deck can have me lighting a fire and setting it on "low" for the night. We have good ventilation but that is enough to keep the frost out of the cabin. You should be able to spend a couple of weeks in chilly nights on one tank of propane. As long as you aren't breaking ice in the morning you should be alright. The inside of a boat isn't very big.
is the same size as the burner in the oven, I have gone for two summer seasons cooking on the stove on one tank(twenty pounds) of propane. I don't know what cold is for you, but frost on deck can have me lighting a fire and setting it on "low" for the night. We have good ventilation but that is enough to keep the frost out of the cabin. You should be able to spend a couple of weeks in chilly nights on one tank of propane. As long as you aren't breaking ice in the morning you should be alright. The inside of a boat isn't very big.
Craig, we had a Wallas on our H28...
Quiet, efficient, easy to operate and kept our boat toasty warm. Scan Marine in Seattle is the North American distributor. Check it out. It is the Wallas 1300 forced air kerosene heater producing 4,000 BTU using 4.25 oz/hr. and 0.4 AMP. Odorless dry heat and easy to install on a bulkhead. Terry
Quiet, efficient, easy to operate and kept our boat toasty warm. Scan Marine in Seattle is the North American distributor. Check it out. It is the Wallas 1300 forced air kerosene heater producing 4,000 BTU using 4.25 oz/hr. and 0.4 AMP. Odorless dry heat and easy to install on a bulkhead. Terry
Dickenson Newport
I put the 12000 btu one in last year. Pearson 34. Like it a lot. W/o fan basically silent. Much better heating w/fan, not real noisy to me. Very nice unit. Draft & vent in stack doesn't rob cabin air and (of course) vents outside. They say 3.9 hours to burn 1lb on high, 5.5hr on low. I think their ratings are pretty close.
I put the 12000 btu one in last year. Pearson 34. Like it a lot. W/o fan basically silent. Much better heating w/fan, not real noisy to me. Very nice unit. Draft & vent in stack doesn't rob cabin air and (of course) vents outside. They say 3.9 hours to burn 1lb on high, 5.5hr on low. I think their ratings are pretty close.
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