Heat on an A25? (not 27)

[FrankD]

Curious as to what others have used..
An Espar type is nice, but costly.
A diesel or propane heater is less money...but where do you put it?
Looking for answers from A25 owners that actually have heat aboard their boat and pictures if possible.
Thanks

[dkirsop]

I have two heaters on my boat. The first is an Espar tucked into the space to the right of the helm seat and ducted to both the fore and aft cabins. I hardly ever use it but it is nice to know I can if I need to. The second is a buss heater that is tucked beneath the step going into the fore cabin. I use the buss heater all the time.

My engine is an AD21 and I run the coolant first through a hot water tank and then through the bus heater. Both units are in the fore cabin. The bus heater is an after market, multi-speed unit typically intended for small trucks. It is reasonably priced and you can probably source one from NAPA or other parts supplier. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the installation and I won't be going into the boat for a few weeks yet.

[WillieC]

Mr. K. The coolant runs through your heat exchanger, water heater and your bus heater, correct? Any valving or ways to isolate the various components?

Thanks.

[Dieselram94]

Where exactly did you mount the water heater?

[WillieC]

The second is a buss heater that is tucked beneath the step going into the fore cabin.

(I think he means bus heater. But maybe that's how they spell bus in CA.)

[dkirsop]

"The coolant runs through your heat exchanger, water heater and your bus heater, correct? " Correct. "Any valving or ways to isolate the various components?" The runs are short and I did not bother with valving. I keep the original U-shaped molded hose that came with the engine to replace the circuit if necessary and resort to clamps to isolate the system when needed. It is a 3 speed unit. I will attach photos of the installation when I am next in the boat.

Auxillary Heater.jpg

Here is a site that lists a similar heater.

https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Hot-Ro ... ed:3-speed

[FrankD]

Thanks dkirsop
Exactly the type of info I’m hoping for...
I’m currently not that far from Pender island
Give me a few days notice if possible when headed to your boat
Thanks
Enjoy your week

[dkirsop]

Frank, I keep my boat in my yard for winter. Keeping with current Covid regs sometime after Feb 8 works for me. We can set something up using private message.

[DesertAlbin736]

Heat? Who needs heat?

20170505_152723_resized.jpg

Seriously, for chilly nights we have a small 1200 watt 115V AC electric heater we can use if we're at a dock with shore power. Otherwise when out at anchor we have a choice of alcohol fueled Origo Heat Pal which uses the same type of non pressurized wick canister as the cook stove...

Origo Heat Pal.JPG

...or a propane fueled Mr. Heater catalytic heater. Besides the small propane canisters I have an adapter hose that can hook up to a larger propane tank. Either one does not get left on overnight & unattended.

Mr Heater.jpeg

We plan to be out on the water this coming weekend and booking a guest slip in the marina for the night so we'll have shore power and use our electric heater. Tonight & tomorrow night are supposed to drop down to 35* F, but by the weekend we're supposed to warm up to 75* F for a high & 47* F for a low. So far this winter we have not dropped below freezing even once. Keeping cool in hot weather is another matter. Within a few weeks our winter such as it is will be effectively over. Since April we have had exactly one instance of significant rainfall of around 1/2 inch. And what passes for winter rainy season will soon be over. After that we'll be in the summer dry season until at least July if we get any rain at all then. The Southwest is in a serious drought these days.

[tribologist]

The Chinese Espar copies are like $110. We have one to heat the garage. In the boat with have a Dometic ECD 10kbtu AC/heatpump. It run fine from a Honda 2200W generator. The Dometic AC unit fits in the space the heater is supposed to mount in.

[dkirsop]

Now that I am beginning to prepare my boat for a spring launch I can provide some background and photos of the heater installations on my boat. My boat came with an Espar D1LC heater and a small bus heater when purchased. I use the bus heater a lot as it is easy to access and heats the main cabin well. Since the purchase I have added hot water, improved the connections at the engine and also added a Wallas diesel stove for cooking. I have used the Espar for extended cruises, it is thermostatically controlled and uses very little fuel. I installed the Wallas cook top stove 2 years ago, when the pressurized alcohol stove gave up the ghost and ignition became dramatic entertainment.

The stove installation is covered in a previous posting. Suffice to say it is easy, safe, and removes moisture from the cabin. It is easy to use and there is a model that also serves as a cabin heater for an extra $1000 Can.

While not the main subject of this post I am starting with my fuel tank and the various components should you decide on a diesel heater or stove.

Fuel Tank Fittings.jpeg

You can see where the fuel pickups for the stove and heater are placed. The tank came from the factory with a spare port for addition of a stove or heater. I used it for my stove. The boat heater had not been plumbed to the tank when I got it and used a plastic jug as a stand alone reservoir. I decided to plumb it to the tank and take all fuels from one source.

Bus Heater.jpeg

My bus heater is mounted beneath the step entry into the main cabin. It has a 3 speed fan and an on/off switch.

My water heater is a 5 gal Isotemp mounted beneath the port hand forward berth. Having hot water on board is a luxury but I love it. The water is still warm in the morning even after being tied up for the night. It heats up quickly under way and also has an electric element for use dockside.

Hot Water Tank.jpeg

Engine coolant is recirculated continuously through both the hot water tank and the bus heater when under way.

Engine - Top View.jpeg

The above picture shows the hose connection points on my engine. The hoses are routed back and under the engine before exiting the engine box through the forward port side air inlet port. The picture below was taken when I had the engine removed and gives a better idea of how this is done.

Hose Routing.jpeg

The next picture provides details on how the heater is bolted to the cabin bulkhead and how the hoses are configured.

Hose Routing and Heater Mount.jpeg

The above arrangement makes for a very comfortable cruising boat. I have found it to be simple and reliable.

[WillieC]

Mr. K., that is a wealth of information. Thank you for all the pics and description.

Your set-up would make me the full time driver as the Starfleet Commander would ensconce herself in the main cabin with her books and I would never see her. Austerity is my friend, but wow, that really lengthens your boating season with real heat and hot water.

So no problems with bleeding the anti-freeze loop through the heater and water heater?

You have sandwiched in some serious upgrades there, maybe not for a Florida boat, but definitely up here. Nicely done. I have yet to run the overhauled Espar on the WillieC, still deep into COVID home refreshing projects. You have inspired me.