Webasto Heater

For some reason, I've never posted anything about my heater installation. Possibly because it's a bit idiosyncratic.

Other installations I've seen generally put the heater in a cockpit locker. This keeps the heater body outside the living area, but requires long ducting runs and quite a lot of wasted heat. It also takes up valuable locker space ...

After a bit of thought, I decided to install my heater (A small Webasto Airtop) in the back of the wet locker opposite the heads. This was dead space, and very out of the way. It also meant I could run a very short duct into the forward end of the saloon.

The main worries were to do with exhaust leakage and where to put the actual exhaust outlet. In fact, I was able to seal the exhaust joints very effectively, and I put the exhaust outlet fitting in the side of the coachroof. It does get a splash now and again, but I've put a gooseneck in the exhaust pipe and also fitted a drain so that any water that might get in ends up dribbling into the wet locker beneath the heater.

This is the main layout:

This is the exhaust:

And this is the drain in the exhaust elbow:

The loop creates a natural water seal.

I have a CO monitor in the saloon, and it has never shown the presence of any gas. All zeros.

The waste heat keeps the wet locker dry (!) and warms the heads.

A gruesome experience ...

 

I've been doing some rewiring - of which more anon - and had disconnected the electric bilge-pump.

As I struggled with a torch and screwdriver in an awkward place, I heard a trickle of water. At first I thought it must be coming from outside the boat. Then I looked in the bilges ...

It didn't take me long to find its source. The cooling water feed to the engine has a take-off in it - a t-piece - to supply the salt-water tap at the kitchen sink. The little barbed insert was obviously brass, and had rotted away.

I always close all the seacocks when I leave the boat for any length of time. Sometimes it seems excessive.

Sometimes it seems like exactly the right thing to do.