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10:42 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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I discovered how to get some heat for free on my recent RCR course. Not yet tested but I can see no reason why it will not work.
If you have a pumped central heating system which also heats the calorifier and it is also heated from the engine, run the pump while running the engine (once at operating temperature) but do not turn on the boiler. The calorifier will be heated from the engine and the radiators will be heated from the calorifier – for free!
An alternative which one attendee was intending to carry out, is to take a spur from the cooling system (many engines may already have a ‘plug’ fitted – I cannot think of the correct name) and plumb it in to the radiators. It would be advisable to put in a shut off valve and only open it when the engine has reached full temperature. And maybe check that the antifreeze in your radiators is the same as the engine?
It also has the advantage of adding additional cooling to the engine!
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
7:58 pm
Monday,5 March, 2012
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Alan said
I discovered how to get some heat for free on my recent RCR course. Not yet tested but I can see no reason why it will not work.If you have a pumped central heating system which also heats the calorifier and it is also heated from the engine, run the pump while running the engine (once at operating temperature) but do not turn on the boiler. The calorifier will be heated from the engine and the radiators will be heated from the calorifier – for free!
An alternative which one attendee was intending to carry out, is to take a spur from the cooling system (many engines may already have a ‘plug’ fitted – I cannot think of the correct name) and plumb it in to the radiators. It would be advisable to put in a shut off valve and only open it when the engine has reached full temperature. And maybe check that the antifreeze in your radiators is the same as the engine?
It also has the advantage of adding additional cooling to the engine!
8:28 pm
Monday,5 March, 2012
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Alan said
I discovered how to get some heat for free on my recent RCR course. Not yet tested but I can see no reason why it will not work.If you have a pumped central heating system which also heats the calorifier and it is also heated from the engine, run the pump while running the engine (once at operating temperature) but do not turn on the boiler. The calorifier will be heated from the engine and the radiators will be heated from the calorifier – for free!
An alternative which one attendee was intending to carry out, is to take a spur from the cooling system (many engines may already have a ‘plug’ fitted – I cannot think of the correct name) and plumb it in to the radiators. It would be advisable to put in a shut off valve and only open it when the engine has reached full temperature. And maybe check that the antifreeze in your radiators is the same as the engine?
It also has the advantage of adding additional cooling to the engine!
Our boat just heats the calorifier from the engine but I have been told by several people that there is no reason why the engine should not heat the radiators exaclty as you say. However, they are completely different water circuits. One from the engine and the other normally heated by the Webasto diesel boiler. I do not want to link them together because the engine system is under pressure and the radiator circuit is not. Apparently the solution is to fit a water to water heat exchanger. Not sure where I am going to get one from but maybe it could be home made e.g. a 15mm co[[er pipe enclosed within a 22mm pipe – couple of T pieces with 22 ro 15mm reducers to enable connection to the rubber pipes of the existing heating circuits – a little bit of soldering & how hard can it be? Maybe someone out there has some thoughts?
7:27 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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pitstop said
Alan said
I discovered how to get some heat for free on my recent RCR course. Not yet tested but I can see no reason why it will not work.If you have a pumped central heating system which also heats the calorifier and it is also heated from the engine, run the pump while running the engine (once at operating temperature) but do not turn on the boiler. The calorifier will be heated from the engine and the radiators will be heated from the calorifier – for free!
An alternative which one attendee was intending to carry out, is to take a spur from the cooling system (many engines may already have a ‘plug’ fitted – I cannot think of the correct name) and plumb it in to the radiators. It would be advisable to put in a shut off valve and only open it when the engine has reached full temperature. And maybe check that the antifreeze in your radiators is the same as the engine?
It also has the advantage of adding additional cooling to the engine!
Our boat just heats the calorifier from the engine but I have been told by several people that there is no reason why the engine should not heat the radiators exaclty as you say. However, they are completely different water circuits. One from the engine and the other normally heated by the Webasto diesel boiler. I do not want to link them together because the engine system is under pressure and the radiator circuit is not. Apparently the solution is to fit a water to water heat exchanger. Not sure where I am going to get one from but maybe it could be home made e.g. a 15mm co[[er pipe enclosed within a 22mm pipe – couple of T pieces with 22 ro 15mm reducers to enable connection to the rubber pipes of the existing heating circuits – a little bit of soldering & how hard can it be? Maybe someone out there has some thoughts?
From your description you already have the heat exchanger, as I said in the second paragraph above. Engine heats the calorifier – hot water in there heats the second coil linked to the radiators through your diesel boiler. Turn on your CH pump and the radiators will be heated.
Alan
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
1:10 pm
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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Except that pump on my c/htg system is built into the Webasto with no separate switch.
Regards
Pete
Living retirement in the slow lane.
20 years hiring, 6 years of shared ownership and a Continuous Cruiser since 2007 but still learning!
11:05 am
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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pearley said
Except that pump on my c/htg system is built into the Webasto with no separate switch.
Regards
Pete
Likewise with Mikuni in my case. Its not a bad idea if possible though. However if the engine calorifier coil is in the thermostat bypass circuit it may take a while for the engine to heat up. A manually operated direct bypass valve could solve this allowing quick warm up before the calorifier coil was brought into play. A second lower temp thermostat circuit is another option as often fitted to modern engines.
I think Pitstop doesn’t realise that in the original suggestion, the calorifier is acting as the heat exchanger, therefore maintaining separate engine and radiator circuits.
Regards – Richard –
Ecky Thump
7:44 pm
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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Hi Pete & Richard,
Can you not run the pump without firing the boiler? Or turn the boiler thermostat off/down. I am sure you would have thought of that but I have no idea how diesel boilers work,
Alan
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
8:19 pm
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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Alan said
Hi Pete & Richard,Can you not run the pump without firing the boiler? Or turn the boiler thermostat off/down. I am sure you would have thought of that but I have no idea how diesel boilers work,
Alan
Mikuni/Webasto/Eberspacher are all processor controlled highly integrated units. I doubt it would be worth the trouble even if possible to engineer one to run with pump alone.
Anyway I have a lovely stove I can put my gloved hands on whilst steering in the winter, plus another keeping the front of the boat warm.
Regards – Richard –
Ecky Thump
6:29 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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Found a discussion on here, including running with diesel systems
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
10:30 am
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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Alan said
Found a discussion on here, including running with diesel systems
Just read that thread, so it is possible but note the concerns of damaging the diesel heater electronics. I also note that Biggles had the calorifier water insanely hot in order to give a lesser heat to the radiators.
FWIW when returning to a previously unattended boat I usually turn on the immersion heater as well as running the Mikuni. Working by the same principles this bucks the heat to the radiators.
Regards – Richard –
Ecky Thump
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