Simple Espar Airtronic install options?

R

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
The boat went in late this season and I would really like to stretch my sailing into the fall/winter this year if possible. That means adding a heater to the boat. I was thinking bulkhead diesel but I can't commit to cutting that big a hole in the cabin top. Gives me shivers just thinking about it. Considered a propane bulkhead heater since the flue hole is smaller but they use a lot of propane, we couldn't carry enough to make it work on a long cold weekend. Hydronics are nice but complicated, expensive, etc. So I have sorta settled on a air heater, the Espar D4.

I would like to mount it in the starboard lazarette hatch area, up under the coming, essentially right below the starboard primary winch. Up out of the way, but still accessible. I am thinking that just one vent outlet would work just fine.

I have the "open" layout E38. The salon/galley/quarterberth/nav station are one large space. The head and V-berth are forward but the V-berth door is never closed and the head door only when in use. The heat duct would pass through the bulkhead on the starboard side, just past the built in pull out dishrack in the galley.

I am not so concerned about truly effective heating of the V-berth for two reasons: I like to sleep in a relatively cold room and we can always sleep in the quarterberth if it gets too cold.

The single duct option negates the problem of cutting holes in bulkheads everywhere for ducts. Given the open layout of my boat I can't see why this won't work.

Generally the boat is used for daysailing, weekends, etc. so the heater doesn't need to be a full blown liveaboard system. I also doubt that the boat will see much use once the day temps drop into the high 30's anyway.

I would also like to simplify the installation with a separate fuel tank for the heater. Easier to deal with than cutting into my main tank and can use K1 or a K1/D2 blend to keep the heater happier.

I don't like the idea of cutting a hole in the side of the boat for the exhaust, I would prefer the transom. I have a local fabricator that can easily make a slant cut exhaust to allow the exhaust to work with the reverse transom on the E38.

Any thoughts on this would be welcome.

Thanks, RT
 
C

Captron

Member III
Espar

Rob,

Our 1983 E-38 had an Espar diesel heater installed when we bought the boat. It's long since been removed as we cruise a warmer climate. I think ours was either a D2 or D3 but it might have been a D4.

The unit we had was installed in the engine compartment on the bulkhead that separates the quarter berth from the engine room. It was tapped into the main fuel tank and had a small fuel pump also mounted on the bulkhead. The exhaust port went through the transom on the port quarter up near the toe rail. It had a cap for covering the exhaust port when not in use.

We did not have ducting except that a short piece of 4" round aluminum ducting ran from the heater to the top of the engine. We opened the top engine hatch (under the ladder) and slightly extended the duct into the main cabin when we needed heat.

The thermostat control was mounted on the salon forward bulkhead.

It worked very well the few times we used it. It would take the cabin from 50 degrees to 74 in less than half an hour. It was like having a super hair dryer blasting hot air into the cabin. Very effective. Operation was simple too. Just turn it on and set the thermostat (remembering to open the exhaust port of course). It also used very little fuel.

Because it was mounted on the port side engine room bulkhead, it was also very close to the main fuel tank. Plumbing a new pick-up shouldn't involve more than drilling a hole for a pick-up fitting.

Good luck with it.
:egrin:
 
K

Kim Schoedel

Member III
Rob, I replaced the old Espar furnace (it was real old and had issues) with a D4. The venting was already in place so it was a matter of r & r for the wireing, thermostat and new pump.

Yes, I do winter sail, need the heat. Have one vent in the v-birth and one in the main salon on the starboard side. The supplier for the new unit highly recommended installing another vent as the D4 is capable of running 3 or more vents. He was concerned about the furnace being able to "unload heat". The size and length of the vent runs were important to him. With 4" hose and the length of the runs he thought that the 2 existing vents would be ok. I did not install the 3rd vent as the only place it could be would be the head. I would have to come off the v-birth run under the v -birth to the head (its on the port side), a big project. The unit has worked great for over two years now with one exception describe below.

The feed was already direct to the main fuel tank. Your thought of installing a seperate tank is a real good way to go. The supplier had told me that in the Puget Sound area, with the declining quality of diesel fuel, many folks are running their Espars with Kerosene from a seperate tank. It burns much cleaner, thus reducing soot build up in the unit. However, I have not had any soot problems.

Not knowing if yours is new or not (with installation directions, I suggest to make sure the pump is mounted vertical or at least almost vertical. Mine was, but do to just one mounting screw and typical boat vibration it moved after about a year to being almost horizontal and would not pump enough fuel to operate the furnace. Lots of air bubbles. Took awhile to figure that one out. Had to remove the furnace and send it over to the dealer to pull the fault codes from its baby computor to figure it out. At that time I had about 500 hrs of operation on it and had him check the burner and nossels. Clean and no problems.

If you need more insight or have questions, just holler. BTW, I am sure glad I purchased it from an authorized Espar dealer, even though we live 300 plus miles from them. Big help by phone.
 
Cory B

Cory B

Sustaining Member
Kim,

Although its a far distant future project for us, I was wondering where you located the heater unit, and how the vent hose was ran. With the boat's TAG it looks pretty tricky to run 4" hose.
 
Steve

Steve

Member III
Kim.. Same question as Cory

Sounds like you have your unit located in the hanging locker? If so what is the route of the fuel line and is the exhaust just through the hull at that point? Is there a check valve?

Thanks...
Steve e35-3
 
R

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Kim,
The statement about the heater needing to "unload heat" is interesting. I was thinking of the Espar as a simple forced air unit and that the outlet wouldn't really matter. As I understood it, the Espar could be used to heat ANY space, such as the cargo area of a truck, etc. Maybe it needs a bit of backpressure to operate correctly? I will have to look into it. Thanks!

Loren,
I did look closely at the Dickinson propane unit. I do not have propane on my boat. I have a Gas Systems CNG stove/oven. Since the E38 has two nice propane lockers built into the cockpit I did consider this. The installation of a propane heater would require at least one propane cylinder, regulator, hose, solenoid, leak detector, etc. All this will increase the cost $300-$400 more. I also had concerns about the burn time on the propane system. The specs state approximately 5hr burn on 1lb of propane. So a 10lb bottle should last 50hrs? If I was on a long trip, say a week in cold weather then it is conceivable that we run out of propane. With the Espar, even with a dedicated tank, diesel can be had easily from the main tank or most any marina. Propane, tougher to get. I will consider it though! Thanks, RT
 
K

Kim Schoedel

Member III
By no means am I an expert on this but will try my best with the questions.

Remember that I did not do the initial installation. It was in the boat when I purchased it in 05. The furnace is hung with brackets from the back side of the starboard coaming in the cockpit. Nasty area to get to. Exhaust runs straight aft and exits just under the E logo on the top stripe. No idea if it has a check valve. The trunk line for the vents runs down under the main ice box through the storage under the stove/oven straight forward into the storage area under the starboard seat. Has a Y, one line out to the 1st vent, one line goes up into the storage area behind the backrest of the seat all the way forward into the hanging locker in the v-birth, down a bit through the storage in front of the hanging locker to the 2nd vent. Whew. Hope this makes sense.

The fuel line runs from the furnace across the top of the engine compartment forward then exits the engine compartments port side to the main fuel tank for the engine.

Power supply is direct from the batteries with a 30 amp fuse. The thermostat wires run from the furnace forward up inside the small headliner through the forward most cabinet and mounted there.

Regarding the "unloading the heat" question. I believe the dealer was concerned about too much back pressure for the D4 as he said it had much more capacity then the old 20 some year old unit. You never know, perhaps he wanted to sell more parts. But I don't think this was the case.

Hope this helps.
 
Steve

Steve

Member III
Thanks Kim...

Thanks Kim....

This all makes sense, and actually I'm intrigued to know a vent can pass under the large icebox. I always figured someday to have to do a sawzal job to get access to the ice box drain hose.

Not sure about Cory's boat, but I have a 35 gal water tank under the cabin starboard settee, unless the vent exits this area immediately after going under the drawer (small ice box) and up into the behind the backrest storage area, I would have difficulties here.

Steve
 
K

Kim Schoedel

Member III
Glad to help Steve. Interesting, we have the same year, same model, yet my starboard water tank is placed all the way forward just aft of the bulk head. Sounds like yours is just forward of the small ice box. Either way, a lot of storage space is lost with the vent run's and the "Y" under that aft most portion of the starboard settee o mine. I have looked at the configeration several times trying to plan a bit different method of splitting that main run. I understand why the "Y" instead of a "T" for airflow purposes. But it does take up about half of the storage in that compartment.

Typical sail boat thing. Trade offs and sacrifices. Comfort (heat), or extra storage (Rum).
 
R

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
It is simply not possible to run 3" to 4" duct through my E38. I have the "open" layout with forward head and galley on the starboard side. Nowhere to hide the duct on the port side as the quarterberth walls are just upholstered bulkhead and hull. No room under berth in fuel tank area either. In the galley the duct would have to come through under the sink and then behind the stove, but no way to get past the icebox as that goes to the hull and then the starboard water tank is under the settee so that ends that anyway. Tough boat to work in. RT
 
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