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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 19:46:24 GMT
I've been wondering about this as the spare boat is going to be going on the mooring and the only hot water it has is engine and Alde gas boiler. Obviously engine use will be unusual for that boat so I am wondering if it might be worth rerouting the supply to the small calorifier via one of these 240v 2kw engine coolant preheat devices. £40. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393301877183Seems an interesting solution for a calorifier which does not have the option of an immersion heater. What do people think about this idea? It seems to me that coupled with some sort of stat it could be quite an effective way to get a calorifier of hot water from a 240v mains supply.
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Post by Telemachus on Oct 6, 2021 20:01:10 GMT
You would need some means to circulate (pump) the coolant around the heater / calorifier loop. Are you thinking of disconnecting the engine from this loop? If not you are going to waste a fair bit of heat heating up the engine.
As I understand it, most calorifiers do have an immersion heater boss, it’s just that it is covered in insulating foam.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 20:06:18 GMT
Yes. A 12v circulation pump should do it.
The boat will not get moved much at all as it is going to be occupying a mooring so the only sensible idea I can come up with is to bypass the engine circuit and place one of these devices "pretending to be the engine" as a heat source.
I got the impression they have a built in pump anyway but maybe not.
ETA good point about the immersion boss. I should check that really as I think you could well be right.
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Post by JohnV on Oct 6, 2021 20:06:47 GMT
That's an interesting concept Andrew ..... very interesting in fact. Presumably you would be completely disconnecting it from the engine to avoid wasting heat ...... and strap on tank thermostats are easily available that will switch 2Kw 240v without a problem.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 20:09:43 GMT
. Appears to require a separate pump. I can't see how that would work unless the auxiliary electric water pump on the vehicle is wired to the same switch. Needs more investigating.
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Post by JohnV on Oct 6, 2021 20:11:06 GMT
reading the (rather vague) spec it seems to suggest that it has a built in pump
even if it hasn't if it is well below the tank level it should thermosyphon
certainly the installation diagrams don't indicate the use of any extra pump facilities
and it does seem to be fitted with it's own internal thermostats
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 20:16:10 GMT
It says pump lift 90cm so it must have its own built in pump.
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Post by Telemachus on Oct 6, 2021 20:29:39 GMT
It says pump lift 90cm so it must have its own built in pump. Not sure about that. The translation is pretty poor. I got the impression the circulation was only by gravity / convection and the 90cm was the minimum “rise” needed to ensure this circulation. But I could be wrong!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 20:31:06 GMT
It is confusing. They also say the unit has a slight vibration to it. Would an element cause that or is it a pump?
Even if it needed a pump that's pretty easy to sort out anyway.
Will have to check about the immersion first as that is certainly the easiest option.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 20:37:00 GMT
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Post by Telemachus on Oct 6, 2021 21:01:36 GMT
Fair enough, clearly it does have a pump.
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Post by JohnV on Oct 6, 2021 21:50:53 GMT
I would guess that a tank thermostat will be essential, if it is designed to heat up an engine coolant it might get pretty hot !
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2021 7:08:37 GMT
Seems a fair bit of faff and risk of something going wrong when all you need to do is check for a heater element in the tank, if not just fit one.
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Post by JohnV on Oct 7, 2021 7:17:52 GMT
not sure but in Andrews original post he said the calorifier didn't have facility for an immersion ..... if there isn't a boss already fitted for one with a blank in it, then it might be imperpossimable
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2021 7:20:39 GMT
I must say I am assuming it doesn't have one. It's quite a small horizontal tank. I could be wrong about this. It's not accessible but I can dismantle to get to it. Good tip from Telemachus about it possibly being hidden under insulation. I didn't know this. Prodding around with a thin rod of some sort I guess is the answer.
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