Opinions on a boat

[KVico]

Sorry for a stupid question but... does a boat have a calorifier if it's not explicitly mentioned? If there is boiler it will be hooked up?

[Athy]

2 minutes ago, KVico said:

Sorry for a stupid question but... does a boat have a calorifier if it's not explicitly mentioned? If there is boiler it will be hooked up?

1) usually not

2) possibly

Your questions are not stupid, they are prudent. The stoopid ones are those who don't start to ask such questions until AFTER they have parted with many £££. Ask away.

[KVico]

9 minutes ago, Athy said:

1) usually not

2) possibly

Your questions are not stupid, they are prudent. The stoopid ones are those who don't start to ask such questions until AFTER they have parted with many £££. Ask away.

Thanks. Is it a good idea/costly to put in a calorifier? I would be cc'ing some of the time.

[Athy]

Just now, KVico said:

Thanks. Is it a good idea/costly to put in a calorifier? I would be cc'ing some of the time.

Because most boats are compactly designed, i.e. shoving lots of bits into a quite small space, retro-fitting new bits can be tricky and, I suppose, (others on here will know better than I do) quite costly in terms of labour.

The most common place for a calorifier is under the double bed. So if you've got a boat which has drawers or cupboards under its bed (as many do, for the aforementioned space reasons) then for a start the drawers have to be taken out, and then you have the problem of where to keep your jeans and woollies because, er, you've lost that storage space. So if you want a boat with a calorifier (yes, good idea), then it is best to find one which is already so fitted.

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, KVico said:

Thanks. Is it a good idea/costly to put in a calorifier? I would be cc'ing some of the time.

If you want a calorifier, put it on your list of 'must haven't. Loads and loads of boats have them.

Do you have lists entitled must have, would like, rather not and must not (or similar)? I ask because your current choices seem a bit scatter gun and frequently include the need for serious modifications. Better to buy the best compromise you can find.

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, KVico said:

Thanks. Is it a good idea/costly to put in a calorifier? I would be cc'ing some of the time.

Yes, if you intend to cruise its, a good idea.

There will be some cost installing one. The engine pipework and domestic pipework will need to be modified and if it has an immersion this will also need wiring up. 

You would be better off if you can to get a boat with one already installed Imo. 

 

If you are handy you can install your own at less cost. 

[Machpoint005]

58 minutes ago, Athy said:

Well, they are from the same brewery.

But according to Owd Rodger the old empire has gone for a burton.

[MtB]

On 11/05/2017 at 14:07, rusty69 said:

Yes, if you intend to cruise its, a good idea.

There will be some cost installing one. The engine pipework and domestic pipework will need to be modified and if it has an immersion this will also need wiring up. 

You would be better off if you can to get a boat with one already installed Imo. 

 

If you are handy you can install your own at less cost. 

 

I'm a CCer and I have both a calorifier and a Morco. 

I use the Morco exclusively. The calorifier is never used. 

[rusty69]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I'm a CCer and I have both a calorifier and a Morco. 

I use the Morco exclusively. The calorifier is never used. 

Maybe you could sell it to KVico then! 

[MtB]

On 11/05/2017 at 16:41, rusty69 said:

Maybe you could sell it to KVico then! 

 

Nope. Redundancy in the services in a CC boat is always a Good Thing!

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Nope. Redundancy in the services in a CC boat is always a Good Thing!

I would suggest redundancy is a good thing in most boats that have the space and budget to accommodate. 

[Athy]

22 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I'm a CCer and I have both a calorifier and a Morco. 

I use the Morco exclusively. The calorifier is never used. 

How do you switch it off? Doesn't it just sort of heat up when your engine is running?

[Sea Dog]

10 minutes ago, Athy said:

How do you switch it off? Doesn't it just sort of heat up when your engine is running?

I'm glad you asked that as it saved me typing... Oh.  While I'm here then, it is the closest thing to free hot water you can get in a boat, isn't it?

[MtB]

On 11/05/2017 at 17:03, Athy said:

How do you switch it off? Doesn't it just sort of heat up when your engine is running?

Yes it heats up when the engine is running. But to use it, I have to close the valve supplying the Morco and open the valve on the outlet of the cauliflower. It's less faff to not bother as the Morco works reliably and excellently, and the cauliflower isn't always hot.

[Athy]

Today I have learned that cauliflowers and Morcos (Morcoes?) have valves. This forum is truly educational.

I'm assuming that a Morco is one of those rapid water heaters which hangs on the wall, like the Ascots which all student flats used to have and whose operation used to scare us witless.

[rusty69]

6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Yes it heats up when the engine is running. But to use it, I have to close the valve supplying the Morco and open the valve on the outlet of the cauliflower. It's less faff to not bother as the Morco works reliably and excellently, and the cauliflower isn't always hot.

Our paloma has a valve to select between calorifier and paloma.

 

Seems  a shame to waste "free" hot water, but i can understand warm water is less useful. 

[Neil2]

Calorifiers seem like a good idea but they take up valuable space on a small boat unless you can squeeze it in the engine bay which is probably the best place as they are probably the most common cause of plumbing leaks on a boat.   They also make people run their engines when stationary even on marinas.  Give me a good old instant water heater every time,            

[Sea Dog]

15 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

Calorifiers seem like a good idea but they take up valuable space on a small boat unless you can squeeze it in the engine bay which is probably the best place as they are probably the most common cause of plumbing leaks on a boat.   They also make people run their engines when stationary even on marinas.  Give me a good old instant water heater every time,            

No reason there not to have a calorifier. Rather, this illustrates why you need duplication in key systems. A calorifier can be heated by the engine, central heating system (gas/diesel/solid fuel) and/or an immersion heater. My boat has all 3, as do many, many others.

[system 4-50]

Since I got my Morco (D61B) working I haven't used my calorifier. It is so nice not having to worry about whether I have used up all the hot water in the tank. I am wondering whether at the end of the season I might drain it for good as draining it against frost is a pain. Since changing to regulating the temperature on the Morco itself rather than by a mixer I have perfect showers every time. (So far!).

[Neil2]

11 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

Since I got my Morco (D61B) working I haven't used my calorifier. It is so nice not having to worry about whether I have used up all the hot water in the tank. I am wondering whether at the end of the season I might drain it for good as draining it against frost is a pain. Since changing to regulating the temperature on the Morco itself rather than by a mixer I have perfect showers every time. (So far!).

Another negative aspect of he ubiquitous calorifier.   Yes lots of people have them and doubtless love them to bits but these days when you have excellent instant heaters such as the Morco G11E costing less than £400 it's worth pointing out the options to people who don't have much boating experience.    

Personally I don't see the point in having more than one method of water heating, I only have one method at home.  I like things as simple as possible on a boat, more water pipes means more potential for leaks.    

[Athy]

8 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

    

Personally I don't see the point in having more than one method of water heating, I only have one method at home.

Really? What happens when it goes wrong?

[Neil2]

25 minutes ago, Athy said:

Really? What happens when it goes wrong?

I spend the rest of the day arguing with my wife who demands to know why the **** we haven't got another means of heating the water..

 

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

I spend the rest of the day arguing with my wife who demands to know why the **** we haven't got another means of heating the water..

 

A most hearty Greeno for that!

[Peter X]

But if you've got a gas hob (or a lit stove) and a kettle, you do have another means of heating the water (assuming you have the gas/coal). All you need then is a hand bowl and a flannel.

[Neil2]

28 minutes ago, Peter X said:

But if you've got a gas hob (or a lit stove) and a kettle, you do have another means of heating the water (assuming you have the gas/coal). All you need then is a hand bowl and a flannel.

That's exactly what I said...

It didn't go down very well.