Wallas or not?

drjohn71a · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:38 pm Post subject:

Yes, Pat. Some alternative would be good. The current heat pump, A/C unit may be ok down here for part of the season, but when the water gets cold, those little heat pumps take a very long time to warm up the cabin! I've been in big Marine Trader Trawlers freezing my butt off in October while the heat pump was chugging away for days and never caught up.

And, ducted, hot, dry air is just what the doctor ordered for BOATS, esp. in humid areas. Having the top 1/3 of the cabin warm and bottom 2/3 clammy is not much of a way to spend the weekend.

So, yes, I am wondering if the C-Ranger ppl might consider a ducted, hot air furnace of some sort. My favorite boating time is thru the winter. Here, you have the lakes to yourself, and with the higher surface oxygen, the stripers and other big fish actually feed on the surface so you can fly fish for stripers!

Let me know if you find anything out about that..... I have already asked them about 200 questions!!!! John

drjohn71a · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:42 pm Post subject:

Moose,,,,, the Finlanders are really a hardy crew. My middle son taught there at Vassa University for a short time. Riding bicycles to work on 3 inch ice covered streets, then all piling (naked) into a steam house while pouring down the firewater, then jumping into the water thru the closest ice hole is their idea of a fun Friday nite! So, a little clammy cold in the bunk area probably feels like a grandmother's hug to them! John

Grumpy · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:59 pm Post subject:

Preference ? Yes but.

Having used a number of other systems for years, I looked back at my experiences, like and dislikes, examined what was new and expressed my preference by buying a Wallas for many of the reasons that have been quoted herein.

For the few minutes that it worked correctly I was happy and even installed a teak, raised surround to improve the airflow.

If I look back over the postings on this forum (and there have been others in the past) I think it would be fair to say that most people like the Wallas when it is working correctly. Maybe a bit quirky and noisy but overall pretty functional.

Then there is another group like me who have had totally disfunctional units, which did not get fixed by the manufacturer.
That experience has driven some people totally off the concept.

I am still hoping to get a functional unit but if that does not work then I will admit my preference was wrong and go for something that I can fix and maintain myself. Here I agree with a previous post. There are elements about the Wallas that are beyond what one can be expected to do.

At the moment I have the luxury of the unit still being under warranty but I do wonder how much it will cost me per year once it is me paying for the parts, repair time etc.

For most of us (apologies to our Alaskan brothers) a heater/stove is a convenience item that, at worst should cause a cancelled trip.
At the moment, my Wallas is an expensive inconvenience and a safety hazard for reasons that even the manufacturer failed to fix the first time around.

lloyds · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:23 pm Post subject:

I have never been exposed to the Wallas but have had Espar. The forced air furnaces are great. I only had one problem with it in the ten years I used it. The control module quit working. That is a several hundred dollar unit to replace. But it worked great the rest of the time, and operated off the main diesel tank. I believe the same can be said of Webasto. They both have integrated systems that can also heat domestic water at the same time. At some point in time in the not real distant future I will purchase a larger C-Dory and will have to decide. But right now I am considering forced air heat and a microwave for cooking. Maybe a small butane or propane burner as auxillary. I can always carry the honda generator to run the microwave, or just use an inverter. A lot will depend on the climate I will be operating in. Many members of the sailing community, especially in Puget Sound, have had the Wallas products over the years and they too have had somewhat mixed opinions. Not a lot of complaints but enough to be noticeable.

MOOSE · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:32 pm Post subject:

Grumpy · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 10:10 pm Post subject:

moose,

I hope you remember your tradition of making sure your system is full of "anti-freeze" and .... No, let's forget about the birch Twigs... and the beatings etc etc etc. You should have lots of soul mates in AK !!

Is it true that every other person is called Matti ?
Lots of laughs and fond memories for me in your old country but I have to say, Thanks to the sea gods that they wrote the road signs in Swedish as well as Finnish or I would still be there.
Merv

flagold · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:01 am Post subject:

My Wallas has always been extremely difficult. Now in its 3rd year, and after sending it in, cleaning it numerous times, checking the voltage, fuses, fuse junctions, etc., etc., etc., it runs for 20 minutes and quits.

As for diesel and lubrication, that was a repeated quote from Karl by me. It is so often questioned I now regret I repeated it. At any rate, no matter what fuel is used, I will not recommend a Wallas on remote voyages for heat unless you carry an alternative. They are unreliable.

Sawdust · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:14 am Post subject:

Gotta be a lemon. I've had Wallas in 6 different boats with no problems - the last one has been operating AFAIK without trouble since 1989. I know some skippers have problems, but wonder what a large sample size would show. Not necessarily the way I'd go next time, but Wallas reliability would not be part of the decision-making process. There are diesel-fired furnaces I've seen installed, with a thermostat, that are really worth looking at. And I'd rather cook with propane (external tank with shutoff!!).

Just another opinion from the old boat-rocker -

Dusty

TyBoo · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:30 am Post subject:

MOOSE · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:39 am Post subject:

flagold · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:58 am Post subject:

dogon dory · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:55 am Post subject:

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

Grumpy · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:11 am Post subject:

Moose,

Actually it's my Grandkids who christened me Grumpy and they keep buying me T shirts to prove it.

In this case I reckon it's not being overly nasty to be upset about being driven out of the cabin by white evoporated diesel vapor.

Probably I am too nice about it and after the first (failed) attempt to fix it by the manufacturer, I actually tried many of the tricks I read in this forum short of stripping it down and have them tell me I blew the warranty.

I still have an open mind and the unit is back with Karl.

The only reason I told the story is that even though the Wallas concept is inherently safe and there are millions of them, there appears to be a failure mode which is very dangerous. And by the way this happens with all the doors wide open and me holding a fire extinguisher !

I agree with Dusty, it's probably a lemon and I hope they can fix it. It may not be perfect but at least I will be able to make coffee and I have many layers of clothes.

Merv

Grumpy · Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:06 pm Post subject:

Having had my public "Grump" about my Wallas, I must now be fair and say thanks to Karl and Mike at Scan Marine, I have achieved the minor miracle of converting Diesel into boiling water and heating (more) the cabin without either catching fire os suffocating anyone.

Special thanks to Mike for goig over ALL they symptoms with me and his painstaking explanation of the many detailed "tweaks" he tried to make it work. He really knows all those small issues that are no problem on their own but which can add up to a unit that does not work.

I have not had a chance to do a long test yet but today it fired right up and worked as I expected it to do.

Thanks guys !!

Merv