Wallas stove replacement options

[starcrafttom]

[gulfcoast john]

I went out to the garage and took down the bin it’s been in since purchase. Turns out it’s not an undercounter only heater, it’s a Wallas Safeflame Kerosene Mini Cooker 800/220 combo stove and heater (with the top down). Looks like this except used:

https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/wallas-marin/product-23495-532549.html

The label says Scan Marine installed it 0506. The manual says “The combustion gases and water vapor are discharged overboard which keeps the boat interior dry and fresh.”

I took pictures of the components. If you want to see them, please email me at johnhighsmith9@gmail.com (I don’t need these pics in my album). I apologize for my confusion, but I’ll be 68 tomorrow and pray I’ll never face a quiz on what else is in the garage that I’ve forgotten about.

Cheers!

John

[PNWNEWM]

It seems that another option would be a cheap electric heater. May take up more space, since it has to be out, but they seem to heat very fast and they are obviously dry. Most folks seem to have an inverter onboard and the heater doesn't take much power. Then just add a butcher block over the hole in the counter and get a 2 burner propane stove to use with the windows and/or door open. Thoughts?

[smckean (Tosca)]

Tom,

You bring up a point I've always wondered about. I'd be interested in your opinion.

Clearly, one wants to take air from inside the boat, heat it up, and blow it back into the boat. This allows the re-heating of already heated air so as to produce even warmer air. On the combustion side obviously the combustion gases must vent outside. This leaves the combustion intake. My first thought was it's safest to get air from outside, but I tend to agree with you that any air extracted from inside is easily replaced in the very non air tight enclosure of a boat, so that's not an issue for me. My curiosity concerns what's best for both gaining temperature and eliminating humidity: getting combustion air from inside or from outside? Grabbing air from inside should lower humidity since in a cold climate the relative humidity of the air outside is going to be lower than the air inside given warmer temperature, breathing, cooking, clothes drying, etc. But you are also grabbing air warmed by the heater, throwing it outside and sucking in cold air from outside thru various cracks etc. I wonder which is more desirable?

[smckean (Tosca)]

[PNWNEWM]

smckean (Tosca)

I stand corrected. Guess that's why I don't see that as an option. Thanks.

[smckean (Tosca)]

[ssobol]

As I mentioned I removed the Kenyon stove that my boat came with. I can use the portable butane stoves inside or outside. I made a piece (ok a board) that spans the splashwell which allows cooking in the cockpit when on the boat if the weather allows it. This keeps the humidity and smells of cooking outside the boat.

I have a small electric heater that can be used either with shore power or with my Honda 1000 generator.

I also have a Little Buddy heater. This burns propane. It is an infrared heater so it does not heat the cabin air much, it heats you. This heater requires ventilation. Some people may be sensitive to the fumes if there is poor ventilation. The Little Buddy heater does have an O2 sensor that shuts it off, but it does not sense CO. I have had the cabin CO sensor go off when using this heater. While this heater does have it's uses, it is not a cabin air heater.

One thing to keep in mind with butane stoves is that they can be hard to light in cold weather. Butane vaporizes around freezing air temps. If it is cold you may have to preheat the canister by holding near your body to warm it up. Once the stove is going there is a means to transfer some of the cooking heat to the canister to keep the fuel warm.

I don't use the heat much. I'm usually more interested in cooling the cabin than warming it.

[colbysmith]

[WCF]

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

I had to replace all my B vent propane space heaters with direct vent about 20 years ago because they were no longer acceptable to code. Problem in a house that is sealed up tight - they can lead to negative pressure in the house. This can lead to a low carburizing flame, blown out pilot lights, or fumes being drawn down other chimneys.

In a drafty boat negative pressure may not be a problem but since a B vent type appliance will draw air in any crack the boat may feel colder in many of its spaces. Since heat distribution is often a problem on a boat the direct vent unit may be the best heat.

Whatever your choice make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector.

Rob

[thataway]

My experience with the Wallas stove is different than many. We have had one in 4/5 C Dorys we have owned and never had any problems we could not fix right there. The most recent C Dory 25 had one of the small butane cartridge stoves, which we gave away. We went to an induction burner & Microwave with LiFePO4 batteries and 2000 watt inverter.

Although it is rare, seals do fail on some of the cartridge stoves. One of my close friends was badly burned and spent several months in a burn center ICU from a failed seal. Note the post above about a failed seal. I had propane on all of my long distance cruising/racing sailboats. But with dedicated storage lockers, which vented overboard, two sniffers and a solenoid operated cut off valve at the tank.

Any open flame heater needs oxygen input and exhaust gas discharge outside of the boat. Also there is accumulation of moisture in the boat, if not properly vented. Always the risk of CO poisoning, so multiple CO detectors should be utilized.

[starcrafttom]

[T.R. Bauer]

I would be more comfortable with a furnace that draws air from the outside when one of those butane or propane canisters springs a leak. It might keep you from going boom.

[ssobol]