The Wallas stack cap is a pop-up affair that can be locked down to seal the unit for trips,etc. I've never bothered. It is extremely weather tite, and leaks no water in a pouring rain. Also, when the stove is operating, the cap portion (i.e. the center of the exhaust stack) gets as hot as an iron. Rain, etc. will sizzle when it hits, so the answer is "no" to a dingy if it were place on the cap. The surroundings however are cool, so the radiant heat travels no more than a couple of inches. :smile Ron
Converting to a Wallas
- Thread starter Dora~Jean
- Start date
The Wallas 1300 has two optional venting feed-thru's, through the roof or a side-thru, I plan to go with the side-thru to keep everything under the counter and out of sight. I will have to look at how it's sealed for sea-water intrusion although I plan to keep it as high above the waterline as the 8" inside gooseneck allows. One advantage of the combo exhaust/intake venting is that the hot exhaust pipe is contained within the cooler intake air flow. Disadvantage -- large hole.
Steve
Steve
Not For Hire
New member
Steve, interesting project. I was contemplating putting a 1300 inside the stove/sink cabinet, running the "stack" vertically to the roof. Figured I would run two heat ducts, one to the windshield with a secondary duct to the v-berth and one to the floor area with a secondary duct to the helmsman's feet. For whatever reason (like lack of imagination or not reading the manual) I never thought of doing a through hull installation like you mention. Big hole that low? Keep us posted so we may continue schooling. I had looked at Espars and some others adapted from semi-truck style heaters kind of pricey, but seemed okay and lend themselves to hidden installations.
Thanks and regards,
Thanks and regards,
Not For Hire
New member
Ron,
If you wanted to bother with ducting is there any reason you can see that the 1300 could not be installed inside the sink/stove cabinet? I looked at your album again hoping to see a pic of the exhaust stack next to your rod holders but no luck.
Al, darn right conserving space has to be a mantra on these boats. Down to about 18 inches of snow in my backyard and my driveway is mostly pavement, it's coming your way too. Figure about three weeks to getting her wet again if all goes well. They are catching nice steelhead in the Big Manistee on plugs.
If you wanted to bother with ducting is there any reason you can see that the 1300 could not be installed inside the sink/stove cabinet? I looked at your album again hoping to see a pic of the exhaust stack next to your rod holders but no luck.
Al, darn right conserving space has to be a mantra on these boats. Down to about 18 inches of snow in my backyard and my driveway is mostly pavement, it's coming your way too. Figure about three weeks to getting her wet again if all goes well. They are catching nice steelhead in the Big Manistee on plugs.
Ordered the Wallas 1300 heater today from Scan Marine. When I said I'll need 4ft of heat ducting to begin with, they shut me down, 3ft max! Seems the back-pressure to the tiny fan operation is too high beyond 3ft. But I'm figuring if that's the case, I could 'branch' off another duct a foot or two from the heater with say a smaller diameter to warm the V-berth, the back-pressure to the fan (and air flow) shouldn't be affected, if anything, should be less. That's my theory anyway. Will probably set it up per factory specs, then experiment later...
Steve
Steve
Steve-
Sounds like your branching idea will work. That fan must be pretty weak!
Another approach to aid the flow would be to go to the ends of your ducts and install booster fans to help pull the air to the outlets.
The small computer fans come in s myriad of different sizes and can be adapted to all kinds of uses.
Here's a photo of one I put in a duct to push air up a 4 ft tube:
The fan frame has been ground off to round it off to fit inside the plastic drain cap which is to be used as a vent grille.
The entire heater installation is here:
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php
Joe.
Sounds like your branching idea will work. That fan must be pretty weak!
Another approach to aid the flow would be to go to the ends of your ducts and install booster fans to help pull the air to the outlets.
The small computer fans come in s myriad of different sizes and can be adapted to all kinds of uses.
Here's a photo of one I put in a duct to push air up a 4 ft tube:
The fan frame has been ground off to round it off to fit inside the plastic drain cap which is to be used as a vent grille.
The entire heater installation is here:
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php
Joe.
jennykatz-
That generator-electric heater combo is just what several of us use, but usually as a back-up system. (See Red Fox's discussion of the New Yamaha generator on another current threaad.)
The only reasons it's used mostly as a back-up system are 1.) the noise of running the generator at night, 2.) the concern for carbon monoxide issues, and 3.) other considerations, including refueling, generator placement, and weather and salt water exposure.
Some people find the generator noice objectionable, while others would say you can't really hear it all that much over the fan noise of the electric heater. It just depends on what bothers you. If you''re on a dock, or ashore and alone, a long extension cord can get the noise source away from you as well as remove the source of carbon monoxide. Greg (RF) has been known to put the generator out afloat in the dinghy overnight with an extension cord led along the teather line to get it away from the boat.
This brings us to the next point. The generator must be positioned in such a way that the carbon monoxide is vented over the side and not into the cockpit and then into the cabin, usually by tying the generator down on the stern somewhere, like on one of the lazarettes or engine well. A carbon monoxide detector inside the cabin would be a must have accessory to this system.
Next, the generator is sensitive to rain and salt water and must be positioned accorddingly during transport and use. A little thought and perhaps a protective enclosure will solve these problems, however.
Refueling the generator is another issue, but can be done easily providing it's not raining, etc. Extended run tanks can be set up as well, and the generator can be coupled to the boat's main fuel system.
So, as you can see, the system can be made to work, but requires a little forethought and supervision. Most folks use it as a back up, but if you can find a good, permanent spot to mount the generator (which will solve most all the issues above except the noise problem), the electric heater/generator combo would be a natural, and the presence of the generator would open up a whole bunch of other possibilities for conveniences on the boat.
Joe.
That generator-electric heater combo is just what several of us use, but usually as a back-up system. (See Red Fox's discussion of the New Yamaha generator on another current threaad.)
The only reasons it's used mostly as a back-up system are 1.) the noise of running the generator at night, 2.) the concern for carbon monoxide issues, and 3.) other considerations, including refueling, generator placement, and weather and salt water exposure.
Some people find the generator noice objectionable, while others would say you can't really hear it all that much over the fan noise of the electric heater. It just depends on what bothers you. If you''re on a dock, or ashore and alone, a long extension cord can get the noise source away from you as well as remove the source of carbon monoxide. Greg (RF) has been known to put the generator out afloat in the dinghy overnight with an extension cord led along the teather line to get it away from the boat.
This brings us to the next point. The generator must be positioned in such a way that the carbon monoxide is vented over the side and not into the cockpit and then into the cabin, usually by tying the generator down on the stern somewhere, like on one of the lazarettes or engine well. A carbon monoxide detector inside the cabin would be a must have accessory to this system.
Next, the generator is sensitive to rain and salt water and must be positioned accorddingly during transport and use. A little thought and perhaps a protective enclosure will solve these problems, however.
Refueling the generator is another issue, but can be done easily providing it's not raining, etc. Extended run tanks can be set up as well, and the generator can be coupled to the boat's main fuel system.
So, as you can see, the system can be made to work, but requires a little forethought and supervision. Most folks use it as a back up, but if you can find a good, permanent spot to mount the generator (which will solve most all the issues above except the noise problem), the electric heater/generator combo would be a natural, and the presence of the generator would open up a whole bunch of other possibilities for conveniences on the boat.
Joe.
Joe, good idea on the push/pull fan-in-the-tube trick! I once did something like that to vent battery gases overboard in an enclosed battery compartment that was INSIDE the cabin -- couldn't believe the mfr got away with that for years. I used a 3" RV sewer hose (new of course...) and found a suitable computer fan that fit just right, worked great, no more fumes. Should work with the Wallas heater -- unless it is sensitive to TOO MUCH air flow as well. Heck, maybe just the one register output will work fine, might do that for a year before making mods -- got plenty of other mods on my list that continues to grow and grow and grow.
Steve
Steve
dogon dory
New member
Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author
Absolutely, cross-sectional area. Also the type/smoothness of the ducting. She said it's flexible, therefore probably ribbed which will increase that backpressure too. Still, 2 1/2 ft will work just fine on my boat, it will exit at the upper left corner of the cabinet next to the sink towards the isle. I was thinking cute and route from that cabinet to under the helm seat cabinet and exit upper right corner of it -- thus lowering the exit point maybe a foot to get the warm air down lower. Down side, more ducting, an additional 2-3" hole in the back of that cabinet to route, plus a bit more difficulty routing the exhaust tube due to the mounting orientation. Just not worth it for my installation. KISS principle still rules.
Thanks for all the tips, can't wait to get it, about 2 wks...I'll post pictures for sure.
Steve
Thanks for all the tips, can't wait to get it, about 2 wks...I'll post pictures for sure.
Steve
Dan, Steve, et al:
Good point about x-sectional area, something that I didn't think of!
Now at the risk of being "gonged" by the resident "KISS" Police, I'm going to discuss this further (!)
First of all, just like the Alaska pipeline, ducting warm air has it's obvious difficulties. Besides the drag or resistance to flow, there's got to be a great tendency to lose the heat along the route. When using the PVC / spiral wraped wire flex tube, a point of diminiishing returns is gradually approached as the duct is lengthened. Other ducting materials and insulation can obviously lessen the rate of this loss, but the same phenomena eventually results, albeit over a greater distance.
With the C-Dory, the need to duct heat into the V-berth and also down to the floor quickly run up against this length related problem as well as problems of where and how to position the ducting.
For the v-berth, crossing the gap from the galley cabinet and proceeding through the dash bulkhead is the first problem to deal with, particularly in the light of aesthetic considerations. Designing an under-gunnel route down by the wiring channel would be the easiest choice to yield a hidden installation, although the route is starting to lengthen out a bit, depending on where the heater is to be mounted.
Then too, one would really want to take the heated air up to the peak of the bow area to get a better mix with the cold air, rather than just dump it behind the dash where it can easily return to the main cabin and leave the cold air in the v-berth basically unwarmed.
For the floor heating, another related problem quickly occurs: after routing the warm air down to the floor, it will quickly return directly to the top of the cabin because of its lighter, warm air bouyancy, rather than throughly mixing with the cold air below. Therefore, we'll apparently have to add a mixing fan here.
These problems of ducting are not insurmountable, of course, and can be solved by insulating the ducting, enlarging its diameter, and/or using booster fans as we've mentioned.
I faced these same issues when I installed the propane heater in my boat, and here's how I think I solved them, which is kind of a "backdoor" approach: (Tell me if you think I'm deluding myself!)
When considering the problems of ducting or pushing warm air down and getting it mixed with cold air on the floor, it occured to me that it might be a lot easier simply to lift the cold air off the floor, mix it with the warm air near the heater, and then let the body of warm mixed air (and its termocline) gradually lower itself to the floor level, eliminating the stratification that way.
It just seemed easier to lift cold air up and blow it into the area around the heater than to specifically duct it downward and then be faced with a mixing problem. The energy required to lift the cold air and the energy required to force the warm air down are probably equal, but this method eliminates the forced mixing at floor level. Plus the final stage of the lifting process can be used to blow the cold air over the heater, resulting in a more efficient energy transfer, another bonus!
One more benefit results from this approach. We don't have to duct heat to other compartments like the v-berth. Cold dense air from the berth area will flow downward and out to the floor pick up point. Warm air from the deepening mixed warm air mass moves into the berth area in the process, thus eliminating any need for ducting there.
Because of this approach, we can just build a cold air lifting duct system for the most part hidden inside the galley cabinet.
It should be pointed out that I figured out that two computer fans, placed more or less in series, would circulate the entire cabin air volume in under 10 minutes. (Difficult to calculate the cabin volume exactly.)
Does this sound reasonable, or is there something I'm missing?
Crazy Joe w/o funny business tonight!
Good point about x-sectional area, something that I didn't think of!
Now at the risk of being "gonged" by the resident "KISS" Police, I'm going to discuss this further (!)
First of all, just like the Alaska pipeline, ducting warm air has it's obvious difficulties. Besides the drag or resistance to flow, there's got to be a great tendency to lose the heat along the route. When using the PVC / spiral wraped wire flex tube, a point of diminiishing returns is gradually approached as the duct is lengthened. Other ducting materials and insulation can obviously lessen the rate of this loss, but the same phenomena eventually results, albeit over a greater distance.
With the C-Dory, the need to duct heat into the V-berth and also down to the floor quickly run up against this length related problem as well as problems of where and how to position the ducting.
For the v-berth, crossing the gap from the galley cabinet and proceeding through the dash bulkhead is the first problem to deal with, particularly in the light of aesthetic considerations. Designing an under-gunnel route down by the wiring channel would be the easiest choice to yield a hidden installation, although the route is starting to lengthen out a bit, depending on where the heater is to be mounted.
Then too, one would really want to take the heated air up to the peak of the bow area to get a better mix with the cold air, rather than just dump it behind the dash where it can easily return to the main cabin and leave the cold air in the v-berth basically unwarmed.
For the floor heating, another related problem quickly occurs: after routing the warm air down to the floor, it will quickly return directly to the top of the cabin because of its lighter, warm air bouyancy, rather than throughly mixing with the cold air below. Therefore, we'll apparently have to add a mixing fan here.
These problems of ducting are not insurmountable, of course, and can be solved by insulating the ducting, enlarging its diameter, and/or using booster fans as we've mentioned.
I faced these same issues when I installed the propane heater in my boat, and here's how I think I solved them, which is kind of a "backdoor" approach: (Tell me if you think I'm deluding myself!)
When considering the problems of ducting or pushing warm air down and getting it mixed with cold air on the floor, it occured to me that it might be a lot easier simply to lift the cold air off the floor, mix it with the warm air near the heater, and then let the body of warm mixed air (and its termocline) gradually lower itself to the floor level, eliminating the stratification that way.
It just seemed easier to lift cold air up and blow it into the area around the heater than to specifically duct it downward and then be faced with a mixing problem. The energy required to lift the cold air and the energy required to force the warm air down are probably equal, but this method eliminates the forced mixing at floor level. Plus the final stage of the lifting process can be used to blow the cold air over the heater, resulting in a more efficient energy transfer, another bonus!
One more benefit results from this approach. We don't have to duct heat to other compartments like the v-berth. Cold dense air from the berth area will flow downward and out to the floor pick up point. Warm air from the deepening mixed warm air mass moves into the berth area in the process, thus eliminating any need for ducting there.
Because of this approach, we can just build a cold air lifting duct system for the most part hidden inside the galley cabinet.
It should be pointed out that I figured out that two computer fans, placed more or less in series, would circulate the entire cabin air volume in under 10 minutes. (Difficult to calculate the cabin volume exactly.)
Does this sound reasonable, or is there something I'm missing?
Crazy Joe w/o funny business tonight!
Joe,
Wow, a bit detailed for my pea brain at 11:30pm just before bedtime, but I like the approach -- let natural convection do most of the mixing. I plan to mount the heater in the upper shelf against the left wall behind, under and to the left of the sink. With the cabinet doors closed, I'd like more 'return' air to get back to the heater inlet (on bottom of heater) than the leakage of the closed door gaps. So I plan on putting another register just like the heat output register but thru the kickpanel at the bottom of the cabinet -- no duct, just a hole. This will in effect have the same result as you explained, it will suck in the coldest air on the floor, run it through the heater and pump out warmed air about 3 ft higher (output register vanes will be pointed down to help this flow). Should work, just don't know how well or if it will reach the V-berth area to suck that cold air out very much.
Steve
Wow, a bit detailed for my pea brain at 11:30pm just before bedtime, but I like the approach -- let natural convection do most of the mixing. I plan to mount the heater in the upper shelf against the left wall behind, under and to the left of the sink. With the cabinet doors closed, I'd like more 'return' air to get back to the heater inlet (on bottom of heater) than the leakage of the closed door gaps. So I plan on putting another register just like the heat output register but thru the kickpanel at the bottom of the cabinet -- no duct, just a hole. This will in effect have the same result as you explained, it will suck in the coldest air on the floor, run it through the heater and pump out warmed air about 3 ft higher (output register vanes will be pointed down to help this flow). Should work, just don't know how well or if it will reach the V-berth area to suck that cold air out very much.
Steve
The Wallas 1300 heater install has begun! Got the 3/4" thick wood mounting plate glued to the hull (a la 3M 5200) inside the upper cabinet under the sink, so the position has been 'chosen'. Exhaust tube ordered to length, 3 ft.
I read most all of the comments and problems including 'burning' side trailer bunks - ouch! For exterior aesthetics I'd like to co-locate this thru-hull (about 3" dia) near the sink water outlet as I've seen on many boats. What I haven't seen is this thru-hull 'above' the water outlet, which would be the most convenient for inside routing, will easily clear the side bunks for exhaust heat and still leave a good 9" gooseneck above the thru-hull to prevent water intrusion.
My question: Is there something 'sacrilegious' about putting a fitting/hole in the boot stripe area?
Steve
I read most all of the comments and problems including 'burning' side trailer bunks - ouch! For exterior aesthetics I'd like to co-locate this thru-hull (about 3" dia) near the sink water outlet as I've seen on many boats. What I haven't seen is this thru-hull 'above' the water outlet, which would be the most convenient for inside routing, will easily clear the side bunks for exhaust heat and still leave a good 9" gooseneck above the thru-hull to prevent water intrusion.
My question: Is there something 'sacrilegious' about putting a fitting/hole in the boot stripe area?
Steve
dogon dory
New member
Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author
Beg my pardon Dan, I thought there was SOMETHING wrong about 'boot stripe' 
-- you're right, sheer stripe is what I meant, just below the gunwale. Thanks!
So, is this a taboo (not "tyboo"...) area to mount a 3" SS flange? Don't want to disturb the CD gods ya know. Like a Harley, there are certain things you just don't do...
Steve
-- you're right, sheer stripe is what I meant, just below the gunwale. Thanks!So, is this a taboo (not "tyboo"...) area to mount a 3" SS flange? Don't want to disturb the CD gods ya know. Like a Harley, there are certain things you just don't do...
Steve
I'm proud to announce the Wallas 1300 Heater installation is now complete -- with a few cuts and some very sore muscles thrown in (working upside down inside the back of a cabinet). I documented several of the key areas in My Photos (or in the Detail Photos section). This unit is a quality product just like their 1 and 2 burner stoves, very tightly packed in a compact package -- so small, it looks like something built for a spacecraft!
For those interested, here's a quick run-down on what I did. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being most difficult), I'd say this installation was about an 8.5 -- not particularly due to the heater, but rather where I chose to locate it. I didn't want it to take away any usable space if possible and not be an eyesore either. Under the galley cabinet seemed plausible since this unit remains cool to the touch, except for the intake/exhaust tubing at sharp bends, and there are no flames or accessibility of the combustion chamber from the cabin.
The most difficult part was locating the unit in 'exactly' the right spot to 1) Allow 8-9" of 'gooseneck' from the side thru hull intake/exhaust fitting to the highest point of the connected tube into to heater unit; and 2) Allow the maximum of 3 ft of ducting to reach a suitable spot to mount the output heat register. I wanted the heat flow to be directed to the center of the cabin and the intake cold air from the floor, both achieved.
Bending the dual SS intake/exhaust tube was hefty, difficult and a 'must wear heavy gloves' situation -- that explains my cuts before the gloves went on... Took me about 2 hrs to bend it for best fit BEFORE installing it together with everything else. Where I put it required that the bracket holding the unit to the plywood glued to the wall be screwed in place at the same time as the intake/exhaust tube and attaching the heater to the bracket all be done simultaneously! That was tough. Also fabricated a heat shield at the first bend out of the heater to avoid overheating the fiberglass above or the trunk wiring nearby, used 1/4" standoffs on top of the shield to space it off the fiberglass.
I decided to parallel another 30 ft of 2-cond 8 AWG wire from the battery switch to the windlass while adding a tap under the galley to supply the Wallas with hefty juice. When I calculated the original windlass wiring gauge, I didn't do a good job accounting for the extra wire needed for all the routing to/from various points, in short, the wire gauge chosen should have been 6 AWG, so paralleling another 8 AWG provided the extra copper needed. BTW, that 30 ft of wire is about $130 -- ouch...
I had to cut a 3" hole in the shelf between the upper and lower cabinet areas to get the return air through to the heater from the bottom of the cabinet mounted intake register. This hole also served as a good route for the intake and return tubes to the fuel resevoir. Important note from the Wallas installation instructions -- make sure there are no droops/loops on the return fuel line (black) from the heater to the resevoir, will cause blockage and erratic operation of the heater.
Lastly I added a Wallas remote switch with a LED in the switch that mimics the light on the heater unit to indicate combustion in progress. The remote switch comes with about 25 ft of 4 conductor wire for 'very remote' locations. I cut it down to about 4 ft to match my location. It had to be cut anyway though to feed it through the rubber grommet in the bottom of the heater to the circuit board just inside the rear panel (requires unscrewing the rear panel and tilting out just enough to plug in the 4 conductor connector). No instructions came with this switch, but was fairly intuitively obvious. I called Scan Marine and asked if the main switch should be ON or OFF for the remote switch to work, they didn't know. Afterwards I told them OFF works just fine!
After all was completed, I checked over everything one more time, took a deep breath, sat back and flipped the remote switch ON. Woah, it came to life...! I intently watched as the fuel inched its way up the translucent intake tube to the main unit, about 1 inch a second for the 4 ft it had to go. Then a few other sounds and bingo, heat began coming out. I ran outside and down to the ground and felt the exhaust heat coming out beautifully with only a very slight hint of a kerosine odor (Klean Heat by Klean Strip has a very low odor to start with). I measured 5.0 amps during startup, about 3-4 minutes (the manual said 4.0 amps I believe), and 0.4 amps during operation. Incredibly low current and very quiet operation. The airflow is great, quite substantial, it easily fills the cabin with warm air -- a little unfair assessment though, it was only about 50-55 deg at the time.
I let it run for over an hour (this is midnight to 1am BTW on a night I have to get up for work at 6:30am), I wanted to get past the infamous "30 minute syndrome" I've read about from some folks on their stoves. For me, it was just short of a religious experience to watch that Wallas work so efficiently, clean and quiet. All I can say is wow, well worth the effort and cost. :thup
Costs: $850 heater unit, $20 fuel tank (1.5 gal), $95 combo intake/exhaust lead thru hull fitting (SS and sealed), $75 Remote Control Switch, $30 for 3" heat output register, $60 for 3 ft of SS intake/exhaust tubing and $12 for output heat duct and some shipping/handling. Total: $1,150 (bandaids not incl).
For those interested, here's a quick run-down on what I did. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being most difficult), I'd say this installation was about an 8.5 -- not particularly due to the heater, but rather where I chose to locate it. I didn't want it to take away any usable space if possible and not be an eyesore either. Under the galley cabinet seemed plausible since this unit remains cool to the touch, except for the intake/exhaust tubing at sharp bends, and there are no flames or accessibility of the combustion chamber from the cabin.
The most difficult part was locating the unit in 'exactly' the right spot to 1) Allow 8-9" of 'gooseneck' from the side thru hull intake/exhaust fitting to the highest point of the connected tube into to heater unit; and 2) Allow the maximum of 3 ft of ducting to reach a suitable spot to mount the output heat register. I wanted the heat flow to be directed to the center of the cabin and the intake cold air from the floor, both achieved.
Bending the dual SS intake/exhaust tube was hefty, difficult and a 'must wear heavy gloves' situation -- that explains my cuts before the gloves went on... Took me about 2 hrs to bend it for best fit BEFORE installing it together with everything else. Where I put it required that the bracket holding the unit to the plywood glued to the wall be screwed in place at the same time as the intake/exhaust tube and attaching the heater to the bracket all be done simultaneously! That was tough. Also fabricated a heat shield at the first bend out of the heater to avoid overheating the fiberglass above or the trunk wiring nearby, used 1/4" standoffs on top of the shield to space it off the fiberglass.
I decided to parallel another 30 ft of 2-cond 8 AWG wire from the battery switch to the windlass while adding a tap under the galley to supply the Wallas with hefty juice. When I calculated the original windlass wiring gauge, I didn't do a good job accounting for the extra wire needed for all the routing to/from various points, in short, the wire gauge chosen should have been 6 AWG, so paralleling another 8 AWG provided the extra copper needed. BTW, that 30 ft of wire is about $130 -- ouch...
I had to cut a 3" hole in the shelf between the upper and lower cabinet areas to get the return air through to the heater from the bottom of the cabinet mounted intake register. This hole also served as a good route for the intake and return tubes to the fuel resevoir. Important note from the Wallas installation instructions -- make sure there are no droops/loops on the return fuel line (black) from the heater to the resevoir, will cause blockage and erratic operation of the heater.
Lastly I added a Wallas remote switch with a LED in the switch that mimics the light on the heater unit to indicate combustion in progress. The remote switch comes with about 25 ft of 4 conductor wire for 'very remote' locations. I cut it down to about 4 ft to match my location. It had to be cut anyway though to feed it through the rubber grommet in the bottom of the heater to the circuit board just inside the rear panel (requires unscrewing the rear panel and tilting out just enough to plug in the 4 conductor connector). No instructions came with this switch, but was fairly intuitively obvious. I called Scan Marine and asked if the main switch should be ON or OFF for the remote switch to work, they didn't know. Afterwards I told them OFF works just fine!
After all was completed, I checked over everything one more time, took a deep breath, sat back and flipped the remote switch ON. Woah, it came to life...! I intently watched as the fuel inched its way up the translucent intake tube to the main unit, about 1 inch a second for the 4 ft it had to go. Then a few other sounds and bingo, heat began coming out. I ran outside and down to the ground and felt the exhaust heat coming out beautifully with only a very slight hint of a kerosine odor (Klean Heat by Klean Strip has a very low odor to start with). I measured 5.0 amps during startup, about 3-4 minutes (the manual said 4.0 amps I believe), and 0.4 amps during operation. Incredibly low current and very quiet operation. The airflow is great, quite substantial, it easily fills the cabin with warm air -- a little unfair assessment though, it was only about 50-55 deg at the time.
I let it run for over an hour (this is midnight to 1am BTW on a night I have to get up for work at 6:30am), I wanted to get past the infamous "30 minute syndrome" I've read about from some folks on their stoves. For me, it was just short of a religious experience to watch that Wallas work so efficiently, clean and quiet. All I can say is wow, well worth the effort and cost. :thup
Costs: $850 heater unit, $20 fuel tank (1.5 gal), $95 combo intake/exhaust lead thru hull fitting (SS and sealed), $75 Remote Control Switch, $30 for 3" heat output register, $60 for 3 ft of SS intake/exhaust tubing and $12 for output heat duct and some shipping/handling. Total: $1,150 (bandaids not incl).
Steve-
Excellent installation!!!
Very clean, neat, and well thought out! Shows fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, too.
You get seven Purple Hearts and the Annual Houdinni Award too! (Gold Plated Handcuff Keys attached to a Pocket Periscope and Snorkel Tube)
The account and photo essay are great, and we need to get the photos and captions also into the Photo Details section of the Cabin and Interior Forum in the Library. This text will automatically go under the discussions part, of course, but it would be nice to have the pictures there too where folks browsing the photos will come across them, rather than have to come across them through the link in the discussion.
Congratulations on a job very well done!!!
Joe.
Excellent installation!!!
Very clean, neat, and well thought out! Shows fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, too.
You get seven Purple Hearts and the Annual Houdinni Award too! (Gold Plated Handcuff Keys attached to a Pocket Periscope and Snorkel Tube)
The account and photo essay are great, and we need to get the photos and captions also into the Photo Details section of the Cabin and Interior Forum in the Library. This text will automatically go under the discussions part, of course, but it would be nice to have the pictures there too where folks browsing the photos will come across them, rather than have to come across them through the link in the discussion.
Congratulations on a job very well done!!!
Joe.
Thanks for the kind words Joe. I agree, the installation came out pretty good in spite of myself!
Good suggestion to 'move' the photos to the detail photo section. I just did -- sort of. Thought I'd get cute and do the "URL section move option". Hmmm, got myself into trouble, moved photos and a whole bunch of icons and other 'stuff' - YIKES! Can't delete as a user...BUT...found that I could 'move' them, so I did, moved them to my own folder where I could then DELETE them...
Good suggestion to 'move' the photos to the detail photo section. I just did -- sort of. Thought I'd get cute and do the "URL section move option". Hmmm, got myself into trouble, moved photos and a whole bunch of icons and other 'stuff' - YIKES! Can't delete as a user...BUT...found that I could 'move' them, so I did, moved them to my own folder where I could then DELETE them...
Well heck, it was 'down' to 55 deg this morning (hey...SoCal remember...), so just had to go out and fire up the Wallas in the backyard for awhile! :wink:
Took some measurements for you electronical types, all voltages measured at Wallas connection point:
Starting Voltage (no load): 12.25v
At 2 min 40 sec (5.5 amps): 11.90v (glow element now just OFF)
At 3 min 30 sec (0.4 amps): 12.05v (warm air felt)
At 5 min 0 sec (0.4 amps): 12.10v (Switch LED light ON)
At 17 min 0 sec (0.4 amps): 12.15v (Switched unit OFF)
At 23 min 30 sec (0.0 amps): 12.20v (Fan OFF, LED OFF)
Also measured voltage at the battery 14 ft away during the 5.5 amp startup sequence, delta was 0.15 volts -- not too shabby.
Took some measurements for you electronical types, all voltages measured at Wallas connection point:
Starting Voltage (no load): 12.25v
At 2 min 40 sec (5.5 amps): 11.90v (glow element now just OFF)
At 3 min 30 sec (0.4 amps): 12.05v (warm air felt)
At 5 min 0 sec (0.4 amps): 12.10v (Switch LED light ON)
At 17 min 0 sec (0.4 amps): 12.15v (Switched unit OFF)
At 23 min 30 sec (0.0 amps): 12.20v (Fan OFF, LED OFF)
Also measured voltage at the battery 14 ft away during the 5.5 amp startup sequence, delta was 0.15 volts -- not too shabby.