Getting heat to the v berth from the cabin?

S

South of Heaven

New member
Is there a simple way to get heat into my v berth from my Wallas? The cabin heater works beautifully but the v berth and bathroom don't reap the benefit of it. I don't care about the bathroom being chilly.

I also have a basic CO detector in the cabin.

I forget the model number of my Wallas but here's a pic. It's a cooktop and with the lid down it blows hot air into the cabin.

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Jason, You might think about adding a small fan at the companion way (Entrance to the V-birth), that would draw some of the cabin heat forward. I don't remember who makes it but there is at least one that has a folding mount; swing it down for use, and up to be out of the way. It also rotates.

The advantage with the EcoFAn is that it draws NO electrical power. It generates it's own power from the heat of the surface. After talking to the Wallas rep at the Seattle boat show about using one, (His comment was that the fan base is smaller than the burner, and there should be at least one on each burner to avoid "overheating" of the surface.) He thought it would be a good idea to use one on the burner that was not involved in cooking, if that time came.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Just a note on the use of the ecofan, scan Marine suggested that I not use one after repairing the Wallace on our 22. Inside the Wallace is something called a heat shield I believe it was seeverely warped. At night we would leave the Wallace on low and place the ecofan on the higher temperature plate, sometimes it would have to be moved to the side a bit to work properly, this would cause overheating on the Wallace due to the lack of heat transfer from the ceramic surface.
Scan Marine suggested we just leave the lid down and run the wallas on low it draws very little electricity.
As for making your rebirth more inviting and cozy I would suggest you insulate, I have examples in my album of both spray on and Marine carpeting applied to both our 22 concurrent 25.
 
We use both an ecofan to aim the heat towards the V-berth and a small calfamo fan on the helmsman's seat to get the heat into the V-berth. Works fairly well.

I cut a hole into the bulkhead and installed a 12 v computer fan. Doesn't work too well.

That's it short of installing a forced air system. We haven't done that because it uses the same space as the wallas: exhaust, fuel, etc. I think Pat Anderson installed one in the aft closet.

Boris
 
We use 1 or 2 Calfamo fans with suction cups aimed at the v-berth. One between the sink and the Wallis.. The second on the table of needed. The fans are very handy. We use them for pushing the air from our window AC into the v-berth also. On humid days we use them for circulation.....helps keep the condensation down. Come to think of it ....it's a rare day that we don't use one. They use minimal 12 volt power. Works for us on the C-otter!
 
Without a fan, the Wallas will accumulate warm air high in the cabin with
minimal mixing with cooler air near the floor. The V-berth is lower, closer
to floor level, than the cabin top where the heat is located. Wanting it warmer
here in the V-berth is understandable especially when it's frosty outside.

Accomplish this by mixing higher warmer air with lower cooler air not directed
straight into the V-berth by using a small fan on the galley table directed down
at the floor towards the companionway door and it works nicely for me.

Aye.
 
We used a Caframo Sirocco fan mounted just inside the entrance to the V berth. This would allow it to be swung out into the V berth entrance or out of the way when you were not using it. They are low amp draw have three speeds and can be reversed to blow or out of the V berth. This nice when hot sitting at the dinette. They also can set to shut off after a few hours or run continuously. About a 100 dollars from Defender.
D.D.
 
There are two ways to move heat around. I have used this strategy in balancing heat/cooling in a house but not a boat.

The first way has been discussed. The second way is to move cold air out of the V berth aft. It will of necessity move warmer air into the berth. This is sometimes easier to do than directly moving warmer air.
 
Thanks everyone. The fan(s) are just the simple answer I was looking for. I'll try that ASAP and report back.

Breausaw: I also like the suggestion about insulating the v berth. That may be on my winter list. Does that cut out some of the noise too (soundproofing) ? Or would I have to add a different material for that?
 
Breausaw: I also like the suggestion about insulating the v berth. That may be on my winter list. Does that cut out some of the noise too (soundproofing) ? Or would I have to add a different material for that?[/quote said:
The Delta T made a huge difference in soundproofing, mostly due to the fact that I also sprayed the top of the cabin and portions of the sides. The other Plus associated with the spray-on Delta T iinsulation was that I was able to paint over it with a quality latex paint; this look good and made cleaning easier.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php

The flex forum has done an excellent job of insulating and soundproofing in the V birth on the 25.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php
To transfer heat into the 25 v-berth I placed the air return for the Wallas DT30 furnace all the way up toward the bow in the V birth. The wallas cook top stove didn't produce enough cabin Heat for us in the 25 so I installed the Wallas furnace, which has been a great investment.
By far the best part associated with insulation on both boats was the elimination of surface condensation.
The flex forum was relatively easy to install because like the name it flexes and stretches in all directions. After four seasons it looks like the day I installed it. I bought the product through an upholstery shop here in Anchorage.
Think this is the same stuff: http://www.upholsterysupplyonline.com/p ... -Carpet-80"-Wide.html

Good luck on your project
Click to expand...
 
Interesting situation.

As RobLL mentioned, the challenge is to get warmer air from a larger area (the cabin) into a smaller area (V-berth). Good as Calfamo fans are they may not be up to the task of blowing air into a smaller confined space (i.e. the V-berth).

Try this. Sit the Calfamo fan on the deck in front (or on top) of the portapoddy and aim it AFT into the cabin. It seems to me that moving air from a small space into a larger space may be easier than the other way around. By doing this the warmer cabin air might more naturally be drawn back into the V-berth. Might be worth a try....

Best,
Casey&Mary
Back in The Villages after a summer of "pickup truck camping."
 
Casey":3fvwo4lk said:
Interesting situation.

As RobLL mentioned, the challenge is to get warmer air from a larger area (the cabin) into a smaller area (V-berth). Good as Calfamo fans are they may not be up to the task of blowing air into a smaller confined space (i.e. the V-berth).

Try this. Sit the Calfamo fan on the deck in front (or on top) of the portapoddy and aim it AFT into the cabin. It seems to me that moving air from a small space into a larger space may be easier than the other way around. By doing this the warmer cabin air might more naturally be drawn back into the V-berth. Might be worth a try....

Best,
Casey&Mary
Back in The Villages after a summer of "pickup truck camping."
Click to expand...

Right. and the lower the fan, the cooler the air. Aim it aft and up slightly to get some air mixing accomplished in the cabin. Makes good sense.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Just a small point but one I couldn't resist.

South of Heaven, Jason, is asking for a C-Dory 25. No porta-potti, which is the purpose of the 25.

It's a good idea, but set the fan on top of the V-berth cushion.

Boris
 
Casen, South Haven, has a 25--no portipotty.
We have always slept well, including in AK, with good sleeping bags, and some insulation on the sides of the hull of the V Berth area. We use cheap back packing pads from Wal Mart, both under the cushions and along the sides of the V Berth.

We changed out our Caframo fans to the "Maestro" model. It moves up to 225 cu feet per min, has a variable speed control, 3 blades; there is a remote control, we put over each berth, so easy to control. There is a white, and a red LED light--perfect for reading or whatever... Ours are mounted right up the the corner, infant of the bulkhead between the main and forward cabin--so some of the air is drawn from the cabin.

When at a dock, we run a 110 volt cube heater at low or high, depending on temps, and it will heat the boat very well. We never left the Wallas running all night. First one up (usually me) started the wallas in the AM.

If I was going to run another fan in the main cabin, it would be up forward, to bring warm air down--We use the Fan-Tastic "Endless Breeze" fan. It uses 1.1 amps in low mode, and moves a lot of air. This is the same fan used in the "Vents" of RV's. Just keeping the air circulating in the main cabin, is a great idea when heating. We also us this fan in the fore hatch on warm days, when we are not using air conditioning.

If you are planing to use the boat all winter long, then install a dedicated forced air heater--such as Espar, with ducting to the V Berth--I still would have a good sleeping bag!
 
thataway":27o0peb3 said:
Casen, South Haven, has a 25--no portipotty.
We have always slept well, including in AK, with good sleeping bags, and some insulation on the sides of the hull of the V Berth area. We use cheap back packing pads from Wal Mart, both under the cushions and along the sides of the V Berth.

We changed out our Caframo fans to the "Maestro" model. It moves up to 225 cu feet per min, has a variable speed control, 3 blades; there is a remote control, we put over each berth, so easy to control. There is a white, and a red LED light--perfect for reading or whatever... Ours are mounted right up the the corner, infant of the bulkhead between the main and forward cabin--so some of the air is drawn from the cabin.

When at a dock, we run a 110 volt cube heater at low or high, depending on temps, and it will heat the boat very well. We never left the Wallas running all night. First one up (usually me) started the wallas in the AM.

If I was going to run another fan in the main cabin, it would be up forward, to bring warm air down--We use the Fan-Tastic "Endless Breeze" fan. It uses 1.1 amps in low mode, and moves a lot of air. This is the same fan used in the "Vents" of RV's. Just keeping the air circulating in the main cabin, is a great idea when heating. We also us this fan in the fore hatch on warm days, when we are not using air conditioning.

If you are planing to use the boat all winter long, then install a dedicated forced air heater--such as Espar, with ducting to the V Berth--I still would have a good sleeping bag!
Click to expand...

Bob, I'm not using the boat all winter (although I would love to!). I have tons of old camping gear from my camping days but instead of using my Trek eco sleeping bag I decided to use my down blanket instead.

I like the idea of putting another layer between the glass and the cushions. I may try that. What do you think about the idea of permanently insulating the walls?
 
Jason, Be sure your down bag down not get damp. They are a pain to dry and will never not smell again.

NOT ON THE THREAD LINE BUT:
REI and other places I'm sure, have Fleece sleeping bag liners. I used one this summer, and it works great, AND you can easily slip it out of the bag, and put in into the laundry. Keeps the sleeping bag fresh.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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