Running Wallas Underway?

J

jlastofka

New member
I've been reading a bunch of the Wallas posts and haven't seen comments about using it underway. I assume it works that way or people would be commenting and there would have been warnings in the manual.

I've just had mine running in the driveway a few times to check it out before taking it on the water. So far, so good. I can see that here in southern California (San Diego area) I'll be running it on the lowest heat setting mostly.

I got some slight odor in the cabin (not diesel - more like new equipment getting hot for the first time I think) and at night with a flashlight in the cabin I believe I see some faint smokiness or dustiness in the air. I guess I could check that tomorrow without running the heater. I hadn't noticed it in the daylight. Perhaps it's time to dust and clean the interior........

I boiled some water and re-heated some leftovers. Looks like a winner.

Jeff
 
Jeff-
We use our Wallas under way almost every trip. It's too darn chilly not to use it.
The stove is designed to work whether your tied up at a dock or running at speed.
 
Me too. I brew a cup or make some soup to keep warm. When using the Wallas just for heat underway I use the original fan. When moored or anchored I use an Ecofan.
 
mpmccoy":20hb47dl said:
Me too. I brew a cup or make some soup to keep warm. When using the Wallas just for heat underway I use the original fan. When moored or anchored I use an Ecofan.
Click to expand...

Which EcoFan do you use? I’ve looked online and there’s a 2 blade EcoFan for wood stoves and a 3 blade EcoFan GS for gas stoves for about 50 bucks more.
 
I've had the Wallas for three years and except for one fuse replacement, it has been great here on the Chesapeake. Yesterday i took the boat out early, temp was 34F..and the inside temp was 72...

One thing: I have always started the stove with the lid up, and the setting on the highest, 6. I also have been shutting it down with the setting at the highest level. I believe the new manual on line with C Dory says to shut it down at lowest setting..
Any advice on that?
terraplane
 
Great question. I use my Wallas a bit and actually wondered myself about running it underway. Looks like my early morning runs off the anchor overnight just got warmer !
 
The impression I get is that the stove shuts off the pump and then burns
the remaining fuel off. So, while my directions say you can shut it down
at any setting, it might be faster to use the lowest setting. Might just be a timer,
though. I don't know how the stove "knows" when all the fuel is gone.

The only problem I ever had with the stove was when I left the charger
turned off and something drained the battery. After the battery voltage
came up, the stove restarted just fine.

Mike
 
I run the Wallas all the time in cold weather. On the TomCat, Wallas exhaust fumes can be blown or sucked back into the cabin under two situations, to my evaluation:

1 - When high winds (20-25 smph) consistently blow directly into the exhaust outlet. Try to pick a mooring or dock position where the prevailing wind blows from port to starboard.

2 - When cruising at higher speeds (20mph +) with the cabin door open and no other windows open. You get the 'station wagon' effect which sucks fumes in from the rear cabin door opening and the exhaust opening.

Just open a forward window if that happens.

I often run with the Wallas going and windows open - lots of fresh air.

John
 
I have had one bit of trouble with the Wallas: Once I started it with the "throttle" set low, and after a while there was this tremendous cloud of smelly fuel vapor all around the outside of the boat, drifting into the cabin.

That's the only real "tricky part" I've discovered: When you start it up, set the adjuster to high until the combustion LED changes from "starting" indication to "running". Is that from blinking to constant-on? I can't remember, but like pornography, "I know it when I see it".

Somebody help me out here. With the Wallas lamp code, I mean. :-)
 
Whatever the instructions say about the best thing to do, my experience has been that starting, running and shutting off on "High" is the most successful with the least problems.

The Wallas will run on "Low" or "Med", but if the fuel level is one third or less, it can lose it's suction. Starting on "High" is predictable and fast. Starting below that can be a crapshoot. It may start most times, but sometimes you'll be babysitting with it for 15-30 minutes and finally have to go to "High" anyway. If the fuel is below 1/2 tank, make sure the cap is on tight and gently squeeze the fuel bottle to prime the pump.

As far as fumes go, I think running on "High" has more thermal pressure to lift and push a higher air flow out the exhaust.

If you get stuck on a dock with a heavy wind directly into the exhaust opening, you might try rigging a windblock of some sort on the dock or boat. A pan or plate works OK if you can find a way to tie or tape it up.

If there's enough room, sometimes I'll cut the stern some slack to get the "off dock" wind to hit that exhaust at an angle rather than straight on.

John
 
We start and stop on high. My understanding is the same as Dan's. My impresssion is that heat is the controlling factor on shut down--but that is just a guess. You want the draft fan on high to prevent carbon build up
 
I have run my wallas heater while tied up to a dock, while anchored out and while underway. When underway I have run it at speeds from 7 knots to 21 knots for hours at a time and have never smelled any fumes or noticed anything but wonderful heat. It is possible that I have never had wind from a direction that would impede the exhaust flow. I start up and shutdown in the hi position. Never had any problems.

Jack
 
dogon dory":yjo0986o said:
terraplane":yjo0986o said:
...One thing: I have always started the stove with the lid up, and the setting on the highest, 6. I also have been shutting it down with the setting at the highest level. I believe the new manual on line with C Dory says to shut it down at lowest setting..
Any advice on that?
terraplane
Click to expand...
Adjusting the setting on the Wallas does two things. It changes the speed of the pump and proportionally the speed of the combusion air fan. The idea is to optimize the fuel air ratio for clean, efficient combustion. This is "tuned" at the factory by tweaking the control circuitry.

When the stove is turned off, the fuel pump stops but the combustion fan continues to run in order to finish burning off the remaining fuel in the combustion chamber. Personally I turn the setting on high on the theory that more air will burn off the remaining fuel quicker, burn cleaner with less carbon deposits, and help the stove cool down faster. I'm not sure if it senses flame/temperature to determine when to shut the fan down or it is just a timer. I have timed this several times on my stove and it is fairly consistent.
Click to expand...


+1 :mrgreen: :beer
 
Our understanding is same as Bob's and Dan's on starting and shut down and for same reason. On the go we sometimes run it at a lower setting and then raise it back up before shut off. Only time we haven't run it is at night when we turn it off for sleeping. Both of us sleep better with cold air and good covering.

We went through 9.5 gallons on our last cruise and that was with some down time. Would likely have used more fuel but had problems with it and the last day it quit for good. Later found a shorted control board and bad pump. Works great again now.

Jay
 
The only near disaster that I have had with two different wallis stoves. (I am a fan) I fried a fender by tying the fender where it hung right over the exhaust. It took awhile to figure out where the smell was coming from. Needless to say I was very embarrassed.
 
Jeff,

If you are getting a little smoke, check the exhaust connection at the flex to the stainless thru-hull. I had to remove the flex and apply some high temp gasket sealant.
That will take care of any smoke in the cabin.
 
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