Wallas Remote Start

M

MOOSE

Member
You can tell spring fever is setting in because Myrna and I just sat around for an hour after breakfast talking about potential MOOSE improvement projects for the coming season. And one that crosses my mind from time to time is the possibility of devising a remote start for the Wallas. Normally we like to sleep cool and not run the heater at night but then some poor soul (me!) has to climb out of a nice warm sleeping bag in the wee hours to fire up the Wallas. WM has a remote start gizmo, but it's rated for only 5 amps, and I think the Wallas draws more than that during start-up. I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions on this potential project.
Al
 
A long stick? :wink:

On a different note I wonder if a second on off switch could be wired up in the v berth kinda like a two way light switch?
 
The Wallas uses plenty of amps on start, but I do not believe they run through the on/off rocker switch. It has small gauge wires running to a plug on the board. So a 5a switch shouldn't be a problem in that circuit.

I think you still want to use a relay, though. Radio Shack sells a real good one for under seven bucks that is almost bulletproof. Then you are only using miliamps in the remote circuit. I have several of these that have been in service for years, and the only time I have ever had one give up is when the 30 amp rating was exceeded.

Regardless of how you do it, you want to look real close at what the Wallas switch does. It is not (at least mine) a simple SPST toggle. There are an odd number of terminals on it - I think five - so it controls more than just the On circuit. That leaves you with multiple sets of contacts to control or having to leave the switch on, and breaking the main power feed. That is fine to do, but then you have more connections in the line they very explicitly recommend you connect directly to the battery. Plus you would then need the relay with possibly a latching circuit. You can put all the switches and connections you want in there if they are sufficiently sized and assembled so there is no voltage drop, but every added connection is one more request for a problem. Because of that, I wouldn't mess with it.

But the biggest reason not to start it remotely can be attested to by anyone who has ever had a flame-out on startup. Lots and lots of smoke and a mess made by fuel coming out the air intake (or somewhere) because the pump keeps running. You want to be there to hit the stop button pronto. It might never do it, but when it does it's ugly. The only time it ever happened to me was the first time I used Klean Heat, so that incident soured me on the stuff even though it was likely not the cause.

Nevertheless - if you really want a remote start, there is no doubt it could be done safely and efficiently. I think you should let DoD do it first, because all engineers go to a special school to teach them how to complicate stuff and are trained in the ways of covering their butts when the first plan(s) don't work out.

Calling Karl at Scan Marine wouldn't hurt, either. But I'm betting he'll try to talk you out of it.
 
I know I'm always in for an interesting day at work when I hear a millwright saying things like...
Click to expand...

I knew you guys only heard the parts you wanted to!

I don't really know what all them words mean, but I heard some of the guys with blue shirts at work say them, so I figured they were important. Plus, it's fun to get you to type so much.

If all you want to do is move the controls, splicing in the extra wire ought to work just fine. But it sounded to me like Al was thinking of something a little more exotic.

I do understand the purpose of connecting the stove power feed ahead of any switch, but I sometimes get a kick out of how literally the suggestion of "directly to the battery" gets taken. Mine is hooked to the live side of a cabin disconnect switch, which is fed from the battery with adequately sized cable.

Your last idea might work. Might not. I don't understand electronics well enough to comment any more than that. You might want to hang onto your joules, though.
 
I have propane stove so I can't relate to all yer wires n electrical theory, but it almost seems simpler to teach the dog to turn it on. (especially that dog)

Joel
SEA3PO
 
You guys are WAY over-thinking this.

Kick your feet out from the covers for about 5 minutes to get them nice and chilly. Proceed to probe the spouse with them. Include a little shove if necessary towards the heater.

This of course, assumes you can live with a grouchy companion for a couple hours until your dirty deed is forgotten. But for some, that's a fair price for sleeping in uninterrupted. And if you make her a latte when you do get up, the anger subsides even more quickly.
 
Starting the Wallas at sunup is part of the ritual -- it's the excuse to see every sunrise. In only a few moments, the heat is pouring out the slot to replace the rapidly declining "bed warmth" that gets you moving in the cold cabin. Then, the hot cuppa handed to El in the V-berth rewards me with that melting smile -- and you want me to replace those joys with a switch?
 
"You guys are WAY over-thinking this." -Bill

Why not just leave it on "Low" all night? That's what I do with the Cozy Cabin propane heater or the electric one (when on shore power).

The dog likes to sleep warm, too!

Joe.
 
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