Diesel supply source for hydronic heater

[GILow]

Hi all,

I am about to fit a Webasto Thermo top system to my boat, based in part on a very good design posted by CF user Typhoon a couple of years back.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...er-149641.html

I'm pretty well sorted on the design now, it is a hybrid of what is there and some clever additions from a friend who is an industrial refrigeration mechanic. (It's not what you know but WHO you know that counts)

Anyway, the Webasto kit I have bought comes with the dosing pump but no tank. I was always assuming I'd buy some little tank when I knew the final layout of components, but then it occured to me that I have a 60+ liter day tank which is fed via transfer pump and filters from the 450 litre main fuel tanks.

(Home made, see this other thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ss-172888.html and no I have not died yet, despite some of the dire warnings)

I am thinking it might be far simpler to tap into the day tank for my fuel supply rather than adding a small heater tank?

Any thoughts on the pros and cons of this? (Running the fuel line itself would be simple and safe on my boat.)

Matt

[Dockhead]

A small separate heater tank will allow you to run paraffin (kerosene; light heating oil; jet fuel) through your heater from time to time, which will dramatically increase service intervals.


Other than that, I don't see any downside at all to using your day tank.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

A small separate heater tank will allow you to run paraffin (kerosene; light heating oil; jet fuel) through your heater from time to time, which will dramatically increase service intervals.


Other than that, I don't see any downside at all to using your day tank.

Thank you Dockhead, I had forgotten that method of keeping them running well.

[Scott Berg]

I run my Webasto heater off my day tank as well; I also have a T fitting in the fuel line that lets me draw directly out of a 2nd tank. I have it fitted to an outboard style 6g tank that I fill with Kerosene to run monthly to keep it clean. You're on the right track

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Scott Berg

I run my Webasto heater off my day tank as well; I also have a T fitting in the fuel line that lets me draw directly out of a 2nd tank. I have it fitted to an outboard style 6g tank that I fill with Kerosene to run monthly to keep it clean. You're on the right track

Thank you Scott. Can you tell me, how long do you run on kero for cleaning? That's a pretty big tank, I assume it provides a LOT of cleaning, or do you just use kero instead of diesel for your heating for a while?

[Scott Berg]

Originally Posted by GILow

Thank you Scott. Can you tell me, how long do you run on kero for cleaning? That's a pretty big tank, I assume it provides a LOT of cleaning, or do you just use kero instead of diesel for your heating for a while?

We try to burn about 6g of kero every month; our DBW2010 (45k btu) burns about 2g a day keeping a 60' ketch warm, 3g a day when it's in the teens (F)

[GILow]

Yikes! That’s a lot of fuel. I can’t see where you are from your profile. Is it somewhere cold?

Edit: ok. In the teens was in Fahrenheit. That’s not very warm.

Edit again: but the ratio of diesel to kero is clear. I could probably apply the same ratio though I’d expect to burn less than a gallon a month except if doing a winter in Tasmania.