Diesel heater - there has to be a better solution

[dougxn]

I recently had some issues with my diesel heater on my R27(2015). I ended up pulling it, cleaning it and replacing parts and exhaust hoses.

Hidden behind the passenger seat steps is the heater, exhaust pipe, intake pipe and 100 feet of wires. Plus, attached to the exhaust, a condensation trap, which I presume capturing condensation in the low part of the exhaust and dripping it into the hull.

Once in awhile the heater blows out a bunch of black smoke, because they apparently do not work like a regular heater, but need to be run at full blast and then turned off. This is what I have come to understand after reading hours of trivia on the internet.

What I didn’t know is that when it blows of the burner build up is not only does it emit diesel particles out the exhaust, but also inside the hull and thus into the cabin.

If this is wrong, please correct me! But this is one crappy design! I have seen way too many people trying to fix their diesel heaters.

Either there is a better solution or a better placement? What’s your experience ‍♂️

 

[Submariner]

I recently had some issues with my diesel heater on my R27(2015). I ended up pulling it, cleaning it and replacing parts and exhaust hoses.

Hidden behind the passenger seat steps is the heater, exhaust pipe, intake pipe and 100 feet of wires. Plus, attached to the exhaust, a condensation trap, which I presume capturing condensation in the low part of the exhaust and dripping it into the hull.

Once in awhile the heater blows out a bunch of black smoke, because they apparently do not work like a regular heater, but need to be run at full blast and then turned off. This is what I have come to understand after reading hours of trivia on the internet.

What I didn’t know is that when it blows of the burner build up is not only does it emit diesel particles out the exhaust, but also inside the hull and thus into the cabin.

If this is wrong, please correct me! But this is one crappy design! I have seen way too many people trying to fix their diesel heaters.

Either there is a better solution or a better placement? What’s your experience ‍♂️

I have a Webasto AIrtop STC2000. It doesn't ever blow smoke inside the cabin. When reconnecting the exhaust hose to the heater, it's important to use a high-temp sealant of sorts to keep the smoke out of the cabin. I've replaced one heater on another R27-OB (2019 model) and had to do this.

I have a 2021 R27, which is a gas powered outboard. This gives me an advantage in that I have a 5 gallon diesel tank dedicated to my heater since I can't tap off my fuel tank (gas). I switched to Kerosene 3 years ago and never looked back. It's a lot cleaner, burns cleaner, doesn't leave soot, and has a much longer shelf life than diesel. I also installed a water separator (since I have an external tank, a water separator is nice to have to prevent condensation from getting in the fuel line).

 

[dougxn]

I have a Webasto AIrtop STC2000. It doesn't ever blow smoke inside the cabin. When reconnecting the exhaust hose to the heater, it's important to use a high-temp sealant of sorts to keep the smoke out of the cabin. I've replaced one heater on another R27-OB (2019 model) and had to do this.

I have a 2021 R27, which is a gas powered outboard. This gives me an advantage in that I have a 5 gallon diesel tank dedicated to my heater since I can't tap off my fuel tank (gas). I switched to Kerosene 3 years ago and never looked back. It's a lot cleaner, burns cleaner, doesn't leave soot, and has a much longer shelf life than diesel. I also installed a water separator (since I have an external tank, a water separator is nice to have to prevent condensation from getting in the fuel line).

Thanks! I have sealed the exhaust- finally. It took more work than I banked on! I am still worried about the condensation coil!
I will add, perhaps, the reason it hasn’t blown smoke into the cabin is that you just haven’t noticed it.

It’s n a van or tv, it would be simple. The preferred choice would be to put this heater outside of the cabin . Sadly I have a full load with my diesel engine and converter and batteries and …

In thinking about it, I would put the batteries forward along with the converter and have next the diesel heater to the port lazerette.

The heater is buried under the passenger seat and the condensation coil leads down to an undisclosed area on the hull- a place that is nit accessible on my boat (easily)!

Anyway, I respect your experience, and I am highly critical, so I will solve the issue, but I think this is really a bad design. Asking for a bad experience on one’s boat.

 

[Submariner]

I will add, perhaps, the reason it hasn’t blown smoke into the cabin is that you just haven’t noticed it.
It’s n a van or tv, it would be simple. The preferred choice would be to put this heater outside of the cabin . Sadly I have a full load with my diesel engine and converter and batteries and …

The Webasto heater is installed under the helm seat, inside the cabin. If it blows smoke in the cabin, we are guaranteed to smell it and the CO detector is guaranteed to sound an alarm. We can't install ours out of the cabin really, as we have a gas tank in the cockpit lazarette.

We usually run ours for a few hours in the morning, a few hours in the evening. This past weekend we attended the Bremerton Heavy Weather cruise. It's an annual yacht club event. Being it's February and chilly out, I ran the heater, non-stop, for about 40 hours, with the temp set to about 72 degrees. No issues. My heater is factory original, 6 years old. All I've done is added a water separator and switched to running kerosene. I changed the fuel filter out when I switched to Kerosene 3 years ago.

 

[John Cortesy]

I just ordered a new burner assembly for mine. It will run for a while, blowing white foggy smoke out the exhaust then occasionally spit a thick white puff out. it will flame out, restart, and the process starts all over again. If the new burner assembly does not fix my problem I don't know where to go from there.
I agree the heaters are not in the best location. My boat yoga skills are declining as the years go by.

 

[Submariner]

I just ordered a new burner assembly for mine. It will run for a while, blowing white foggy smoke out the exhaust then occasionally spit a thick white puff out. it will flame out, restart, and the process starts all over again. If the new burner assembly does not fix my problem I don't know where to go from there.
I agree the heaters are not in the best location. My boat yoga skills are declining as the years go by.

It's also possible to have bad fuel. Lemondrop struggled with her heater on our SE Alaska trip. I replaced her heater entirely with a refurbished one in Juneau and we got a few more weeks out of it. It finally died yet again... and we gave up. When we got back home I sucked out all 5 gallons of fuel, replaced it with 5 gallons of fresh kerosene and it's been working great ever since.

She had about 3 gallons of bad diesel in her tank that we were mixing in kerosene with on the trip, which was part of our struggles. To suck out the bad diesel, I pulled the stove and used a oil pump (for doing oil changes via the dipstick), taped it to the fuel pick up tube and sucked it out that way. Diesel has a shelf life much shorter than kerosene.

Also note: Lemondrop's heater that I replaced, is the same as your boat. I had to do it through the microwave opening. These photos are all taken on Lemondrop, in Juneau, on the dock. Take the microwave out, and take out the shelf it sits on. Then there's plenty of room to work. Also, set your phone to "flash on" and "take a photo in 3 seconds" and use that to see what tools you need, as all the heater connections are in the back where you can't get your head in to see. (exhaust, air intake, fuel, etc..) It's not a terrible job, for being a boat project. When you put it back in, be sure to use some high-temp sealant for the exhaust connection else risk it exhausting gasses inside the cabin.

I also recommend adding a water separator, to keep water (condensation) from making it to the heater. That's usually the sputtering... (water boiling).

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