One of the main reasons given for not installing 'wet' underfloor heating in a boat, is the lack of exposed floor area. This is a fair point - an awful lot of it is covered by various cupboards and other furniture.
But one day, I had a lightbulb moment, which was to run the UFH pipes along the hull sides, as well as the floor. Doing this would make a massive difference to the exposed area.
The only issue was dimensioning the thermal panels to fit. I needed to allow for three 50mm battens, to support the lining, and I wanted to run a 40mm conduit along the top for 230V cables. All of which left it very tight for fitting in the bends at the end of each pipe run!
But with some careful measurement, it all proved just possible. After a few false starts, I set to, cutting the panels to fit in between the battens.
The polystyrene panels make an awful mess when you cut them - the bits seem to get everywhere, but thank goodness for the cordless Dyson!
The panels were fixed in place with a few dabs of SikaFlex. So far, so good. I have a feeling that fitting and securing the pipes is going to be a little trickier!
This photo shows the port side, where the oil fired cooker will go. I have provided vents to allow fresh air to be drawn from the bilge. These line up with the combustion air intakes on the back of the cooker. The idea is to provide the required air without a draught, whilst ventilating the bilge.
Meanwhile, the celing still needed finishing. I had bought a couple of mini Acrow props - these proved to be absolutely invaluable as a third (and fourth!) hand, for holding the battens while they were secured with self-drilling screws.
Once the lengthwise battens were in place, I was able to add the remaining layer of 25mm Celotex and apply yet more foil tape to complete the ceiling insulation.
The BSS guys aren't keen on 230V cables being located with DC ones in the same conduit, so I've run two lengths of 40mm conduit right down the length of the boat to contain them in the roof space.
These should make it quite easy to connect up ceiling lights, as well as running the long cable runs to things like the tunnel light.
Well, that was it for 2018. I suppose, considering the boat wasn't launched till mid-October, I've not made bad progress. But I'm very mindful of the fact that in just over 2 months, I need to have the boat in a cruise-able and semi-habitable state. Around the middle of March, I need to set off on a 12-day trip to Nottingham, where 'Calbourne' will be grit-blasted and painted.
Hmmm... need to start thinking about the engine cooling system, exhaust, controls... plus a few other minor details!
Interesting idea putting it on the below gunwale cabin sides. Looking at our boat we don't have that much cabin side open to view.It must be a lot better to get the heat source down low.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian and Diana
DeleteI will be putting the UFH over the floor as well. The only bits which won't be done, are under the cooker and the galley cupboards. Should keep the contents of the underbed storage, etc warm and dry.
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