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Inland Waterways Boat Findings
Listed below are the main reasons found for the premature failure of diesel heaters on inland waterway boats.
These are listed in order of importance:
1. Poor installation.
2. Operator error.
3. Poor fuel / fuel system.
4. Poor voltage.
1. Main Problems with Installation
a) Poor plumbing on the water and fuel systems.
b) Heater fitted in the engine room and running too hot (poor engine room ventilation).
c) Incorrect heater specification i.e. Fitting a 10 kW when a 5 kW would be sufficient.
2. Main Problems with Operator Error
a) Shutting all the radiators down at night except the one in the bedroom.
b) Not servicing the heater on a regular basis.
c) Using the heater for hot water only without a secondary circuit i.e. Towel rail, etc.
d) Using the heater as a frost watch heater.
3. Main Problems with Fuel
a) Bad quality red diesel from the pump.
b) Fuel degrading in the tank over time (Cetane dropping).
c) Fuel bug.
d) Standpipe fitted lower than the engine pick-up in the tank.
4. Main Problems with Voltage
a) Short cycling running the battery down.
b) Power cable’s out of specification (too thin).