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From: Sea Quell crew. (no email)
Date: Fri Nov 04 2005 - 12:40:14 EST
Eric, good question, if you have not tried both..
I had a forced air system, and spent a lot of money to install this
hydronic system.. So I was motivated..
It is worth the expense, if you really need the heat. An infrequent
user, in mild climates may be ok with forced air, but I sure wasn't.
Disadvantages of forced air system:
Large ducting, loss of cabinet/storage space, and inability to reach all
areas of the boat due to ducting size.
Large holes in bulkheads for ducting.
Noisy system for moving a lot of air.
Ducting gets crushed in storage spaces, needs replacement or protection.
Furnace needed maintenance almost every year, had to remove unit and
take to the shop. Furnace was not designed for continuous use (needs
constant service).
Fumes from lazarette/engine room (furnace mounting area) are blasted
into the boat. The unit sucks a lot of air from that area.
The furnace put fumes into the air (unburned diesel vapor). This was
probably a design flaw in the furnace itself (Ardic brand).
The ducting itself (space-age junk) actually overheats & bubbles
releasing fumes into cabin.
Every system has advantages and disadvantages. But the hydronic system
is far better. We preferred a hot-water bottle to turning on the forced
air system.. That should tell you something..
-Neal.
wrote:
> So. What was so great about hydronic heating?
> Let us think about this system vs. a forced air
> type:
> Hydronic - another system containing a liquid
> that can (will) leak all over the boat.
> Forced air - if it leaks it is less efficient but
> makes no mess
>
> Hydronic - the hoses need to be situated so the
> bleeding process can be done without taking the
> rest of your life to complete
> Forced air - the ducts can be run any old way you
> want
>
> Hydronic - neat little water hose that is only
> about 1 inch in diameter, of course you will want
> to insulate it so it is really 3 inches in
> diameter
> Forced air - 3 or 4 inch diameter ducts, you will
> want another inch of insulation around them, so 5
> or 6 inch duct diameter.
>
> Hydronic - a pump to circulate the hot liquid
> Forced air - a blower to force the air
>
> Hydronic - fan/radiator units
> Forced air - grills.
>
> I don't get it. Why would I want a hydronic unit?
>
> Eric Thompson
> S/V Procrastinator
> South San Francisco
>
>
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