Heating installation on LM28

[flieger]

Hi,
I‘m still thinking of buying an LM28. The owner bought an „Eberspächer“-heating but didn‘t install it yet. So I would do it if I buy this ship.

Are there any instructions, plans or experiences about the installation on a LM28?

I would be very glad if you could help me!
Best regards from Hamburg, Germany
Wolfgang

(Oh, I see my thread in the wrong section. Can anybody please switch it to the right one? Thank you!)

[Sula]

Installation should be relatively straightforward.

I don't have an LM 28, but it's probably not that different in layout to an LM27. Other heater and ducting layouts are possible, but on my LM27 the heater itself is located under the aft deck, with the air for both combustion and the heating/ventilation drawn in there, and the combustion exhaust exiting through a special fitting well above the water line in the extreme aft of the boat.

The heated air ducting runs forward through the starboard cockpit lockers, under the seat in the wheelhouse (where there is a small branch through the 'underfoot' locker and a vent outlet that can be open or closed), then through the hanging locker and the main outlet exiting though a vent outlet under the aft of the starboard settee berth. A branch at this point has ducting continuing forward under the starboard settee berth and into the starboard under-berth locker in the forecabin, where there is another vent outlet.


You should be able to download the detailed Eberspacher installation instructions if you don't already have them. Be careful to ensure that
(a) exhaust gases cannot possibly leak into the air intake (and installation of Carbon Monoxide alarm in the boat interior is highly recommended in any case);
(b) heat from the heater unit, and especially from the exhaust pipe (which gets extremely hot and should be insulated), cannot come into contact with anything that may be flammable or damaged by the heat; and
(c) use a good sized (thickness) cable for the power supply to the heater from the battery - it uses a large current on start up, a small cable will cause voltage drop when carrying a large current, and many Eberspacher (and similar heater) starting problems are the result of inadequate voltage at the heater during start up.

The hot air ducting does not get as hot as the heater or exhaust, but can still be above 100 degrees C close to the heater, so be careful of what it can touch and what you use for insulation. Insulating the ducting will make the heater more effective.

I do not favour, as some do, recirculating the heating air (i.e. having the intake for the heating air in the boat interior), even though this would use less fuel, as this does not remove the moisture from inside the boat, which is for me an important motivation for having heating. It would also require additional ducting, which depending on heater location, may be challenging.

[flieger]

Aug 22, 2023 14:23:31 GMT Sula said:

Installation should be relatively straightforward.

I don't have an LM 28, but it's probably not that different in layout to an LM27. Other heater and ducting layouts are possible, but on my LM27 the heater itself is located under the aft deck, with the air for both combustion and the heating/ventilation drawn in there, and the combustion exhaust exiting through a special fitting well above the water line in the extreme aft of the boat.

The heated air ducting runs forward through the starboard cockpit lockers, under the seat in the wheelhouse (where there is a small branch through the 'underfoot' locker and a vent outlet that can be open or closed), then through the hanging locker and the main outlet exiting though a vent outlet under the aft of the starboard settee berth. A branch at this point has ducting continuing forward under the starboard settee berth and into the starboard under-berth locker in the forecabin, where there is another vent outlet.


You should be able to download the detailed Eberspacher installation instructions if you don't already have them. Be careful to ensure that
(a) exhaust gases cannot possibly leak into the air intake (and installation of Carbon Monoxide alarm in the boat interior is highly recommended in any case);
(b) heat from the heater unit, and especially from the exhaust pipe (which gets extremely hot and should be insulated), cannot come into contact with anything that may be flammable or damaged by the heat; and
(c) use a good sized (thickness) cable for the power supply to the heater from the battery - it uses a large current on start up, a small cable will cause voltage drop when carrying a large current, and many Eberspacher (and similar heater) starting problems are the result of inadequate voltage at the heater during start up.

The hot air ducting does not get as hot as the heater or exhaust, but can still be above 100 degrees C close to the heater, so be careful of what it can touch and what you use for insulation. Insulating the ducting will make the heater more effective.

I do not favour, as some do, recirculating the heating air (i.e. having the intake for the heating air in the boat interior), even though this would use less fuel, as this does not remove the moisture from inside the boat, which is for me an important motivation for having heating. It would also require additional ducting, which depending on heater location, may be challenging.

Thank you, Sula!

[flieger]

Anybody else who has installed a heating? Maybe you can show photos of it?
Thanks
Wolfgang