Practical Boat Owner — January 2018

diameter hole for the outlet vent. The hole

through the moulding was made

deliberately bigger than the ducting to

allow the run to be as smooth as possible,

thus providing the best airflow. It would

also leave sufficient room should it be

decided that it was necessary to lag the

ducting at a later point.

As we were only going to have a single

vent outlet, it was important that it was not

the closeable type. These are only

required when balancing a multipoint

system and one non-closable vent must

was joined with proper hose clamps

and short sections of rubber fuel hose,

running it down to the fuel pump using

an existing hole for the stern gland

greaser feed.

Hot air ducting

We had already decided that for a boat

the size of a Jaguar 27 just the one hot air

vent into the saloon would be sufficient,

so the ducting run only required us to drill

one 90mm diameter hole in the quarter-

berth moulding, followed by a 65mm

The through-hull exhaust fitting

We used a 90mm diameter hole cutter for
the ducting hole in the quarter berth

We assembled the unit onto a board and clamped it in place to check the pipework fit

The single vent outlet is non-closeable

The control panel for which the lead can be
extended if installation logistics require
The separate fuel tank fitted snugly into
the stern locker and is easy to fill

We attached the exhaust pipe firmly and

sealed it to the joints with Holts Firegum

1

CO is colourless, tasteless,

and odourless. Because

it cannot be noticed without a

detector or meter, CO has earned

the dubious name of the ‘silent

killer’. When people say they

can smell carbon monoxide,

they are usually referring to

other combustion by-products.

Nevertheless, if you can smell

by-products there is very likely a

problem that should be addressed

as a matter of urgency.

2

CO is slightly lighter than

air. However, studies have

shown no significant difference

in measurements based on

what height CO detectors are

mounted. Different manufacturers

recommend different mounting

locations, so you should

always follow a particular

manufacturers’ recommendation.

As a safety precaution we

installed a CO detector/alarm that

we bought for £11.99 from Aldi,

but it has yet to be triggered.

Carbon Monoxide

(CO) – beware the

‘silent killer’

pipe needs to be slotted twice down its
length for about 15mm and then coated
liberally with something like Holts Firegum
to allow the pipe clamps get a good
purchase on the joints.

Fuel tank
The supplied fuel tank is an absolute
bonus as I have seen these being offered
for sale at nearly £100. The steel tank
hanging brackets are substantial and
required some effort to bend them at a
right angle to obtain the required
stand-off, but it was worth the effort as the
tank fitted snugly into the stern locker with
excellent access for filling. The fuel line

ON-BOARD HEATING