There are hundreds of heaters out there that could fit my yacht and probably do a great job.
Why?
However, I have had two diesel-electric blowers – none of them worked satisfactory. That is, they worked fine as long as they worked. But after a few years they both started to have starting problems, black exhaust, noise and vibration and consuming batteries. The last part is a serious problem during winter and long cold nights. It is hard for our normal summer-batteries to hold up with the extra consumption during winter. The nights are longer and colder, so you tend to use more time in the cabin – consuming more electricity. Sooner or later you end up worrying about charging your batteries instead of sailing and enjoying the scenery. You know you are over the limit when you start looking for an excuse to start the engine.
The last diesel-electric blower died rather slowly of rust. I spent hours servicing it. But it still leaked exhaust into the hot-air and letting the monoxide built up in the cabin. If I had fallen asleep in the fumes, it would highly probably be the start of a very long nap.
- First – When choosing a new heat-source I decided it should be simple. My experience is that anything that can go wrong in a boat sooner or later will. And I will end up servicing it a nice day while fair winds are outside of the marina.
- Second – I wanted a heat source that runs without electricity – remember: when you need your heat most, electricity will be scarce.
- Third – It had to look like it belonged in my cabin and be sturdy enough to keep going in rough weather.
What?
Danish Refleks has been making diesel-heaters since the early 1900’s. They are fitted in most small danish commercial fish-boats going into the North Sea and the Skagerrak summer or winter. They are known to faithfully heat the cabin no matter whats going on outside – as long as they are given diesel. I can’t think of any better recommendation. Besides – I love it when the installation brochure makes sure you understand that there will be a slight diesel-drip in 10 meter (30 feet) waves – no more than 1/2 litre in 10 hours, and there is an overflow outlet that runs into a small holding tank. I mean, if Refleks worries about the heat in 30 feet waves, it is more than enough for me… Besides they recommend you to clean the oven after it has burned for a few months. First – burning for months? – second the cleaning is dropping a tablet of some sort into the oven and keep going… I like the attitude.
Nothing is as simple as it looks in the brochure. My cabin-floor is tilted so I needed to make a fitting I could bolt to the bulkhead. Then the space is really limited – I really need to be able to pass between the oven and the table even when “Salt” is listing hard to port. And it should be possible to do that without burning your bum or frying a Helly Hansen. And I had to make a heat-shield between the heater and the bed. It is a good idea to have the oven as low as possible in the boat. It sucks in cold and damp air from the bottom and let it out dry and hot from the flanges at top. So if you want the damp and cold out, the oven should be as low as possible.
What?
I bought the smallest and simplest oven called 66M from Refleks. In fact I bought it at the old-fashioned industrial building of Refleks in Ringe outside Odense in Denmark. The fabric is something else. It is placed in the middle of a meadow and looks like an old whisky distillery in Scotland. Inside everything is made by hand and assembled in long lines. As I visited them a Friday in august they had all gone home. But among the trees in the yeard a lady showed up, called another and soon I had my oven, complete with exhaust-pipe, deck flange, and caps. They even put it together particularly for me.
How?
The stainless steel fittings was made by a local blacksmith from my drawings. It is made of two parts – one bolted to the bulkhead and supporting the oven (the oven only weights 7 kilos), while functioning as a try for accidental oil-drips and one part protecting the bed. Besides the hassle of making holes in stainless steel, it was a breeze to fit it all.
With the help of my big brother Morten we cut a hole in the roof/deck with a hole-saw and fitted the deck-flange loosely. Then we wrangled with the exhaust-pipe. I need it to angle away from the passage, make a huge u-turn and back up at the roof. It all fitted together, and when thighting the flange the cosntruction turned rigid.
A standard 8mm diesel-hose was fitted to the main diesel tank and taken underneath and behind everything until it crawls out of a small hole cut in the floor underneath the oven. A second hose is coming from the overflow outlet at the regulator and put into a small holding tank – in my case a two liter water bottle with the hose through the cap and taped securely. I have no plans of keep the oven going in 10 meter waves!
The diesel hose from the main tank is connected through a cut-off walve from Refleks. This will cut of in event of overheating. And the feeding dieselhose is fitted with a filter to ensure that filth from the tank is stopped before it hits the regulator.
Gale tested
So far the oven has been burning for 3 weeks without any incident. It is burning at an absolute minimum and still heats and dries out the boat even though it has been raining and blowing a gale continuously this november.
41 comments
Comments feed for this article
Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 6:36 am
Jerry
Thank you for the pics and the story. I have a refleks heater I have yet to install. I need the darn 90mm pipe to complete the installation but it is good to know this little beauty works so well.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Geir Olav Løken
Hi Espen!
I had a Refleks owen in my old yacht and I let it burn the whole winter (October-April) in Bergen, only cleaning it once. I lived onboard and simply never turned it of, not even when leaving for a 3 week holiday. Those things are simply genious. My owen only went out once, and that was in quite a bit of wind after it had been lit for only half an hour.
Best regards, Geir Olav
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 8:31 am
Espen
Hi Geir Olav – are you bored and just surfing… Well, thanks anyway. Geir Olav did you ever use some sort of tablet, cleaning fluid or otherwise pipe cleaner during your long winter of burning diesel?
Espen
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 11:39 am
Geir Olav Løken
I’m not bored, I loved my reflex owen and I start thinking the kaskelot might be the ideal “inbetween” to opt for (inbetween my old 40 ft, 12 ton longkeeled boat and the flat bottom need for speed boats).
Never used the tablets, just cleaned the minimal amounts of black stuff out of the owen manually. Anyway the most of the soot is created in the starting up phase, the owen should burn completely clean once it gets going. A good trick for a quick and clean start is to throw in a little bit of toilet tissue to suck up some diesel or even to soak the paper with a bit of diesel-kerosene mix.
G O
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Espen
Geir Olav – thanks, smart trick! So I soak some paper in diesel/kerosene or dilluted spirits (rødsprit?) to get a clean start.
I bought some chemicals for the ovens at home. You are supposed to throw in a bit to clean the pipe – I guess that is the same chemical as in the tablets or stuff form Refleks.
Espen
Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Nick Kats
Dear Geir
Great article on the Refleks heater, that really helps.
In your article “It was a cold rainy night”, in the bottom photo there is a stainless steel paraffin lamp, very modern and snazzy looking. Are you happy with it? It looks like it gives off little light, perhaps one or 2 candles’ worth of light. Where did you get it, who makes it?
Thanks,
Nick
Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 9:33 pm
reiss
Nick,
it’s a Danish Stelton – it works fine and looks even better. It comes with two wall fasteners and light enough to read.
I am not surprised that you saw it – it has been given designer prizes several times. However – it is rather costly, and I got mine for my birthday from several members of my family (They have a very good nose for fine design).
Here is a link for you convenience http://www.janett.no/storefront.php?pid=323&c1=64&c2=64&c3=0
Yours,
Espen
Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 6:13 pm
con
Just made the same choice and have all the bits loosely assembled in the house. Will install in our small barge in the next few weeks. No 10m waves for us 🙂 What photos don’t show is just how small and compact this stove really is.
A question – is there enough play in the flue to take the top off the stove or else how do you light the stove and clean the pot? Through the little hole on the top?
C
Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 9:32 pm
reiss
Hi Con,
yes, you use the small opening – push it aside, pour inn a small glass of spirits or its like, then a burning match – wait a few minutes, open up for diesel – and its done. Yes the play is enough to use the opening for checking whenever you want to.
Good luck – and fair winds. Espen
Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 6:03 am
John
Hope you do an article on Suhali. I hope also that you call her an Atkin “Dragon” 32/47 Solli type. Why double enders? Like good looking Women they don’t have flat backsides. John
Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Nick Kats
Dear Espen
I hope you don’t mind my asking this –
There is a boatyard in Farsund. Can you find out who, and their Email?
I would like to winter my ketch there. It is currently near Kristiansand.
Many thanks,
Nick Kats
Ireland
Monday, October 1, 2007 at 7:29 pm
reiss
Hi Nick, shure no problem. I check it out tomorrow or the day after. But, why do you want to winter in Farsund – that’s beyond me?
Espen
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 6:37 pm
nicolas kats
Hi Espen
The Christiansund yard is very expensive.
Don’t know if this is typical of Norway (high prices) or if its just this yard.
I wouldn’t mind a week of frosty nights getting to Farsund.
Thanks,
Nick
Monday, January 14, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Jeff Swanwick
Hi Espen,
I intend to fit a Refleks, a 2000k as my boat is single skin fibreglass with no insulation. I am interested in why you didn’t follow the instructions to seriously insulate the surrounding area of the installation. I have been told I need to put heat insulation behind the chimney up to the deckhead and all around the heater! I can see with yours there are no heat burn marks. Do you feel the instructions are a little over the top? Perhaps because my heater will be 4.2kw I have to do it but finding the space with more than 10cm fully around the heater is giving me problems. Your comments would be most appreciated. Oh, and your boat looks GREAT!!!!
Regards
Jeff
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 1:19 am
David
Hey Jeff,
I am considering the installation of a refleks 2000K and I saw your posts. I couldn’t find any pictures though, could you point me to them? Also, what size boat do you have it in?
Thanks
David
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 10:52 am
reiss
Hi Jeff,
the surrounding area of the Refleks are all made of solid wood and given a metalsheeting. The part closest to the surrounding is insulated with a metal sheet box – the one with all the holes. There is noting inside the “box”, but most of the heat is transformed to moving hot air. If you need to insulate this is the way to do it. It really works well. It is cheaply done and there is virtually no heating of the wood behind it.
I figured out that I did not need much more insulation as the the burner give most of its heat by cold and damp air coming in from the bottom and blowing out at the top.
You are right, I did not insulate behind the chimney. Even when the chimney is red hot, there is no overheating or burnmarks behind the chimney. However, the plan for this years improvement is to find a way to secure the chimney further away from the bulkhead – I am planning to use stainless steel bathroom cupholders – and I might install something outside of the chimney to avoid burning my Helly Hansens.
Good luck to you – the Refleks is among my better improvements of the Salt. I am sure it will work out nice for you to.
Espen
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 11:22 am
Jeff Swanwick
Thanks for that Espen, very encouraging! I shall speak with Refleks today and perhaps I will visit their location too. I am only an hour and a half away, near Sonderborg. I wonder if I will get a better deal by visiting………??
Goo luck with your ‘winter’ season!
Regards
Jeff
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 11:26 am
reiss
Jeff,
it was wort the trip both as an experience and moneywise. I don’t think their open Saturdays. Give me a hint if you find a bracket to keep the chimney securly away from the bulkhead.
Espen
Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 5:54 am
Ken Phillips
I’m wondering if the Refleks would be compatable with the Albin Vega? It looks like it would be the right thing up here in the Puget Sound.
Ken
Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Espen Reiss Mathiesen
Hi Ken,
the albin Vega is well known i Norway and Stavanger. I can’t see any reasons why a small Refleks would not fit in. Remeber to measure that you have at least 100 cm pipe-height and space enough to move around it. It’s getting impressively hot and wil burn your bum or Helly Hansens faster than you think possible.
Good luck and I hope you will have som nice hot evenings in a dry boat – even in foggy Puget Sound.
Espen
Monday, April 28, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Jeff Swanwick
Hi Espen!
Just a follow up to my post with you regarding the fitting of a Refleks heater. I fitted it over the winter and now after three weeks of being in the water I cannot believe I lived without it before! I love it! Ok, I have a stoop through passage to the aft cabin and the heat doesn’t really make an impression there but it does in the front double which gets more use anyway. I leave it on all night on the lowest setting (a little below the number one on the regulator) and in the morning I put my espresso coffee pot on top and it cooks it up pronto. I have baked those pre-baked bread rolls also on a wire rack with a saucepan over the top. I probably could have got a way with a smaller heater now I have experience of it but I would have kicked myself if it were the other way around. I fitted it as per the instructions with all the recommended insulation which I now know doesn’t even get hot! I was told however that the insulation is really only for if the heater operates beyond it’s normal heating tempretures in error. I have a ten litre tank under the companionway stairs which gives lots of height. I feed it direct from one of my fuel filters via an electric pump and a self returning switch. I couldn’t figure out how to paste a picture here but if you are interested in seeing the result let me know how I can send you some piccies. Thanks for the inspiring info. Your experience with a Refleks gave me the final push to cut away in my cabin and fit one. Happy racing season to ya!
Regards
Jeff
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 8:20 am
reiss
Hi Jeff,
good for you! I am so happy I have mine installed and going. This weekend I am sailing north to Bergen for a race going back and forth from Bergen to Stavanger and visa versa. I could not imagine going up and down this cold coast without any sure way of heating up and dry out.
I have one problem though – I can’t get the cap of the pipe. I took the pipe above deck off late last season and put the cap on. And now the cap is stuck!
Any good ideas?
Did you find a suitable way to protect the pipe? Insulation sounds good.
Photos – you can send me a few shots (Espen.R.Mathiesen@uis.no) and I will post them, or you could just add photos to the photo-viewer at the front page. If you check through it you will find that there are more Kaskelots than Salt.
Happy racing season to you too.
Espen
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 11:00 am
Jeff Swanwick
Hi Espen,
Thanks for the reply. Who uses their boat more than you!!?!?! You are committed for sure. Kewl.
You could try one of those oil filter spanners to remove the protective cap – like a rubber strap and a handle that pulls tighter the more you turn. Alternatively, I guess the best way is to remove the chimney inside the boat and knock it off from the inside. My chimney while fairly stiff when hot, is relatively easy to move when cold. I think I have some more work to do in making it a perfect fit. It doesn’t leak however which is good.
To protect the pipe I am not sure if you mean outside the boat or inside? Outside you can buy an insulated pipe from Refleks which will make it cool to touch but in my experience, you use the heater when it’s cold and the pipe doesn’t get so hot outside because of this. I haven’t used the heater when sailing as the kicker will hit when I tack. I take off the half metre extension and pop the cap on. I am going to experiment though running the heater with only the sailing cowl on the deck flange. It may not be high enough for good draught but I think I have enough height below decks for the chimney to still work. The downside may be dirty decks.
To protect the pipe inside I fitted the chimney grill which means on low setting, you can touch this without getting burned.
The other day while filling my refleks tank I was distracted and diesel overflowed into my main bilge. Not nice. Hence I now have a instant release switch to fit rather than an ‘off/On’ one. One good reason to feed direct from the main tank like you. My main tank though would not be high enough to feed the heater. Tut.
I will try to post the pictures on your sight, if not, and due to my stupidity, I will more likely email them.
Take it easy Espen.
Regards
Jeff
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 11:44 am
Jeff Swanwick
Hi again Espen,
I have put I think three pictures on your site – I hope, I think, maybe….? I did a slide show on the Slide website but couldn’t figure how to transfer this to your site. Not to worry.
One question I have for you is regarding the Stelton Oil Lamp. I have one also but find it gets extremely hot and my bulkhead, the wall gets extremely hot also! I have it on really low to avoid this but it still gets very hot. I am thinking of making a small mahogany plinth for it to screw to to bring it further away from the wall. Do you find this problem with yours?
Ok, thats all.
Regards
Jeff
Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 5:22 pm
pat teer
Hi as any one of you guys got a old reflek for sale ? if so please contact me yours pat ……………………………….
Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 2:30 pm
pat teer
Hi guys any thing for sale ? ie reflex any model considerd…………..Pat
Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Jo Priest
I have been using my reflek for 5 years, in my converted mobile home , while building my yacht,
I now want to fit it in the yacht an dit badly needs servicing, where can i get this done , any one know ? , im in yorkshire ,uk
Friday, November 7, 2008 at 12:11 am
Jim
Hello!
Anyone with additional links or follow-up to installs or experiences with Refleck?
Which model Reflek is featured in this article?
What “seems the appropriate size boat for the smaller Refleks to heat duting deepest-n-darkest portion of winter?
Refleck and Cape Horn = two very nice and well-engineered products for SALT
Articles and access to Reflek is very limited in USA
Regards,
Jim
Jimmy G
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 1:50 pm
steve
According to the installation instructions:
In the pot-stove diesel oil comes from the tank to the regulator D. It gives a film of oil, which burns at the bottom of the burner. The stove can tolerate rolling but not a constant list, where the oil runs down on one side.
Has anyone used one when the boat is heeled over?
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Espen
Hi Steve,
I have sailed in a seaway with the stove going, and experienced no problems. However, I have not sailed and listed for long with the stove going, as the exhaust pipe is coming out close to the mast and the sails. A hot pipe might burn my jib rather fast and the exhaust could dirty up my sailes. I have used it while motoring in a seaway without any problems. If I remember correctly Reflexs is talking about problems in 10-m waves. In 10-meter waves I have other more present problems than keeping warm inside. Besides, the problem they are talking about is diesel backing up and the need for an over-fill or return dieseltank. When the stove is hot the diesel becomes fumes and will not make a film, but become a gas flame – if I understand this correctly. So it might be a problem starting it up while listing hard, but as soon as the thing is hot and fed diesel, it will be going strong whatever happens.
I would expect that a constant list, like when sailing, would make the stove hotter on the upside, which might be a problem inside the boat. It might cause som discolouring of the stove. A hot burning stove will most certainly add to the exitment of going to the toilet and passing the stove in heavy seas.
Best, Espen
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Espen
Hi Jim,
now that the dollar is so hot, why don’t you start importing Refleks to the states? I bet the danes would like that, and the yachtsmen of Washington and BC would love it.
The one in Salt is the smallest one with the outlet on top.
Somewhere in the istructions it is said something about how many cubic meters of living space each stove can heat. Please check the Refleks-site – if it is in Danish I can transelate for you. Mine is more than enough. If I add an inexpencive electrick fan to disperse the heat under the deck/roof – i gues it would be even better and dissperse the heat more evenly.
Listen – Refleks is super. However, I am sure Dickersens or Force 10 is better than ok. I mean – we can’t always buy stuff that is made for extremes we hopefully will never experience. I choose Refleks because I could afford it, I could visit the factory, which is an added attraction to anything you own and trust. But first and foremost I choose a non- electric fairly simple stove just because I know from bitter experience that everything si corroding and slowly going back to become junk. If anything goes wrong I am much better at fixing mechanical things I can figure out than opening a box of electronic while shivering cold and wet.
See my point?
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Federico
Hi all, I see everyone is talking excellent of this stove…However i sailed in a sailboat Ovni 395, which had one of this installed and we had several problems. Some times the stove just when off with no reasons; some times suddenly all the smoke which is suppose to go out by the funnel came backwards filling up the cabin with the exhaust. Some times we experienced an explosion (yes, and explosion!) and then the stove went off…I guess it had serious problems of installation, but I would like to know which ones…I have one of this stoves some one gift to me, and I want to install it on my boat, but I’m a bit concern of this situations. I want to know how to prevent this from happening…Any ideas?? thanks!
Monday, April 19, 2010 at 8:47 am
Espen
Frederico – I have had none of these problems. I installed the stove according to the recommondations from the factory.
However – I guess I would install a fuel line filter from the holding tank to the stove. And make sure the tank is above the stove. And – as I recall – the exhaust pipe from the stove has to be at least one meter long/tall or more to ensure proper draft.
There is a fuel-intake-cleaner leveler at the fuel intake at the stove – make sure you operate this a few times everytime you fire her up. To me it sounds like the mentione stove is geting far to much diesel – and that it is comming in sudden burst – like there is an obstruction along the fuelline – som trapped air or som pollution partly stopping the injection ….
Good luck!
Espen
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 10:11 am
Nicolas Kats
Frederico & Espen
The problem you describe is air backing down the stove pipe & pushing air from the stove into the cabin.
This is not the Refleks stove’s fault.
The problem is the chimney cap. Yours (Frederico) is inadequate. You need to replace it with a good cap that will handle all winds.
My boat has 2 stoves for heat. One is wood/coal, a superb stove. The other is the smallest Refleks. I’ve been using them for 2 years.
The wood stove would smoke us out of the boat cabin in Force 3 & over.
The Refleks would stink up the cabin with diesel exhaust or go out in Force 2/3 & over.
I replaced both chimney caps, simple affairs, with sophisticated caps.
The results –
The wood stove works beautifully up to Force 8, at anchor or at sea. Not a puff backing in.
The Refleks works beautifully in up to Force 7 at anchor or at sea (I got the cap for the Refleks more recently so have not tried it in higher winds).
I got my caps from Chimey Cap Design in Oregon USA. Google them.
The Refleks company offers chimney caps – do not know if they will do the job as well, as I have no experience with that particular product.
Like I said, the problem is not the stove. It is the cap. You need something that ALWAYS draws air out, no matter how strong or gusty the wind is.
Cheers,
Nick Kats
Teddy 39′ Colin Archer ketch
Clifden
Co Galway
Ireland
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Per
Hi Nick,
What model of Chimney Cap did you have, the Draft Master?
Regards,
Per Eriksson
Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 11:24 am
Nicolas Kats
Hi Espen
The Norway Government requires applying for a permit for sailing to Svalbard. Do you have any idea where I can get this?
Thanks,
Nick
Ireland
(Sorry about asking you here – I did not see a way to directly contact you.)
Monday, September 27, 2010 at 8:55 am
reiss
Nicolas,
What a great question – your best webpage for information would be this http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=45609 – sysselmannen is the Norwegian word for Governor – this should be the address for the English version of the page.
However – you should also visit the Norwegian page where they are telling about the sailship Northernlicht wich is already frozen in (last updated September.22). A fast Google search reveals tons of Norwegian yachts that have been or are going to Svalbard. They all complain about the insurance, but as I understand what the Governor wants is that you are able to prove that you can foot a bill of about 75.000 kroners ( 15.000 dlrs) to cover your rescue operation. As a law-abiding tax payer I sort of appreciate that. As a yachtsman I am not all that pleased.
If you want to go further on this Svalbard idea I can search and see if I can find a few Norwegian yeachtsmen or ladies that can tell you all about it.
Espen
Monday, September 27, 2010 at 9:08 am
reiss
Thinking about Svalbard – which makes me having a hard time doing my job – I came to think about these guys – check out their Norwegian Sailing guide – it covers the coast of Norway from Sweden including Svalbard – check out http://www.morganscloud.com/
Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 11:39 am
Nicolas Kats
Espen
Many thanks! This info checks out.
Am planning to go to NE USA, via Azores instead, next summer. Am from there, good opportunity to see family. And am concerned with lottle winds in the Arctic – i don’t like motoring much.
The Morganscloud website is great, full of info. Have been following it for a couple years. Another website you might look at is bethandevans – google that, one word.
Wonder if Frederico ever checked back in re his problem of smoking stove. I’m quite sure that his problem is the stove cap.
Cheers,
Nick
PS – think your English has gone from near-fluent to fluent in 2 years. How did you do that?
Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 10:09 am
Dip Tube
Well, this is extremely interesting indeed. Would love to read a little more of this. Great post. Thanks for the heads-up.
Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 7:52 am
Halogen Heaters
I enjoy reading the rest of the story. So for you what is the most appropriate heaters for your yacht?