Heating
The ship is centrally heated from a diesel fired Kabola boiler type B17 with a capacity of 19.7KW. It is controlled through the inverter from the 24v battery supply and the circulating pumps are dual 24v DC or 220v AC so we can operate the central heating on battery power only when berthed without shore power.
Domestic hot water is provided by a 115 litre calorifier using the main engine cooling fresh water as one heat source and alternatively, two 220v electric immersion heaters each of 3kw. These can be switched between zero and 3kw in 500w intervals. On shore power, as little as 500w can be used to keep the water hot but without shore power we can use up to 6kw to heat the water using our own generator so minimizing generator running hours. When cruising we have continuous hot water from the main engine. We are investigating installing a solar panel on the wheelhouse roof alternatively a house radiator painted black with a pump to circulate the hot water generated through the calorifier.
Galley
The galley is located in the wheelhouse and originally consisted of an Ariston 380v Halogen 4 plate electric hob, extractor hood, stainless sink unit, Waeco 24v fridge/freezer and Moulinex 220v 1500w oven/grill/rotisserie. The problem with this set up was that when you were plugged into the shore power you only have a 220v supply so you must run the generator if you want to use the 380v hob. Converting to 220v would have been impractical as the current required to run four elements would be excessive for shore power and needed a complete rewire from the generator room. We used to use a portable two plate electric hob when we were on shore power which we still have for emergencies.
We have now installed a new Dometic RM7065 refigerator/freezer which has 142 litre capacity with a separate 26 litre frozen food compartment. This appliance operates on propane when we are cruising and we normally keep it switched onto auto. In this mode it will select whatever supply is available, 220v, gas or 12v in that order of priority.
We have also installed a Bosch gas cooker with gas hob, oven and grill which incorporates a thermocouple which shuts off the gas supply if there is no ignition. For additional safety against a gas build up in the case of a leak, propane being heavier than air, it can build up in the bilges so a gas detector alarm is installed at the lowest point in the engine room. We have installed two 13kg propane cylinders on top of the aft cabin, outside the wheelhouse and disposed of the Waeco 24v fridge/freezer and the Ariston Hob. In the first season cruising with this set up we needed to purchase only one refill. The quoted maximum fridge consumption is 300g per day. The overall effect of these investments is to to reduce the battery load, increase battery life and the number and amount of times we need to run the generator.
The storage drawers and cupboard doors can be secured to prevent opening in rough waters.