www.sigmarine.com/our__product_line.htm
I've used propane heaters on other boats; propane is not my first choice
due to explosion hazard and moisture byproduct of combustion. I've also used Dickinson Newport heaters, and
they are OK, very popular, and widely distributed.
Our heater is a Sigmar 170 bulkhead
diesel heater. It is similar in design to the
Greg Tatarian November 1999
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All,
Sigmar seems to carry what looks like a quality unit made in
Anyone seen all these heaters? I'm curious to know why prices vary
so much. Quality can be a factor, but almost $1k more? Wow.
fyi, John Hovan Celtic
Dream November 2004
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Three years ago we installed the Sigmar 120 diesel heater. Cost was
$1200 Canadian. It has been terrific. We're in
We mounted it on the bulkhead between the salon and the head, and installed a fresh air intake in the head, piped to the heater. Also installed a SS gravity tank for diesel in the head with an electric fuel sender to take fuel from the fuel line up to the tank. Can hand pump it up if the electric pump fails. We've been very happy with this system. By the way, it's also very attractive, with the flame showing through a mica window.
Sue and Jim Goodman Adelante November 2004
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Sounds like an excellent installation. The "balanced
draft" option can be installed with most of Sig Marine's diesel heaters.
"Balanced draft" is the manufacturer's term for what ABYC calls a
"sealed" combustion system in which combustion air is drawn from
outside the boat. By sealing the air intake, combustion chamber and exhaust
from the boat's interior, you avoid back draft problems, and most importantly,
the potential for oxygen depletion (the other silent killer) in the
cabin. Oxygen depletion sensors (required by federal law for
vent-less propane heaters used in homes, cabins, RVs, etc.) have been used
for propane vented marine cabin heaters since about 1980. A comparable
sensor system has not been developed for use with diesel heaters.
Consequently, the only way a diesel heater that's installed in an accommodation
space can comply with the current ABYC standard (A-7 Liquid and Solid Fueled
Boat Heating Systems), is if it has a sealed combustion system.
Sigmar product literature and installation manuals can be found at www.sigmarine.com,
or call Irwin Allen at 604-737-0101. Sig Marine was bought by Force 10 Marine
about a year ago and their product lines will reportedly be merged in the near
future.
Susan Canfield Aeolus/T37 #-305
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You will love your heater. We installed the same heater while our
boat was in Kemah 3 years ago. We're now heading into our 3rd winter in
We had our boat in Kemah for many
years, and the pictures of ice and snow are really something. That's more
than we've seen in
Sue Goodman S/V Adelante, T-37
January 2005
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Sue,
Do you have
to clean the heater upon each use? I was getting a lot of carbon build up
inside the unit once I shut it down. If I don't clean it all out, it doesn't
seem to burn properly upon relighting. Just takes a few minutes, but that
carbon black is nasty stuff. Also, when I shutoff the unit, I
hear what appears to be a mini explosion inside the unit when the flame finally
dies. Doesn't appear to harm anything, but caught me off guard the first
time I heard it. Also, are you running
your unit in the balanced draft mode?
John Hovan January 2005
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Here is an extremely difficult
to find part – a Walbro pressure reducer. Purchased from VE Peterson
Company in
John Hovan January 2005
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Unfortunately, the pictured heater installation does not comply with
current ABYC standards, i.e., the heater's combustion chamber
is not "sealed" from the boat's interior. Sigmar does
offer a "balanced draft" option for this heater
that is ABYC-compliant. In appliances with "sealed"
combustion systems, incoming air, the combustion chamber itself, and outgoing
combustion products are sealed from the boat’s interior. See page 4 of Sigmar's
owner’s manual: www.sigmarine.com/support/manual_2004.pdf
.
Susan Canfield January 2005
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The Sigmar heater burns so clean, a buddy of
mine said he didn't smell a thing when entering the boat. It sips a minimal 3/4 of
an imperial gallon per 24 hours. While Sue is probably
correct with the ABYC standards of sealed combustion, the factory salesperson
says that only approximately 20% of the installations done have the balanced
draft (i.e. sealed combustion) system setup. Installers I spoke
with recommended that you install the system and determine if you have
downdraft issues with your exhaust setup. I personally am
hesitant to put a second hole in the coach roof and am willing to monitor the
unit when in high winds.
I plan on running the heater for a while and seeing how it works
out. I don't plan to run the heater unattended until I build up a great
deal of history with the unit, but many owners tell me they run it all the time
while gone. Looking at the design of the unit, there is little that can
go wrong. There is also a damper on the bottom of the unit which
can help with the downdraft issue. Additionally, a fan can be purchased
and installed onto the bottom as well.
The only complaint I have with my install is the constant ticking of the
fuel pump. There are things you can do to reduce the noise including the
installation of a day tank, but I probably will put up with it for as often as
I plan to run the heater. Playing music at a low level also masks the
sound. Other than that, my friends all say it "looks
hot." No pun intended. :)
John Hovan January 2005
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It was
recommended to me, by Irvin Allen of Sigmar sales, to use paraffin for the
pre-heat. He said alcohol has two poor aspects. First, it will
"flare up" when initially lighting and second it is often difficult
to see if there is a flame in the unit while burning. Upon his
suggestion, I purchased a couple bottles of paraffin/lamp oil from Walmart
along with a small measuring shot glass. 1 oz is all that is required for
the Sigmar and the shot glass gives me the right amount each time. I'm
sure it's not critical, but I wanted to develop some consistency with the
pre-heat cycle. It usually will burn 10 minutes and then the heater lights
right up when the fuel is turned on. I plan on storing the paraffin in
some of the REI MSR fuel canisters for extra safety. The oil comes in a
flimsy plastic bottle.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000productId=47575375&parent_category_rn=5760743&vcat=REI_SEARCH
I will also add that Irwin Allen is
one of the most knowledgeable people on the practical usage of diesel heaters
that I spoke with while doing research. He's patient with my 1 million
questions and has helped at every step of the way with a positive
attitude. To be honest, I haven't experienced this level of customer
support in a very long time! He's truly a great guy who really knows his
stuff and returns phone calls!! If anyone has questions on Sigmar diesel
heaters, he can be reached at iallen@Uniserve.com. His phone number
is listed under the sales section at www.sigmarine.com/contacts.htm
. Many of the Sigmar heaters are on backorder. The unit I was sent was a
demo model used at a trade show. It's physically perfect and I'm very
impressed with the quality which I consider first rate. It was even
shipped with protective plastic everywhere on the polished stainless surfaces.
The Sigmar heater is a gravity fed heater. The electric pump only serves to
fill the reservoir on the carburetor. Once the reservoir is filled, a
float shuts off the fuel supply to the reservoir. The gravity feed to the
heater is done via a jet similar to that of a motorcycle carburetor. The
jet is connected to the knob on the top of the carb. Very neat and simple
setup! The manual even has a section explaining how the heater works which was
very enlightening and helps me understand what is going on when the heater is
operating. It's quite a bit more complex than what I thought and I marvel
at the engineering which went into the heater design.
I haven't tried firing up the heater
while sailing, but the specs show that it will work with I
believe 15 degrees of heel. I wouldn't have any issues firing it up in
the right conditions, since the heater is completely sealed once the mica
window door is shut. I'll report back once I use the heater at anchor.
Regarding the installation, I wanted
there to be a dramatic effect when you walked down the companionway. I
think I achieved this since the flame is one of the first things seen when
coming down the ladder. Very welcoming. It also allows visibility to the
flame from just about everywhere in the main cabin. I wanted this for
safety reasons. One fact I left out is that I tried using the polished
clamps directly on the compression post and found that the two polished
stainless surfaces did not provide enough friction to hold the heater in
place. I went back to Walmart and purchased a $3 bike inner tube and cut
it in behind the clamp. It now does not budge.
Probably a lot more than you wanted to
hear. Can you tell I really like this diesel heater? :)
John s/v Celtic Dream www.TayanaOwners.org January
2005
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John,
I spoke to Irwin at Sig Marine today
about this issue. The soot buildup I was experiencing is normal.
Irwin said that if you are a liveaboard, that the heater can be run 3-6 months
without cleaning. However, the time to clean the unit can vary
depending on the contaminants in the fuel used in your region of the
The manual for the 120 is on the Sigmar website and has a great section on how to preheat the unit. www.sigmarine.com/support.htm It typically takes 8-12 minutes and goes exactly as stated in the manual. I plan on getting an egg timer so I don't have to sit and watch. However, on a few occasions, the pre-heat went out before fully pre-heating. I have one of the long campfire butane type lighters with 8 inch stem. I just opened the door and stuck the lighter down in the chamber and re-lit the paraffin. Alcohol may be different. One of the MAJOR safety issues when using a diesel heater is adding pre-heat fuel to a hot burner. Thus, if you forget to turn on the heater before the preheat fuel burns out, the unit must be left to cool down before trying again. After reading the above story and seeing the photos, I have religion on this issue and will not let anyone else fool with the heater! After a few days of working with the heater, I think I understand its personality. Full heat output can be had from the unit after approximately 15 minutes. The boat also heated up relatively quickly with the outside temp at around 55 degrees at a low setting. The heater goes up to 9 setting on full high. If it is colder next weekend, I'll let you know the results.
Yes, it will dry out the cabin if you
are not running in the balanced draft mode. If you are in the balanced
draft mode, it will not significantly dry the boat since it isn't using the
inside air to run the heater. After Steve's comment, I may invest
in a battery powered Carbon Monoxide detector. This unit appears to read the carbon monoxide PPM
out onto a display and is battery operated! It would also help to detect
an engine exhaust leak etc. Probably worth having even without owning a
diesel heater. I also have a wool blanket aka 'a fire blanket' nearby
when I run the heater.
Personally, I don't think I would fire
up the unit under sail. There is usually too much going on while sailing
and this would just be another area of concern. The manual says it will
work to about a 15-degree heel, but I don't think I would use it while underway
unless on the waterway or lying a-hull. Plus, going forward, one could
get burned by the Charlie Noble chimney or a line could melt running against
the hot chimney since it is shaped to catch a line.
Regarding the center support
installation, the "Swiss cheese" heat protector does an excellent job
at keeping hands and fingers off the hot exhaust pipe. Getting around the stack
is no issue and I did several trials with the heater on high. One
can even sit on the settee near the heater without interference from the
exhaust stack. I'm very happy with the setup and it is fairly unobtrusive
when moving around the cabin. The only test which hasn't been done is to
use the heater in high winds. There is a concern that backdrafting can
occur more often with a 45-degree exhaust like mine. But, Irwin says to do some
testing and see what happens. In 5-10 knot winds, I haven't had any
trouble. Higher winds may cause some trouble, but so far it is working
great.
Hope this info helps, John Hovan s/v
Celtic Dream January 2005
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