Can someone please please help me

[Ariarar]

Hello! I am a 23 year old female who rents a '73 Christ craft Corinthian with my boyfriend. We were essentially homeless and a family friend let us rent their boat as they travel around the country a lot. They have never taught us anything about the boat or are never here to help us. This is our second winter without a heater and when we ask them for help they tell us that we don't take care of the boat. I love this boat so much it's been my favorite place to live and it hurts me to be told I don't take care of it. We would move off but I was on medical leave for four months due to epilepsy, basically having cancer and dealing with a rare sleep disorder. After coming back to work from medical leave things were really good and I was working full time again and feeling so proud and accomplished of my work. My boyfriend lost his job and then my medical issues progressed. We are barely eating and so paying someone to help us is out of the picture so I'm talking this into my own hands
Our diesel heater will turn on for about five minutes pushing room temperature air and then turn off giving us a flame out code. I do not know what type of heater it is and have no idea how to check. I then have no idea what steps to take after that. We are currently using a space heater to keep somewhat warm, but we are isolated to our bedroom which makes me so depressed to be pushed in a small room and being unable to stay in my favorite room without being freezing.

Second the outlets in the salon don't work. There was a weird buzzing sound coming from the electrical panel and things such as the lamps and microwave would flicker, and then one day both outlets stopped working. Ive checked to see if there is any flipped fuses but couldn't see anything. I do not know where to go from there.

Can anyone give me any advice so I can make my love and I a comfortable home?

Sorry for the ramble Im just so overwhelmed by the situation and was referred to this forum from redditt.

Here are pictures of the electrical panel https://imgur.com/gallery/mD99UPc

[Wotname]

Can't help directly but maybe some photos of the diesel heater and its control panel will help others to determine the heater issue.

[JPA Cate]

Welcome aboard CF, Ariarar!

See if you can find a copy of The Twelve Volt Doctor. Or any book about Boat electrics by Nigel Calder. Also, a CF member, called MaineSail posted a lot here. Take your time, and learn to follow the diagrams. Fix the power sockets, you may only have poor connections. Buy the cheapes electric heater you can find, maybe from Goodwill or a recycling center; have them show you it does work beforehand....

If the boat comes to you with tools, you'll probably have diagonal cutters, a selection of pliers, and screwdrivers, and if you're lucky there will be a digital voltmeter. Learn to use it, and you're on your way to becoming a boat electrician.

Good luck with it.

I'll mention at this point, that another way to approach the problem is to search the thrift shops for really warm thermal underwear. Anything washable with merino wool is good, but the heavier weights are better when the temps are below freezing. And then teach yourself how to dress so that you can be comfy in those temps. Look at the clothing advice for unheated cabins in Norway. It will be a good place to start.

Then, you leave the boat open for ventilation, and don't need the heater. If you can find a 2nd hand de-humidifier, that works, it will help relieve the condensation (we exhale about one cup a day of water in our exhalant).

These are all things you can do. Maybe your boyfriend can find another job, and help with the income....

Again, good luck with it. And remember "Today's misfortune is tomorrow's adventure."

Ann

[chris mac]

It's hard to give advice with limited info, but I'll give it a shot. Or at least give a few ideas to help get you diagnosing.
The heater... Since you mentioned it's diesel, and mentioned circulating air, I'm assuming it's a forced air diesel furnace. There are several brands, I have a planar(Russian) model. A flame out sensor may be a computer glitch. Disconnect for an hour or so and try again. It may be a fuel issue, do you hear the clicking of the fuel pump during those 5 minutes? That could be a fuel blockage, or no electricity to the pump. Or it may be a sensor is fried.
If it has fuel, pump is running, and it won't reset... It might be easiest to buy a Chinese unit off Amazon. They cost a couple hundred bucks and you should be able to swap it for the unit that exists. That is assuming the wiring, exhaust, and ducting are in reasonable shape. Bringing a tech in to look at it probably will cost that much before fixing it.
As for the electrical, it sounds like you blew a breaker. Maybe the one at the pedestal on dock.
Actually, they may be related. If your shore power is off, and your batteries are worn out, they won't run the furnace fuel pump, or the lights well enough.
A space heater could be enough to trip the shore power breaker. A space heater and a microwave would almost definately do it.
So after all my rambling, check the pedestal first. Make sure it is sending power to the boat. Then check that power is in the boat panel.
The good news is all that running around will warm you up a bit
Good luck

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Ariarar

Can anyone give me any advice so I can make my love and I a comfortable home?

Sorry for the ramble Im just so overwhelmed by the situation and was referred to this forum from redditt.

I sense your frustration and hope you can find a way forward.


These are not small or simple problems. To solve them will require skill, time, and money for parts. Although I have worked through problems like these in person, it is beyond my power to solve them from 1000 miles away.


Flameout problems on diesel heaters are common after hundreds of hours of use, and are usually (but not always) caused by accumulated soot in the combustion chamber or clogs in the fuel system. Repair procedures are involved and vary by manufacturer.


The electrical problems you describe can be solved by tracing the affected circuits with a DMM, but doing so requires skill and a background in electricity. Probably a loose connection or bad breaker but there are other possible causes.


If money is tight you are better off moving ashore. Boats require maintenance, and while it can be deferred for a year or two, problems and costs inevitably accumulate.


Best wishes

[jordanbigel]

I have a forced air heater and when it turns on, it starts out in a warm-up phase and pushes room temp air through the ducts. Then after 30 seconds it kicks in and starts burning fuel and heat comes out. What you describe is exactly what happens when there is no fuel. It runs for a cycle and tries to fire, but then it just shuts off. Mine has no readout and no codes, it just stops. That's all. If you can figure out where the fuel feed hose is, you ought to verify if there is fuel coming out, or if the tank is empty, or. filter is clogged maybe. Just a guess.

[Celestialsailor]

Welcome to the forum Ariarar. I am thinking the same as the post above. First check that you have diesel fuel.

[Bellinghamster]

Where in the PNW are you?

[requiem]

OP added some images to the Reddit thread:

electrical panel pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/gQiWyDS

engine room pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/XDS2xEt

Heater control: https://imgur.com/f7RsdzH

[Shrew]

It's an Espar diesel heater.

052 "Exceeding of safety time"

No flame detected within the start phase. Flame sensor value <80°C, therefore automatic shutdown because safety time exceeded.

• Check fuel supply, exhaust and combustion air system.
• Check glow plug –> see fault code 019 to 024 / 026 / 029.
• Check flame sensor –> fault code 064 / 065.

https://esparparts.com/techsupport/p...RIES/codes.pdf

So, it looks like you're getting an error '052' with and error '020', which would indicate (019 ~ 024) "Check Glow Plug".

[boatpoker]

Where is the espar unit mounted ?

[Cheechako]

I'm not trying to be snarky, but also think about this: The country is 100% employed for those who want to work. Most businesses out there are looking for people.
You should be able to get work quickly with little experience.
Avoid sitting around depressed, get out there!

[Capt Clark]

As far as the outlets, check to see if a GFCI needs to be reset. Look at all the outlets and look for a small reset button between the 2 outlets.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Capt Clark

As far as the outlets, check to see if a GFCI needs to be reset. Look at all the outlets and look for a small reset button between the 2 outlets.

Thought the Espar ran on 12 volts ?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Capt Clark

As far as the outlets, check to see if a GFCI needs to be reset. Look at all the outlets and look for a small reset button between the 2 outlets.

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Thought the Espar ran on 12 volts ?

BP, the OP has two seperate problems.

Our diesel heater will turn on for about five minutes pushing room temperature air and then turn off giving us a flame out code. ......



Second the outlets in the salon don't work. There was a weird buzzing sound coming from the electrical panel and things such as the lamps and microwave would flicker, and then one day both outlets stopped working.