Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:06pm

We have just bought narrow boat (which we are living aboard) with a stove right at the front of the boat. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting the heat to the back of the boat? I have heard that eco fans can be a worthwhile investment but reviews seem to be mixed, are they worth the money? Many thanks, Tania

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:18pm

Dear Tania If you think they are going to produce a stream of air similar to a desk fan then you will be disappointed. They seem to produce a constant but slow moving volume of air. My boat has a stove right at the back on the same side as the communicating corridor and a two bladed Ecofan certainly moves warm air into the bedroom (past the bathroom) but it questionable if it moves it right to the front of the boat. It probably does but more to keep the chill off rather than actually warm it. If you fancy a bit of DIY and can find an old computer in a skip etc. they often have 12v cooling fans in the case. Even new ones are less than £10. A 4 inch 12V computer fan draws about 0.3 amp and certainly moves air. Try positioning one of these up near the ceiling, above the stove and blowing slightly downwards towards the front of the boat. To make it even more positive it might be possible to work a duct system close to the ceiling so warm air is blown right to the front of the boat and cooler air is drawn back towards the stove. Initially you could make a test duct with cardboard etc. Otherwise the most reliable way of distributing heat from a stove is probably a gravity circulated back boiler and radiator system. Tony Brooks

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:36am

Tony, Thank you very much, we are going to try the computer fan this weekend. Tania

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:13pm

we have a 48ft narrow boat with a solid fuel stove at the front facing down the corridor and our bedroom is right at the back. we have a 3 blade ecofan sat on top of the stove, we once loaned it to some friends to try and we certanly knew we didn't have it, when we asked for it back they didn't hesitate in buying one. In our opinion they are worth having. cheers Alan.

Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 3:30pm

Thanks Alan