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Project Log:  Sunday, August 12, 2012

I'd hoped to wrap up the diesel boiler's exhaust and intake systems, but was unable to.  Since the exhaust line pretty much dictated where and how the intake line needed to run, and since proper installation of the exhaust was crucial to the heater in terms of performance and safety, I needed to dictate its route first.

To begin, I attached one end of the exhaust flex pipe to the new fitting in the hull, temporarily securing it with a clamp.  I led the remaining length of pipe down into the engine room, where I'd figure out the rest of its run.

 
The space aft of the engine on the port side was full of plumbing hoses, and was generally difficult to access thanks to tight clearance and, perhaps worse, the steep angle of the hull in this area, which meant that even once I shoehorned myself in I tended to slide out, and it was impossible to keep tools, fasteners, or equipment close at hand, so of course any actions required in this space took several times longer than they might in an more convenient setting. 

At the extent of my reach, I simulated the exhaust pipe run past the bottom corner of the cockpit, just aft of the scupper opening, and it became immediately obvious that I'd need a standoff bracket here to hold the pipe in position and also keep it away from the fiberglass.   This didn't pose an immediate problem, as I had standoffs on hand, but there was nothing handy to screw the standoff to; the cockpit deck above was solid glass in this area, but too thin to accept screws that would hold the bracket.

Instead, I secured a bracket with screws to a small piece of prefabricated 1/2" thick fiberglass, then, after cleaning the area, secured the block to the underside of the deck with epoxy adhesive, and a dab of hot glue to hold it while the epoxy cured.


This ended work on the exhaust and intake, since I couldn't work with the standoff again till the adhesive cured, and I needed to secure the exhaust there first since doing so would dictate the remainder of the run forward to the heater.

I moved on to the engine exhaust.  Having had time to consider my possible positioning of the exhaust outlet fitting, I decided that my initial position was unnecessarily high; it would have been annoying to come alongside a dock, for example, since the outlet would have probably been. above most floating dock heights (not to mention higher than dinghy topsides, creating the potential for embarrassing and annoying exhausting into my or someone else's dinghy).  There was really no reason to have the outlet that high, and it probably would have made hull staining a constant issue as well, in spite of the drip flange built into the outlet.

Instead moved it down the hull a bit to the spot where the old bilge pump outlet had been originally installed (since patched).  This location was still well above the waterline (and about 12" higher than the original location, which was closer to amidships), but the exhaust would discharge at a more convenient level that was likely to remain below docks and dinghy topsides.  Similarly, I didn't want the outlet closer to the transom, where it might pose a problem for dinghy operations.  I never considered locating it directly outboard of the engine room like the original, which I felt was a terrible location.


Satisfied with the location, I drilled a hole large enough to accommodate the fitting, and dry-fit the exhaust so I could drill and tap the hull for four machine screws to secure it.

         

After preparing the fitting and opening, I installed the fitting in a bed of sealant.  I chose to install the fitting now, before paint, because it would allow me to continue critical systems installations in the meantime, since painting was still a ways away.  Inside, I added nuts and washers to the tapped machine screws for good measure.  For now, I reinstalled the outer covering flange, which held the little flapper check valve in place and covered the fasteners, but I'd remove this later before painting.

         

         

To get the exhaust from the engine to the outlet, I needed another hole in the aft bulkhead.  I drilled a 3-1/2" hole through the plywood, just above the tabbing and just below the level of the cockpit deck, to provide access for the 2" ID exhaust (2-1/2" OD), with room for chafe gear.  Later, I'd lead the hose through here and create a high loop up inside the coaming before attaching the hose to the exhaust outlet.

To round out the work, I applied epoxy resin to the freshly cut plywood bulkhead to seal the opening.

   
 
 

Total Time Today:  2.75 hours

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