The Steamboating Forum

For the next few weeks I'm boating in the salt chuck; Otter is moored a few hundreds yards out (the bay is shallow and tidal). As a result, I'm much more aware of just how much fresh water we need to make up despite our condenser system. Otter burns about 1 to 1.5 gallons/hr of diesel w/ a steam atomizing burning, but we seem to use nearly the amount of makeup water as diesel which seems quite high to me. I'm pretty sure we're not leaking fresh into the bilges, so I suspect the weeping whistle valve, glands, etc. How much water are other boats using?

- Bart

It must be the burner. My wood burner only used about a gallon in the four days and it was almost all from a feed water pump leak. When I am putting about the bay here I don't add water from week to week. And you didn't use your whistle much at all.

Are there better burner designs? Uno uses an atomizer out of a paint spray gun. Perhaps check with Steph to see about her water consumption.

Mike

Hi Bart I would have replied sooner but guess who came down with food poisoning last week? We use a similar amount of water on the "Steam Queen" and it seems a lot more when going "uphill" in Spieden Channel I guess it's by the hour not distance and at @2.8 knots time does not fly! Now going home at 8.2knots used a lot less water. We used 50 liters of fuel coming over and 40 going back and about the same or better for water though my water measurement is a guesstament!! Turning off the atomizer stops the water usage,So does blowing the whistle but I do have an ego problem and can't stop blowing the whistle And all those people keep moving their fist up and down so I have to olblige [that's what it means doesn't it?] Den

Ok, I'm not the only one. Slowing down a little really helps with the consumption of both water and fuel, of course.

Had a nice steam last night; the Otter is sitting on a mooring buoy so I get to take her out after work (I'm telecommuting this month).

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2LkTc_ ... sp=sharing

- Bart