Boat Heating in the Floor with Infrared Technology
Author: Tóth Tamás · 3 min read
Case study: we built heating film underfloor heating into an uninsulated tourist boat, powered by a generator. Why radiant heat, how it works as intermittent heating, what layer structure is needed, and what to clarify at the design stage.
We made an uninsulated tourist boat usable in winter with heating film underfloor heating. Heating the air on a poorly insulated boat would have been almost impossible, whereas radiant heat warms the passengers directly. The power comes from a generator, the heating only needs to be switched on a quarter of an hour before passengers board, and the whole system was finished in one day.
The task: a tourist boat that could not operate once the cold set in
Our customer wanted heating for a sightseeing boat operating as a tourist boat. The boat's biggest problem was that once the cold set in, it was no longer comfortable for passengers, so it could not operate properly and earn revenue. The boat's insulation is extremely poor, so the owner had a serious headache about what heating could be considered at all.
The solution was underfloor heating with heating film; in the installation presented in 2017 we used 3rd-generation heating film, and today we install 4th-generation heating film. This was our first infrared heating installation on a boat. The electricity needed for the heating is provided by a generator.
Why infrared heating on an uninsulated boat?
In a poorly insulated space, the heat of heating that warms the air quickly escapes. Infrared heating does not heat the air but warms the passengers and surfaces directly with radiant heat – so it gives comfort even where heating the air space would be almost impossible.
Intermittent heating: it has to give warmth quickly
The boat needed not constant but intermittent heating. In such a case you have to proceed especially carefully and ask about every requirement in advance. The heating had to give warmth quickly, since it would not have been economical to start it hours earlier, when nobody is on the boat yet. Infrared heating only needs to be switched on a quarter of an hour before passengers board, so the running cost can also be matched to the trips.
Quick installation
For the client, using heating film for this purpose meant a favourable investment cost and very fast installation: the entire boat heating was completed in one day.
The layer structure of boat heating
You have to know at the design stage what floor covering the boat owner wants, because the installation steps are matched to it:
- With laminate flooring no special preparation is needed; the covering can go directly onto the heating system.
- With tiles or other hard coverings an intermediate layer is needed, to which the tile can be glued.
The detailed layer structure for each covering is shown in the diagrams of our installation in Sitke.
Experience years later
Update of 24 May 2021: quite a few years have passed since the retrofitted underfloor heating of the boat was built, and passengers have reported only good experiences since. The electric heating system has lived up to the hopes placed in it.
What to consider when planning boat heating
The most important thing is to know the customer's expectations precisely. It is worth clarifying these in advance:
- whether they want to use it as main heating or supplementary heating;
- whether constant or intermittent heating is needed;
- whether it should be underfloor or ceiling heating;
- what covering will go on the heating;
- whether heating is needed everywhere at once, or in islands, for example only at the tables where people are sitting.
Video of the installation
You can find a short report in the following video.
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