Category: Diesel Appliances

Diesel Appliances – The Lowdown

Diesel appliances offer great convenience to skippers of large and small vessels. With a majority of boats having diesel engines, many skippers are already comfortable with the storage and sourcing requirements for diesel.

What Diesel Appliances Are Available?

Diesel appliances range from the ultramodern to the traditional. Some diesel appliance systems can even be controlled by a smartphone app linked to a wall-mounted thermostat. These systems offer excellent convenience to the end user and provide discreet heating of air and water. Other diesel appliances systems are traditionally styled, similar to what would be found on a Scandinavian fishing vessel. Robust enough to take on those challenging conditions, there are diesel appliances to suit most conditions and usage patterns encountered by boaters and sailors.

Red or White Diesel for Your Appliances?

In the UK, diesel fuel used for diesel appliances such as diesel cookers, diesel heaters or diesel stoves attracts a lower rate of fuel duty. Commonly known as red diesel, lower duty fuel is widely available at marinas and rural fuel depots.

If you are planning on taking your boat to mainland Europe, your diesel appliance system will need to take this into account. In the UK, red diesel can be used on the boat’s main fuel tank with the purchaser self-declaring what percentage will be used for propulsion and what percentage will be used for heating/electricity generation. In some other European countries, all red diesel must be in a separate tank, away from the engine. We have heard reports of vessels having their engine fuel tanks dipped and receiving fines when red diesel (perfectly legitimate in the UK) is found.  It is best to check with the RYA here or on the DBA site for further information.

Taking Care of Your Diesel and Appliances

Take care when purchasing diesel: it is better to buy from a source with a high turnover as this minimises your chance of getting contaminated fuel. All diesel storage tanks should be kept full to minimise the formation of condensation. We recommend regular treatment of your storage tanks with a diesel bug preventative.

All diesel appliances should be serviced at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer, usually roughly once a year. Get in touch with our engineers here today.