Boat and Engines Hot or Not ?????????????

[Doods]

I need it nice and simple, Please. It seems as if I have read every thread ever written on the use of de-humidifiers and heaters on the boat over the winter. But still not 100% happy on whats best.

Drain down all fresh water - Agreed all suggest the same
Use de-humidifier - On a low setting or timer - Agreed 80% ish
Heater in the engine bay - 50 - 50 mix
Heater in saloon - 50 - 50 mix

Now I keep my boat on the South coast (UK) and want to keep using it over the winter as much as possible, probably every 2nd or 3rd weekend. I know that the British weather means it could be either heavy snow or sunburn. Lots of people can just nip down to the boat and have a check but it takes me three hours one way !!!!!!
So my question, what do most people do, who cant always get to their boat, regarding keeping it safe from frost and damp.
All sensible answers and cash gladly received.
Thanks

 

[Peanuts]

Hi
This is what I do on my boat during the winter afloat.
In the cabin I have a small B&Q heater (I thinks it's about a 60W) with a thermostat set at about mid postion. This is on all the time for a gentle back ground temperature. The de-humdifier is on a timer for a few hours during the afternoon, set at mid position. In the engine compartment is a tube heating on a froststat set at 3 degrees. I don't drain the water down because I use it every weekend.
This system works for me and have been using it for the past 6 years on present boat which is at the same marina as you - CQ.
I hope this is of some help to you.

Steve

 

[jbweston]

I have a sailing boat with a diesel auxiliary, and she is kept in Gosport during the winter. I renew the anti-freeze but certainly don't heat the engine compartment separately from the rest of the boat.

But I do put an electric oil radiator in the boat on thermostat to keep the frost out from the fresh water plumbing. Plus a dehumidifier on a timer for a couple of hours a day - which means she is dryer at the end of the winter than at the end of the summer.

I also have a max/min thermometer which does max/min humidity too, and that helps me to make sure nothing has got to freezing or to dripping-wet in between visits.

 

[Doods]

Peanuts
Thanks for the info. I always see you going out, the kids look out for you. You say you dont even drain down the water when you have the heater on in the engine bay, does this include the calorifier ! .
So the secret is a little low heat and de-humidifier on for a couple of hours a day. I will give it a try.

PS
Must get to have a talk next time I am CQ. PS I hate drinking but will do just to be sociable !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hlb]

Green house heaters in the engine room and a dehumidifier works fine for me over ten years. But dam I have not switched the heaters on yet and it's freezing tonight.

 

[Powersalt]

I just leave the dehumidifier on a setting all day and seems to be fine. I use the boat circa once a month in the winter time and stay on it each time so dont want to drain down etc. IN January I do get a bit posh and flush the water intack with a mixture of antifreeze and leave it in there for Feb. But dont really know if this helps much.
Some dehumidifiers have heat as well

 

[CIRRUSY]

All the above make sense, but if you are using a dehumidifier, make sure you leave all interior doors open, stand cushions on their side and open as many lockers and floor hatches as you can to allow the air to circulate. On most dehumidifiers you can attach a tube to drain into the sink in place of the reservoir so it won't cut out if you can't get to the boat for a few weeks.
Also, with a heater on board, lift the mattresses if possible to prevent condensation and mildew from forming on the cooler underside. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[KevB]

The main reason for heating the boat whilst having the dehumidifier on is to stop the dehumidifier from icing up. A dehumidifier cools the air causing it to condense, so the colder the boat the colder the dehumidifier gets and can eventually ice up and will turn itself off. Some dehumidifiers have hot gas which stops the icing and the dehumidifier continues to work. For your dehumidifier to work when it's very cold you either need a heater to heat the air to stop the icing or a dehumidifier with hot gas which again stops the icing.

 

[Questor]

[ QUOTE ]
The main reason for heating the boat whilst having the dehumidifier on is to stop the dehumidifier from icing up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not strictly true, Kev.

The dehumidifier will cool the air & freeze the moisture out of it, but also re-heats the air before being blown back into he boat. My dehumidifier is a bit big for our boat, and uses about 400 watts of leccy per hour. The dry air coming out of the machine is warmer than the wet air that is drawn in, (due to the 400 watts of energy being consumed by the motor & compressor / heat from the condenser etc) so it will actually heat the boat, eventually, although only a tiny amount.

The idea of heating the boat with a conventional heater aswell, is not to stop the evaporator icing up in the dehumidifier (that will happen regardless), but to increase the amount of moisture that the air can carry. Warm air will carry more moisture than cold air ie a humid summer day - Not humid, when it's a freezing cold day, is it?

Therefore if a heater is running as well, the air can carry more moisture, so therefore more moisture can be extracted from the air, and the dehumidifier becomes more efficient, and does its job better.

Any dehumidifier will eventually frost up, so that's why it's important to get one with a "hot gas defrost" facility, especially if left for long periods unattended. The "hot gas defrost" facility is in effect a reverse cycle, just like you get on heat pumps / air conditioners etc etc.


R

 

[enterprise]

I know the subject comes up every winter & as more & more people find the benefit of using a dehumidifier with heat then it makes more sence to use one like the X-Dry in the link below.
For those interested the site allows you to download the user manual as well.

http://www.dehumidifiers-direct.co.uk/index1.html

We have used one for the past 5 years, not this exact model but one very simmilar & we found you couldn't beat it.

Not that a normal dehumidifier isn't great but at low temperatures it's nice to have heat as a byproduct instead of intruducing heat to help the process.

I can see the advantage of running 2 appliances & all the redundancy issues should one fail but as a combined unit the power consumption must be lower.

Always turn up to a dry & warm boat, luxury. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Doods]

Guys
Thanks for all the good advice. I have got the de-humidifier ready and will probably now go and get some of the mini oil filled rads with the frost protection / low temp settings.
Hadnt considered some of the points raised such as the mattresses.
I am also going to fit some insulation to the water pipes and fit an isolator to the external shower & sink so that I can turn off any external stuff etc.
Thanks for all the good advice and experiences given

 

[alruss]

If you turn off the outside stuff, be sure to turn on the taps etc. so if they freeze, the ice can expand out through the tap etc..