Do you Dehumidify 24/7 ?

[Medskipper]

Just bought a dehumidifier. Its just a cheapo from Homebase £75. but I am impressed with its quality and its quite action.

I thought I would run it on the boat just for a few hours a day, so I bought a timer and set it up, but I find that when the timer switches back on again the main button on the dehumidifier needs to be pressed again! Clearly its a safety feature on the machine.

So my question is, does the panel here who use these machines leave them to run 24 hours a day 7 days a week quite safely? or has anyone found a better way to use them?

Many Thanks for all your help,

Barry


<hr width=100% size=1>I just want to retire with my boat to the Med!

 

[sailorman]

yes 24/7 + 1 kw oil filled rad set @ about 1/2 output.
no condensation no probs, also leave engine compartment open.

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[Jim44]

Leave mine on but is on a low setting, I dont have it plug up to a drain so it will cut off when the tray gets full, so far this has never happened.

When I go to the boat i always turn it up. First season with new boat so dont know if this will work.

Last season with old boat, did nothing apart from engine heaters, and everything was ok.



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[Artie]

Always use mine 24/7 during Winter/Spring. It drains into the sink.
Boat perfectly dry and clean without damp smells etc.
The only problem I have found is remembering to place it on the floor when I go out for a jolly or too much rough stuff makes it fall off the "draining board"

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[[2574]]

yes, 24/7 (also a cheap £80 jobbie from B&Q) with two bar heaters. Always fresh, no dampness or musty smell or mould. Best £80 spent for a while.

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

Depends how much your marina charges you for leccy. Once got a £300 bill from my marina for a winter quarter which was solely due to having a heater + dehumidifier running 24/7. After that I put them on timers for 2 periods of 2 hours per day but, in retrospect, £300 is a small price to pay for having a dry non-mouldy boat come Spring

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[tcm]

i don't think you needem on 24/7 - if the place is shut then you dehum the air in there and that's that. Perhaps if you dehum loads and loads all the humidity will be extractd out of the wood and it fall to bits, or perhaps not. Anyway, 24/7 not needed. Perhaps run it continuouisly during an ocassional visit as anyway the door thing will be open.

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[jimi]

Tend to agree with TCM .. but also depends on the weather. This year has been a lot damper yhan last year .. I did'nt use a d/h at all last winter just a small heater and all was OK. This year it seems a lot damper and so far I 've needed to have it on a couple of times.

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[mjf]

Me too 24/7 with dimplex heater.

I have a Wx station that records max/min and this Autumn/Winter the humidity in the saloon has been 55/65% and temp 7c min.

Boat feels lovely when opened up after a couple weeks left alone - fresh and new.

Completly agree money well spent in purchase and running costs.

Michael

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[Medskipper]

Thanks for all your help, unfortunately I cannot have it on for just a few hours a day because of the safety feature on the unit. Once my timer switches off, the main switch on the unit needs to be pushed back on again when the timer comes back on, its a safety feature! The only way would be to get an electrician to bypass the main switch on the dehumidifier.

I am concerned about having this machine on the whole time as I can only get down to my boat at weekends, if the machine failed or had a fault which resulted in a fire destroying my boat, I wonder how the insurance company would view this situtation?

anyway thanks for all your thoughts,

Barry


<hr width=100% size=1>I just want to retire with my boat to the Med!

 

[tcm]

How about leaving in on for 2 days after you leave the boat, and you visit every 2 weeks. Maybe?

Bodging around with lectrics shouldn't be a problem insurancewise. Most boaties doit, all part of boating normality.

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[tico]

I'm not happy with running mine 24/7 , I tried it once and it pulled all the moisture out of the woodwork, took ages with teak oil to get it smooth again.
I guess that if your wookwork is the highly lacquered type it might be OK.
I now run it for 1-2 hrs/day and boat is dry and aired fine

<hr width=100% size=1>Been there, done that, got the oily T shirt