Electric fan heaters

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tcm

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ahem. Has anyone got first hand experience of blowing up their boat with one of these used to keep the boat warm over winter


Sorry to ask thios in a gludyish way. This means i have set up a fan heater cos cdn't get any oily rads and anyway, only for one winter innit. But in a biggish space and only on defrost setting. So, not v likely to blow up the boat, i reckon, possibly. Anyway, wife starts the car engine in the garage and it never explodes. Not yet anyway....

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If you can run one on a low setting with plenty of space then at least it will move the air around with it, prob better than an oil filled. Need a dehumidifier also.

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We have one we use early/late season. Over cold spells I leave it on set on the frost setting and near where the dehumidifier sits. If there is a really cold spell predicted to last more than overnight I will turn it up a bit higher too and hang the expense.

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>
 
they do (can) overheat and catch fire, what would the insurance company think?
Hire a man to keep an eye on it, you know it makes sense

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Not likely to blow the boat up at the moment, but when they abolish red diesel and it's the same price as petrol, who knows, eh?

Seriously, though, It sounds pretty low risk to me. Most fan heaters have an overheat cut out, so that if it gets too hot, or the vents get blocked, it stops. Once had this happen to me, and I couldn't work out why, but later realised (from observation) that our cat was sitting right in front of the fan, hence blocking the airflow, with eventual inevitable overheating and shut down.

Alternatively, I suppose the thermostat clicking on and off could create a spark, but what would it ignite? Make sure your domestic gas supply is off..... /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho
 
Thort you might have calor - but on reflection, I suppose your floating condo is all-electric! Large outboard could be fun - perhaps time for some on board rearrangement of fixtures and fittings?

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho
 
Hmm. We have fan heaters, two of them on two boats. Just fer when other things arnt working. Experience is, you can only run one, else either boat or marina flips a fuse. You may have extra wammy conection but Hmm. I would buy a large selection of greanhouse heaters and spread them around to get a bit of heat all over the place. Use less than a light bulb, fan heaters use udles. There about 8 quid from the right place or about 50 quid in londinium.! Get loads of them and just spread them around..

<hr width=100% size=1> No one can force me to come here. I'm a volunteer!!.

Haydn
 
Hmm. We have fan heaters, two of them on two boats. Just fer when other things arnt working. Experience is, you can only run one, else either boat or marina flips a fuse. You may have extra wammy conection but Hmm. I would buy a large selection of greanhouse heaters and spread them around to get a bit of heat all over the place. Use less than a light bulb, fan heaters use udles. There about 8 quid from the right place or about 50 quid in londinium.! Get loads of them and just spread them around..

<hr width=100% size=1> No one can force me to come here. I'm a volunteer!!.

Haydn
 
Seem to remember they catch fire if there's combustibles about. One of the worst causes is fluff (seriously) which can clog the heater and catch alight. Make a point of regular inspections, and if it's dusty or signs of fluff give it a good hoover.

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um, it would have to be some outboard. Are there any honda 1500 hp's (longshaft) out there and can i have three?

Calor, jeez, tsk. It's all indusction wassername with us, yiu know. Which in UK means bang oh damn, shorepower gone again. We look a right bunch of wombats with the £15 camping gaz, so if at all poss i go ashore...

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Don't do it. We used one. By luck, we had an engineer go on the boat to do some work, and he arrived in time to find the heater had already burnt its way through the wood on which it was stood, and could only have been a little way from burning the boat to the ground. Others have mentioned getting someone to keep an eye on things, but you may not be so lucky as to have someone come at the exact time that the problem occurs. Ours was one of those greenhouse-style heaters. Just too risky.

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Used one for the last four years on two different boats. Works really well but now I,m going to check daily after reading previous posts. Ignorance was bliss!

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I've used them for years, never had a problem. Most, and check the one/s you buy have an auto shutdown, on low heat, propped up properly they have served me well. Why dont you get somebody to babysit the boat? Just thinking out loud. Then they can switch them on and off as required.

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I agree with TOME - the fan heater per se is not a problem - its the fluff that gets drawn in behind the fan and then catches fire on the element and then....gets blown on the soft furnature - hey presso! Roast Leopard (carpets).


Saying all that I use one to get the cockpit toasty warm but am on board with it when its running........so as the man says Hire a watchman.

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Same as Haydn,electric fans tend to trip the pontoon power,especially on those cold nights when everyone's got heaters on,while you seem to be able to run a whole herd of oily heaters with no problems.

<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.
 
Fan heaters, irons, hair dryers and such like all have to have thermo fuses fitted so the chances of it going bang are remote. Would put in on a non flammable surface tho, just in case.....

IMHO a fan heater is better than a rad as it circulates the air a bit. Dehumidifiers don't work if the air is cold so pointless having it on if you are not warming the boat up at the same time.


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://static.photobox.co.uk/public/images/45/99/10714599.s.jpg?ch=97&rr=16:00:39>Nirvana</A>
 
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