Maeco 8DL junior setting question

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cliffdale

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Hi all.

I have just bought an 8DL junior. If anyone has one, what setting do you leave it on. The boat is 36 feet and has been taken out of the water.

I have a tube heater set to come on when the temperature drops below 7 degrees. I have left the Maeco fan speed set to middle and hydro stat set to middle, is this ok? I wondered whether to leave the fan to minimum to save power but then it will collect less water.

Any tried and tested settings please!

Cliff
 
We leave ours on 24/7 on the lowest fan and humidity setting. We livaboard in the UK and it collects around a litre per day. If we have a day of high humidity, rain, snow typically we put it on a higher setting but that is pretty rare. If we come aboard with wet clothing we run it on the laundry setting for half an hour or so.
 
I have one of those, great bit of kit. Leaving it on the middle default setting is ideal, too high and you risk drying out the internal woodwork too much. I have ours plugged into a timer, set to come on from 12pm - 3pm (theory being the most humid part of the day) and to date it's kept the boat perfectly dry inside during the winter.
Great thing about the meaco unit is facility to put drain pipe into the galley sink and if there is a power cut, the unit resets itself back on when the power switches back on.
 
Hello Sharpness.

Leaving the Maeco on a timer was discussed here some time ago. I think in the manual, (mine is on board so can't quote from it), may lead to problems. I understand the constant switching off and not shut down properly will cause harm.

Someone here contacted Maeco about this and they confirmed it is better to leave it switched on 24/7. I'm not sure how much harm, if any, will be caused but it may be worth looking into.

Cliff
 
sharpness said:
I have one of those, great bit of kit. Leaving it on the middle default setting is ideal, too high and you risk drying out the internal woodwork too much. I have ours plugged into a timer, set to come on from 12pm - 3pm (theory being the most humid part of the day) and to date it's kept the boat perfectly dry inside during the winter.
Great thing about the meaco unit is facility to put drain pipe into the galley sink and if there is a power cut, the unit resets itself back on when the power switches back on.
Click to expand...

Have a look at this thread I started some months ago - http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...umidifier-use-with-a-plug-in-timer&highlight=

Meaco advised strongly against turning the unit on and off with a timer due to it not being allowed to run through it's cool down setting.

I use my DD8L Junior on it's lowest setting (or should it be highest?!), so that it's on for the lowest time. I would keep an eye on your meter readings if your on a metered connection as it can build up a nice bill when left on permanently.

I agree with previous posts about how effective the unit is but I still see it as a big downfall that it can't be used with a timer.

Matt
 
I leave a similar machine on all the time, set to 60% and minimum fan, with the boat well closed up. The total power consumption is fairly low, and it keeps the boat dry.
 
Can't see the point of using it with a timer unless the timer can monitor humidity! It switches off once it has reduced the humidity level to the setting chosen, it then switches on again, sniffs the air and runs again if it needs to. Ours on the lowest setting runs for maybe 15 mins in the hour.
 
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I leave mine running pretty much 24/7 this time of year on the Middle settings.
I have never had a surprise shore power bill as once the unit has reached the desired level of humidity it hibernates and samples every 30 minutes to decide whether to fire up again or not.
I have the drain pipe into the galley sink and rags stuffed in any vent holes so I'm not trying to dehumidify the whole marina ��.
Third winter now for mine and very pleased, no damp anywhere and 30 year old boat.
 
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Noahsdad said:
I leave mine running pretty much 24/7 this time of year on the Middle settings.
I have never had a surprise shore power bill as once the unit has reached the desired level of humidity it hibernates and samples every 30 minutes to decide whether to fire up again or not.
I have the drain pipe into the galley sink and rags stuffed in any vent holes so I'm not trying to dehumidify the whole marina ��.
Third winter now for mine and very pleased, no damp anywhere and 30 year old boat.
Click to expand...

"Hibernates - Samples" :encouragement: those are the words I was groping for :o
 
Noahsdad said:
I have the drain pipe into the galley sink and rags stuffed in any vent holes so I'm not trying to dehumidify the whole marina ��.
Click to expand...

Good point raised! It's also worth noting that the initial running time for the first couple of weeks may be higher than usual until it's reached the desired humidity level. I tried mine on both the lower and higher fan setting and find it more efficient on the higher fan speed. Even though it uses double the power it seems to run for a much shorter time to reach the desired level.

Not an issue if the boat is on the hard but I leave the unit on the chopping board above the sink with the drain pipe going into the other sink. The marina can be quite exposed in certain direction wind and I have often found stuff left on the table has ended up on the floor after a storm. My previous unit had a handle on the top which I could tie upto the galley hatch handle to stop it falling over. The Meaco doesn't have a carry handle but I have managed to loop a small diameter cord through the vent on the top (make sure it's taught so that it doesn't drop into the fan/unit) to hold it steady in rough weather.
 
Same Meaco, about same size boat: I leave it on at max drying for a day or two when boat comes ashore, and then turn down to low-fan/less dryness for the remainder of the winter, leaving it on 24/7, plus a tube heater. I have a max/min thermometer on board and occasionally put on a small 800watt mini oil-filled rad on a thermostat as well if we get a real freezing spell (rare in Cornwall but can happen). The engine has some antifreeze & fresh water run though the raw water system on it's last run, but the water system is not drained down. as it's handy to have water on tap if I go to the boat to work. Batteries remain on board (and this year most cushions) and I run the battery charger for an hour or so every few weeks.
 
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