No Insurance Cover Dehumidifiers For Fire Risk on Boats?

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boatyguy

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I'm looking for advice on dehumidifiers for this winter.

Friend of mine said insurance companies now not covering dehumidifiers on boats sink a boat sank on the South Coast last year due to fire from a dehumidifier. I cant find anything about this on line so I did a little more digging.

Sure enough, the few popular dehumidifiers say in the user manual "not to be used unattended" but that is the whole point right. Also spoke to some companies who said they had to withdraw their dehumidifier from the market due to legislation change but could not tell me what the legislation was.

I see some new more expensive dehumidifiers out there that are a bit more commercial but first want to know the article that highlights the issues with dehumidifiers on boats, fire risks and what the exception is if there is one??

Help most appreciated before I buy one!
 
Contact your insurance company they hold the risk.

Personally, I've never need needed to use one as ventilation is the key.
 
Sandy said:
Contact your insurance company they hold the risk.

Personally, I've never need needed to use one as ventilation is the key.
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Sorry, but ventilation is second best, a long way behind using a dehumidifier, for keeping a boat dry and damp free. Try one before you knock it.
 
Take a look at this article on home dehumidifiers.. pretty frightening https://youtu.be/w82980oDR4w

Manufacturers can lie and Meaco are not a manufacturer. they seem to be an importer of chinese goods. Can find their models all over the web. Even B&Q have units on recall for fire...
 
The "girl" i spoke too hadnt a clue which gave me no confidence. Obviously some are good and I found something about a "DryBoat" unit which looks promising but never heard of one before its new.
 
boatyguy said:
I'm looking for advice on dehumidifiers for this winter.

Friend of mine said insurance companies now not covering dehumidifiers on boats sink a boat sank on the South Coast last year due to fire from a dehumidifier. I cant find anything about this on line so I did a little more digging.

Sure enough, the few popular dehumidifiers say in the user manual "not to be used unattended" but that is the whole point right. Also spoke to some companies who said they had to withdraw their dehumidifier from the market due to legislation change but could not tell me what the legislation was.

I see some new more expensive dehumidifiers out there that are a bit more commercial but first want to know the article that highlights the issues with dehumidifiers on boats, fire risks and what the exception is if there is one??

Help most appreciated before I buy one!
Click to expand...

There's something about yachtsman that makes some of them prone to inventing rules for themselves and trying to convince others to follow them. I've never come across it amongst any other group of people (except maybe local councillors). I've never had rules on de-humidifiers mentioned by any insurance company, and I read the small print. I've never heard of a claim being rejected because a de-humidifier was used. People make a fuss when insurance claims are rejected and it costs the insurance company business, even if they were in the right (q.v. Admiral about 15 years ago).

In the end there are only a small number of infrequent incidents caused by de-humidifiers. Purely from what I've seen in the news, and given boating incidents are reported in mags, forums like this etc, I'd reckon you probably stand a bigger chance of your house blowing up with a gas leak than your boat being destroyed by fire caused by a de-humidifier.

The definitive answer will only come from your insurance company. If you find the rules too stringent push back and tell them you're concerned they're obstructing you maintaining the condition of the boat and see what agreement you can get.

That said I rarely leave one unattended for any length of time, mainly because I find leaving a de-humidifier on long term on a low setting seems to achieve a lot less than bursts on full setting backed up by a bit of heat.
 
boatyguy said:
I'm looking for advice on dehumidifiers for this winter.

Friend of mine said insurance companies now not covering dehumidifiers on boats sink a boat sank on the South Coast last year due to fire from a dehumidifier. I cant find anything about this on line so I did a little more digging.

Sure enough, the few popular dehumidifiers say in the user manual "not to be used unattended" but that is the whole point right. Also spoke to some companies who said they had to withdraw their dehumidifier from the market due to legislation change but could not tell me what the legislation was.

I see some new more expensive dehumidifiers out there that are a bit more commercial but first want to know the article that highlights the issues with dehumidifiers on boats, fire risks and what the exception is if there is one??

Help most appreciated before I buy one!
Click to expand...
Friend of mine said PBO magazine had an article on this very subject about a year ago, so by coincidence you've posted on the right forum!:encouragement:
There will be a link to the Editor's contact details somewhere on the YBW website. They might be able to sell you a back issue.
 
I've just popped a dehumidifier on the boat as it's now in a marina for the Winter. Always do.

It was running in the lounge (damp cottage) until a week ago. I didn't check the house insurance before I turned it on!

If it's dangerous why is it more dangerous unattended?
 
One winter I left a fan heater (the kind that has a thermostat in it) unattended in the kitchen of our holiday home to avoid frozen pipes. Next time we visited we were greeted by a smell of burnt insulation and the charred remains of the heater in the middle of the kitchen floor. Fortunately the floor was stone-flagged and there was nothing inflammable nearby. I have no idea why it caught fire; it wasn't very old.

Since then I won't leave any electrical appliance with moving parts switched on and unattended. The only unavoidable exceptions are our fridge/freezer and the gas central heating boiler in our principal residence.
 
Almost certainly the motor seized and the element overheated the casing and set it alight.
Very common with nasty fan heaters.
A friend very nearly lost his boat to one of these despite warnings!
 
CLB said:
Sorry, but ventilation is second best, a long way behind using a dehumidifier, for keeping a boat dry and damp free. Try one before you knock it.
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Born and brought up in the in the West Highlands, I beg to differ.
 
CLB said:
Not sure what location has to do with anything, but feel free to carry on in ignorance.
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Considerable rainfall, damp winters and the experience of keeping things dry in such a climate, but feel free to use your dehumidifier.
 
lpdsn said:
There's something about yachtsman that makes some of them prone to inventing rules for themselves and trying to convince others to follow them. I've never come across it amongst any other group of people (except maybe local councillors). I've never had rules on de-humidifiers mentioned by any insurance company, and I read the small print. I've never heard of a claim being rejected because a de-humidifier was used. People make a fuss when insurance claims are rejected and it costs the insurance company business, even if they were in the right (q.v. Admiral about 15 years ago).

In the end there are only a small number of infrequent incidents caused by de-humidifiers. Purely from what I've seen in the news, and given boating incidents are reported in mags, forums like this etc, I'd reckon you probably stand a bigger chance of your house blowing up with a gas leak than your boat being destroyed by fire caused by a de-humidifier.

The definitive answer will only come from your insurance company. If you find the rules too stringent push back and tell them you're concerned they're obstructing you maintaining the condition of the boat and see what agreement you can get.

That said I rarely leave one unattended for any length of time, mainly because I find leaving a de-humidifier on long term on a low setting seems to achieve a lot less than bursts on full setting backed up by a bit of heat.
Click to expand...

Hi Check this news article ... Its not just me is the chandlers said it also that they have stopped selling dehumidifiers because of it.
 
I love the idea of ventilation, but when the air humidity outside is 90% so will our bedding etc be, personally I prefer to have a dry cabin, so use a dehumidifier.

Ventilation was great in the days when we took all fabric cushions etc home for the winter, now we don't do that.
 
I agree with Sandy, ventilation is the priority. Using boats all year round for 24 years or so, have never felt the need for dehumidifier. Eberspacher blows any stale air out very successfully. As far as insurance claims are concerned, I've never heard of one being rejected but, if an insurer really wanted to be picky, they could always claim that using something clearly against the makers instructions could be deemed negligence. As others have said, best bet is to ask insurers (in writing) if covered.
 
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