No Insurance Cover Dehumidifiers For Fire Risk on Boats?

GrahamM376 said:
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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So no need for a dehumidifier - if you have an Eberspacher!
 
GrahamM376 said:
if an insurer really wanted to be picky, they could always claim that using something clearly against the makers instructions could be deemed negligence.
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See my post earlier - the Meaco dehumidifier is said ,by the makers ,to be suitable for boats.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Fan heaters are also suitable for boats. I wouldn't want to leave one onboard unattended though.
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Nor would I. The one I had go up in flame (post #10) was on its "frost" setting. Having a frost setting indicates it was supposedly safe to leave unattended but it clearly wasn't.
 
Sandy said:
Considerable rainfall, damp winters and the experience of keeping things dry in such a climate, but feel free to use your dehumidifier.
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Obviously putting a roof overhead can keep the rain out. But how can allowing a flow of outside , often damp, air result in inside being less damp than an enclosed space with a dehumidifier? Assuming of course that the dehumidifier is set to drain overboard.
Puzzled.
 
I expect people in certain countries other than the UK do find ventilation to be the appropriate method. Perhaps in such countries the winter air is generally colder so an electrically powered dehumidifier would not function . But perhaps also humidity is naturally lower than would be expected in the mostly damp and gloomy UK.
Last winter I bought a dehumidifier as I found increased condensation compared to previously which I associated with generally milder winter weather during daytime , but cold at night. These swings in temperature encouraging dew /condensation while constant temperatures or even constantly freezing conditions would be less prone to condensation.
 
Little Grebe said:
For the moment my concern is the dehumidifier falling off the galley works surface if it get a bit blowy, this may be paranoia on my part but the damage it could do would make a bit of dampness look rather trivial.
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So put it in the sink where it can't fall off. Name virtually any product and there are reports of failures but the public don't have any interest in videos saying how many hundreds of thousands or millions are working well.
 
GrahamM376 said:
So put it in the sink where it can't fall off. Name virtually any product and there are reports of failures but the public don't have any interest in videos saying how many hundreds of thousands or millions are working well.
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Or simply secure it in place - ours is tied to fittings behind the sink
 
Been interested in this & think I found a product but not sure how it works. its supposed to be specifically for boats but Ive never used / seen it before. I cant drain water overboard easily from the position I want to put it but anyone any experience of "DryBoat"... from a Dutch company? It vents wet air rather than water so may be able to use my vent holes that are already there
 
GrahamM376 said:
So put it in the sink where it can't fall off. Name virtually any product and there are reports of failures but the public don't have any interest in videos saying how many hundreds of thousands or millions are working well.
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RupertW said:
Or simply secure it in place - ours is tied to fittings behind the sink
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Its currently tied to a handrail with a sail tie. Unfortunately I don't think it will sit in the sink.

One top tip if leaving it the dehumidifier to drain into the sink is not to shut the drain seacock out of habit from the summer months.
 
Little Grebe said:
For the moment my concern is the dehumidifier falling off the galley works surface if it get a bit blowy, this may be paranoia on my part but the damage it could do would make a bit of dampness look rather trivial.
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I have screwed mine down as it (Meaco DD8) felt very light compared to its bottom-heavy compressor predecessor, plus the yard were using a vibrating roller which risked it 'walking' across the surface.

The dehumidifier/no dehumidifier debates certainly do seem to polarise views, but I'm not sure why the anti folks are so against.
Personally, I used the ventilation-only approach for many years on the west coast of Scotland but the boat always felt damp, books pages curled and the bedding was not pleasant to crawl into. First job upon arrival during winter was to wipe the mildew off the bottom 30cm of the woodwork (bilge is bone dry).
Now I use a dehumidifier set to 60% RH and it's a sea change; unusually I have just had to leave the boat for almost 3 months in possibly the wettest location in Scotland but upon arrival (and as expected) RH was 57%, everything including my berth felt great and even the seasalt container was free flowing.

After 3 days onboard with Eber and Taylors running the RH had climbed to c. 70%, but then the atmosphere outside was more liquid than air.. Now she's shut up again and the RH will be being brought back down to keep her fine until my next visit. Circa 50 units used in the past 3 months so it's not an expensive process either.
 
Little Grebe said:
For the moment my concern is the dehumidifier falling off the galley works surface if it get a bit blowy, this may be paranoia on my part but the damage it could do would make a bit of dampness look rather trivial.
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I think there was a case reported on this forum a few years ago where the dehumidifier overflowed over the worktop but the owners did not visit the boat for some time. The galley cupboard was ruined.
For this reason my dehumidifier stands at the lowest bit of floor in the boat which also happens to be a GRP floor with a drain for the shower.
 
I've ordered a DryBoat12 dehumidifier by Ecor Pro. No flooding risk as it vents moisture to the outside not condensate. Ill see what happens. Thanks
 
boatyguy said:
I've ordered a DryBoat12 dehumidifier by Ecor Pro. No flooding risk as it vents moisture to the outside not condensate. Ill see what happens. Thanks
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That seems a bit of an impulse buy - 2 days ago you knew nothing about it!
How much did it cost you? Did you get it from a chandler?

Edit: What boat are you using it on? You're profile doesn't tell us much... Welcome to the forums btw.:encouragement:
 
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You cynic. Surely you aren't suggesting anybody would join the forum and start a thread to post about a problem then shamelessly plug a particular brand of product or device as the solution?:p
Let's see what kind of Boaty Guy has and give him the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

Edit:
Little Grebe is being a little bit unfair imho. Guy has only made 7 posts in this thread.
The eighth was in a different thread - about dehumidifiers.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...ifier-or-not&p=6270701&highlight=#post6270701
We should encourage new members.:encouragement:
 
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