The cheapest type of electric heating?

[KellysEye]

> have a couple of oil filled radiators at the moment but are they the cheapest type? Or are the halogen lamp

We used an oil radiator halogen ones give out more light than heat and we thought they were useless. Bear in mind if you use a heater you will get condensation and then mould so we used a dehumidifier that had a pipe feed at the back so we could put it on a work surface by the sink and feed the water into the sink. Using the catchment bowl beneath the heater is not viable unless you visit the boat every few days to empty it, it does have a cut out switch when full.

 

[maby]

> have a couple of oil filled radiators at the moment but are they the cheapest type? Or are the halogen lamp

We used an oil radiator halogen ones give out more light than heat and we thought they were useless. Bear in mind if you use a heater you will get condensation and then mould so we used a dehumidifier that had a pipe feed at the back so we could put it on a work surface by the sink and feed the water into the sink. Using the catchment bowl beneath the heater is not viable unless you visit the boat every few days to empty it, it does have a cut out switch when full.

I don't follow the (apparently automatic) link between heaters and condensation. Heating the air reduces the humidity since humidity is a measure of how saturated the air is with water and warm air can contain more water than cold air.

 

[prv]

Only thing i would suggest to the OP is that he finds out what charge the marina is making per unit above what they are purchasing it for. They are only allowed to make a small administration charge but some i hear are illegally profiteering.

Only applies in the UK, though, and this is the Liveaboard forum. So he could be in Umbongistan for all we know.

Still worth pointing out, for those who are in UK.

Pete

 

[prv]

I don't follow the (apparently automatic) link between heaters and condensation.

Well, it's true of fuel-burning heaters without flues - gas catalytic, paraffin, etc - because the combustion reaction produces water vapour.

Probably forgot about the "fuel-burning" bit.

Pete

 

[sailorman]

What electric heating is the cheapest to run?
The electricity in the marina is on a card system and it can get a bit expensive when it's really cold.
I have a couple of oil filled radiators at the moment but are they the cheapest type?
Or are the halogen lamp type cheaper or fan heaters? Or????

2Kw is 2Kw no matter how you look at it.
what you want is efficiency, an Oil Filled rad is quiet that is what i use in the winter. a fan heater is always o/b for fast local heat

 

[ip485]

Reverse cycle air conditioning is your answer, ignoring sadly the capital outlay. I am impressed just how efficient it is with water temperatures even down to a few degrees. It is quite noticeable how quickly it brings the cabin up to temperature without tripping the shore circuit breakers which would trip immediately if you attempted the same result with traditional heaters.

It would be interesting to do a cost analysis with Ebers or diesel heaters. Some say the these are expensive forms of heating but with the effective cost of some marina metered supplies I suspect they may in fact be a lot less expensive that using shore power.

 

[hartcjhart]

oil/gel filled rads for me,(although in my caravan) I have 2 smaller ones equi distant in the van so it eliminates cold spots that you would get with 1 big one,also as they are themostat controlle once you get the chill off the air you can set them lower,
fan heaters as has been said great for instant heat if you are in front of them but they create a cold darft behind them,
de-humidifiers are not really suitable as heaters as by their very nature they suck water/moisture out of the atmosphere AND you
as for those 'calor' gas heaters forget them,20 odd litres of water per bottle released into your boat

 

[Poignard]

I could never see what benefit an oil filled radiator has over a non oil filled one. Can someone explain, please?

 

[SamanthaTabs]

We have a reverse cycle air con and a diesel heater (currently needing new hose..) very effective. Beware of cheap electric fan heaters, the one that caught fire provided some excitement as did the multi way socket (bought in Egypt - glaring at the Boss) which melted

 

[Gerry]

oil/gel filled rads for me,(although in my caravan) I have 2 smaller ones equi distant in the van so it eliminates cold spots that you would get with 1 big one,also as they are themostat controlle once you get the chill off the air you can set them lower,
fan heaters as has been said great for instant heat if you are in front of them but they create a cold darft behind them,
de-humidifiers are not really suitable as heaters as by their very nature they suck water/moisture out of the atmosphere AND you
as for those 'calor' gas heaters forget them,20 odd litres of water per bottle released into your boat

I am not suggesting that you use a de-humidifier as a sole source of heat on a boat. HOWEVER condensation is a massive issue for a liveaboard in the UK and as a by product of the drying process is heat it should be factored in to decisions about boat heating.
Last winter we relied solely on a fan heater, there was a significant problem with condensation. This winter we have a dehumidifier on, the fan heater is being used far less and already we can see from our electricity meter that the cost of keeping the boat warm and dry has fallen considerably. To date we believe as much as 50%.....

 

[maby]

I could never see what benefit an oil filled radiator has over a non oil filled one. Can someone explain, please?

I think the point of the oil is to give you a reservoir of heat. A problem with all thermostatically controlled heaters is cycling too quickly - heat up, thermostat goes off, cool down, thermostat on... The oil probably functions to smooth this out a bit.

 

[Poignard]

Seems a reasonable explanation, Maby. Thanks

 

[maby]

I am not suggesting that you use a de-humidifier as a sole source of heat on a boat. HOWEVER condensation is a massive issue for a liveaboard in the UK and as a by product of the drying process is heat it should be factored in to decisions about boat heating.
Last winter we relied solely on a fan heater, there was a significant problem with condensation. This winter we have a dehumidifier on, the fan heater is being used far less and already we can see from our electricity meter that the cost of keeping the boat warm and dry has fallen considerably. To date we believe as much as 50%.....

It's a combination of factors - the dehumidifier does output some heat, but dry air is also easier to heat than humid air - the water content adds to the specific heat.

 

[wazza]

Sod the electric rubbish.. A solid fuel heather is the way to go..!!!!
Just ask Mr Cunliffe, he'll agree with me

 

[Hadenough]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Romano-Sm...r-Rail-Kitchen-Bathroom-Caravan-/181260031251

Got one of these in each heads, warm towels and toasty when we are on shore power over the winter (on timers). When we are cruising in the summer the genny is big enough to power two of these, an immersion and the charger for an hour each end of the day for hot water, battery top up and warmish towels. Thing is they are so low power that they are suitable for any boat as long as you have the bulkhead space.

 

[Hadenough]

I've been thinking about this in connection with heating a flat.

Fan heaters: noisy, a stream of hot air coming out means a draught of cold air going in, so only good if you sit in front of it

Other heaters: you get out what you put in, ie put in 2kW of electricity and you get 2kW of heat energy out, regardless of whether it's oil-filled or not.

Have you seen these?

http://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/categories/16020-energy-efficient-heating

 

[Keith-i]

As was alluded to earlier in this thread, radiated heat is 'felt' better than convected heat. That is why most households still stick with conventional radiators and why warm air heating systems died out. An oil filled rad will make you feel warmer kw for kw. The new pulse technology linked in the last post is meant to be efficient too.

 

[sailinglegend420]

2Kw is 2Kw no matter how you look at it. what you want is efficiency.....

Our reverse cycle air con/heating system uses 1 Kw of AC in and gives 3 Kw of heat out. That's what I call efficiency. It's called a heat pump.

 

[sailorman]

Our reverse cycle air con/heating system uses 1 Kw of AC in and gives 3 Kw of heat out. That's what I call efficiency. It's called a heat pump.

Cheap i guess

 

[Poignard]

1 Kw of AC in and ... 3 Kw of heat out. That's what I call efficiency. .

That's what I call a miracle! Where does the extra 2kw come from?