Winter heater, dehumidifier.

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bottomlesspit

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Probably been asked loads of times and if it has please point me in the direction of the answers.
Amy recommendations for best bit of kit (heater / dehumidifier ) to use to help prevent damp in the cabin during the winter ...34ft yacht, afloat in marina uk.

thanks in advance
 
bottomlesspit said:
Probably been asked loads of times and if it has please point me in the direction of the answers.
Amy recommendations for best bit of kit (heater / dehumidifier ) to use to help prevent damp in the cabin during the winter ...34ft yacht, afloat in marina uk.

thanks in advance
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Maeco Junior was top of PBO test and in the last 4 years it has been great - left on for up to 4 months completely unattended draining into the sink. As well as its reliability and low energy cost, the way it remembers its fan and humidity target setting is very useful for surviving marina electrical maintenance and people plugging and unplugging it over the winter.

We leave all clothes, towels and bedding on board all Winter and the boat smells as fresh and clean as we left it, now that we know to plug all the obvious gaps and vents and to leave every cabin door open. Before that we had the usual boat smell and would sometimes (especially after warm wet weather) find all surfaces, wooden spoons and exposed clothes covered in mould spots.
 
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bought a dimplex dehumidifier for my boat a year ago, but my boat club doesnt like things being left on unattended. even though i used multiple circuit breakers. I also use those tub dehumidifiers with the circular blue/white discs
 
Another vote for the Maeco, though any dehumidifier that works will be better than nothing. I had a compressor type previously but it had a crude humidity setting and could not be put on a timer because it wouldn't restart, with one of those modern on/off buttons. Someone will be along in a minute and tell you that you only need to leave the hatches open and everything will be fine, but that is not my experience. I leave mine on continuously on the lowest fan and humidity settings (meaning the dampest). It uses quite a lot of electricity for the first week or so, and then if you seal the boat almost nothing.

The granule type can be handy for small spaces. I used to put a couple in my then Sadler 29 after taking all the furnishings home. I now put one in the cockpit locker where there are some electrics and the battery-charger.
 
Maeco Junior +1, worked brilliantly for 4 years and expect another few more yet.
Drains into the sink all winter, allows leaving all the bedding and stuff onboard.
 
I've never used a dehumidifier on a boat; I find that decent ventilation works fine. I always leave the bedding on board.
 
I replaced a larger dehumidifier purely for convenience with one similar to this https://www.diy.com/departments/blyss-10l-dehumidifier/657239_BQ.prd, with a 150W tubular greenhouse heater similar to this https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Heating_Index/Tubular_Heaters/index.html but on a separate thermostat set at 4C https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Produc...MItMmEzsCL3gIVb7vtCh1R0gVrEAQYBCABEgLK1PD_BwE
and near the engine compartment, left open - 32 ft boat, typically left afloat in a UK marina.
 
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I would not be without our dehumidifier - a Meaco as already recommended - but then again, we do spend most of our time on the boat all year round. Even in late October, the humidity levels can get high enough overnight to have water dripping off the roof. From now until some time in March, the Meaco will be running on its lowest setting plus the Webasto also ticking over - and the boat will be reliably bone dry and toasty warm....
 
pvb said:
I've never used a dehumidifier on a boat; I find that decent ventilation works fine. I always leave the bedding on board.
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Same here ,from August thru to May,so far no sign of damp in clothes and bedding.I have a box over open forehatch which allows good airflow,box is fixed down so does not blow off and invite theives
 
Wansworth said:
Same here ,from August thru to May,so far no sign of damp in clothes and bedding.I have a box over open forehatch which allows good airflow,box is fixed down so does not blow off and invite theives
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The only true test is to use a dehumidifier over a Winter with the boat sealed and then compare. All of us who do use dehumidifiers have done the test the other way round and I've yet to meet anyone who has gone back to the boat smell.
 
Another satisfied meaco junior user. Very good also for when you want to spend winter weekends living/working on the boat - keep it running to remove all that exhaled moisture....
 
What puzzles me is that the Maeco Junior is described as a "Desiccant" unit without a refrigeration unit to condense the water vapour. The only dehumidifiers of this type that I have heard of use trays of desiccant granules. These become saturated and require recharging by removing them and heating them to drive off the water. The video on the Maeco site shows a "dessicant wheel" which absorbs the water and deposits it in the tray. Can anyone shed any light on how this actually works?
 
Bodach na mara said:
What puzzles me is that the Maeco Junior is described as a "Desiccant" unit without a refrigeration unit to condense the water vapour. The only dehumidifiers of this type that I have heard of use trays of desiccant granules. These become saturated and require recharging by removing them and heating them to drive off the water. The video on the Maeco site shows a "dessicant wheel" which absorbs the water and deposits it in the tray. Can anyone shed any light on how this actually works?
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It's a two stage process. A fan draws air from the outside through one half of the wheel and the granules absorb humidity.The wheel is constantly turning slowly and the other half is receiving heated air which drives the water out of the granules. This warm and (relatively) moist air is then blown over a metal plate that is kept cool by a stream of air at ambient temperature and that condenses the water out to fall into the receiver. It is pretty much the same process as the trays of reusable dessicant granules, but running continuously.
 
I tried both ways, leaving a hatch cracked and airing - and then with the Maeco.
All I can say is that the small amount of power used is worth not being slapped in the face with musty boat smell.
 
RupertW said:
That’s what all people with the boat smell say. You will only know if you do the test.
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I've never been aboard pvb's boat, so I can't disagree with him, but I have to say that the vast majority of middle-aged boats that I've been on do have that musty smell that goes with long term minor dampness. I guess it does depend to a large extent on the pattern of usage. We went to bed last night and it was warm, so I didn't bother to turn on the dehumidifier - we woke up with condensation on the windows of the galley and heads.

If you never use the boat all winter, and leave it well ventilated, then it is possible that you could get by without the dehumidifier.
 
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