Winter heaters/dehumidifiers

mad_boater

mad_boater

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This year because of such a short boating season I have decided to keep my boat in the water and use when the weather is ok.
Does anyone know what are the right engine/cabin heaters to use,also what is the best dehumidfier to use.Need I drain the drinking water every time and put antifreeze through the raw water cooling side.I have anifreeze already in the the enclosed side. the boat is 10.5mtrs and consists of fore and aft cabins and a centre saloon
 
Hi mad boater,your not as mad as you think because some of the best boating is done in the winter time,any how my advice would be to use 2 no. dimplex tube heaters one fore one aft and a dimplex frost watcher in the engine bay this can be set to only switch on when temp drops below 5 c,the others may be left on timers.
the dehumidifier again on a time clock to your liking but make sure its not a digital type one ,as if the leccy gets turned off it will not come back on until reset,the one i use is made by symbol(i think).
 
I always drain down any exterior pipework such as bathing platform showers etc. When I leave the boat I turn off the water pump and leave the taps open to give some 'expansion' room. I also put bar heaters in the engine bay and cabins (put the bar heaters on some wooden base boards to stop them burning your furniture/carpets). However, the key factor is the dependability of your shore power supply. Although bar heaters etc will protect your domestic water supply, if the power trips out you could be vulnerable to frost damage to your calorifier and water pump. Therefore I drain down the domestics if a really cold spell is forecast just in case Sodde's law operates on the shore supply. We still use the boat during this time - just need to remember to bring a full water container (as the marina fresh water system is usually drained down over winter).

Regarding the raw water side, it depends if the water in your marina/mooring ever freezes - if it does then I would suggest you flush through with antifreeze solution as you mentioned.
 
We use the tubular heaters. On a timer in the cabil and a thermostat controlling the one in the engine bay.
I am a little concerned about leaving a dehumidifier unattended after reading reports of a fire!
Try the moisture absorbing crystals (cheaper in the caravn shops).
 
Hi

I use two of these mini radiators set on very low so they only come on if needed.

Mini Heaters

We also use them to keep us warm when on board,


I have two of these in the engine bay

Tube heaters

Although I plan to get a frost stat for them this year.

And for a dehumidifier I use one of these, it has a hot gas bypass which is good for units used in cold environments

web page

Some people put them on timers, but I cant see the logic in that. If it's damp then you want it to come on, don't you? So I think its best to set the humidistat at a sensible level, so it comes on and does the job when required but is not running all the time.

You can let it drain down the sink, or shower tray.

Good luck

D
 
Thanks for that practical information frontier. The links for who sells the heaters are just what I needed, saves a lot of googling around.Thanks again!!
 
I have an EBAC CD30 industrial dehumidifier on board (only 'cos I get them through work at trade price) I use it all year round. It's miles too powerful for the boat, but works well.

I set the humidistat at a comfy level, and leave on a timer.

Never have any problems with damp, mould, mildew etc etc. It even dries out damp towels in no time.

I've had this machine for 10 years and so far no probs, and no detrimental problems to the boat itself.

I know people that have had these machines running 24/7 for years, with no problems. Maybe the B&Q type cheapy plastic things are a bit crap and probably best avoided.
 
I use a dehumidifier and have done for 5 years, never had a problem with damp, and we have a fairly high internal volume. We drain via the galley sink through a hosepipe.
The stories of fire caused by dehumidifiers are probably true and one cause was the air filters being bunged up with fluff, we now vacuum ours every season.
Just for interest, we have a maximum/minimum thermometer on board and for the last 4 years have not seen the temperature drop below 4 degrees c.
 
i have an ebac too, leave it on all the year round, it packed up after 3 years, they picked it up and fixed it for free, great service and we clean the filters every 6 months
 
I use the same humid as Frontier. No probs with it over two winters and it sits nicely in the sink and drains through plug hole. Mine cost me £99.
 
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