Ceramic Heater on full-time through Winter

Marco Flamingo · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 12:57 pm Post subject:

I've never left a heater on in a boat (except for last winter's balsa core project in my garage). I've seen them cause way more problems than they solve. My solution for moisture, mildew, funky smell is ventilation. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation.

I bought a boat that had a heater kept on it. My experience was that the heater got things warm enough to allow mildew to grow. It warmed things up in one part of the boat so that the moist air could cool off and form condensation in another part. With the boat partly sealed up (to keep the warmth in?), the funky smell got into the carpet, cushions, headliner, etc. Anything that could hold a smell did so.

Once all that stuff was torn out and replaced, I left the boat open. Sliding windows were blocked to prevent people entry, and screened with hardware cloth to prevent anything bigger than a yellow jacket, but way more open than what most people do. I left the front hatch open, again screened to keep out mice, but really open. I added a couple of vents. The idea was to get as much air through as possible when keeping out rain. Given the possibility of occasional wind driven rain coming in, I'd be okay with that if there was a lot of ventilation.

I've has several boats that were old, wooden, and marina kept. Some had deck leaks. They always had water in the bilge. They were in Seattle (where it rains sometimes). They always smelled fresh as a daisy. The only time they were heated was when I was on board. As between heat and ventilation, I'd go with ventilation every time. If you have the proper amount of ventilation, a heater won't do anything.

Mark

NancyandBud · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 1:02 pm Post subject:

MikeR · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 9:42 pm Post subject:

Hi Peter, maybe mine is defective but I'm on the boat right now for 3rd night in a row running a ceramic heater that looks identical to the one in your photo (although I didn't get it at West Marine), and the thermostat on mine is worthless, it runs non stop on the lowest setting and never turns off. After about an hour at the lowest setting it is unbearably hot (to me) in the cabin of the 22. I think I'll be returning it when I get back into town. Just saying you may want to test yours out before leaving it unattended.

-Mike

Pat Anderson · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 11:07 pm Post subject:

We bought most of our heaters at Walmart for under $20! All have worked well, all have turned off and on according to the dial setting. Maybe we were just lucky, but I agree that you need to know how it is going to behave before you leave it on the boat unattended. All the same, these heaters also have all had a fan, and provided adequate air flow as well as drying heat. We have been very satisfied with the way our heaters have performed!

Jazzmanic · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 11:46 pm Post subject:

I did test it last weekend and the thermostat definitely shut the unit off when it reached a certain temperature. I'll test it again tomorrow before leaving it on. I'll also place it on a low flat surface away from any carpets or upholstery just to be safe. Thanks all for your sage advice. After nearly 12 years on this site, I'm still learning new things!

Peter

san juanderer · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 1:29 pm Post subject: Heater

I have seen several of the West Marine heaters returned to the store melted case literally. Personally, I favor the oil radiator style. There is no fan to fail. When the fan fails, the heater is relying on a "snap disc" to disconnect power to the element. A fan style heater has more moving parts. Many marina fires have been caused by heaters in boats.
Xtreme Heaters makes a series of heaters for boats, these heaters can be placed in boat bilges, where gas fumes may be present ( like a leak developed) without threat of combustion. There least costly version is about $300 dollars. Personally, I would value my boat invest more than a $20 dollar overseas built heater.
alan

dotnmarty · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:04 pm Post subject:

How come no mention on of this? I used one all my boating life. I though most people did. What am I missing here?

Lollygaggin · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:12 pm Post subject:

MartyP,
We too have always used one of these in our boats but this year we're going to start using the dehumidifier that came with our new boat. In combination they should eliminate any chances of mould and keep the air warm and moving. We just have to figure out how the dehumidifier works. It's not and electric one and when we picked the boat up it was stored in the galley sink and was full of some kind of liquid.
Chris

Marco Flamingo · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:16 pm Post subject:

bridma · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 5:51 pm Post subject:

AstoriaDave · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 6:37 pm Post subject:

Those Dri Z Air style "chemical dehumidifiers" are worthless. They have low capacity, are corrosive when spilled on metals, and are a real bother to renew. Not to mention expensive.

I am with Marco: ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. If you want a gadget, put a small electric fan where it will push air into an area that shows moisture, and allow a path for the moving air to exit the boat. The heat from the fan motor is probably enough. Or, if you must have a heat source, use a 60W bulb inside a metal shield. No need for a fancy ceramic heater.

Foggy · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 9:05 pm Post subject:

Tuning in late, I'd say no fire breathing device should be left unattended.
Leaving a heater 'on' in your boat for the winter, is well, asking for trouble.

Aye.
Grandma used to say, "Play with fire and you will get burned".

Aurelia · Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:31 am Post subject:

I have posted this before Peter but here is our proven approach.

Heat and Dehumidifying

We have used units like yours but lately just use a simple lower power model on a timer. There are a few types and here is one example. These still take the chill off an enclosed boat but don't suck nearly as much power as standard household units.

http://www.quill.com/honeywell-heat-bud-ceramic-heaters-white-hce100w/cbs/51889363.html?hidedisruptive=1&cm_mmc=SEM_PLA_CJ_51889363&mcode=SEM_PLA_CJ_51889363&gclid=COeR1ovIqNACFZWFaQodh9kNtA

Then we run one of these 24/7 and empty it about once per week.

https://www.eva-dry.com/dehumidifiers/eva-dry-2200-electric-dehumidifier/

They do have a limited life span but most folks get a few years out of them. If you let the boat get down below about 40F, then face your heater toward the the dehumidifier to keep the cold plate from freezing and limiting its effectiveness.

My brother in law keeps his outside under a cover with only the dehumidifier unit and says it stays much dryer than any venting he has tried over many years.

We also have friends on a 40ft sailboat who watched their humidity level plummet after using one on board. It worked so well, they wired it to 12v and run it even while out on the water.

If you have fire hazard concerns, do as I have at times and put the little heater in open space on the boat such as the floor and run it on a large cookie sheet to lessen the risk of it igniting other materials.

Greg

rogerbum · Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2016 9:15 pm Post subject:

I've run a ceramic heater in my boat for years during the winter. With the Tomcat, I also added a dehumidifier that is set up to drain into the sink. I keep the boat fairly warm and I leave the window into the head cracked just a bit. The humidity stays low and the boat is reasonably warm when I arrive. I also don't have to worry about the fresh water system freezing.

localboy · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 11:57 am Post subject:

Peter, I use one of the "oil" electric heaters, like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-5200-BTU-Oil-Filled-Radiant-Tower-Electric-Space-Heater-with-Thermostat/999918538?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-SeasonalLiving-_-PortableHeat-_-999918538:Utilitech&CAWELAID=&kpid=999918538&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=285&k_clickID=62ffbd0b-22e3-4d26-9037-52363549257e

Along with a small fan like pictured above. I leave the head window open about 1" for some fresh air. I open all the cabinets, stand the cushions like this /\ and put our bedding in a vacuum bag. So far...so good. No mold etc.