Ceramic Heater on full-time through Winter

J

Jazzmanic

New member
I mentioned previously that we will be keeping C-Dancer on the trailer here in Seattle throughout the winter and probably beyond. The main reason is to allow me to do projects from fall through spring without having to drive 2 hours. We have access to electricity and water so I think it will work out great.

I bought a small ceramic electric heater from West Marine to keep the cabin warm and dry in the winter. It has several safety features (see below) but for some reason, I'm a little uneasy about having a heater run all winter.

My question: Do you feel safe running a small electric ceramic heater in your cabin all winter?

Description of: Comfort Zone Oscillating Ceramic Heater/Fan

"Keep your comfort level at an optimum with this portable oscillating heater/fan. It features a four-position rotary dial to adjust the settings, adjustable thermostat, oscillation option, safety tip-over switch, safety overheat protection system, stay cool body with molded handle, power indicator light, and a 6' power cord."

Watts: 750/1500
BTUs: 5120
Amps: 12.5
HZ: 60HZ
Volts: 120
Dimensions: 5"L x 6"W x 10 3/4"H

Oscillating_Ceramic_Heater_Fan.thumb.jpg
 
The boat will be outside on the trailer but will probably have a tarp covering the whole boat or possibly an Angola cover. You know, trying to keep all the rain we get in Seattle off the boat as much as possible.
 
We have used the same electric heater on our boats since 2009. Our boat spends most of the winter in the driveway covered before we slide down to the Fl. keys in Feb. We keep power to the boat via shore power while running the battery charger. We just keep the heater plugged into an outlet inside the cabin. I have a small LED night light on a slide window so I know I still have power to the boat that we can see even though the winter cover. We had / have winter covers covering this and our previous boat while running a heater. The heater was made by Honeywell was less than 30 dollars. It has tip over protection and have infinite temp adjustability. The model escapes me but it is round and a dark grey color. We bought it in 2009 just before doing the Erie canal when we heard the temps were going into the 40's before we ever hit the canal. Never had any surprises like mold or mildew developing. It's still going strong. I probably just jinxed it. If it somehow it shorts out I'm sure a circuit breaker would trip. I'd rather have a heater running than not. You could put the heater on a timer if you were not comfortable leaving run constantly. Our heater cycles on and off responding to the temp setting.
D.D.
 
Wow Dave, your post contained a wealth of information. Our boat is on shore power hooked up to a battery charger and CFGI outlet. It seems to be set up with the appropriate safety features. A timer is a great idea. I'm feeling much better about the safety of running this heater. Thanks!

Peter
 
Hi Peter,
I do not have a ceramic heater but a small oscillating heater with temp and fan settings. It cuts out when temp is reached but the fan and oscillating movement continues. I run it on a very low heat setting. Also cuts out if knocked over. It sits on the floor under the table. I have all the cupboard doors and bins open where possible. I also have a second heater that gives out the warmth of a light bulb in the v-berth. Just a bit more back-up.
Martin.
 
I have used both ceramic and oil filled heaters thru the years. My current preference is an oil filled heater: DeLonghi oil filled 500/700/1200 watt heater, with timer, GFRI, and thermostat built in. Darn those have gone up in price, I paid about $35 each for mine 7 or 8 years ago! But used them every year in the RV and boat. One feature I like is that when the temp goes down below 44 degrees (or can be set) the heater comes on low. The oil filled heater is less likely to cause a fire--I know that ceramic heaters are safer than the electric coil type--but I have seen shorts in them and fires. I find that setting the heater on 500 or 700 watts is plenty in the C Gory.

During the cruising season (includes the winter here) we use one of the ceramic heaters, and on 600 watts, it is plenty to keep the cabin comfortable.
 
I'm with Bob on the oil filled heaters. They even radiate some nice heat, which is nice on a cold day. I'm suspect any you buy will be fine. My trouble with any of the cheap ones is the thermostat not really being accurate at all and coming on all almost always, which isn't needed.
 
I keep my boat stored on it's trailer during the winter, here in Wisconsin. It has a full cover. Last year I plugged the charger in a few days each month. This winter I'm going to try keeping it plugged in all the time, along with a small fan running. (No heater. A small one wouldn't do much good in our cold winters anyway.) I also have several jars of the dryer stuff as well. I do have a webasto heater on the boat, that I run a short time monthly, per it's instructions just to keep it lubricated. Colby
 
Peter, you have nothing to worry about running a small ceramic heater inside your boat on the trailer, we have done that for years. Oil filled is great but there is nothing wrong with a ceramic heater either. No need to worry, really.
 
Probably a given but all cushions, rode, lines, food, clothing, etc -basically strip out items and open drawers and cabinet doors along with removing water and a good cleaning of all surfaces would a good idea. Air circulation is just as important as heat to control mold and mildew.
 
Yes, I feel safe with those ceramic heaters. We have two of them onboard over the winter. One in the cabin and one in the bilge to keep the water tank and plumbing from possibly freezing. We use the boat through the winter when the weather allows us to get out so winterizing the water system would not be convenient. When the two heaters are running at the same time we can only use the 750 watt output setting on each or the circuit breaker will pop. It is still plenty of heat. I also use Dri-Z- Air pellets in the cabin to help remove excess dampness.
They are good little heaters and last for many years. One of ours is at least 15 years old running around the clock all winter.
Cheers, Tom
 
One thing to be cautious about: The wiring in the boats. My boat, my son's 25, a friend's 22 all had plain 2 wire "zip" cord, #16 wire, extension cords involved in their "110 V System". No fuse, no proper inlet, no GFRI. All of these had the end of the cord in the bilge! These boats all had trickle chargers wired in and permanently attached to the battery, with no switch. I have seen household type of Romex (solid wire) with wire nuts---again a no no !

Needless to say, I removed these systems, and put in a proper inlet, (out of the weather), #10 or #12, marine, tinned stranded, 3 strand, with vinyl sheath wiring, with a circuit breaker, and proper outlets out of the bilge.

The system I use, is considerably cheaper than the "factory" installed with large panel, etc. However, it is safe. The #10 wire, is from the inlet to the fuse and switch box. #12 to the outlets. All wiring is supported as per ABYC.. Proper terminals are placed on the ends of the wire to the outlets,
 
Thanks for all the good information guys. Now I feel totally comfortable leaving the unit on. The fact that it has the thermostat, shut-off feature, tip over feature plus all of your recommendations have convinced me. Plus I'll be visiting the boat frequently doing my projects to check on things.

Peter
 
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
 
thataway":1txp6mlf said:
One thing to be cautious about: The wiring in the boats. My boat, my son's 25, a friend's 22 all had plain 2 wire "zip" cord, #16 wire, extension cords involved in their "110 V System". No fuse, no proper inlet, no GFRI. All of these had the end of the cord in the bilge! These boats all had trickle chargers wired in and permanently attached to the battery, with no switch. I have seen household type of Romex (solid wire) with wire nuts---again a no no !

Needless to say, I removed these systems, and put in a proper inlet, (out of the weather), #10 or #12, marine, tinned stranded, 3 strand, with vinyl sheath wiring, with a circuit breaker, and proper outlets out of the bilge.

The system I use, is considerably cheaper than the "factory" installed with large panel, etc. However, it is safe. The #10 wire, is from the inlet to the fuse and switch box. #12 to the outlets. All wiring is supported as per ABYC.. Proper terminals are placed on the ends of the wire to the outlets,
Click to expand...

A good reminder Bob. We owned several sailboats from the late 90's to the mid 2000's. Surprising how many oft the had inadequate wiring as you detailed in your post. Wire nuts were very common.

Sometimes it is better to strip everything out and start completely over. That way you know it is done right and what wires go to what.
 
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
 
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!
 
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
 
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