Boats, winter and tube heaters
Discussion
Each winter I like to keep my boat operational by using oil-filled radiators in the saloon and engine bay rather than draining everything down.
In the engine bay (a small but very important space) it works well pushed down next to the heat exchanger. The problem is the saloon - I have a larger radiator for that, but the built-in thermostat won't go low enough. Hence it uses too much power warming the saloon more than needed.
I'm thinking of replacing it with a tube heater, eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tubular-Heater-Green-Bath... , as these seem designed just to keep frost off and stop things freezing. They come in 1ft, 2ft 3ft and 4ft lengths from 60 - 240W.
What size would keep the saloon of 27' cabin cruiser at about 4C during winter and keep the damp away?
In the engine bay (a small but very important space) it works well pushed down next to the heat exchanger. The problem is the saloon - I have a larger radiator for that, but the built-in thermostat won't go low enough. Hence it uses too much power warming the saloon more than needed.
I'm thinking of replacing it with a tube heater, eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tubular-Heater-Green-Bath... , as these seem designed just to keep frost off and stop things freezing. They come in 1ft, 2ft 3ft and 4ft lengths from 60 - 240W.
What size would keep the saloon of 27' cabin cruiser at about 4C during winter and keep the damp away?
Scrump said:
What I did then was buy a standalone frost stat and wire that into the power supply for a larger garage heater. It made the built in stat redundant but achieved what I wanted.
I tried a frost stat. The first one worked for 2-3 years but then fried itself (good job it didn't burn anything). I just can't get the second one to work, even after wiring it both ways round. If you know a make that actually works reliably please post it...The volume to deal with is about 17' x 9' x 6'.
ETA Solved the problem - hopefully - with this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078KF74ZZ which should switch the radiator accurately.
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 9th October 19:53
I have a Mk2 22ft Freeman so a little shorter than your 27.
In winter I use a couple of Dimplex tube heaters and set their thermostats to their lowest setting. I have a 1ft one that I put in the engine compartment and a larger 4ft one in the cabin just sat on the floor. I also roll up the main carpet and lift the plank that covers the keel area as well as raising up all the cushions on the seats to open the covers to the seat lockers so that air can move about and limit cold spots / condensation. Seems to work well over the past 5 years and not had any damp / mould issues.
I screwed the feet / stand of the heater to some short pieces of wood (spare pieces of parquet flooring no less) to make them more stable. I wouldn't trust them on just the plastic clips not to topple over.
In winter I use a couple of Dimplex tube heaters and set their thermostats to their lowest setting. I have a 1ft one that I put in the engine compartment and a larger 4ft one in the cabin just sat on the floor. I also roll up the main carpet and lift the plank that covers the keel area as well as raising up all the cushions on the seats to open the covers to the seat lockers so that air can move about and limit cold spots / condensation. Seems to work well over the past 5 years and not had any damp / mould issues.
I screwed the feet / stand of the heater to some short pieces of wood (spare pieces of parquet flooring no less) to make them more stable. I wouldn't trust them on just the plastic clips not to topple over.
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