Winter heating

[Nemysys]

Hi

 

Looking for a winter 'frost' heater, any ideas!

 

I was going for a couple of 100w tube heaters, but it has been suggested this wont be enough.

The other suggestion was a 2kw ceramic heater.

 

I have a 50' boat with electric hookup in a marina. I don't live aboard, so would be left unattended.

 

Are ceramics safe?

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks and a merry Christmas.

[Naughty Cal]

Tube heaters scattered around or a couple of small oil filled rads. We have a 450 watt oil rad in our small cabin which works very well you may want a couple in a narrow boat.

[Nemysys]

Thanks

 

Just seen some tube heaters at 250w each for about £25

 

My main concern is safety.

 

Maybe this is my best option?

[frangar]

Personally would go for one or two oil filled rads of say about 450w-700w...that way if it gets really cold quickly you will still be covered....just make sure they are positioned so they wont fall over if the boat gets moved for any reason...some of them have cut outs to turn them off if they do fall over.

 

HTH

 

Gareth

[freddy]

hi,we have two glen slim oil radiators 3'x2' fixed onto the sides,leave them on during winter months just above frost settings,used for last three years,very economical.john

[stickleback]

OP, my boat is, like yours, in a marina with electric hook up and it is "empty" a lot of the winter. I have an oil filled radiator with a frost stat set at 4°C. It is placed beyond mid way down the boat, with the loo / shower door open, and has served us well for the last 5 years - no freezes even in the very sharp frosts we have had some years. It has used a couple of electric cards most years, but it gives me peace of mind.

[jonathanA]

I don't think there is any safety issue with either electic oil filled heaters or tube heaters. some tube heaters do get very hot to the touch and I've seen them damage nylon clothing that shouldn't have been placed on them anyway !

The advantage of tube heaters might be that you could spread them about a NB and permantently install them if you wanted.

 

Personally I have a small 1KW oil filled heater that can be switched for 500w or 1000W and leave this on a simple time clock to come on for a few hours a day, but have also used frost stats in the past too.

 

Tony Brooks does point out that there is at least one insurance company that has some sort of policy statement about portable heaters must be marine certified, so worth checking that there is no possibility of invalidating your boat insurance by using a heater. (general consensus is this is very unlikely but...)

 

 

ETA - tube heaters do seem quite expensive for what they are compared to oil filled radiators from argos etc.

Edited December 27, 2012 by jonathanA

[ditchcrawler]

I don't think there is any safety issue with either electic oil filled heaters or tube heaters. some tube heaters do get very hot to the touch and I've seen them damage nylon clothing that shouldn't have been placed on them anyway !

The advantage of tube heaters might be that you could spread them about a NB and permantently install them if you wanted.

 

Personally I have a small 1KW oil filled heater that can be switched for 500w or 1000W and leave this on a simple time clock to come on for a few hours a day, but have also used frost stats in the past too.

 

Tony Brooks does point out that there is at least one insurance company that has some sort of policy statement about portable heaters must be marine certified, so worth checking that there is no possibility of invalidating your boat insurance by using a heater. (general consensus is this is very unlikely but...)

 

 

ETA - tube heaters do seem quite expensive for what they are compared to oil filled radiators from argos etc.

The cheap oil filed rads are just that, cheap and I wouldn't leave one running in my house unattended. I would use suitably mounted tube heaters so that they couldn't fall or have anything fall onto them

[system 4-50]

I've had a convector heater fail with the supplied moulded plug started to smoulder. This is in the plug not the pins.

[jonathanA]

The cheap oil filed rads are just that, cheap and I wouldn't leave one running in my house unattended.

 

why ? what disaster do think will befall, do enlighten us please? I think you would have a good case against the manufacturer or supplier if you had followed thier instructions and somehow one of these things spontaneously combusted due to poor chinese oil or something...

 

you'd have far far less come back on tube heaters where you had to physically install them and often they come without a mains lead attached so leaving yourself open to prove your were 'suitably qualified' to install

 

you pays your money and takes your choice... I'm quite happy with a tube heater in my shed as it happens and would be quite happy to use one on the boat but just find the oil filled rad to be a better option for me.

[ditchcrawler]

why ? what disaster do think will befall, do enlighten us please? I think you would have a good case against the manufacturer or supplier if you had followed thier instructions and somehow one of these things spontaneously combusted due to poor chinese oil or something...

 

you'd have far far less come back on tube heaters where you had to physically install them and often they come without a mains lead attached so leaving yourself open to prove your were 'suitably qualified' to install

 

you pays your money and takes your choice... I'm quite happy with a tube heater in my shed as it happens and would be quite happy to use one on the boat but just find the oil filled rad to be a better option for me.

 

Things like thermostats/switches don't IMO appear to be that well made. If you can have equipment without them so much the better in my book.

[jonathanA]

Things like thermostats/switches don't IMO appear to be that well made. If you can have equipment without them so much the better in my book.

 

fair point. although the smaller heaters (1KW or less) are obviously switching much smaller curents (the ones I've used seem to be fairly reliable so far)

[Nemysys]

Thanks everyone.

 

I notice no one suggested the 2kw ceramic heater.

 

Based on response, I'm leaning towards the oil filled rads.