Heating Trace tape

[cereal tiller]

Have seen heating tape used for preventing pipework freezing

 

Am considering it as a possible method of keeping Battery Box Temperature constant during cold spells.

 

Any one used it for a similar application?

 

CT

[Loafer]

Have seen heating tape used for preventing pipework freezing

 

Am considering it as a possible method of keeping Battery Box Temperature constant during cold spells.

 

Any one used it for a similar application?

 

CT

 

I'm not sure what heating tape is, but no amount of insulation will prevent temperature reduction reaching ambient eventually, unless there's some form of heating going on occasionally. Are you frequently aboard in the winter?

Edited December 21, 2015 by Loafer

[bottle]

Loafer

 

Heating tape is just that a tape that is electrically powered to supply heat to pipes etc.

 

So CT will need to have an electricity supply to heat his battery box... Hmmm.

[Loafer]

Loafer

 

Heating tape is just that a tape that is electrically powered to supply heat to pipes etc.

 

So CT will need to have an electricity supply to heat his battery box... Hmmm.

 

Ah see. Thought it was just some stick-on foam stuff for CH pipes!

 

ETA Sorry CT!

Edited December 21, 2015 by Loafer

[cereal tiller]

Loafer

 

Heating tape is just that a tape that is electrically powered to supply heat to pipes etc.

 

So CT will need to have an electricity supply to heat his battery box... Hmmm.

Exactly.

The tape i used for pipework was 5 watts per foot.

 

Just working out the Feasibility of maintaining battery Temp. easy when Boat is on Shoreline power,but, would it be practical on battery power?(Batt. box could be insulated)

 

CT

[Alan de Enfield]

Exactly.

The tape i used for pipework was 5 watts per foot.

 

Just working out the Feasibility of maintaining battery Temp. easy when Boat is on Shoreline power,but, would it be practical on battery power?(Batt. box could be insulated)

 

CT

 

If you are on shore-power why are you worried about battery temperature ( surely the battery charger helps to keep it 'slightly warm')

When not on shore-power you will be using more power than you stand to 'gain' by having the batteries fractionally warmer.

 

Lets say 4 feet of 'tape' per battery - that's 2 amps per battery, or, 48Ah per day (supplied by an inverter from the batteries) - more than running a fridge for a day, or enough to run a microwave, or an immersion heater for 1/2 an hour.

[MtB]

Well the correct name for the stuff is 'trace heating' tape.

 

5W a foot? That's 5/12A per foot assuming your inverter is 100% efficient!

 

Don't batteries heat up anyway when being charged?

More pertinently, do batteries heat up slightly when being discharged too? I'd imagine they do as they don't have zero internal resistance...

[cereal tiller]

Well the correct name for the stuff is 'trace heating' tape.

 

5W a foot? That's 5/12A per foot assuming your inverter is 100% efficient!

 

Don't batteries heat up anyway when being charged?

As batteries lose 20 per cent of capacity when their Temperature drops to 10 degrees cent.,was musing as to whether it would make sense to raise the Temp a bit?

 

Would the power drain outweigh the increase in capacity?

 

CT

[WotEver]

 

Would the power drain outweigh the increase in capacity?

 

CT

Absolutely. By a HUGE margin.

[MtB]

As batteries lose 20 per cent of capacity when their Temperature drops to 10 degrees cent.,was musing as to whether it would make sense to raise the Temp a bit?

 

Would the power drain outweigh the increase in capacity?

 

CT

 

 

This doesn't really make a lot of sense. Drops to 10^oC from what temperature in the first place?

 

And more intriguingly, if a fully charged battery is so cooled that it 'loses' 20% of its capacity, is the energy really lost or is it still there if the battery is warmed back up to its original temperature?

[cereal tiller]

Absolutely. By a HUGE margin

The rough plan was to raise Batt. box Temp. to 20 centigrade with waste engine heat by means of Thermostatically controlled valve and associated pipework while Engine is running.

 

The Tracer heat tape could stop the ambient Temp. falling much below that figure during the cold nights

 

40-60 Watts may just do the trick?

So,40 A.H. could be lost overnight?

 

Good trade-off?

 

E.T.A. The batt. bank is 600 A.H.,So would a theoretical 120 A.H. be recouped/preserved by this method?

 

CT

Edited December 21, 2015 by cereal tiller

[MtB]

The rough plan was to raise Batt. box Temp. to 20 centigrade with waste engine heat by means of Thermostatically controlled valve and associated pipework while Engine is running.

 

The Tracer heat tape could stop the ambient Temp. falling much below that figure during the cold nights

 

40-60 Watts may just do the trick?

So,40 A.H. could be lost overnight?

 

Good trade-off?

 

E.T.A. The batt. bank is 600 A.H.,So would a theoretical 120 A.H. be recouped/preserved by this method?

 

CT

 

 

Surely that depends on the answer to my question in post 10.

 

If the energy returns on re-heating the battery with waste engine heat, no point in using electricity.

[cereal tiller]

 

 

Surely that depends on the answer to my question in post 10.

 

If the energy returns on re-heating the battery with waste engine heat, no point in using electricity.

As Batteries are a substantial mass to heat,it would likely take an extended period of time to achieve optimum temperature of around 20 degrees ,likely longer than the Engine would be running on winter days.

 

Once the Batts are warm enough the Trace tape may be able to maintain temperature in an insulated box,just maybe?

CT

[MtB]

Given the thermal mass of a battery, in a well insulated box it will take ages to cool in the first plaice. I think there is more mileage in moving the batts to a heated part of your boat than in messing about with the tiny amounts of energy emitted by trace heating tape

[WotEver]

Never forget that using electricity to generate heat is just about the most inefficient method of heat generation available.

[MtB]

Never forget that using electricity to generate heat is just about the most inefficient method of heat generation available.

 

 

Yes I was wondering about suggesting installing some sort of gas burner under the batteries, then decided not to as it isn't April 1st!

[Iain_S]

 

(snip)

And more intriguingly, if a fully charged battery is so cooled that it 'loses' 20% of its capacity, is the energy really lost or is it still there if the battery is warmed back up to its original temperature?

 

 

Yes. Still there.

[cereal tiller]

Given the thermal mass of a battery, in a well insulated box it will take ages to cool in the first plaice. I think there is more mileage in moving the batts to a heated part of your boat than in messing about with the tiny amounts of energy emitted by trace heating tape

Will try this idea out next winter and inform as to the outcome.

 

CT

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

Yes. Still there.

He's not listening, he just wants to do it.

[blackrose]

As they say on Dragons Den, I think you've come up with a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

[cuthound]

Have seen heating tape used for preventing pipework freezing

 

Am considering it as a possible method of keeping Battery Box Temperature constant during cold spells.

 

Any one used it for a similar application?

 

CT

No, but I have specced it lots of time for exposed chilled water pipes. It goes under the insulation, so only comes on when the pipe temperature approaches freezing.

 

Suggest it is overkill for a boat, and expensive to run to boot.