Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-27-2017, 06:05 AM   #1
KSF
Member
 
City: Palm Coast
Vessel Name: Kissed Some Frogs
Vessel Model: Beneteau Swift Trawler 42
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 20
Heating a Lazarette (South Carolina)

Hi All,

I'm located just outside of Myrtle Beach SC. Over winter we will get a few nights that dip down into the 20's but most nights we are above 30. The water temp here always stays above 50, so I'm thinking that since at least 50% of the space is below waterline, it should be pretty safe.

This is my first winter with my trawler (Beneteau Swift Trawler 42) and I'm looking for ideas to keep the water lines in my lazarette from freezing. I will be using the boat over the winter so I'd like to avoid a full "winterization".

I'm connected to shore power when at the dock.

For my engine compartment, I have an official "engine room heater", the Caframo Pali Engine Compartment Heater which is ignition protected (even though I've got diesel engines) to keep the engines somewhat warm for easier starting.

For the lazarette, which has my generator, and water tanks, I'm considering a small radiant oil register type heater just to take the edge off on cold nights. Something like:



The unit is small (15 x 17 x 5) and has overheat and tip over protection. I like that its passive, (no fans, no hot coils), all of the energy goes to heat. I guess my hesitation is leaving it plugged in un-attended as it's a consumer item.

The other option I'm considering is the Caframo True North Heater

(which is made for marine use), this one has a fan and coils and seems like it is a bit overkill.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and experience on how you've dealt with this issue.
KSF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 06:14 AM   #2
Guru
 
caltexflanc's Avatar
 
City: North Carolina for now
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,348
How about killing two birds with one stone and putting a Wolverine oil pan heater on the genset? I found that kept the generator/utility room on my old Hatteras nice and dry, and the genny started right up in cold weather.
__________________
George

"There's the Right Way, the Wrong Way, and what some guy says he's gotten away with"
caltexflanc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 06:26 AM   #3
Guru
 
OldDan1943's Avatar
 
City: Aventura FL
Vessel Name: Kinja
Vessel Model: American Tug 34 #116 2008
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 10,595
The radiator heater is overkill unless your lazarette is the size of your salon.
I have similar one at home that heats up a section of my condo very well.
You might also consider a small ceramic heater. I have one or two in the storeroom I used on the N46. I would use them until the A/C could catch up and in the stateroom.
__________________
Two days out the hospital after a week in the hospital because of a significant heart attack.
OldDan1943 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 07:10 AM   #4
Guru
 
CaptTom's Avatar
 
City: Southern Maine
Vessel Model: Prairie 36 Coastal Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,717
If the hull is in 50-degree water, typically the spaces directly above will remain above freezing, especially if the ambient outside air gets above freezing most days.

Some folks use an incandescent light bulb to throw off just enough heat to keep things a bit warmer and drier.
CaptTom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 09:37 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
City: Washington
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 468
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/golde...SAAEgK_Y_D_BwE

These are actually heaters and something to consider.
You might also consider traditional engine room heaters that turn on when the temperature gets to 40 degrees or so.
aboatman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 11:45 AM   #6
Valued Technical Contributor
 
DavidM's Avatar
 
City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,784
The Caframo heater has a freeze protection setting for its thermostat that doesn't come on until about 40 degrees. It is a very well made, quiet fan unit unlike the common Chinese fan/heaters.

That being said, in Myrtle Beach in the water you really don't have anything to worry about.

David
DavidM is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 12:21 PM   #7
Guru
 
Benthic2's Avatar
 
City: Boston Area
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,610
If you have wi-fi in the marina you can get remote switches to turn things on and off with a cell phone so you don't have to run the heaters if its not necessary.
Benthic2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 12:26 PM   #8
Guru
 
Heron's Avatar
 
City: Cypress Landing Marina (NC)
Vessel Name: Heron (2)
Vessel Model: '88 Cape Dory 28 Flybridge #115
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,305
Quote:
Originally Posted by djmarchand View Post
The Caframo heater has a freeze protection setting for its thermostat that doesn't come on until about 40 degrees. It is a very well made, quiet fan unit unlike the common Chinese fan/heaters.

That being said, in Myrtle Beach in the water you really don't have anything to worry about.

David
I have one of those.....Previously marketed by West Marine. It's an old school element heater but works well, and it does have the low temp (freeze setting). I only use it for cabin heating. That said, I have a Pali in my engine room (!!) and it works well to keep things warmed. I believe it is a 900 watt unit. The oil filled heaters are nice and I use one in my sunroom at home , but I think it's overkill for you. I'm not that far north of you and find the Pali to be just fine for the below decks area. I don't winterize in this climate and have never had a freeze issue, despite the 20 degree week last winter....
__________________
Steve
Heron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 12:29 PM   #9
Guru
 
porman's Avatar
 
City: Duvall, Wa. USA
Vessel Name: Beach Music II
Vessel Model: 2003 Mainship 430 Trawler
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,040
Several years ago I read an account of an oil filled heater like the one pictured that caught fire. The owner was a liveaboard on a sailboat. He was able to put the fire out without too much damage. There was corrosion on the bottom that allowed the hot oil to leak onto a carpet. The owner thought that since the boat was kept on salt water the corrosion was caused by salt air. The heater was several years old.
porman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 01:50 PM   #10
Veteran Member
 
Cliff Meima's Avatar
 
City: Little River, SC
Vessel Name: Memory Lane (fiberglass)
Vessel Model: 1974 Pacemaker 40 Flush deck Motor Yacht
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 89
If you do nothing, your risk of damage due to freezing below decks is almost Zero. The more items you add to protect your boat increase your danger of fire drastically. When living aboard in Rochester NY for 3 years I put a 40-watt light bulb under the above water Kitchen and bathroom overboard drains, a 100-watt bulb under each main engine and generator. Also 40- watt bulbs alongside all underwater thru hulls. We heated the boat living spaces with an electric ceramic heater in each room. February electric bill was $400.00 typically. It was very easy to look around in the engine room and see if any of the bulbs had burned out, you can not do that with those engine oil pan heaters. Please be careful, and do not set your boat on fire. I might be your slip neighbor although I am in Little River Not Murrells Inlet. Welcome to boating all year long.
Cliff
Cliff Meima is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 02:15 PM   #11
Guru
 
AusCan's Avatar
 
City: Adelaide
Vessel Name: Kokanee
Vessel Model: Cuddles 30 Pilot House Motor Sailer
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,218
Those temperatures don't sound like much of a risk. Rather than introducing another risk, why not just put down a bit of carpet on the cockpit floor to insulate the lazarette a bit more. It will be heated by the water temperature.
AusCan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 04:20 PM   #12
Guru
 
Benthic2's Avatar
 
City: Boston Area
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,610
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heron View Post
....... That said, I have a Pali in my engine room (!!) and it works well to keep things warmed. I believe it is a 900 watt unit. The oil filled heaters..... I think it's overkill for you.....
you're suggesting a 900 watt heater because a 700 watt heater is overkill ??
Benthic2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 04:27 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
City: Washington
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 468
I would say a lightbulb for heat is pretty dangerous unless it's in a fixture that protects the glass bulb not only from impact, but from water.

Also, since a lightbulb is designed to produce light, not heat, it's not that efficient as a heater.

If you want heat, buy a heater. Buy one that can't fall over and start a fire. And place it where nothing can come in contact with it.
aboatman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 04:33 PM   #14
Guru
 
caltexflanc's Avatar
 
City: North Carolina for now
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,348
Quote:
you can not do that with those engine oil pan heaters.
Huh? you can put your hand on the engine block and know in an instant. The immersion heaters even more so. The Wolverines for most engines are well below 900 watts. For my 20kw Onan I recall 250 watts. Heck the Zerostart immersion heaters on my 8 cylinder Detroit 8v92's were only 1000 watts and between the two of them warmed the entire lower deck of the Hatteras 56MY.
__________________
George

"There's the Right Way, the Wrong Way, and what some guy says he's gotten away with"
caltexflanc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 04:49 PM   #15
Guru
 
Cigatoo's Avatar
 
City: Narragansett Bay
Vessel Model: Grand Banks 36 Classic #715
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,857
Radiant heat is very effective. Radiant heat is exactly what the engine or generator will be producing with the Wolverine heaters. As a bonus if the power goes out those engine blocks will continue to radiate heat for quite some time. The Wolverine type heater would be my first choice.
Cigatoo is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 05:32 PM   #16
Guru
 
Pgitug's Avatar
 
City: Punta Gorda, fl
Vessel Name: Escapade
Vessel Model: Nordic Tug 37 2002
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,231
Protected 75 watt light bulb.
Pgitug is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 05:37 PM   #17
Guru
 
Woodland Hills's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: Alzero
Vessel Model: Hatteras 63' CPMY
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,548
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptTom View Post
If the hull is in 50-degree water, typically the spaces directly above will remain above freezing, especially if the ambient outside air gets above freezing most days.

Some folks use an incandescent light bulb to throw off just enough heat to keep things a bit warmer and drier.
Do you think there could be a business in selling 60w incandescent heating and dehumidifying bulbs for people to put into fixtures in their homes? I bet you could even get them made in three different heat levels in one unit! The downside would be the glare, but you could also sell decorative fabric screens to cut down on the excess light.......
Woodland Hills is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 05:50 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Roamer Blue's Avatar
 
City: Toronto ON
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 128
The oil heaters are favoured among the live aboard crowd up here.

No fan to fail, or to make noise. different power settings and temperature control, and tip over protected. A simple visual inspection of the exterior defends against the noted peril.

The cheap fan forced ones cannot be trusted out of the box, the fan stops running, and it gets pretty hot before it trips the overheat feature, which is often a one time permanent failure for the cheapy ones.

Warming an engine block directly is way more efficient than trying to heat the air around an engine to get heat into it.

Don't forget to block off the various engine room vents, fresh air circulating around defeats an awful lot of heater!!

RB
Roamer Blue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 05:51 PM   #19
Guru
 
dhays's Avatar
 
City: Gig Harbor
Vessel Name: Kinship
Vessel Model: North Pacific 43
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 9,046
For that kind of space I would use something like this. 130 wats, 1.1 amp and no fan. I won't use the heaters with a fan unattended due to fire risk (and they are prohibited in my marina as well). This will add just a small amount of heat just to help prevent freezing. Convection will keep air moving to help with moisture control a well.

BTW, the Woverine type oil pan heater will also work great on your genset if it is in that space. I use 250 watts on my main engine and it keeps it warm in the coldest of temps and I just have it running all the time at the dock winter or summer.
__________________
Regards,

Dave
SPOT page
dhays is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2017, 06:05 PM   #20
Guru
 
OldDan1943's Avatar
 
City: Aventura FL
Vessel Name: Kinja
Vessel Model: American Tug 34 #116 2008
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 10,595
I'm in FL for a reason, I save money by not needed all those special heaters.
Remember, "global warming" is coming.
__________________
Two days out the hospital after a week in the hospital because of a significant heart attack.
OldDan1943 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012