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.

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.

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.

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.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/gold...MIiNiHqYrf1wIVyLbACh2xwgxOEAAYASAAEgK_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.

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

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.

djmarchand said:

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

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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....

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.

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

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.

Heron said:

....... 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.....

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you're suggesting a 900 watt heater because a 700 watt heater is overkill ??

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.

you can not do that with those engine oil pan heaters.

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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.

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.

Protected 75 watt light bulb.

CaptTom said:

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.

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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.......

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

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.

I'm in FL for a reason, I save money by not needed all those special heaters.
Remember, "global warming" is coming.

OldDan1943 said:

I'm in FL for a reason, I save money by not needed all those special heaters.
Remember, "global warming" is coming.

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And your air conditioning is free?

Myrtle Beach can get cold and this winter is on track to be cold based on 10 degree below normal temps for much of November.

I have had hoses freeze in RV parks there, so water lines out of a normal bilge space could freeze if a couple nights and days were near and below freezing.

It would be rare, but possible.

I would never jyst rely on heaters to do the job.

For water in places that are above the waterline, not in the engineroom spaces, and possibly subject to 24 -36 hrs of freezing temps, I would shut them down and winterize them unless living aboard or nearby where I could monitor them.

Winterizing is almist always easier thsn freeze repair.

catalinajack said:

And your air conditioning is free?

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I had the pleasure of working on a non-A/C steaming engine room of a destroyer.

dhays said:

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.

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Those work well, are safe and not expensive.

Benthic2 said:

you're suggesting a 900 watt heater because a 700 watt heater is overkill ??

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A Pali is a marine specific engine room heater with dual muffin fans for circulation. I think I'd trust it more than stuffing a $40 Chinese oil heater in the bilge..

and sorry I misspoke. it's 400 watts....

https://www.amazon.com/Caframo-Pali-Engine-Compartment-Heater/dp/B00MEMRGZE

djmarchand said:

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

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We have two Carfano and they are starting their 3rd winter and no issued to date $75 each.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp...ter&path=-1|2061076|2061078|2061087&id=732071

Norm