Heaters as Alternative to Winterization

I run the IT at the club, so if the network is out, I've got to be here to fix it anyway. The ISP currently is Comcast Business, which has a decently quick turn for repairs.

Folks, the power did go out on us last year during a very cold spell (highs in the 20's, lows in the singles). It was out for about 24 hours. My wife's grandmother had just passed away and I couldn't get to the boat due to the funeral and viewings. I have backup thermometers that keep record of lowest (and highest) temps. The cabin dropped to 38. The water tank (fresh) stayed in the upper 40's, and the forward port hull (waste tank, Electro Scan) did drop to 28. However, no damage. The waste tank was pretty much empty, so nothing to really freeze. The Electro Scan was full, but at sea-water salinity which doesn't freeze at 32 (is it 26?). I didn't have any problems.
 
Let me play devil's advocate....

January,(6th or 7th I think) 1996...we had the blizzard of all blizzards. I remember power going out during that storm many times. The governor of NJ, at the time, shut down ALL roads....no cars on the road allowed. Even if you could get out, getting to a marina, and walking the docks, which would have been covered with more than 24 inches of snow and ice, with 20-30 gallons of antifreeze to do a quick winterization, just isn't worth it...or safe for that matter....again...IMHO.
 
Good point. For me, it would only be the 4 gallons of antifreeze I keep in my dock box that I'd need. I've got two trucks that are both very good 4x4's. No government can prevent a US citizen (in the US that is) from checking on their property (if it's that bad, I'm not real worried about getting caught!). Besides, that's what the online monitoring is for. If the weather is bad, I keep an eye on it. If the power goes out, I can make a visit in person.

Worst case...well...that's what I pay Progressive for every year.

But seriously, those that don't want to do this, PLEASE don't. I'm just talking about what I do. I might be insane. It's not for everyone, and it's probably not good north of the Mason-Dixon line (although I know Xtreme sells heaters in Alaska to watermen).

(But your point is taken. This is a risk, but then again, what isn't?)
 
After all this discussion, I figured I'd dust the system off and drag it out of storage. I just had time to plug one sensor in today ("Fresh Water"), and it's not run anywhere at the moment. The other "Cabin" is built into the unit. But you can at least get an idea of how it works:

http://74.93.205.62/

Right now I also don't have my heaters on board yet, and probably won't for a few more weeks. But I'll try and set this system up for your viewing pleasure. If it's a weekend and you can log on, rest assured that just means we're out of WiFi range!
 
quote:
Originally posted by mixman

I use a TemPageR (tempager.com) along with a Netgear WGPS606 wireless print server. The print server connects to my club's WiFi and gives the TemPageR it's IP address (the TemPageR alone doesn't do wireless). I use the built in temp sensor on the TemPageR to monitor my cabin (where I have one Xtreme heater) and then I run 3 others to different areas:

1 - Freshwater tank (heated with livestock heaters from TSC - $30 each...heh, if they said "marine" they'd be more!)
2 - Forward port hull (holding tank and Electro Scan), second Xtreme heater
3 - Outside (for reference)

There was a software upgrade I just installed on the TemPageR that's supposed to allow monitoring from a phone or a PDA, but I haven't seen it in action yet. Last year I just used a web browser on any computer (the TemPageR has it's own built in web server) to check on things. I also had it set to e-mail me if any area on the boat got below 34 degrees.

I'll have it set back up for the winter in a few weeks and will post the IP address so you all can take a look.

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What type of livestock heater are you using and is their any concern as far as you know of contaminating the fresh water supply b/c of the electrostatic pull from the heater? Also, how did you get the heaters hooked up and do you run it to a seperate breaker somewhere?

Great setup, btw!
 
quote:
What type of livestock heater are you using and is their any concern as far as you know of contaminating the fresh water supply b/c of the electrostatic pull from the heater? Also, how did you get the heaters hooked up and do you run it to a seperate breaker somewhere?

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I forget the model and brand of the stock heaters, but they were off the shelf at Tractor Supply. I had to go with 3 smalls instead of the one larger I wanted as my access hole is only about 6" wide. 3 was too many, so I might leave one at home for another intended use...birdbath heater!

If I remember correctly I call the manufacturer (in MN I think - so they know COLD) and I'm pretty sure they hardly draw any amps at all. I went over what I had with my engine room heaters and the such and they said not even to worry (I think these stock heaters are only a couple of amps at most, and my total draw on my 30amp shore power was just around half at 15-ish).

As for contamination, that's a good question. We don't treat our tank as potable, so I hadn't given it a thought. But if you're really interested I'll make a note to check on the brand and you can give them a call. Just let me know (I just loaded them all onto the boat, so it's not a big deal for me to look on the box).
 
Hi Kurt,

That's a pretty neat monitoring system.. here on Lake Erie, we're way too cold to attempt this in most areas.. but even with inside cold storage, it would be nice to monitor the temp conditions inside the boat. I doubt I'd opt to spend the money to do that, but it is pretty cool that you have it setup like you do. I'd like to keep track of your IP and check back to see how your doing in Jan/Feb timeframe.. :)
 
Somebody mentioned Wolverine brand heaters. They are a basically a heating pad encased in silicone with an adhesive on one side. You stick it to the oil pan and it heats the oil which in turn heats the block. Not uncommon to have 50* to 60* engine room in the winter.
 
I am actually in the process of ordering a set of the Wolverine's. I had a few discussions with a reseller and right now it's just a matter of what size to get.

I'm not buying the Wolverine's just for the winter. My intended purpose is for all year round. My mains hold over 6 1/2 gallons of oil each...that's not a typo. March through late spring and then again late fall into December, starting these babies up, with gallons of cold oil, is stressfull on the internals.

From everything that I've read about the Wolverine's, and from reading on other sites, they seem to be a good product specifically designed for my intended purpose. They are not thermostatically controlled. They are binary...."on" or "off". They are permanently attached to the bottom of the oil pan and have a 6 foot extension cord with a three prong plug at the end of the cord.

Not looking to start the whole "electric outlet in the bilge" discussion, but suffice it to say that anyone thinking of the Wolverine solution would have to do their own due dilligence and make their own educated decisions.
 
quote:

Not looking to start the whole "electric outlet in the bilge" discussion, but suffice it to say that anyone thinking of the Wolverine solution would have to do their own due dilligence and make their own educated decisions.

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That would have to be one heck of a long outage to cool down 6-1/2 gallons of oil in the pans.
 
I understand that if you can keep the oil warmed up, that it would be better for the internals on startup even in warmer weather.
I would as you mention be concerned about the AC in the engine room and the current draw/usage. I would think they might have a long enough power cord to reach a non-hazardous location to be connected.

I remember back in the old days when my Dad had a heated dip stick on the car.. worked pretty well actually.. but then again, I always thought block heaters were probably a better option on a car.. :)

Pros/Cons to every option..
 
quote:
What type of livestock heater are you using and is their any concern as far as you know of contaminating the fresh water supply b/c of the electrostatic pull from the heater? Also, how did you get the heaters hooked up and do you run it to a seperate breaker somewhere?
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Livestock heaters are:

"Pail and Bird bath de-icer" Model 250D
Allied Precision Industries, Inc.
705 East Norht Street
Elburn, IL 60119

120V, 200 Watts. If my math is right that's about 1.67 amps each? I'll try just two this year on my 35 gallon tank (I keep it full as it helps heat the area around it). Three seemed to be overkill last year.
 
I have a Boatsafe heater, but I am still going to winterize because I don't plan on going out for a few months. I want to fog the engines too. I like the thought of having the heater mainly because it keeps my batteries warm and will prolong their life. I also like that it keeps the waste tank, hot water tank and the whole engine area warm. It seems to me that it is much better than those things freezing often. We hit the teens on rare occasions (maybe three or four nights a year but only for a couple of hours). Our daytime temps rarely get below freezing too.
 
I use a boatsafe heater in my engine room, another heater in my cabin. I have a generator on the boat, one at the house - would the power go out I have two options to supply - I also monitor the power at the dock with a light, in other words I am within viewing distance from my boat - I realize a more unique situation, hence also the reason why I chose to use heaters.
 
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