Bilge Heater?

A few more reasons:
- it is better to keep your batteries warm in the winter.
- no constant freezing and thawing of the thousands of parts in your engine compartment.
 
Gees, I could do with a cooler in mine


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christo15 said:
Alright so from all this.. I'm still unsure whether it's worth it to get one or not? I know I have to winterize regardless.
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Simple enough. Winterize. Cover the ER vents. Install the Xtreme or Boat Safe heater. It will keep the ER dry and above 40*F.

[Nomex] You could get the same results with a bunch of 100 watt light bulbs. [/Nomex]
UNTIL THE FIRST SPARK blows up your now uninsured boat!. ER safe is what makes them so expensive.

my $0.02
 
dpmulvey said:
Simple enough. Winterize. Cover the ER vents. Install the Xtreme or Boat Safe heater. It will keep the ER dry and above 40*F.

[Nomex] You could get the same results with a bunch of 100 watt light bulbs. [/Nomex]
UNTIL THE FIRST SPARK blows up your now uninsured boat!. ER safe is what makes them so expensive.

my $0.02
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Agreed, except don't winterize the engines. That way I can go out when I want.
 
I think the answer to winterize or not depends on how low the temps will get in your area this winter.
ours haven't been bad for a few years but I remember weeks at a time below zero...and no bilge heater will defend against that.
 

You might want to do a search on Wolverine Block Heatersor look at www.wolverineheater.com.I've had them on Gimme Time's 3126TA Cats and love them. Once winter gets hereto stay I close up all the vents with foam rubber and once you've heated theengine blocks from the oil pan up you have a great radiator within your boat.No condensation and if you lose power for 6 to 8 hours where I am I'm still ingreat shape. Along the same issue I've installed Acu-Link.com remote monitoringwith temperature alarms for the engine room, forward and rear bilge areas thatwill let me know if the temperature drops to whatever temperature alarm point Iwant for any specific remote temperature sensor so I have reaction time as wellif needed as I am 2.5 hours away from the boat. I can't take the credit for anyof this as I learned it all from other CSR posters on this site.
 
Gimme Time said:

You might want to do a search on Wolverine Block Heatersor look at www.wolverineheater.com.I've had them on Gimme Time's 3126TA Cats and love them. Once winter gets hereto stay I close up all the vents with foam rubber and once you've heated theengine blocks from the oil pan up you have a great radiator within your boat.No condensation and if you lose power for 6 to 8 hours where I am I'm still ingreat shape. Along the same issue I've installed Acu-Link.com remote monitoringwith temperature alarms for the engine room, forward and rear bilge areas thatwill let me know if the temperature drops to whatever temperature alarm point Iwant for any specific remote temperature sensor so I have reaction time as wellif needed as I am 2.5 hours away from the boat. I can't take the credit for anyof this as I learned it all from other CSR posters on this site.
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How does the Wolverine heater on the oil pan heat all of the appendages of the engine that contain raw water, including the heat exchangers, pipes and hoses to prevent freeze ups? Are you saying the Wolverine heater eliminates the need to run antifreeze through the raw water systems of an engine?
 
To answer your question... In the Northeast it is not a good use of your boat dollars... I keep my boat in the water year round, and I looked for a bilge heater and almost bought one, but since I planned on winterizing any way, it was not worth the cost... If you live in South Carolina, TN, AL, FL GA they it would be worth the $$$... Or if you use your boat for year round commercial business it would be good to have. Winterization is not expensive if you DIY... I use WM cabin Dehumidifier year round, and Hanging Moisture Absorber in the engine space... Between of the cost of electric, purchase, and installation of a bilge heater it is probably not a good buy for you in CT...
 
JV II said:
How does the Wolverine heater on the oil pan heat all of the appendages of the engine that contain raw water, including the heat exchangers, pipes and hoses to prevent freeze ups? Are you saying the Wolverine heater eliminates the need to run antifreeze through the raw water systems of an engine?
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I looked into Wolverine heaters a few years ago. The Wolverine on the oil pan turns the entire engine into a massive heat sink. Unfortunately they are only rated for diesel engines. I read on one site where a boater with a larger fly bridge cruiser with straight shafts, engines under the salon put vents in his engine hatch (or made winter hatches with vents in them, can't remember) and the heated engines kept his cabin at 70 degrees.
 
The Cat 3126 has almost 7 gallons of engine oil in theoil pan which is all bolted directly to the bottom of the engine. If I recallmine are 500 watts each which is 1,000 watts or 3,412 BTUs on 24 hours a day.My engine room and everything in the engine room which is under my salon floorstay above 70 degrees year round.

Not to be short but if anyone is interested do the search and you can seediscussions & info from previous post as typing is not my bag. This isn'tfor everyone and yes I am not up in the northern part of the country and do usemy boat 46+ weekends a year so I'm on it right on through the winter months. UpNorth if I couldn't use my boat or didn't want to be on it during the winter,I'd pull here, put her in a heated storage facility and take care of her likemy wife cause that’s the way I'd want it. Boating doesn't make financial senseanyway you look at it money wise only but it was never about the money it isabout life.
 
JV II said:
I looked these up and it seems like snake oil. You put it in a low point of the bilge and it heats the air up with something that uses the same energy as a 100 Watt bulb, causing the moisture to condense and to rise up out of the unit? It doesn't actually dehumidify the air. It just moves the moisture around the bilge from that description.
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I have used them for years, in the bilge and inside the boat. I can tell you its a noticeable difference when you have them running. They are pretty much standard equipment on boats around here. We live in mold country and there is lots of proof the Davis dehumidifiers work, the real proof is if you don't have them what starts growing inside your boat :smt009

If I was storing my boat on the hard and/or shrink wrapping it I would have a couple of these in it running 24/7. They are not real expensive, get one and give it a try this winter. I'll bet your wife will smell the difference when you open the boat up next spring.
 
I noticed a lot of talk about Wolverine heaters in this thread. I asked my Caterpillar mechanic about using them on my boat and he told me some horror stories about cooked globs of sludge in the bottom of the oil pan. He strongly recommended I not use them.

That being said, it sounds like quite a few of you are using them successfully. Can you enlighten me? Whats Fwebsters take on them?
 
Pack66Dad said:
I noticed a lot of talk about Wolverine heaters in this thread. I asked my Caterpillar mechanic about using them on my boat and he told me some horror stories about cooked globs of sludge in the bottom of the oil pan. He strongly recommended I not use them.

That being said, it sounds like quite a few of you are using them successfully. Can you enlighten me? Whats Fwebsters take on them?
Click to expand...
Always wondered about this myself.
 
Wanted to just let you guys know that I decided against a bilge heater. We have the boat winterized and under a winter cover so we're set. We just have to wait for the spring now :smt021
 
There are 3 real issues here; gas engines, diesels, and where you live. I now live in Mississippi, and it gets cold, but doesn't stay cold more than a few days at a time. I've used Boatsafe heaters on my last 3 boats as far North as Pickwick, near the Tennessee border. In every place I've lived, there have been times where the lake has frozen solid for a few days. Boatsafe heaters come on at 45 and shut off at 55. The coldest place in the bilge is the rear center. Not all boats allow placing the heater near that spot, I realize. The heater you choose is only as reliable as the local power supply, so if you live hours away, or your schedule doesn't allow you quick access to your boat, you might reconsider before going this route. Mine is hard wired in near the power inlet, just after the main breaker. I keep a radio shack ($30) remote thermometer in the bilge that displays actuals on a readout in the cabin so I don't have to raise the lid to check on things when it's cold. Also, I stuff foam rubber in the vents so the heater doesn't have to work so hard. During the winter, I crank my boat (and generator) and let it run to temperature at least every 10 days. The bilge has never gotten below 48 degrees, even when it's really cold. If I couldn't get to my boat quick, I wouldn't go the bilge heater route North of Kentucky. If you have a good buddy to help out and watch for you, thst changes things, of course.

Don
 
I winter in Baltimore and use the boat on 12 months a year. I put a oil filled radiator style heater in the bilge. The temperature in the bilge never dropped below 50 degrees last year. I have a Siren system that sends a daily text message with the temperature reading and notifies me when the power goes out. It works very well. I have never winterized any of my boats and believe the hull is better supported in the water than on jack stands.
 
I took Go First Class's advised and purchased a Boatsafe 1000w heater. I love it, my engine room never under 46F. In addition to the heater i also filled my raw water with anti-freeze after each use. Cheeper than replacing two engines i think.
 
Everyone has an opinion but in reality - it depends on a couple of things:
1. Where is the boat located - CT is too far north to put your engines at risk of freezing when you lose shore power and at 15 degrees, raw water jackets can freeze in 60 minutes.
2. Safety - I use one to take care of condensation in the ER and it's certified by IMMA. If all our systems carried this cert- we would all be safer.
3. Cost - Most boats >30 ft will require 2 to heat the ER - expensive?
4. Pink Stuff - if you are up north - recommend full winterization and if it's warm a couple of days, that pink stuff is cheap.....enjoy your boat then pour a couple gallons thru the strainers - then you can sleep at night during those snowy winters you guys have! :)
 
christo15 said:
Alright so from all this.. I'm still unsure whether it's worth it to get one or not? I know I have to winterize regardless.
Click to expand...

My boat is at Texoma where water temp doesn't get below 45. If lest in the water and covered, odds are good nothing will happen. Some winterized, most have bilge heaters, some do neither. I have a bilge heater. For me, the decision was for my personal piece of mind. Also, I have a West cabin heater that kicks in at 38. Again I feel better having it, and the regular boat heat, if left on only goes as low as 55. Didn't want to pay for that much electricity and put more wear on the boat equipment.

Had the marina run the bilge heater cord up through the rear locker on my 280 next to the boat's shore power plug. Run an extension from there. Probably better ways to do it, but it works. Most winter days in Texas hit the 50's or at least 40's. Exceptions are short lived. Up north you may need a different approach. Ask others in your marina what they do.


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I have an Xtreme bilge heater. I have no idea of the wattage, because there is no label anywhere. I assume it is the 600 because its a big engine room. We've had some pretty cold nights here, enough to freeze a skin of water on the surface of a small portion of our marina where a storm drain empties. We're in salt. I went into the bilge and the heater was off, but warm, like it has been working intermittently. I keep two bottles of water down there, one at waist level and one at the lowest point. I also keep them in my cabin bilge Those are my 99 cent temperature alarms. So far, no ice in any of the bottles of water. I check at least weekly.
 
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