What Brand Is This Bubbler?

[wyrman]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me the brand of this bubbler?

 

[Gofirstclass]

Sorry, can't help you with the brand, but will say that when you hang it, hang it from the bow rails, not from the dock. The Port frowns on things hanging from the dock.

Also, watch it for awhile to make sure it doesn't trip the breakers. Mine did that on my boat and Jim had to plug it into the power pedestal in the next slip. The combination of the pump motor and the heaters we had on the boat kept tripping the 50A breakers. We told the Port about it and they were OK with doing that.

 

[wyrman]

Will do, thank you.
Not sure I'm gonna buy this one, but what ever I get I'll hang from the boat.

 

[endless seas]

Creepy looking thing.

 

[hottoddie]

We call those "Ice Eaters". We have about 100 of them around the docks to keep the ice from damaging the docks and pilings at the yacht club. We use a different brand than the one pictured but they are usually available in 1/2 and 3/4hp versions that will draw different amps. Kasco makes a thermostat that you can install between the outlet and the power cord to turn the ice eater on at a preset temp.

 

[wyrman]

Thank you hottoddie. I do know what they're called, just trying to figure out the manufacturer. It's an odd looking one. He has a Kasco C10 thermostat with it.
I can get the bubbler and thermostat for a couple hundred bucks, but it's a 2 1/2 hour drive each way.

 

[hottoddie]

Never seen one the looks like that. Maybe it's an older model made by Kasco seeing as it came with a Kasco thermostat. I like the design that seems like it would not clog with debris very easily. Plastic shopping bags seem to be enemy #1. Maybe send the picture to Kasco to see if they can ID it for you. Good luck.

 

[wyrman]

So I checked with Kasco, and its an Ice Daemon manufactured in 1985, and the company is out of business.
The guys trying to pass it off as three years old.

 

[JVM225]

If you have some time, then keep looking. I occasionally see Kasco’s on Craigslist and EBay for a pretty reasonable price. Lots of times they are advertised as used one season and sometimes they still have the original boxes. I think owners sometimes try staying in for the winter, buy one, use it, and then decide that staying in over the winter isn’t for them.
That’s how I got mine two years ago and I still haven’t used it, but plan to next winter.

 

[wyrman]

Yeah, I'm in no hurry. If I have to I'll buy a new one if needed.
Our marina doesn't freeze over bad enough to need one very often, so I'll just keep an eye on how things go.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Your post kinda reminded me that I need to hang my Kasco before we head back to AZ, but the first thing I need to do is get the heat exchanger on the genset repaired and take the Seahawk Christmas decoration off the boat.

By way of an FYI, my Kasco is a 3/4hp model and it's serious overkill for what we need.

I'd think a 1/4hp or 1/3hp or something close to that would be plenty. In this photo you can see the turbulence the pump creates. It keeps my slip and the slips on either side of me ice free.

 

[hottoddie]

Ice eaters seem to available in 1/2, 3/4 and 1hp. We use about 100 3/4hp units. 3 winters ago during the really nasty winter we had all 100 running 24-7 for 2 months. Each ice eater cost about $2/day to run. We spent over 12k that winter on electricity to run the ice eaters. Last winter less than 1k. Go figure, mother nature does strange things.

 

[JVM225]

Yeah, I'm in no hurry. If I have to I'll buy a new one if needed.
Our marina doesn't freeze over bad enough to need one very often, so I'll just keep an eye on how things go.

Yeah, it would be great if you can hold off on a new one.
I think they’re one of those boating items that most who buy them never use much and eventually get rid of.
Mine is a 3/4 hp Kasco that was used for 1 season and came in the original box. I think I paid $250 for it which is pretty much in line with what I see them on Craigslist for.
I actually grabbed it for a friend who was looking for one and he got one himself before I had a chance to tell him I got this one so I kept it.
BTW: Neither of us has used them yet.

 

[wyrman]

This is the first, and most likely only year I have my boat in the water through the winter, so I hope it doesn't freeze over.
We got a real nice freeze last year, and the only person that had a bubbler was GFC.