Can I Use The Heater When Not In The Water

[Mickey Goodman]

When I purchased my boat it had a airconditioner/heater already installed. I know that I must have the through-hull valve open in order to use the airconditioner.Now that the boat is out of the water I was wondering if I could use the heater as long as I have the electrical still hooked up to the boat? Someone out by the marina told me that I couldn't because the heater actually takes the heat out of the water for heating purposes. This doesn't make much sense to me since the water would be in the low 50's during the winter and I don't think there would be any heat to take out.Anyone out there have any experience with this type of boat heating/airconditioning?

 

[Patti Polk]

Use a space heater

We have had some recent experience with having the boat out of the water up in Mystic, CT. We were hooked up to power but used an electric space heater. The factory installed air conditioner/heater uses water cycling through it to cool or heat so couldn't be used out of the water.

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Definitely a space heater...

In fact, I use a space heater to warm up the cabin before I turn the central heat on. Heat pumps do a great job of bring temperature down (air conditioning) in a hurry, but have to really struggle to raise the temperature, especially when the water going through 'em is cold...it can take half an hour to bring it up 10 degrees. Otoh, a ceramic heater warms up the cabin in about 5 minutes, at which point the central heat can take over and keep it warm.

 

[jim logan]

If its a heat pump, don't do it.

It will burn up your water circulation pump plus its not very good for the compressor of the heatpump/airconditioner as it cycles out on high pressure.. This is hard on the motor for the compressor. Not to mention, without water circulation, there is no heat!

 

[Clyde Lichtenwalner]

Duct Heaters

This is probably a reverse cycle air unit, however some AC units use resistance heaters in the duct work instead of a true reverse cycle. I would not attempt to use this unit for heat when hauled unless you find that you have installed resistance heaters in the ducts. Small 1500w ceramic heaters are cheaper than fixing a broken AC unit that has been run dry.

 

[Pete]

need water

all the other post are correct it that you need water to use the ac/heat beside the pumps etc the water is where the heat is coming from the unit is able go get heat out of water above 45 degres.

 

[George Kornreich]

It's a heat-pump, and

You can get heat out of very cold water, just as a residential heat pump can get heat from a snow-covered back yard. Think of it this way... 30 degrees F. is warmer (contains more heat) than zero degrees F. Only at absolute zero (waaay down there!) is there no heat, but of course, no system needs to work in water below it's freezing point, 'cause that ain't water... it's ice! (Thought I'd throw in a little physics).Don't run the heat pump without intake water, or it's curtains for the unit. These units heat or cool by reversing what they do... either pump heat into or out of the boat, using freon and then water as the transfer medium, but in my experience, work better (more efficiently) as air conditioners than as heaters, but much of that has to do with the ducts, at least on my boat.