Ceramic heater on board?
- Thread starter john6206
- Start date
No, that is a Hind ski mid-layer top. A common underlay for my off-season sailing.
I would not leave a fired heater, other than installed heating, running while sleeping. I also like sleeping in a cold cabin with a thick quilt or sleeping bag. Heck, I set the thermostat at 55-60F at home in the winter.
This heater will warm my 24-foot boat from near freezing to comfortable in ~ 30 minutes. I direct a very small USB fan towards it to spread the heat evenly through the cabin. I forget the BTU rating, but it's more than a 1500 Watt heater.
Mine has 4 individual breakers: outlets, water heater, charger, & reverse cycle. How are yours labelled?
Yes, you just push the buttons on and off. The panel feels too flimsy for how hard you have to push the buttons, but so be it.
In my experience, space heaters, electric cars, and even an electric tea kettle have all at one time or another served as excellent “bad wiring detectors.” Read: I’ve melted a few outlets. Fortunately, the materials used to make them are flame retardant so it hasn’t done more damage than give me a good scare.
I now always and obsessively check the temperature on the plug. More than slightly warm is an indicator of a developing problem, and the heat is self reinforcing as the contacts expand and the connection degrades. Often the issue is hidden: it’s loose screws on the back side of the outlet, rather than the plug itself. Poorly mounted outlets that move as you plug into them are especially prone to working loose. Before I was comfortable sleeping with the heater on I would probably check the breakers and inlet plug too. But I’m admittedly paranoid.
If the wiring is in good shape then 1500W is totally fine, but it is at the upper limit of what a regular outlet can handle. A 750W setting, meanwhile, will generate 1/4 the heat in any wiring (P = I ^ 2 x R, I is halved) and would therefore worry me much less.
I now always and obsessively check the temperature on the plug. More than slightly warm is an indicator of a developing problem, and the heat is self reinforcing as the contacts expand and the connection degrades. Often the issue is hidden: it’s loose screws on the back side of the outlet, rather than the plug itself. Poorly mounted outlets that move as you plug into them are especially prone to working loose. Before I was comfortable sleeping with the heater on I would probably check the breakers and inlet plug too. But I’m admittedly paranoid.
If the wiring is in good shape then 1500W is totally fine, but it is at the upper limit of what a regular outlet can handle. A 750W setting, meanwhile, will generate 1/4 the heat in any wiring (P = I ^ 2 x R, I is halved) and would therefore worry me much less.
Hey Thanks everyone!
we had a great couple days in the cold, got some good sailing in, wore plenty of clothes.
I kept the heater on low, and checked the outlet frequently. We were toasty warm, “low“ is really effective in a small space with 4 humans. I turned it off when we went to bed and we were all pretty comfy.
@Scott T-Bird
Your answer made the little cartoon lightbulb above my head light up.
I‘m not pushing it hard enough!
Thanks!
we had a great couple days in the cold, got some good sailing in, wore plenty of clothes.
I kept the heater on low, and checked the outlet frequently. We were toasty warm, “low“ is really effective in a small space with 4 humans. I turned it off when we went to bed and we were all pretty comfy.
@Scott T-Bird
Your answer made the little cartoon lightbulb above my head light up.
I‘m not pushing it hard enough!
Thanks!