Humidity in Bilge Area

Papabrer

Papabrer

Member
Oct 13, 2022
82
Long Beach, Ca.
Boat Info
1994 440 Express
Engines
Caterpillar 3208 * 2
The bilge area of my model boat is rather confined. There is little to no airflow when in the slip. Although I have a fairly watertight bilge area and several pumps that keep any water to a low level. I still have a high humidity and would like to keep the area drier to prevent rust/corrosion etc.

Looking for best recommendations on fans or space heaters,etc. Any recommendations would be appreciated
 
I have always run a small fan in bilges just to move air. You would be surprised how much that will cut down on condensation-did this year round. From a heat standpoint, not sure I would trust a space heater in the bilge even on a diesel boat. Always kept a bilge heater in their in the winter.

Bennett
 
I keep a bucket of Damp Rid in my engine space. Specifically, the High Capacity tub. It has a fabric cap so the absorber doesn't spill out. Works great, nothing to plug in.
 
Have you validated the humidity is actually high or is this anecdotal? I installed a Govee temperature sensor in my engine compartment, cockpit, and cabin. I'm surprised to see how low the humidity actually is in the engine compartment.

I like what @b_arrington does.
 
So funny you write about this... My buddy Bill over at Neptunian Sky has come up with the Evacuator. I am going to install mine this weekend I hope if my plans don't get totally washed out. I like the idea of the blows being on a times to come on and evacuate the engine room a couple times a day for a minute or two. Regardless of the humidity or just the hot air I have to think cycling the air is a good thing. I will let you know how it goes. Chat with Bill before you buy as he has a couple different versions. With my dry bilge system and this I feel my engines will love me.

https://www.neptunianskyllc.com/product-page/evacuator-blower-control

1695733204028.png
 
mrsrobinson said:
Have you validated the humidity is actually high or is this anecdotal? I installed a Govee temperature sensor in my engine compartment, cockpit, and cabin. I'm surprised to see how low the humidity actually is in the engine compartment.

I like what @b_arrington does.
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What I do, in more detail, is get a bunch of these high capacity tubs for winter storage and place them around the living and mechanical spaces. When spring comes, I save a couple that have some life left and put the caps back on. Then put them into the engine and under-cockpit storage spaces to absorb moisture during the season and toss them when they are used up.

My cockpit has a design where a lot of the water drains into the lip around the hatch. If the drains get clogged or there's a super heavy rain, the gutters can't handle everything and some overflows into the storage area. Having a tub or 2 of DampRid really helps reduce the humidity.
 
I now keep damprid under my aft settee b/c any cleaning sponges, wet lines etc always led to mildew in there. Cheap and easy.
 
Great input from all, thanks very much. I have ordered the large damprid and will put one in this weekend.

I also liked the blower timer, please let me know how your install goes.
 
techmitch said:
There are several of these now also.

https://aridbilgesystems.com/
http://www.drybilgesystem.com/

Some members have experience?
@Stee6043
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I've seen Arid bilge in use at a boat show. The features are impressive and it can handle multiple zones easily, but IMO it's a very very expensive system and quite large. It runs based on timed intervals vs. detected water. I like the multiple sizes/types of water pickups. I know owners that have had it installed and said it is quite noisy when it operates.

I haven't used the Dry Bilge but have been looking at it for a bit. It seems like a well thought out system. I do like that it runs based on when water is detected. My thoughts on it is that it seems very expensive for what it is. It's $400 per unit, and you need a whole unit fore each area where you want to remove water. If you have multiple zones, it gets expensive very fast. Plus you need to do multiple electrical hookups and tap into multiple discharge hoses. It seems OK for a single zone but multizone is less appealing.

I like the looks of the Neptunian Sky Bilge-b-Dry. It's compact, has flexible operation methods (set timed schedule, or on-demand, but not water-sensing) and has multiple zone options. A 4 zone version costs less than the one zone Dry Bilge, and is just 10% of the cost of a comparable Arid Bilge. It does have some consumable expense though, in the form of the pickup blocks that should be replaced periodically. They also are one size, so it may be less flexible to get into smaller or oddly-shaped spaces.
 
b_arrington said:
I've seen Arid bilge in use at a boat show. The features are impressive and it can handle multiple zones easily, but IMO it's a very very expensive system and quite large. It runs based on timed intervals vs. detected water. I like the multiple sizes/types of water pickups. I know owners that have had it installed and said it is quite noisy when it operates.

I haven't used the Dry Bilge but have been looking at it for a bit. It seems like a well thought out system. I do like that it runs based on when water is detected. My thoughts on it is that it seems very expensive for what it is. It's $400 per unit, and you need a whole unit fore each area where you want to remove water. If you have multiple zones, it gets expensive very fast. Plus you need to do multiple electrical hookups and tap into multiple discharge hoses. It seems OK for a single zone but multizone is less appealing.

I like the looks of the Neptunian Sky Bilge-b-Dry. It's compact, has flexible operation methods (set timed schedule, or on-demand, but not water-sensing) and has multiple zone options. A 4 zone version costs less than the one zone Dry Bilge, and is just 10% of the cost of a comparable Arid Bilge. It does have some consumable expense though, in the form of the pickup blocks that should be replaced periodically. They also are one size, so it may be less flexible to get into smaller or oddly-shaped spaces.
Click to expand...
I have had the Neptunian in my boat for a year now and works great. I have the 4 pick up system and was super easy to install and run the 1/4' hose where I needed it. As far as the pickup they are weighted nicely, i don't even use the mounts and they stay in place no problem. As far as maintenance, you can back flush the pickups but if your bilge is clean then you should not have issues. the best way to keep the system clean is a little dawn soap in the bilge with some water and turn it on and flush it out.
 
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