removable bilge heater....

[CliffA]

i have an Xtreme bilge heater in the engine room that is mounted as low as possible in the bilge between the two engines...it is permanently mounted right now but i don't know with what...maybe screws maybe adhesive....it is very difficult (almost impossible) for me to even touch it, much less try to test it with freeze spray to insure it is working properly....i was thinking about having a temporary mount for the bilge heater where i could raise and lower it in the bilge with the power cord...that way i could remove the heater when not needed and also be able to test it with freeze spray before i lower it into the bilge for winter storage....

i am interested in the creative ways you guys may be using to accomplish this....i would like for the temporary mount to be secure enough to hold the heater in place if/when we take the boat out during the winter....i know i could relocate the heater in the ER but where it is now is the ideal location according to the Xtreme web site....

thanks....
cliff

 

[Gofirstclass]

Cliff, how about posting some photos of your engine room so we know what we have to work with/work around. Without some pics we'd just be guessing about how to do it.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Cliff, do you have some pictures of where you might want to mount it? That would give us a better idea of what your thoughts are.

You might want to check on something... I could be wrong, but I 'think' there might be a CG reg about not mounting a device like that below the water line (where it sounds like it is right now?). But, again, I'm not positive.

 

[ZZ13]

Heck, when I used a bilge heater I just set it on the floor of the engine room and ran an extension cord to an outlet. If I needed to remove it to use the engines I just unplugged it and took it out. Then afterwards put it back in and plugged it back in. Took like 5 minutes at most each time. For the boating season, I took it home.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Heck, when I used a bilge heater I just set it on the floor of the engine room and ran an extension cord to an outlet. If I needed to remove it to use the engines I just unplugged it and took it out. Then afterwards put it back in and plugged it back in. Took like 5 minutes at most each time. For the boating season, I took it home.

Well, shoot, that would take all the 'fun' out of the project! :smt001

Cliff, are you thinking of hard-wiring it? Maybe with a quick-disconnect so you can remove it completely once the warm season starts?

 

[skolbe]

I set mine on the step on my transmission. I run the cord through the access port in the floor. It places it mid level in the bilge.

 

[alnav]

I secure my (Boatsafe) heater by taking out one of the deckplate screws and running it through the base of the heater. Good enough for winter but not sure I would want to get underway like this. I was looking around the internet about heaters to respond to that "other" heater thread and happened on to this: http://www.boat-heaters.com/70-xtreme-heaters-quick-release-bracket-xtrqrs-xtrqrl.html. Apparently extreme markets a quick release bracket that might be useful for your application.

 

[dpmulvey]

Mine is zip tied to a piece of coated closet shelf that rests between the stringers. Actually the "shelf" is out of an old Norcold fridge. It fit perfectly.

 

[CliffA]

here is a pic showing how/where it is mounted now....Dennis, i am undecided about hard wiring it to the breaker box...but as you said if i do i can use a quick disconnect for when i want to remove it....

i know the ER and bilge are dirty and i plan to correct that....just have not got to it yet....

View attachment 39281

 

[CliffA]

I secure my (Boatsafe) heater by taking out one of the deckplate screws and running it through the base of the heater. Good enough for winter but not sure I would want to get underway like this. I was looking around the internet about heaters to respond to that "other" heater thread and happened on to this: http://www.boat-heaters.com/70-xtreme-heaters-quick-release-bracket-xtrqrs-xtrqrl.html. Apparently extreme markets a quick release bracket that might be useful for your application.

thanks....personally i am staying as far away from that 'other' bilge heater thread as i can.....

the mount from Xtreme looks good but i would still have to physically get down to the current location to flip the lever to lock the heater in place and that really is not a good option for me if i leave it in the same location...

cliff

 

[Do Over]

Heck, when I used a bilge heater I just set it on the floor of the engine room and ran an extension cord to an outlet. If I needed to remove it to use the engines I just unplugged it and took it out. Then afterwards put it back in and plugged it back in. Took like 5 minutes at most each time. For the boating season, I took it home.

the K.I.S.S. method....I'm a big fan....well done.

 

[CliffA]

Heck, when I used a bilge heater I just set it on the floor of the engine room and ran an extension cord to an outlet. If I needed to remove it to use the engines I just unplugged it and took it out. Then afterwards put it back in and plugged it back in. Took like 5 minutes at most each time. For the boating season, I took it home.

you know Bill, the more i think about it the more i like the simple solution you have used....the only 'potential' problem would be if i forget to remove the heater before taking the boat out for a cruise....the heater could get bounced around some which probaby is not good for the heater....

cliff

 

[JimT]

Cliff,

Its hard to tell how much room you have but on my 280DA I mounted the Xtreme heater on plastic board that ran across the top of the stringers. This kept it out of any bilge water but it was still at the midpoint of the engine blocks. My current Xtreme heater is hardwired and stays in place year round. I can run a 1500w ceramic heater, the 600w bilge heater and the reverse cycle heat with no problem. If I turn on the hot water heater the breaker on the panel will trip. Since I am not using the shower in the winter when the ceramic heater is running this doesn't present a problem

 

[Lazy Daze]

Aside from whether or not it's 'allowed' to be below the waterline, it might be good to build a shelf between the stringers so it's at least not right on the bilge floor. While it's ignition protected, I doubt it's waterproof.

Aside from that, you're looking for a way to get it in and out without having to physically get down into the bilge yourself? And, I'm sure you would agree that using the cord to lower/raise it is not the best plan.

Still need to think this through in regards to being able to secure it enough for underway, but putting that aside for now... And this is very Rube Goldberg-ish, but... If the heater was mounted to plywood (or starboard, etc), and then you had a long handle attached to the wood? The handle could even be made out of rope (initially attached at the four corners for balance) and then hang the rope onto the underside of the cockpit floor by adding a little hook so you can easily retrieve it. The plywood could have short legs on it so it keeps the heater from being directly on the floor.

Personally, I like the hard wire option - if I was planning on using the boat, that is.

 

[ZZ13]

you know Bill, the more i think about it the more i like the simple solution you have used....the only 'potential' problem would be if i forget to remove the heater before taking the boat out for a cruise....the heater could get bounced around some which probaby is not good for the heater....

cliff

I understand that. I had to trip over my cord to get to the helm, so I didn't ever forget it was there. Little anecdote, I sometimes close my main seacocks if I am not going to use the boat for a while (don't want growth up into the seacocks and hose). So to make sure I don't start the engines forgetting they are closed, I set my engine keys on top of the strainers when I close the seacocks.

Dennis, actually I did have mine on a board I set on top of the stringers for that water protection reason. I forgot about that detail.

 

[CliffA]

yeah, that is another reason i really don't like the current location...if the boat were to develop a significant water leak there would be a real danger of the heater getting wet which i am sure is not good....and i do agree that using the power cord to raise and lower the heater is not a good idea unless i could use some kind of strong stress relief for the cord....

i like the idea of mounting the heater to a shelf that stretches across the stringers, especially if i can figure a way to keep the shelf in place during a cruise....i'll look into that idea a little deeper....i still have some cleaning of the bilge to do this coming WE so that will give me a good chance to look at things closely...

cliff

 

[CliffA]

I sometimes close my main seacocks if I am not going to use the boat for a while (don't want growth up into the seacocks and hose). So to make sure I don't start the engines forgetting they are closed, I set my engine keys on top of the strainers when I close the seacocks.

off topic a little bit but i do something similar....i block the ER vents with car wash sponges during winter storage to keep the heat in the ER and to keep the wind out of the ER...i place an index card in the electrical control panel in the cabin in front of the engine ignition breakers that reads 'Remove Sponges'.....

cliff

 

[Lazy Daze]

The shelf, itself, is simple enough to make with some long L-brackets (pretty much exactly the same thing as what is being used for your hatch lift. But you can also get L-brackets made from fiberglass or even PVC very cheap - although Aluminum isn't all that much, either.

A permanent shelf is easy. The hard part (still thinking about it) is making it, or the heater, easily attached/removable from the cockpit, but secure enough for a boat ride.

Hmmm... although I've never had one in front of me... there are 'remotely operated' seacocks. There used in boats where there is no access (without removing screwed-down panels, for example) to the seacocks. Basically, it consists of a long rod that attaches to the seacock lever arm. Combine that with that lockable mount... I'm just spit-balling here, though - I'd have to take a better look at one of those contraptions.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Off topic... I trailer my boat (and always remove the garboard drain plug). I've "learned" that it's a good idea to store the plug in a ziploc baggie, attached to the steering wheel with a small velcro strap. Took a few times to 'learn' that, though.

 

[CliffA]

i just had a thought....scary i know....i could make the shelf with a 'n' shaped lip on the side next to the hatch lift bracket....i could position the heater shelf so that the 'n' shaped lip overlapped the side of the hatch lift bracket....that would keep the shelf and the heater in place during a cruise and allow for easy removal and placement of the heater shelf...

cliff