Block heater


D

drynoc

New member
We just bought a 1999 330 SS which we love. I'm in Virginia, and am wondering if anyone here has used a block heater for winterization. Assuming one could be found that fits, would it keep all of the components warm enough?
 
A BLOCK HEATER WOULD NOT BE COAST GUARD APPROVED, AND I'M SURE COULD SPARK AND CAUSE OTHER TROUBLES.
THERE ARE BILGE HEATERS AVAILABLE THAT WOULD WORK INSTEAD.3
BOATSAFE AND EXTREME HEATERS ARE TWO THAT COME TO MIND.
 
Thanks for the reply, Gsent, but I don't follow you. As far as I know, a block heater is something that plugs into the engine, I believe in the coolant side, and keeps the block warm enough to prevent freezing. I guess most cars in Canada have them, and they are plugged in at night all winter long. I don't know why the same thing wouldn't work for a boat. I also don't know why the Coast Guard would have an issue with such a setup, assuming that I am right about how it works and how little fire hazard it should be.
 
drynoc,
i agree with you, but until something is tested and ul listed for use in a marine environment, it cannot be used. i'm sure it would work, but i would not want to take that chance.
the block heaters i've seen are 120 volt. any spark in an enclosed area would ignite gasoline fumes.
 
also keep in mind that the when the engine hatch is closed the engine compartment for the most part is closed and has poor ventilation unlike a car. I wouldn't use a block heater. Use a bilge heater instead.
 
so, any report on how well this has worked? i've been thinking about one of these Xtreme heaters but am nervous about the cold snaps that we get around here...

thanks,
todd
 
I use an X-treme heater in the engine compartment of my 37 PC It comes on only when the temp drops below 40 degrees. Very nice to know all is well when a cool snap occurs because I live 3 hours away from the boat.
 
I have an X-treme heater. I have used it over the years and has never failed me. Then again I can see my boat from my windows at home. Always worry that if water levels get high, like now, dock power gets shut down. As you know if it should fail it can be very costly. When I don't take my boat south for the winter I will run antifreeze through engines. If I use the boat over the winter I just add antifreeze again. Easy and cheap enough on a fresh water system.
 
hey, while you guys are discussing this can i get some opinions? will one bilge heater such as the x-treme be sufficient to protect the engine compartment in my 95 34pc or would i need to do additional winterization as far as the bilge is concerned?
 
It really depends on where you are and how cold it gets. I would only trust a heater for light freezes if the boat is kept in the water. Only 1 Xtreme would be sufficient. I think they come in 2 sizes I have the bigger one.
 
we're in southeast tennessee. don't normally get hard freezes that last very long allthough last year we had a cold snap that froze our harbor over for about a week. that is not the norm though. on our old boat we kept a ceramic heater in the cabin and a 100w flood light in the bilge and didn't have any problems. i know that really isn't the safest thing to do and i want to put in a bilge heater on our new boat. i'll keep an eye out for the bigger one. thanks
 
I'm going to weigh in here.. Block heaters in marine applications are usually used on diesels to promote easier starting and less smoke in cold weather. Most go in the coolant side of the block to keep the coolant up to temperature. There is also a silicone pad made by Wolverine which sticks to the oil pan to keep the block warm by heating the oil. You can also get a rod which goes down the dipstick tube. Block heaters can be beneficial because they help attenuate moisture in the engine, which is the #1 killer of all marine engines.

Having said all that, I would not rely on a block heater here in CT instead of winterizing in case there was a power failure. I would install some sort of heat in the engine bay / bilge if my marina allowed me to keep the boat plugged in over the winter, but they don't...
 
I have two of the 600 watt Xtreme heaters. One will likely never come on as the first one to come on keeps the other one's thermostat from reaching the trigger threshold. It's there mostly in case the first one fails.

If you choose to utilize two of these, they should not be connected to the same circuit. The current draw would be too high given the remote chance they both came on at the same time. Speaking of current, pay attention to something called Locked Rotor Amps. This is the initial current required at device start up. Even though these devices power up gradually, they still draw almost double the nominal operational current for the first nano-second or so. For the 600's, I believe nominal current draw is about 7 amps at full output power (which is rarely used), but LRA is about 12 amps. Easy to see why 2 of these operating at the same time on one circuit could be problematic. In most cases, they should not be a problem, but the potential exists should one have a weak circuit.

The manufacturer also recommends that bilge vents are blocked/covered during device usage. This keeps cold winds out, and heated air in. I had a foam rubber company close to where I live make two bilge vent plugs just for this purpose, and they work nicely.

One more thing..... There's nowhere to plug these in without leaving the day hatch, ect.. slightly open for the power cords to get pluged in outside of the engine compartment. This kind of defeats the purpose. I get past this by removing the table stantion plug in the day hatch, in order to fish wires from the engine compartment up to a power source. I then plug the remainder of the hole with a small piece of foam.

In closing, Xtreme sells a compressed gas refrigerant to spray on the thermostat to test these. It's highly recommended that you at least occasionally test the heater to make sure it is working asintended.
 
Hi all, just a thought. if you have fresh water cooled (closed cooling with antifreeze) could'nt you just use the little blue pump and pump of the shrader valve and let the riser and manifold drain plugs open to dump all the raw water out? I would think since these are the low points all the water would come out and you do not have to worry about freezing. :'(
 
I don't know which one I bought - it is on the boat and I am here. But it has worked well for two winters on the Potomac, where conditions are relatively mild. The electricity draw has cost me no more than $6 in any given month. I believe you can test it just as well by sticking it in the freezer at home to see if it comes on.

I have also wondered about what Castines is wondering about, and I have a raw water cooled boat. If I flush and then drain the block, what is there to worry about?

I (I love the first person pronoun - it's all about me. See? there it goes again!) have also been considering adding a "Y" valve to the raw water inlet on both of my engines. A length of hose can be added to the extra opening, and that length put in a bucket of anti-freeze. Flip the "Y" valve switch, turn on the engine, draw the anti-freeze out of the bucket and through the engine and voila! you are winterized. I did this on my sailboat and it worked like a charm. Why would it not work on a power boat?
 
It will. Go to the "Perko" website and look at the Sea-Strainer category. You will see that they now make one with a fitting that is an integral part of the strainer for exactly that purpose.....
 
If you are winterizing a raw water motor don't you have to either remove the or make sure that the thermostat is open before you run anti freeze through the motor ?? What about the drives to the intake ?? If you have closed water system can't you just put muffs on the drives and run anti freeze through them while on the hard ??
 
Yes, the thermostat needs to be open if you are going to suck in antifreeze thru the outdrive. I just drain the engine and then just pull the large hose from the thermostat housing and fill from there. By the time you set up the bucket, hose and muffs, I'm done. No guessing or worries.
 
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