Who is using an electric blanket?

[Chotu]

Is anyone else using an electric blanket?

I have found this to be one of the best purchases I have ever made for a boat.

Because I took my boat out without it being completely finished, there are a lot of things missing. It’s kind of like camping out here right now.

I know that there are some pretty fierce cold fronts that come through Florida. Especially toward the north of Florida. And I figured I would probably need some way to keep warm. Occasionally.

I picked up an electric blanket for this purpose. So I could survive some frigid nights. Maybe nights where the temperature goes to freezing or so.

It turns out I have been using this a lot more than I had thought. Anytime it goes down about 50 or less I am using it.

It’s really helping me get a better night’s sleep because when you use the really thick blankets, you get too hot in the beginning. If you leave them off, you have to wake up in the middle of the night and move the blankets around and stuff as it gets cold toward dawn.

The electric blanket is keeping me at the right temperature all night long and I sleep like a baby.

It seems to use somewhere around 5 A at 12VDC. According to the label it maxes out at 12 A. But I don’t set it all the way up to the maximum because it’s way too hot. So a comfortable setting for me is the five amp setting. All night long. Eight hours. So it really uses approximately 40 AH or so for the evening. That’s my best guess. Based on just looking at my battery monitor.

If you can afford the amp hours, it’s a really economical way to stay comfortable on the boat. Without having to turn on massive heaters and blow through lots of fossil fuel.

The sun is what’s keeping me warm while I sleep at night.

The only negative thing I’m noticing is it’s very hard to get out of bed in the morning. ha ha ha.

Anyone else using one? What’s your experience with it?

[boatpoker]

Got one of these rechargable heating pads, about two hours on high - too hot, about 4 hours on med - just right.

Got it for my chronic broken back pain but it certainly helps on a cold night or even a cold winter walk.

[Bill O]

We've had a 12v blanket for a few years now and find it very useful. We use it in the cockpit, as a throw if reading or as a bed warmer.

Many years ago used an AC version to pre-heat the bed when docked in Wash. DC for a few winters. Much better then jumping into a cold bed.

We just purchased rechargeable 5V heated jackets. These allow you to move about the boat easier. Depending on the heat setting, the battery pack needs recharging every 6hrs or so (medium heat; only lasts a couple of hrs on high).

[rslifkin]

On chilly nights when we're not plugged into shore power we use ours (no heat without shore power or generator running as currently equipped). It's just a standard 120v dual zone blanket. Runs just fine from the inverter, and on the lower settings the power draw is low enough to not worry about it. I've never tracked power usage of it closely, but I don't think we've ever turned it up enough to burn more than 20 - 30 ah in a night.

[flee27]

Here is a power consumption test video I just watched on this very topic.

https://youtu.be/rU8BufebcCc

Definitely doable on a boat.

Foster

[Ivanvet]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I have found this to be one of the best purchases I have ever made for a boat.

Totally agree. I bought a heated matt pad for our forward cabin. We turned it on 20 min before going to bed, and this allowed us to turn the heat off overnight.
Got a couple of heated pads and blankets for the cockpit for when we are underway and makes the beginning and end of the season a bit more bearable.

[BobFord]

I must say GUILTY - have used electric blanket for years. However, it is rare to need one in Queensland. Currently in Tasmania for the summer and definitely have the blankets back on . Also have an electric cabin heater . Power use on 240vdc, is not noticeable with careful use. Agreed , Sun does the heating !!

[ben373]

Yes me too, really works well and don't use a great deal of power.

Note that you need a good pure sine wave inverter on the newer ones as they chop the sine wave to control heat and wont work on a modified find wave.

[GreenWave]

Link to these 12VDC blankets please???

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Link to these 12VDC blankets please???

I opened a web browser (Google Chrome) and then did a search for "12VDC Blanket" and immediately got a ton of hits.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by Shrew

I opened a web browser (Google Chrome) and then did a search for "12VDC Blanket" and immediately got a ton of hits.

Well, obviously I could do the same. Your "ton of hits" experience is exactly why I asked here. I would like to see what members of this forum are using and like. That is, in part, why this forum exists and why these types of topics are started.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Well, obviously I could do the same. Your "ton of hits" experience is exactly why I asked here. I would like to see what members of this forum are using and like. That is, in part, why this forum exists and why these types of topics are started.

I got this one. No complaints. Not 12v

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0133...b_b_asin_title

[wsmurdoch]

We have a Electrowarmth 12V bunk warmer. I saw it in a highway truck stop on a shelf among all the other 12V things for sale on the way to the men's showers. I later bought one off the internet. In my imaginings it is better than a electric blanket being insulated below me by a sheet, mattress pad, 2" of mattress topper, and 4" of foam and above me by a sheet, spread, blanket and quilt. Ours is 36" x 60" and runs from side to side on the vee berth from the edge of the pillows to our knees. We warm up the berth for an hour or so before we jump in the sack, and if it is seriously cold we run it during the night.

https://electrowarmth.com/products/c...RoC0bAQAvD_BwE

[SailingHarmonie]

I lived aboard in San Francisco Bay for many years. The very definition of cool and damp. I tried electric blankets, but ended up much preferring an electric mattress pad.

Pile the blankets on top, and it can give you a feeling of well-being in a blizzard no matter the cabin temperature. I normally had no heat at all in the cabin overnight, but I had an electric cabin heater on a timer that came on about 20 minutes before I had to get up. This greeted me with a warm and cozy cabin. The whole arrangement was 100% comfortable, and way, way, WAY cheaper than heating the whole boat all night.

Now that I am cruising in the tropics, it's not an issue...

[NSboatman]

+1 for the electric mattress pad. It’s a game changer. Seriously.

Once you’ve tried it, you won’t go back.