On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:52:40 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:



My current boat has two reverse cycle AC/heat units. The Navigator had
four of them. Marine types exchange using water rather than ambient air and
surprisingly, there is still enough heat in the ocean water up here during
the winter for them to produce enough heat to keep the boat nice and warm.
I usually shut them down and winterized them before the deep cold set in.
If I had stayed on the boat all winter, like some others do at our marina,
I'd would have used them throughout the entire winter. I know a few people
that live on their boats year-round at the marina and they have told me that
there is only about a 2 week period in the middle of the winter when they
have to supplement the heat pumps with some electric space heaters.

Didn't know they were that good.
You ever look at the efficiency trade-offs at different temps?
Like when it's more efficient to use the space heater, even though the
pump can do the job.
I wonder if those motel thru-wall units are heat pumps. Had to turn
the heat on in one of the motels on the way to Florida last year, and
I just assumed it had heat coils. But maybe not.
From what I've read it's too cold up here to make heat pumps a frugal
investment.

--Vic