PTC Technology

How does it work?

All Xtreme Heater models utilize PTC based heaters.

PTC is an acronym for “Positive Temperature Coefficient”.

What this means is that the Xtreme Heater will self limit and will respond automatically to thermal load demands placed on it by the environment, whether it be positive demands or negative demands; this is accomplished automatically within the PTC heater by its regulation of resistance as temperatures change or fluctuate.

A PTC heater will increase its resistance as temperature increases. Practically speaking, the wattage will increase as ambient temperatures fall and the wattage will decrease as ambient temperatures rise. The practical side to this is that the PTC air heater will maintain a consistent air temperature within the temperature tolerances specified and will never over heat in any circumstance.  

Traditionally, temperature regulation has been accomplished using a combination of a fixed resistance heater and a thermostat. This has been, and still is today, a reliable method for heating enclosures. However, the problem can arise that if the thermostat fails you will have a heater running at maximum capacity with no way of shutting it down even as temperatures increase to an unsafe level.  

What happens if a thermostat fails when a PTC heater is in the system? The heater will shut itself down to a minimum operating level without overheating anything. It is like treading water.

What happens if suddenly the fan fails and there is no airflow? The PTC heater shuts itself down to a minimum operating level without overheating anything. If there is a sudden thermal load placed on the heating system either by falling ambient temperatures or maybe a consumer caused condition, such as a door opened and cold air is allowed to enter the heating chamber, the PTC heater will automatically increase its heating power to replace the heat loss. As soon as this has been accomplished the heater will stabilize again at a lower power level, it will go back to the “treading water” mode. 

So you can see, when you use a PTC-based heater and a thermostat you have a control situation that can be compared to a person who wears both a belt and suspenders. It is equally as safe to eliminate the thermostat entirely and let the PTC control the temperature. The larger benefit to using the PTC technology is that risk or your exposure to liability is reduced.

XTREME Heaters provide the heat your boat requires to stay warm
and does this safely with reduced energy consumption:
All key benefits to the XTREME Heaters customer.

CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Setting the standard in marine heaters: the first bilge heater on the market today to pass the Ignition Protection requirements of the following organizations:

The Xtreme Heater has been tested for the ignition protection requirements of the ABYC, the USCG, ISO 8846 and SAE J1171 to determine compliance of the item to the Ignition Protection requirements for electrical components as stated in the ISO Standard ISO 8846 as well as the Electrical System Standard, Title 33 CFR, Part 183, Subpart I, Section 183.410, SAE J1171and the ABYC Certification Handbook.

Procedure

The procedures used to accomplish the Ignition Protection tests are ISO 8846, SAE J1171,and the USCG recommended procedures entitled "USCG Electrical System Standard Test Procedure", dated January 1978. These procedures are acceptable to the European Community and the United States Coast Guard respectively for establishing conformance to the ignition protection requirements. The Xtreme Heater 600 was chosen for the test as the highest energy producing unit within the family. Upon receipt, the test specimen was inspected for damage and any obvious signs of noncompliance with the requirements of the ISO Standard, the SAE Standard and the USCG requirements.

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Report No. 17230-1

The heater was subjected to an Explosive Atmosphere Exposure Test and a High Temperature Operating Test. The tested unit, because it only operates normally at between 40°F an 52°F was "tricked" into operating at the required 60°C ambient temperature by removing the system thermostat and placing the thermostat into a cold water bath during testing. Although the thermostat (Airpax 054052A) is a sealed component it was subjected to the Induced Ignition Test as it was the only spark producing component in the assembly.

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Results

The results of the test performed indicate that the heater meets the Ignition Protection Test requirements of the USCG, stated in Title 33 CFR 183.410. The test article was operated (50 on-off-on cycles) while in an explosive atmosphere without igniting the atmosphere. At no time during the High Temperature Operating Test was a temperature in excess of the limits of the Standard detected on any exterior surface of the test article or its components. The thermostat contained the energy generated by the 50 Induced Explosions without causing the surrounding explosive atmosphere to ignite.

The Xtreme Heater is built to meet or exceed ABYC ignition protection standards for your safety. (Conventional space heaters and light bulbs are unsafe for an engine compartment because of the danger of sparks igniting gas and other flammable vapors.)

MIL-SPEC Testing Xtreme Heaters

We also put the Xtreme Heater threw all MIL-SPEC ( MIL-STD-810E Method 514.4 Vibration ) Testing Just to Prove that they are tough enough to make it in the most demanding environments .The MIL-SPEC (MILITARY)  test are the hardest to pass .This method is intended for all types of military equipment.

Xtreme Heaters on the shaker table. This will simulate a long time of abuse, real world vibration levels and intensities received by the product during this test will exceed what the product should see in real world experiences.

View a 20-second video of the shaker test

Effects vibration can cause :

	Wire chafing
	Loosening of fasteners
	Intermittent electrical contacts
	Touching and shorting of electrical parts
	Seal deformation
	Component fatigue
	Cracking and rupturing

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Putting Xtreme Heaters through the rigors of the MIL-Spec ( MIL-STD-810E Method 507.3 Humidity) humidity testing for environmental effects

These pictures are of the environmental and low/high temperature testing:

Also tested for MIL-Spec ( MIL-STD-810E Method 502.3 Low temperature): Low temperature testing witch takes the environment down to  -40C/-4F. Heater still working fine.

Also tested for MIL-Spec ( MIL-STD-810E Method 501.3 High temperature):High temperature testing witch takes the environment up to  60C/140F.  Heater still working fine.

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Environmental and Temperature Test Data