Installing a Dock De-Icer
Installing a de-icer comes down to four decisions: how you hold the unit in the water, how deep you hang it, which way you point it, and how you power it. Kasco publishes specific numbers for all four in the de-icer manual, and most installation problems come from guessing one of them.
The numbers to get right
These are the figures worth having in front of you before you start. Each is Kasco's, and each links to the page that explains it.
| Setting | Kasco figure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension line spacing | At least 8 ft apart | Starting torque can twist closer lines and damage the power cord |
| Hang depth, vertical | 4 to 6 ft | Too deep and the warm water does not spread at the surface |
| Bottom clearance | At least 1 ft | Closer and the unit pulls debris into the intake |
| Angling, rope suspension | 1 to 4 cage wires | More than four is not recommended |
| Mount pipe | 1 in or 1.5 in nominal | Customer supplied; not included in either kit |
| Circuit | GFCI protected | Running without one voids the warranty |
Working through it in order
Decide what you are protecting first. Kasco separates two objectives, and they lead to different installations. If your concern is ice expansion pressure against a dock or seawall, an open-water buffer between the structure and the ice pack may be all you need. If your concern is ice lifting pilings or trapping a boat, you are aiming to keep the whole area clear. Work out which one you are solving before choosing a position.
Then pick the mounting method. Rope suspension or a pipe mount, covered in mounting methods along with the two Kasco mount kits and their pipe requirements.
Then set depth and angle. How deep to hang the unit, how to angle it by moving a suspension line, and how to work around boats, current and tide, in depth and angle.
Then power it. GFCI requirements, what voids the warranty, and how the C-10 and C-20 controllers cut run time, in electrical requirements.
Kasco's own advice is to try more than one position rather than commit to the first. Bottom contours around a dock are rarely even, and moving a few feet sideways often changes results more than changing depth.
Rope suspension, the Universal and Industrial mount kits, pipe sizes and swivel brackets.
Hang depth, bottom clearance, setting the angle, and placement around boats, current and tide.
GFCI protection, warranty conditions, disconnection means, and the C-10 and C-20 controllers.
Before you order the hardware
Two questions sit upstream of installation and are easier to answer first. How much water depth do you have, since below about 6 ft a propeller de-icer starts to underperform and a bubble curtain becomes the better choice. And what size unit does the area need, since the coverage figures assume conditions most private docks do not have.