Steve Pescitelli shows off his Xtreme Heater. The company is celebrating its 20 years in business.
Twenty years ago, Lake Lanier boater Steve Pescitelli introduced his Xtreme Heater, a godsend for boaters overwintering their vessels in parts of the country where temperatures regularly drop below freezing. “I wanted to extend my boating season on Lake Lanier,” he said.
Today, much to his surprise, his business market has expanded from boats to RVs, fifth wheels, motor homes, campers and storage facilities.
“Leave it to my customers to put new uses for our Xtreme Heaters,” said Pescitelli, who lives in Hoschton. “They were asking if our units could be used – as is – for other applications and we really didn’t have to deliberate about it. The answer is yes.”
For years, the self-contained units found their way into boat bilges and engine compartments to produce heat that can ward off harmful freezing temperatures. Available in three sizes – 5-by-6 inches, 400w; and 5-by-8 inches, either 600w and 800w – the heating element delivers forced-air heat. It can be mounted permanently, or the company sells a quick-release bracket that’s easy to mount.
“The product meets the US Coast Guard requirements regarding ignition protection and it’s safe to be used in engine compartments,” Pescitelli said. “It has no exposed components and is completely encapsulated to keep moisture and any flammable fumes out. The heater is anodized and will not corrode.
“We even went further and tested to military specifications and have ended up in a number of military vehicles, including tanks and special forces boats.”
In the past few years, his customers started asking about using their Xtreme Heaters in their recreational vehicles during the winter.
The device keeps engine compartments and sensitive equipment from freezing.
“Since it’s completely sealed and uses forced air for heating, there is no risk in using it in other applications,” he said. “As time went by we received calls to purchase them for vans used by pressure washers and carpet cleaners who wanted to keep their on-board water and chemicals from freezing. Van Life folks started using them to keep their lithium batteries warm for charging.”
“Recently we’ve been selling them for storage units, residential well houses and valve enclosures – practically anything that needs protection from freezing.”
He said that some people have purchased them to protect their landscape plants. “They just put a tarp over the plant or shrub and put the Xtreme Heater underneath.”
The units run on 110v household current and cost pennies a month to run.
So how many units at what size do people need for these new applications?
“When people order an Xtreme Heater, we consult with them about the uses, the size of the area, where it will be placed and other factors and other factors such as insulation and air leakage that can affect the unit’s effectiveness,” he said.
Did he ever expect that he would move into such a wide variety of markets?
“I ‘blame’ our expansion on our customers, the people who have been loyal to Xtreme Heaters for two decades,” he said. “I’m just happy to know that my American-based, family-owned and operated business is doing what we intended when we were founded 20 years ago: providing solutions to consumers in so many applications. And it all started on Lake Lanier.”
For info about Xtreme Heaters or to order, visit www.xtremeheaters.com.
Photos: provided by Xtreme Heaters
