New hot water heater.

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David M

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Is there a marine instant water heater (paloma like) and if so are they worth the money? My water heater is original and the element blew (I think)or the heater has bitten it entirely. In any event, I have no hot water shy of the heat exchangers. The reason I ask about a different heat mode is it appears the left manifold on the port engine must be removed to replace the water heater. I have read that hot water heaters are good for 4-5 years max. I would prefer to remove the manifold only once. If there is a substitute to the 6 gallon heater I currently have installed I would certainly be interested in the pros and cons of such an installation.

TIA
 
David I looked into doing this and found out it wasn't possible or I should say practical. The unit I needed to replicate the heat needed drew 30amps. My boat is 30 amps per side. I couldn't see having to turn everything off on that leg for instant hot water. You will find they can only raise the water temperature about 25 to 40 degrees off of the ambient temperature of the water in your tanks or the dock supply hose. I really stopped looking when I saw the current draw. Another drawback is there is no reserve, with my 12 gallon setup I find I can shut the breaker off after I am up to the thermostat limit and still have usable hot water 4 to 6 hours later, you loose that feature with instant hot water heaters you also loose the heat exchanger feature.
Take care. Bill
 
The electric versions of the instant water heaters aren't practical for use on a small boat, as they require too much electric power. The propane-fired units work very well, if you are willing to carry propane on your boat - I wouldn't want it on a boat of mine.
 
If it is just your element that went, why spend all the money on a new tank...just take the element out, take it to Home Depot or Lowes, and get a new one for about $20.00. Just make sure the ratings are the same. We find them there all the time. Saves our customers alot of money.
 
Thanks guys. I knew y'all would come through for me. Home Depot? I never would have thought of that.
 
David, take the old one with you and match it up. Also watch out, most of them in Home Depot are 240 volts - they DO have 120 volt units but you've got to look for them.
 
If you can't find it at Home Depot try an RV place.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Vic Willman

David, take the old one with you and match it up. Also watch out, most of them in Home Depot are 240 volts - they DO have 120 volt units but you've got to look for them.

Click to expand...


SSSSOOOOOO! Just thinking. What would happen if I put a 220VAC element in the water heater? I ask because I have an accent cannister lamp in the living room at home. I had it in Italy which runs 220VAC. The same bulb has been in there since I set it in place in 1991 and may be as old as a 1988 insert. The lamp 8X7. Am I on to something other than a pipe dream?
 
It might work, but given that it would be getting half the voltage it was designed for, I don't think you'd be satisfied with the results. Like running a twin on one engine.
 
I think that the voltage and amperage need to be correct or you won't get proper heating...it won't be as fast, and maybe not as hot.
 
Kida,

I hired one of those Canal Boats in England recently, and it had a Webasto diesel furnace to provide both cabin heating and (on-demand) hot water.

This was the coolest thing I've seen for a long time, it was about 14 inches long by about 10 inches high, both looked and sounded like a little miniature jet engine !. You would simply press a button inside the cabin to start, and within 3 or 4 minutes you had a good supply of hot water.

Model was Webasto DBW2010 45,000 BTU diesel furnace.

webasto_heater.jpeg


Wayne
2006 Larson 310 Cabrio
 
David, if you put a 220 volt heating element in the water heater, then run it on 115 volts, it'll last a long time but won't give you much more than warm water. With only half the voltage being applied to it, it won't get hot enough to do much of anything. Every once in a while I get a call from someone who mistakenly installed the wrong element in their water heater, complaining about not getting any hot water out of it... It isn't a situation where if you wait twice as long, it'll eventually get good and hot. The element will only get 1/2 as hot as it needs to, to adequately heat the water.

So, to make a long story short, you wouldn't be happy with the results.
 
I have a 30 amp electrical system on my boat. I also installed the 25 amp on demand heater in under my head sink. It works great, except that I have to turn off the a/c when I need to shower, but that is no problem. I keep everything else running. The biggest problem with it is only a small problem. If you run too much water thru it, it will not get hot enough. There was an oriface that came with the unit, but it didn't fit in the faucet I have. The water heater was removed from my boat in order to install the generator and I had no more space in my engine room, so I had no other choice.
 
rduhon, that's what I was trying to say, the electric units onboard a boat can't usually keep up with the demand, and you run out of hot water. The propane units however, don't have that problem -- they crank out the hot water!!!
 
The one on my boat had a burned out element when I bought it, so I hunted around and found one in Home Depot, and then it burned out again. Thinking this was going to be a pattern, and unable to find another one in a store, I got 3 of them off Home Depot's web site. Since then of course I haven't burned out a one, 4 years running. But am I ready with spares...

As Vic said, the 115 ones are hard to find in home centers. If you run into that go the web route, it's light so doesn't cost much to ship.

It seems to me that the problem is, a boat obviously does not have an inexhaustible supply of water. Let it run out, and then the heater tank gets drawn down, and poof. Since the last burnout, I am extra careful about switching off the water heater breaker when I don't need it, or when I think the water is running low.
 
I don't run out of water when I take a shower. I actually use less because I have to slow down the water flow to get it hot enough, especially during the colder months. The lower the flow, the hotter the water temperature is. During the summer, it isn't as much of a problem since the water in the storage tank is usually a little bit warm already.
The on demand water heater was the only solution I had since I don't have any room to install a regular marine water heater. It is a lot better than not having any hot water heater at all.
 
Vic do you recommend a brand of instant hot water heaters for my house?????

All the plumbing (that's a nice word because I literally have pieces that are galvanized to copper to pvc to rubber, I should posts some of these rub goldbergs they are actually funny) in my 1841 is getting ripped out and replaced with PEX homeruns.

While I'm at it I'm going to replace the water heater.

One issue to note is that I have city water, HOWEVER, once or twice a year it contains a ton of iron....I use reverse osmosis for drinking but can't seem to justify a whole house filter..
 
quote:
Originally posted by psugar

...

One issue to note is that I have city water, HOWEVER, once or twice a year it contains a ton of iron....I use reverse osmosis for drinking but can't seem to justify a whole house filter..

Click to expand...


They may be flushing the lines while testing fire hydrants or if the water gets shut off to repair a leak.

A whole house charcoal filter is not that bad cost wise. I am looking at an RO for cooking/coffee pot and ice-maker at home.

Possibly a small filter for the boat ice-maker as well.
 
David is probably correct about the sudden influx of iron (rust) into the water. Any time the city disturbs the pipes, you can expect rusty water for a day or so after they're done. It usually clears up after several hours of using the water.

The two best known instant water heaters are Paloma and Bosch. Being of German extraction, I personally lean toward the Bosch. You can Google either company or Google "Instant Water Heater" for a whole list of companies who either manufacture or distribute them.
 
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