Water Heater Laying Horizontal

[BarrenRiver]

Will it work? The new unfinished houseboat I purchased, had a 40 gallon household water heater installed in the horizontal postion, with the heater turned so the elements are on the side.

I called a water heater company and got tech support to ask them and the young man said good question let me ask someone...he came back and said no problem....BUT..am still kinda curious, as it was closing time...LOL

Only 23 inches from the hull floor to the floor joist of the boat, so I guess they figure this was cheaper than buying a couple of 12 gallon units

What do you guys think

 

[mixman]

It will work. It won't be as efficient, but it will heat water. When vertical the hot water comes out of the top of the unit where the hottest water is. Horizontal will change that, but it'll still be hot water. In KY, you should be fine in my opinion.

 

[Audrey II]

I don't like the sound of this. You would need to be very careful of the angle in which you lay this down if you run low on water you need to try to make sure the heater will be in water as long as possible, so if the element in on top it will likely be dry quicker/sooner. I guess in theory it should work but as pointed out all ready there are reasons for the placements of the in and out connections.

 

[easttnboater]

The cold water is also forced to the bottom of the tank via a dip tube. As mixman said - it will heat water. How well it does and how it will hold up resting on its side are the main questions.

 

[capt6650]

The other concern I would have is the T&P valve (temperature/pressure valve). If not at the highest point, it may not function correctly and may be dangerous. Also, any sediment would now be settling on the heater element rather than the bottom of the tank.

As others have said, it will probably work, but how efficient is another question.