We were wondering if anyone had to replace their hot water tank? Has anyone done any research to find a better one? Our's is a Force 10 that went bad after 4 years.
Thanks, Sharon of Lead Free Too
water heater
-
Lady of the Lake
- Site Admin
- Posts: 626
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 1:37 pm
- Location: Punta Gorda, FL (36015)
- Contact:
Sharon,
Why not try what many of us have done and go with an instant tankless system, fired by propane? Lighter, instant hot water, always available, the hot water never runs out. Check out the "Water Heater" topic under the PDQ 36 forum for details.
Sam
Why not try what many of us have done and go with an instant tankless system, fired by propane? Lighter, instant hot water, always available, the hot water never runs out. Check out the "Water Heater" topic under the PDQ 36 forum for details.
Sam
Sam and Gina Densler
s/v Lady of the Lake
PDQ36 Hull #15
Punta Gorda, FL
s/v Lady of the Lake
PDQ36 Hull #15
Punta Gorda, FL
-
Mishigas
- admiral
- Posts: 134
- Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:17 pm
- Location: Selby Bay, Edgewater Maryland
Hi Sharon, Did your heater develop a tank leak or did it just stop working. If the tank is leaking, then it will need to be replaced. If otherwise, the elements and thermostats can be replaced. I have the same heater (two years old) and surprised yours failed after only four years. I have seen some alternative heaters in Passagemaker Magazine but not sure of our space considerations.
Sandy Kramer MISHIGAS PC34
Sandy Kramer MISHIGAS PC34
hi,
ours failed soon after we bought the boat...used, but it only had about 2 years of actual use. tank corroded out. replaced in with an all satinless isotemp based on passagemaker tech editor's reco. 6 gallon basic fits in same space with room to spare. so far we're very pleased. they're aren't cheap though.
ours failed soon after we bought the boat...used, but it only had about 2 years of actual use. tank corroded out. replaced in with an all satinless isotemp based on passagemaker tech editor's reco. 6 gallon basic fits in same space with room to spare. so far we're very pleased. they're aren't cheap though.
john & diane cummings
duetto mv34 #23
duetto mv34 #23
Hi Sharon and Larry:
We really like our propane instant water heater from Precision Temp. (http://www.precisiontemp.com) I don't know the model number, but looks like a silver metal box. It may be the "200" one shown on their website. It sits under the flybridge "brow" - plenty of room under there - close to the propane bottles, a short run for water pipes (down the flybridge/cabin conduit on the port side), and effectively outside so that any leakage will not enter the boat interior. It also requires an exhaust, which on our boat is a fabric tube which blows down from under the overhang on the starboard side so it is hidden. We have a dedicated breaker for it. It is barely audible inside, somewhat louder outside near the exhaust. (The water pump is louder.) It took some fiddling to get it adjusted right, but it has worked fine for several years since.
Also attractive is a diesel unit (also runs from shore power) made by ITR up in B.C. I have no personal experience with this unit, but several acquaintenances have installed the ITR "Hurricane" hydronic space heating units with very good results and little maintenance. ITR has a lot of experience in the field and put out a high quality product; their primary business is with the military.
http://www.itrheat.com/waterheater.html
I'm wondering if this finds you in some tropical paradise. We've had the wettest November on record here and it's only the 19th!
Best Regards,
We really like our propane instant water heater from Precision Temp. (http://www.precisiontemp.com) I don't know the model number, but looks like a silver metal box. It may be the "200" one shown on their website. It sits under the flybridge "brow" - plenty of room under there - close to the propane bottles, a short run for water pipes (down the flybridge/cabin conduit on the port side), and effectively outside so that any leakage will not enter the boat interior. It also requires an exhaust, which on our boat is a fabric tube which blows down from under the overhang on the starboard side so it is hidden. We have a dedicated breaker for it. It is barely audible inside, somewhat louder outside near the exhaust. (The water pump is louder.) It took some fiddling to get it adjusted right, but it has worked fine for several years since.
Also attractive is a diesel unit (also runs from shore power) made by ITR up in B.C. I have no personal experience with this unit, but several acquaintenances have installed the ITR "Hurricane" hydronic space heating units with very good results and little maintenance. ITR has a lot of experience in the field and put out a high quality product; their primary business is with the military.
http://www.itrheat.com/waterheater.html
I'm wondering if this finds you in some tropical paradise. We've had the wettest November on record here and it's only the 19th!
Best Regards,
Mebs and Wally Gilliam
Gadzooks! MV34 #33
Gadzooks! MV34 #33
Henry:
Our Precision Temp was installed by PDQ at our insistance. So if you decide to go with the PT, I suggest you contact PDQ who should be able to furnish helpful info as to length of pipes needed, sources of supply, pipe fittings, etc.
Our previous boat had a "Paloma" on-demand heater which we liked. It was inside the cabin and had a pilot flame. These were deemed safety hazards and led to its demise in the US. It had an outside exhaust. Our PT, on the other hand, is not inside the boat and has an electric ignition with no pilot. You do need to remember to do the switching-on ritual - propane bottle valve, propane solenoid switch, water heater breaker, water pump breaker. Best to remember all hese BEFORE you get in the shower!
The PT has some minimum water flow to keep the flame on. So you have to learn to, at some point, adjust the water temperature by increasing/decreasing the amount of cold water, rather than cutting too far back on the hot water. Not a problem, just a little learning curve to climb.
In our climate we need heating but no air conditioning. The standard heat pumps do not cut it here when it gets chilly (in the 40's at night). We have the Wallas 40D diesel heater which is a good unit which we find satisfactory. It blows heated air thru four 3" ducts exiting under the companionway stairs and into the aft cabins. The downsides are that it is fairly noisy inside tho barely audible outside, heat distribution throughout is somewhat uneven, and it requires an exhaust thru the hull - low on the starboard side aft.
If I were designing the boat today, I think I'd go with the ITR combination space/hot water hydronic system assuming room could be found to run the pipes to the little fan/radiator units in the head and galley.
Good luck and may you enjoy instant hot water at your fingertips!
Our Precision Temp was installed by PDQ at our insistance. So if you decide to go with the PT, I suggest you contact PDQ who should be able to furnish helpful info as to length of pipes needed, sources of supply, pipe fittings, etc.
Our previous boat had a "Paloma" on-demand heater which we liked. It was inside the cabin and had a pilot flame. These were deemed safety hazards and led to its demise in the US. It had an outside exhaust. Our PT, on the other hand, is not inside the boat and has an electric ignition with no pilot. You do need to remember to do the switching-on ritual - propane bottle valve, propane solenoid switch, water heater breaker, water pump breaker. Best to remember all hese BEFORE you get in the shower!
The PT has some minimum water flow to keep the flame on. So you have to learn to, at some point, adjust the water temperature by increasing/decreasing the amount of cold water, rather than cutting too far back on the hot water. Not a problem, just a little learning curve to climb.
In our climate we need heating but no air conditioning. The standard heat pumps do not cut it here when it gets chilly (in the 40's at night). We have the Wallas 40D diesel heater which is a good unit which we find satisfactory. It blows heated air thru four 3" ducts exiting under the companionway stairs and into the aft cabins. The downsides are that it is fairly noisy inside tho barely audible outside, heat distribution throughout is somewhat uneven, and it requires an exhaust thru the hull - low on the starboard side aft.
If I were designing the boat today, I think I'd go with the ITR combination space/hot water hydronic system assuming room could be found to run the pipes to the little fan/radiator units in the head and galley.
Good luck and may you enjoy instant hot water at your fingertips!
Mebs and Wally Gilliam
Gadzooks! MV34 #33
Gadzooks! MV34 #33
-
Lady of the Lake
- Site Admin
- Posts: 626
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 1:37 pm
- Location: Punta Gorda, FL (36015)
- Contact:
I have received many requests for the Excel contact info. Go to http://www.excelamerica.com and look under "Products" for the 6 liter per minute unit. I paid $269 plus $30 shipping. He is in Miami. Call him and ask him for the same price or go to ebay and order it from him there.
Sam
Sam
Sam and Gina Densler
s/v Lady of the Lake
PDQ36 Hull #15
Punta Gorda, FL
s/v Lady of the Lake
PDQ36 Hull #15
Punta Gorda, FL
-
Sno' Dog
- skipper
- Posts: 80
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:20 pm
- Location: Jensen Beach, FL (mv 087)
- Contact:
Water Heater
After looking into several alternatives, we've decided to postpone - at least for now - the installation of an alternative water heater. (The ITR unit looked great, but it was hard to justify the large expense and complicated installation.)
One thing we have done, which has eliminated the problem of overnight heat loss caused by back flow through the engine, is to install a shut-off valve in the line. Assuming we remember to turn it off, it completely prevents this heat-robbing circulation. We've only anchored out a couple of times since I've installed the valve, but we've already noticed a big improvement - we still have hot water in the morning!
Henry - Sno' Dog
One thing we have done, which has eliminated the problem of overnight heat loss caused by back flow through the engine, is to install a shut-off valve in the line. Assuming we remember to turn it off, it completely prevents this heat-robbing circulation. We've only anchored out a couple of times since I've installed the valve, but we've already noticed a big improvement - we still have hot water in the morning!
Henry - Sno' Dog