Water Heater recommendations?

[Andy G]

The trusty old water heater, is no longer so trusty, talk about a warm water enema for the engine room.

So, does anyone have any recommendations, for a preferred replacement, anything out there I should know about, apart from a chat with the local plumber.

 

[Moonfish]

Our boat came with a fairly new Isotemp stainless marine water heater. While it's only 13 gallons, we keep the temp VERY hot, so those 13 gals can last awhile (makes a bath for our two year old and then a shower for mom or dad). Pretty happy with it, as we haven't had any problems.

 

[Pau Hana]

The PO of our boat did some nice upgrades to the potable water system

30 gallon water heater
Huge accumulator (about 3.5ft tall)
Additional water tanks in the lazarette

Go with the largest tank you can.

 

[Conrad]

We replaced our 12 gal Raritan three years ago with the same model and are very happy with it. 110 volt shore power and engine heat.

 

[HopCar]

I'm a fan of Raritan Water Heaters. They have glass lined tanks like home water heaters. I'd stay away from water heaters with aluminum tanks. They don't seem to last as well as the glass lined or stainless tanks.

Raritan Engineering | Water Heaters | 1700 Series

 

[Keith]

My Raritan is about 11 years old now and running fine with no problem. I change the magnesium sacrificial anode every 4 years or so and that helps.

 

[Peter B]

Sounds like you have ended up close to where I did a few yrs ago Andy. Although mine did not rupture, it stopped heating, and no wonder, the lines from the engine were so full of crud, but the new Isotemp 42 Litre replacement went in well, and works a treat. It sort of went like this....
One real bonus is it has a 240v AC heater element, so although we don't use that a lot, as we are strictly 12 v when off the dock, we plug her in when we prepare to leave the dock, and 20 mins is enough to get it quite warm - the engine then does the rest...

 

[Larry M]

I'm a fan of Raritan Water Heaters. They have glass lined tanks like home water heaters. I'd stay away from water heaters with aluminum tanks. They don't seem to last as well as the glass lined or stainless tanks.

Raritan Engineering | Water Heaters | 1700 Series

Yes, the Raritan are good hot water heaters. To extend the life, make sure you inspect/change the anode periodically though.

 

[Andy G]

Gee Peter your original heater looked a nasty brute. My late lamented toe warmer looks quite genteel by comparison.



One thing I now realise is that a lot of you consider bigger storage is better for water heating.We have actually gone the other way. we have found that a 24 litre(6 gallon) unit is about fine for us. The recovery time between cold and hot is very quick, about 10 minutes after we shower the water is hot again.

Admittedly this only works for us because we have a generator, Peter I understand that relying on the engine solely for hot water you would want as much hot water as you can carry,which is exactly what I did with my previous Clipper 34'.Living in a warm climate helps, a cold shower after a hot day on the beach is great.

 

[FF]

The big advantage of a "marine" Hw heater is the engine heat circuit.

If this is not used the only advantage is SOME marine units have a thermostat that will cut off the 120V heating eliment should the tank be empty.

Many home units have better insulation than just a bit of fiberglass .

If hot water 2 days out from the power hose is required , a Quality home cheapo might work best.

 

[BelleAurore]

Too big to remove

I have been dealing with what I thought was a bad water heater that is too large to remove without cutting it up. Hot water had a horrible chemical smell that seemed to come and go. Then, my mechanic (no he doesn't do everything) decides that since replacing the fresh water pumps I don't need an accumulator. The steel accumulator Tucked in the bow was packed full of rust that would go into the hot wat tank and cook. There are obvious goods and bads about buying an older boat. Now we are fresh as a daisy after our shower... Wanted to share as this was one of those OMG moments.

 

[Andy G]

Welcome Belle Aurore, lucky you didn't buy that new hot water system after cutting up what would have been a perfectly good existing system.

Don't worry there will be plenty of other things to spend your money on.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
"Horrible chemical smell"? Was this by any chance a strong smell of sulfur dioxide (rotten eggs)? A number of years back we took on some water at a marina and some time thereafter the hot water smelt like rotten eggs. I eventually figured out that there was a "colony" of sulfur fixing bacteria that had taken up residence in our water system and it was feeding off the iron in the water. A shock treatment with household bleach in our water tank solved the problem.

http://www.water-research.net/sulfate.htm

 

[Phil Fill]

I went with a Kuuma 11 gallon as it fit the space, it cost ½ as much as the other brands and fit the space of the old one. Has lasted about 10+ years. We very seldom have run out of hot water, and quick recovery. It does not make sense heating hot water that we do not need or use. We also have it on a timer so the water is heated twice a day.

 

[rwidman]

The trusty old water heater, is no longer so trusty, talk about a warm water enema for the engine room.

So, does anyone have any recommendations, for a preferred replacement, anything out there I should know about, apart from a chat with the local plumber.

If you were happy with the old one until it broke, replacing it with the same model will be easiest since you won't have to re-route hoses or wiring.

 

[boatpoker]

Water heaters can be expected to have a significantly shortened life due to corrosion if no air space is provided underneath i.e. if the unit is mounted in direct contact with a deck. It also helps to have a hose on the pressure relief valve to lead any drips to the bilge.

 

[Marin]

I have read very good things about Torrid water heaters over the years on the GB owners forum and other sites like T&T. Website is Marine Water Heaters They make both vertical and horizontal marine water heaters in various capacities. Their water heaters are made here in Seattle.

We have had no experience whatsoever with Torrid water heaters nor does anyone we know personally have one (so far as we know). But I have read enough very positive comments about them that I feel they are worth investigating if one is in the market for a marine water heater.

We have an Atlantic Marine water heater in our boat. Stainless, ten gallons, rectangular and horizontal. It has a 120vac element and is also plumbed into the starboard engine's coolant system. So we can heat water with groundpower, the generator, or when running on the main engines.

They were rated as one of the best in the industry but they have not been made since the mid-2000s. While ours is only about seven years old and seems to be in great shape, when the day comes it needs to be replaced we will most likely replace it with a horizontal Torrid.

Our water heater is mounted in a cabinet in the aft head, so a horizontal Torrid should fit in the same space.

 

[Gulfstar 36]

I have a 27 year old 10 gallon Balmar, which is a rebranded Torrid. All I have had to do was replace the P&T valve. I actually called Torrid and they still sold parts for it. They told me to forget about the anode since removing it at this point might just destroy the tank. It still makes mighty hot water! I will buy another once this once goes TU.

 

[Andy G]

If you were happy with the old one until it broke, replacing it with the same model will be easiest since you won't have to re-route hoses or wiring.

Yep, that makes sense. However there are no marking at all on the unit and I fear it may even be the original out of Hong Kong circa 1980.

Like Peter and Bruce I do envy the sheer choice of product you guys have, not to mention price.Our marine market is about one tenth of yours, so our choices are limited and costs are higher.

Phil Frill's Kuuma is available here locally, so I will probably go with that, price seems pretty reasonable.

 

[FlyWright]

I installed a Kuuma 11 gallon unit over four years ago. When I pulled the leaking tank, it had markings indicating it was an original unit made in 1976! I was impressed.

My unit came with a temperature restricting valve to keep the water from reaching scalding temps from the engine coolant. I removed this valve and find we can enjoy hot water on day two of an anchor out. Of course, caveat emptor - the temps are very hot and can be painful if care is not taken. We always caution our guests about the hot water.

When the hot water runs out, it's time for an engine run or fire up the Honda generator.

At $300 US, it wasn't the most expensive or highest regarded water heater, but it works well and was a simple replacement since all the connections lined up nicely. If I were to do it again, I'd do the same thing. I'm sure some products like Raritan are better constructed, but so far in this case, I haven't seen a difference to warrant a 100% cost increase. Now, if this thing fails in the next couple of years, I might change my mind on that. In the meantime, I've got an extra $300 to spend on other things I want but don't really need.

 

[Insequent]

I am happy with my Torrid unit. I asked about converting it from 110 VAC to 240 VAC and they were very helpful. I bought an inexpensive kit from them to do it which came complete with a whole bunch of stickers to apply in relevant places.

My recent addition has been a 'summer loop' on the Webasto hydronic heating circuit which allows heating the HW. So I now have 3 HW options: AC, Engine circuit, and Webasto circuit. I will always be able to get hot water....

 

[Marin]

Like Peter and Bruce I do envy the sheer choice of product you guys have, not to mention price.Our marine market is about one tenth of yours, so our choices are limited and costs are higher.

Phil Frill's Kuuma is available here locally, so I will probably go with that, price seems pretty reasonable.

Just curious, is it impractical or too costly to have marine equipment shipped over from the US or elsewhere? Of course the risk in that is that you can't actually see the product before you get it.

I'm not at all familiar with the Kuuma brand but the fact you can go and look at one and talk to a dealer about it plus Phil's and Flywright's long-term, positive experience with them would seem to put it at the top of your list down there.

 

[Andy G]

Yep, picked it up 30 minutes ago. Kuuma 6 gallon @ $549, FWIW the 11 gallon cost $665.

It seems that we pay about $150 more for the same unit that can be had in the US, despite the heater being made in Thailand.

I looked at the Torrid, that was about double the price of the Kuuma.

 

[Marin]

Is that your dollars or our dollars?

 

[FlyWright]

Here's a Kuuma 11 gallon heater here in the USA. I bought mine over 4 years ago, but here it's still $279 US. Mine was bought at West Marine, not our least expensive marine parts source. Quite the price difference.

Do you have additional taxes or tariffs we don't (yet) pay? Your dollar is stronger than ours at $1.05, right? What's the difference?

 

[Peter B]

Gee Peter your original heater looked a nasty brute. My late lamented toe warmer looks quite genteel by comparison.

Andy, the amazing thing about that cruddy rusted looking thing which, is hardly recognisable as a water cylinder/heat exchanger, is that even bad as it was it still worked, and did not leak, until crud build-up in the engine circuit made it so slow to heat it was ridiculous. The rust was all in the outer casing, the actual heat cylinder and fittings all copper.
Then I saw the Isotemp/Isotherm unit for sale in the paper one saturday, and for a really good price, so grabbed it, and the rest is history.
The funny thing is, when we first bought the boat, and I saw that cylinder it looked much the same - maybe a little less rust underneath, and I said to the vendor.."Ok, I can see that will be one of the first things to replace." He said, "well I know what you mean, but it is still giving us decent showers each weekend". And it did, and that fact prolonged its life a further 8 yrs. One reason being there was soooo much else needing doing of course. So the old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it", got us 8 more years out of it, but the new one is heaps better, largely because of faster heating, the ability to give it a preheat off 240v at the dock before leaving, and bigger volume.

 

[BruceK]

when we first bought the boat.... I said to the vendor.."Ok, I can see that will be one of the first things to replace." He said, "well I know what you mean, but it is still giving us decent showers each weekend". And it did, and that fact prolonged its life a further 8 yrs. One reason being there was soooo much else needing doing of course. So the old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it", got us 8 more years out of it,

Exactly Peter. As I said somewhere recently, something may look due for replacement or renewal but the person taking responsibility for the boat knows best, and can tell if something is really "spent", or not.
Many happy hot showers Andy.

 

[rwidman]

............. My unit came with a temperature restricting valve to keep the water from reaching scalding temps from the engine coolant. I removed this valve and find we can enjoy hot water on day two of an anchor out. Of course, caveat emptor - the temps are very hot and can be painful if care is not taken. We always caution our guests about the hot water..............

Mine is like that also.

Some marine water heaters have this built in and you can add one to your system - a "tempering valve". This tempering valve allows the water heater to make very hot water but mixes this very hot water with some cold water as it leaves the valve so the output is a safe 120 degrees or so. This provides the efficiency of the scalding setting of the heater with the safety of regulated output and increases the effective capacity of the tank.

 

[skipperdude]

I went with one of these.
So far so good. 3 years now.

It is made by Volvo Penta called a QL water heater.
Can be mounted in any position.

sd