Water heater ID / element source?

[MVCalypso]

My water heater quit working (on AC). Pwr is fine at WH. Element has high resistance.
I'm thinking sourcing a $50 element sounds better than a $1k+ water heater...

Alas, the water heater has no brand or model info on it. It's been in the boat since I bought her in 1997 and I suspect it may be original (1984) equipment.
The boat is an Island Gypsy 36, built in Hong Kong.

The element is a screw in type, with a rod thermostat that inserts into the element. From the part number of the thermostat, I know it's length is 7 inches.
Element is 120v, draws about 7.5A - 8.0A so I'm inferring it's probably a 1000w element.
The element itself doesn't have any part info I can see (I've not removed the element from the tank yet).

Does anyone recognize the water heater tank brand or model?

Are elements standardized at all? I'm unsure what I'd ask for or where to ask.

Any hints as to how / where to find an element?

 

[jleonard]

Many years ago the element went out in my old Mainship water heater. Don’t remember the brand, but the local hardware store had a generic one ( 120 volt) that matched up.

 

[Duvie]

I was going to say they are standard until I read that the thermostat runs through the element. Maybe you could get a standard screw in element and drill and tap for the thermostat?

 

[ancora]

I got mine from Home Depot. Yeah, I bought two of them.

 

[Bmarler]

Water heater elements are usually just screwed in using npsm threads and a sealing ring of some sort. Getting one with a built in thermostat here in the US is tough. I saw a couple on alibaba, but don’t know how to buy from there. You could also get a screw in immersion heater like they use in food service, but they’re eye watering expensive. You can get a brand new entire marine water heater for the same price. I guess it’s the food grade that makes it so pricey.
Or, as mentioned, see if you can mount a standard water heater thermostat. They are usually just mounted to the exterior of the tank, no penetration required. Cut a piece of the skin away, move the insulation out of the way, fab up a small bracket that uses sheet metal screws in the skin and puts the thermostat in contact with the tank. Cover everything with some sort of guard to keep fingers away from live terminals. This is probably only thirty bucks in parts.
It wouldn’t be hard to do, but if a person isn’t handy and creative it might be better to just change it to something more standard.

 

[MVCalypso]

Thanks everyone for the pointers. I'm still searching for an element. It appears to be a more common type in Europe. Since the boat was built tin Hong Kong, I'm guessing it may be of UK origin. It's probably quicker to replace the water heater, but way more expensive, and more effort reworking water lines etc. I'm also finding that the horiz tank units won't fit in the space there is. Seems I'd need a vertical cylinder 6 gal unit again.

"Every 5 minute project is only 1 broken bolt away from becoming a multi-day ordeal..."

 

[ranger58sb]

Seems I'd need a vertical cylinder 6 gal unit again.

From memory, Torrid, Raritan, and maybe Quick and/or Isotemp maybe...

-Chris

 

[Lepke]

You could try European sites.

eBay UK | Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles & More

Buy & sell electronics, cars, clothes, collectibles & more on eBay UK's online marketplace. Top brands, low prices & free shipping on many items.

www.ebay.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

 

[MVCalypso]

A quick update & thanks for the inputs -
I've decided to give up on finding a replacement heater element & will instead go with the time honored boating tradition of throwing some money at the problem. I've ordered an Isotemp unit and will just replace the orig water heater.

 

[MVCalypso]

A quick update & thanks for the inputs -
I've decided to give up on finding a replacement heater element & will instead go with the time honored boating tradition of throwing some money at the problem. I've ordered an Isotemp unit and will just replace the orig water heater.

Just FYI, the new Isotemp water heater is installed and working. I choose it mostly for features vs price. The only vertical cylinder config I found was the Raritan 1700 @ $1200 delivered to me via amazon. The Raritan port locations would have made the re-plumbing task harder and it does not include the temp mixing valve (which the Isotemp includes already mounted to the heater). I found the Isotemp basic 24 for $928 including shipping. Those were the only two I found which would fit in the available mounting space.
So, a little over a boat unit later and a couple of days plumbing work, I have hot water again.

It's a shame I could only find a heating element with the rest of the water heater attached... Oh, well, I suppose 42 years is a reasonable life expectency for a heating element.

 

[Comodave]

Back about 12 boats ago I bought a 46’ trawler. It was left by the owners at a small marina for at least 6 months. When I first went into the engine room I could hear a sizzling sound. Turned out to be the water heater had been left on and empty. I turned it off and just figured that I would have to replace the heating element soon. We had that boat for 8 years and the water heater worked fine the whole time. I was very surprised.