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Comments
Run down to home Depot or Lowe's and get one of these. IIRC the PEX tubing is 1/2 or 3/4. This would allow you to easily bypass the water heater and still use your cold. Your hot water taps would still have pressure as well but no longer have the ability to be heated.
Make sure you keep your water heater off, it will burn up quickly with no water in it.
The more I look at the picture of your heater the more I don't like the valve at your inlet.
I'm betting if you yank out the plastic fittings, install two brass PEX shark bite in your tank, it will solve all your issues. I'm betting the rubber in the valve is shot and you're getting hot water in the cold side.
The blue and red lines, eliminate the white fittings. You'll no longer have a bypass valve.
Will require removing the brass fittings from your existing water heater which could be a pita due to age.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Thanks for all the feed back. I will work on my bat one current draw and see if I can get that resolved. The cold weather will dip into central Florida mid week: 30 and 40 temps so I better get at it. I will also see if I can find a salvage one. I don't usually use the hot water but when I want it, I want it to work!
This or similar kit can be purchased at most automotive stores.
One could also rent a coolant pressure test kit from the auto parts store. The heat exchanger has a cap with I believe 15 psi rating.
Drain your hot water tank, leave the release valve open. Pressurize the coolant to 15-20 psi. Wait. If you notice water start running out of your empty water heater you know it's faulty. I wouldn't trust the water heater anymore after this and would bypass completely or replace. Return kit for full refund, 0 boat dollars spent.
Without a faulty Tee valve I still don't see hot water reaching your cold water tap. The engine coolant pressure is only about 13 psi, I don't see it overpowering your 50 psi water system.
Right now, it works like normal. I should be able to either retest tomorrow or I may just get the parts and hoses and prepare to by pass the heater for now. I will isolate that valve before I bypass the heater, just do be sure..
As a footnote the tank when heated by the engine the water is heated to engine temp which is much higher than the electric temp. If your water pump is off, engine running, it is possible to get back pressure into the cold water hose and cockpit faucet but should stop flowing within a few seconds assuming the heat exchanger is not leaking
Same valve that's on my 60 gallon at home
As long as you don't keep your water pressure on all the time the most you'll lose is 3 gallons of water in a failure. I lose more than that when I drain the beer cooler. I think it takes two gallons before my bilge pump float picks up
I think the biggest risk of failure would be letting the hoses flop around and get into the belts.
A permanent solution is a single looped hose. Not sure he can do that with his current hoses, they might be too long. I didn't have a great path for a single loop bypass and used a 90 degree brass elbow to keep it tucked away neatly
Plenty of boaters (including myself) have ran for years with a bypassed water heater due to the failure of a water heater and not being able to justify the price of replacement due to lack of need. I never had a working one in my rinker. Went 3 seasons without one in the Bayliner. Finally installed one, warm showers before bed in were a game changer. I didn't. Realize what I was missing.