Diesel Heated Water System

[NorthernFocus]

Does the factory ever install diesel fired coolant(aka hydronic) heating systems? I'm considering installing a Webasto Thermo Top coolant heater in the same circuit as the existing heater/water heater piped to the engine coolant system. I was wondering if the factory sells a kit for doing so or can provide recommendations and/or schematics.

I'm aware of some of the associated design issues that need to be addressed such as not circulating the heated coolant through the engine when it's running. That's why I'm touching base here first. No need re-inventing the wheel if the factory already has a design for this.

 

[knotflying]

Is there a reason why you want to go hydronic versus the standard hot air Wabasto?

 

[Irish Mist]

I looked at this heating system as the side benifit is you get hot water from the system circulating through the hot water heater..The two down sides besides extra cost was it uses extra power as you need to run a circulating pump as well as the heater when on the hook. The other part was it was more to winterize, but that is not really a big deal. I don't see an issue when under way as the engine will be supplying the heated liquid. You only need the heater after you stop. You may want to look at Planer heaters. A lot less $ and very helpful with the install
Good luck I love my diesel heater.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Is there a reason why you want to go hydronic versus the standard hot air Wabasto?

All of the piping for the coolant already exists so there's no ducting to run. Also the unit can be mounted in the engine/generator compartment, won't take up locker space in the cabin. Side benefits are having hot running water most of the time and a nice toasty warm engine for easier starting.

..The two down sides besides extra cost was it uses extra power as you need to run a circulating pump as well as the heater when on the hook. The other part was it was more to winterize..

The cost is actually lower than the webasto forced air heater. And there's not more to winterize. It'll plumb into the existing heating circuit from the engine which already has antifreeze in it. The extra power draw is definitely a downside.

 

[knotflying]

I like having the system redundency, I actually have a/c reverse mode when on shore power. The hot water heater when running on the engine. The Wabasto when trailering. Or ceramic heater when I have shore power. The Wabasto has several outlets installed, v-berth, galley, head and cave. It gets toasty all over. I guess having hot water available is nice, but I must say, even after being on the hook overnight I still get hot water in the morning.

 

[mwilkie]

I am thinking the same type of thing w/ the R-21. Any updates on using the existing plumbing? I really like the perceived simplicity of that approach....

 

[Rebel112r]

On previous boat, that was equipped with diesel forced air, I installed a hydronic system as a added source of cabin heat and also to heat water. The hydronic installation went easy enough, basically 12 volts, fuel line, exhaust and a controller. I came by the heater very cheap, it was new, and I needed a project. So the hydronic heats glycol mixture to around 175 degrees and circulates it to wherever you plumb it. In my case I ran the heated water thru 3/4 hose, thru a secondary exchanger on electric water heater(Torrid 15 gal with dual exchangers). Then to a 20 Plate water to water exchanger, ,then thru 2 floor heaters and back to hydronic unit. The plate exchanger has a second pair of inlet and outlet fittings. I plumbed that to the output pressurized line from electric heater thru plate exchanger and out to boat hot water system. So when the hydronic is turned on, the heated water circulates and heats water in electric heater thru exchanger in about 45 minutes, just like being plugged in or running gen-set. But the beauty of the plate exchanger is that after turning unit on, waiting about 5 minutes, you have all the hot water you need for showers or dishes or whatever. They are very efficient. I have a few pictures but dont know how to include.

 

[FlyMeAway]

The trick to this install is a water heater that has two separate heat exchangers plus an electric element. I think that requires a water heater replacement on many of our boats?

 

[BB marine]

If you are not ready to reinvent the wheel you could purchase a Hydronic heater from Wabasto. I looked into one of theses when we were planning a late fall trip from Chicago to Florida. We would have hot water for showering and heat while operating the engine and the same when at anchor. We would be using diesel fuel and 12V. Plenty of heat and hot water in the morning. The engines would be ready to go in the morning, all warmed up. Quick startup and go. The price of the heater was around 2K but all the accessories added up in price if you purchased through Wabasto. I thought I would purchase the heater and then shop the parts. I spoke with Wabasto about the install. They will help with the design. It was going to cost about 4K with me doing the install myself. The trip got scratched and the boat went into storage for the winter. The area's that we plan on using the boat, it does not justify the install now. If had had my boat in the PNW or Alaska I would think seriously about the install. My thoughts are 600W solar panels, inverter,Hydronic heater, small water maker, there is no need for a generator and you can live off the grid for days. Most of the areas I plan to boat in now it is way to easy to live on the grid. PNW and Alaska is a bucket list item!! Hopefully some day!

 

[Rebel112r]

Not necessary to run heated hydronic water thru electric heater, I did because the second exchanger was there. Takes as long for hydronic to heat water thru the water heater exchanger as does using electric or generator. Just run it thru plate exchanger for almost instant hot water.Plate exchangers are fairly cheap. My 20 plate from Badger in Wisconsin was about $250. It was SS and used 2 sets of 3/4 NPT fittings.