Hot Water Heater

[Martin610]

Hi Guys,

My hot water heater is leaking. Bummer. It's leaking coolant. I shut off the ball valves at the front of the engine so I'm good for now. I still get hot water with the electric element.

It appears to be a Seaward F600 unit. I have a picture here.



Looks like all the hose fittings are in the front. So are the electric connections. I'm not sure how it is attached to the floor of the lazarette. Is it really just those screws I see in front? What else do I have to do to get the old one out?

Thanks,

-martin

 

[Brian B]

I went through the process on my 25SC. This post may help. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12231
There may be two screws on the rear of your heater holding it down.
With your hoses on the front (mine are on the rear) perhaps you can do a pressure test on the tank before you remove it. In any event I hope the unit is removable in its entirety and you do not have to disassemble it in order to remove it as I had to do.

 

[knotflying]

Just make sure it is actually leaking. Sometimes there could be RV antifreeze that got spilled our overflowed when winterizing and you think there is a leak, but there is not. Has your coolant level gone down?

 

[Crazy Heart]

I also have a Cutwater 28 (2016). Yours looks the same as mine. I had some antifreeze that leaked out around the water heater. I tightened the hose clamps and that solved the problem. While doing so I discovered that the water heater was not attached. It was held in place by the hoses only. I added screws through the bracket attached to the heater below the hoses. It has worked with no problems. I would prefer to attach it at the front as well but I have not found a way to get to the front.

 

[Martin610]

Hi,

I was down on coolant, about 4 quarts. All the hoses and fittings at the HWH seem dry. I have coolant running out from under the hot water heater through the lazarette.

I splash the boat tomorrow. I turned off the valves at the engine. I will be running the engine and checking the coolant level.

Appreciate the replies. I'll check the level with the valves turned off for a while, and then turn them on. It is definitely important to make sure the HWH is definitely the culprit.

Thank you,
-martin

 

[Brian B]

Hi,

I was down on coolant, about 4 quarts. All the hoses and fittings at the HWH seem dry. I have coolant running out from under the hot water heater through the lazarette.

I splash the boat tomorrow. I turned off the valves at the engine. I will be running the engine and checking the coolant level.

Appreciate the replies. I'll check the level with the valves turned off for a while, and then turn them on. It is definitely important to make sure the HWH is definitely the culprit.

Thank you,
-martin

From my previous post: My curiosity got the better of me and I called Seaward. The company was sold to Attwood 3 years ago and the tanks are now being produced in MI. The person I spoke with stated the engine loop is a double lined loop, both loops would have to corrode for coolant to enter the the domestic water and the smell of engine coolant would be noticeable at the faucet. Average life of the units are 10 years.

If the internal loop was leaking the engine antifreeze would be in the domestic hot water. Any hose connections coming from the engine that are behind the tank?

Pic shows the engine hose connections, mine are on the back of the tank.

 

[Smcavana]

Thanks, Brian. Very helpful information! We have the same problem on our R27 Classic. We tightened one hose clamp on the back side and that seems to have helped, but we'll look for the other part of the loop shown in the photo you posted. Good to know the internal loop is sound unless the coolant shows in the tap water.

 

[2islanders]

I had exactly the same problem in R25sc. I found the problem is the heater hose connection on the back. Over time the clamp was not tight enough. Removal was tough but the back hidden bracket is slid under a hold down bracket. So removal of the 2 screws at the front bracket and all the front hoses and electrical connections allowed it to start to slide forward and out. But the next problem is one hose comes from the engine compartment which you should be able to get enough slack to continue but the other hose comes from the bus heater under the helm. I cut this hose at the access hatch for the shower sump and rejoined it with a brass coupling after. I also had to remove the battery charger to lift it right out of the compartment. Drain the coolant on the drain cock on the starboard side of the engine first to save a big mess and A pressure test at the rad cap afterward will confirm the repair was successful. Good luck!


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[2islanders]

I should clarify slide forward is into the compartment but it towards the stern it comes out


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[Martin610]

The Seaward (now Attwood) F600 HWH doesn't have any connections at the back. I still don't see any leaks from the fittings in front. So today I bought a 5/8 inner diameter coupler. I'm going to take the coolant hoses off the HWH, couple them together, and reopen the valves at the engine. I'll monitor coolant.

On the Cutwater I have one of the coolant lines goes straight to the Heatercraft cabin heater. It's like a heater core for a car. The return line goes to the HWH, loops through the coil inside, and back to the engine. With the coupler, I'm taking the HWH out of the loop.

I don't see or smell any coolant in the fresh water system, thank god. Wish me luck.

-martin

 

[2islanders]

Right you are I Wish I had the F model instead of the S where the connections were all hidden. In the end I purchased a Mityvac mv4560 pressure tester for $75 which allowed me to bring the entire system up to pressure while it’s cold and quiet and have a good look around. I could watch the gauge for pressure loss while having a good look at every fitting.
Good luck


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