Need to replace water heater in 2014 r 31

Mikep

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 13, 2020
Messages
64
Fluid Motion Model
C-302 C
Vessel Name
Dive In
As a newer owner, I am a bit disappointed in the fact that I have to change out my water heater after 6 years considering I just replaced one on my last boat after 17 years.( And I replaced one in my house 3 days ago..yikes)

Low coolant alarm went off so I went looking and see antifreeze coming out of the bottom of the water heater.

What is best replacement and how the heck do you get it out of there?
 
Does the heat exchanger in the water heater on these boats leak in a way that engine coolant can get into the water supply?
 
See this thread on my water heater adventure a few years ago. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12231&start=0
If it's engine coolant leaking I would suspect its a loose connection on one of the hoses from the engine to the heater and not the heater itself.
The internal loop for the coolant from the engine is double walled, it should not leak into the water supply.
I'm not familiar with the 31, on my 25SC I had to disassemble the unit in the lazarette in order to get it out.
 
I go with Gansett Ranger's comment. Check your hose connections. They do tend to loosen over time. Antifreeze on the outside leads me to believe it is a hose or the connection.
 
Checking connections would be a good start. I don't recall ever having to replace a water heater on an R-31. If it doesn't fit sliding out by the hatch, you have a ton of room under the fridge. Remove the fridge and it will be easy to get the water heater out if it's actually bad.

Currently we are installing the Indel Webasto 11 gallon hot water heater.

-Kenny
 
Hi MIkep:

We have a 2014 R31 and had to have our water heater replaced. The Seaward water heater the boat came with has an aluminum tank. Over time, these tanks oxidize. The aluminum oxide sheds from the inside of the water heater and goes downstream to the galley faucet, the shower head and to the faucet in the head. The aluminum oxide is white in color. We got tired of cleaning the various fixtures so we had the tank replaced with the one Kenny mentions. It is an 11 gallon Isotherm which has a stainless tank. It works far better than our old Seaward tank. I was surprised that this was so since the Isotherm is a 750 watt unit while the old Seaward was 1500 watts. When my wife and each take a shower there is plenty of hot water. The decision you will need to make should you go with the Isotherm is whether you want a stainless cover or a plastic one. I think Ranger Tugs equips the boats with the plastic covered tank which is somewhat less costly. From a functional standpoint, there probably is no difference.

There is not adequate clearance to get the tank out through the hatch near the rear door. We had to have the stove pulled out to get the tank out. It sounds daunting but was pretty straight foreword requiring four screws to be removed and disconnecting the LP connection.

Overall, the Isotherm works well. The only other thing on the boat that gave so much pleasure was getting rid of the Pro Mariner Inverter (which was problematic with constant bimetallic thermal breaker kicking out). We had it replaced with a Magma 2800 watt sine wave inverter/charger and it has run flawlessly for two years. Highly recommended.
 
KennyMarrs":1zr1pfoq said:
Currently we are installing the Indel Webasto 11 gallon hot water heater.

Kenny, which year was the switch made? If I'm buying an MY2018 R31-CB, which heater is most likely?

Thanks!
 
More than likely it will have the new style. They are very easy to see once you open the hatch directly under your feet when you enter the cabin. Just look to the starboard and there it is.

-Kenny
 
KennyMarrs":3b36i5id said:
More than likely it will have the new style. They are very easy to see once you open the hatch directly under your feet when you enter the cabin. Just look to the starboard and there it is.

Cool! I just looked these up. Do you all install them with the thermostatic mixing valve that Webasto highlights in their marketing materials? I think that's a mod being discussed in a different thread but it would be neat to know if these are now added at the factory...
 
leak is not coming from the hose connections, it is dripping from inside. After speaking to Kenny, I have closed the ball valves and will look to replace the unit in next month or so. Very nice to have the ball valve shut off built into the design.
 
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