R23 Water Heater

[OhCapMyCap]

We’re running into an issue with the hot water heater. This morning we de-winterized the boat. We previously blew out the water lines per the ‘as the prop turns’ recommendation and emptied the hot water heater.

Today we prepped the water tank and after setting everything up, we noticed the hot water heater wasn’t warming up the water after we turned it on. We figured it takes a while for it to heat up, and so we went out and came back after a few hours. No luck. Still cold water.

Any thoughts of what next steps we should take?

 

[Craigmconrad]

Do you see an amp draw on the amp meter when turning on the breaker?

 

[SJI Sailor]

+1 . And just for the basics: is it connected to shore power? 110v AC turned on and working? And the water heater switch on? Breakers staying on?

If those are all on, then it might be a failure with the heater coil inside the tank, or an issue with the wiring. First check (with power off) that the connections are good to the coil (not sure how that access works on RT 23). Remove, clean, and reseat them. Then I would probably test the circuit with a multimeter to see whether there is power (caution!) and either call a marine electrician to look at the wiring if not, or look up how to replace the coil if everything else seems OK.

I am not sure how difficult accessing and replacing the coil is on the 23. I've done it (sort of -- taken it out and reassembled while replacing a gasket) for the Webasto unit in our C30. That was all easy except for literally needing 3 hands in a one person contorted position to hold things during reassembly of the tank door. But taking the outer cover plate off just to check the connections to the coil was very easy.

 

[OhCapMyCap]

Hi Both,

Thanks for the tips. We’re connected to shore, and all the power is on and working.

I did check the current draw. It doesn’t change when I turn the water heater on.

Best,

Sean

 

[Craigmconrad]

Hot water heater draw is 750 watts

 

[Brian98133]

Is there a chance that you 'dry fired' the heater? Since the electric element is an immersion type, it has to be immersed in water before being turned on. The only way to be sure there is no air in the water heater is to let the hot side of the faucet(s) run until there is no air coming out before turning on the heater. Otherwise, the element is sitting in a half-full tank, and the exposed part of the element will burn out. The only solution is to replace the element.

If you properly bled out the water lines, including the tank, then you just have to trace the power.

FWIW, during the winter months when I've drained the tank, I put a sticker on the A/C panel at the Water Heater switch so I don't accidentally turn it on. I did that once... learned my lesson! 🙁 Thought I was turning on the outlets... and hit the water heater switch. It only takes a few seconds....

 

[knotflying]

There is usually a reset breaker on the unit itself. Check to make sure that it is set.

 

[Mike and Sarah]

When we first got our 27 the breaker was turned on before the tank was filled. This tripped the reset on the water heater.
There is a cover that can be removed on the water heater and hit the reset button fixed it. No harm to the heat rod.

 

[Ralf H]

Hi,

knotflying and Mike & Sarah are right. Check the breaker that is on the heater itself. Simply remove the square-ish grey cover between the water leads and you will see the breaker button. Make sure that is pressed in and it should solve the issue. If not, the heater will need to be diagnosed. Hope this helps.

Thanks,

Ralf