WEBASTO-iSOTHERM WATER HEATER ISSUE ON R-23

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

cwalden

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 14, 2019
Messages
94
Fluid Motion Model
C-242 C
Hello to the fine factory folks at Ranger. I have a perplexing issue. My boat is an 2018 R-23. The water heater has failed and my service center said it needs to be replaced as the plastic cap covering the in and out water supply for the inboard option is leaking and it appears to be an internal tank issue. The service center called Isotherm Webasto and they indicated the tanks have a five (5) year warranty. So a 2018 boat five years later is 2023. When the tank label was inspected, much to all our surprise, the tank was manufactured in late 2015!! That means the tank was around three years old before it was installed in the 2018 boat. The factory (Webasto) was perplexed as well. They are happy to take a look at the issue, but not certain if they can repair/replace the tank, given its manufacture date. It would seem unfair to me to be left with a $600 plus replacement charge for a tank that wasn't installed in the boat for three years. I would therefore ask the Ranger Factory to do the proper thing and warranty the tank as it was installed in a brand new 2018 boat.
I have the hull ID number, US-FMLT2327I718. and the tank 6P1523SPA0003-Spa 15v S/N 0000959663-2015-11-18

Please contact me so we can collaborate on this issue. Thank You very much.
Christopher Walden
2018 R23 "'Toot Suite'
cswalden@gmail.com
 
Hi Christopher,

This is an issue that needs to be pressed with Webasto. The age of the water heater should not make a difference, as we do not have control over the age of the units that Webasto delivers to us. They warranty them as new once they are sold by us. One important detail: the warranty effectively starts on the delivery date. I see that you were not the original purchaser of the boat, but that should not matter. The boat was delivered to the original owner in April of 2018. That means our warranty expired April of 2019 and the warranty on the water heater would have expired a few days ago. I would think that Webasto could give you the benefit of the doubt and give you goodwill on this, especially if the heater was already on the record as being defective before the end of last week. I hope this helps for now but please do not hesitate to press the issue with Webasto.

Cheers,

Ralf
 
Thank you Ralf. I will press onward with Webasto. I will let you know what happens. Happy Spring!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hello cwalden and Ralph at Ranger Tug....
I have a 2018 R31 CB with the 11 gal Webasto Isotherm heater in it, that just (or I just discovered) a bad leak. It was evident as water seeping around the foam insulation, so I knew it wasn't the gasket or the fittings. I removed the access
panel used to replace the anodes and sent in my handy dandy i-phone video, and after my horrid findings, sent in my more accurate borescope...
Multiple.. not one.... Multiple pinholes all along the welded seam... (plenty of rust... Stainless 316 hah!!!)
Wow... boat is 5 yrs and 6 mos old... and tank has 5 year warranty (gee !!!!). Not sure tank itself manufacture date... will figure out since it obviously needs replacement.... $$$$$
1) 5 years on a tank, not overly used, using not-hard water... boat is covered with zincs.... pretty crappy durability if you ask me...
2) cwalden: any luck contacting Webasto??
3) how's it get swapped out? Remove the stove? (in the R31 the stove is directly above it...). Anyone got any helpful hints?
4) Anyone find a better tank that fits?
(Incidentally, I sucked approx 30 gals (yes.. 30) out of the bilge under the heater which has a limber hole (only visible via borescope) that appears to have been sealed at the factory with expandable foam... so that water never reaches the pumps.. anyone else have this? ? any downside to cutting this foam out ??)
Pete S.
 
Hi there Pete,

You might want to contact Webasto as soon as you can so they can see if a bit of goodwill can be applied to your case, since the warranty has already expired but not too long ago. For the foam, yes you can dig out the foam to allow water to drain through that limber hole properly again. I do believe that you will be able to get the heater out by removing the stove, but you may also look aft. I don't remember if the bulkhead or support block you from doing that but it's worth a shot. Hope this helps

Cheers!

Ralf
 
Thanks Ralph... always appreciate your response....
Sincerely...
Pete
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top