Ditch the Hot Water Tank?

[ahalfon]

The hot water tank in my Pearson 28 (2) is pretty rusty and has seen better days. I've had the boat for about two years now and haven't really used it since the heater only works when connected to shore power, which usually means there are marina facilities to be had.

I'm currently considering removing the tank to free up some space in the lazarette and reduce winterizing hassle, but wanted to get some opinions first to make sure I'm not making a big mistake by not considering all the consequences.
Also, I'm not exactly sure what this project would entail - especially from an electrical standpoint - and how big of an undertaking it represents...
Thanks,

Amir

[newpbs]

I'm sorry to hear that your present tank goes unused. Perhaps if your tank was hooked up to your engine as mine is you would enjoy it more. In the 12 minutes that I motor out to the open lake and set sail I get nice warm water that I can use for the next few hours. It's nice to wash up with warm water, and I get it by just motoring out to the lake.

The choice is yours and maybe the extra space is of greater value. Will you sell anytime soon? Having hot water could be a selling point.

Maybe if you installed a system that can run off of your engine, like I have, you would use it more.

Good luck.

[PBzeer]

There should only be one three strand AC wire going into the Hot Water heater. You may also have 2 hoses running off your engine to circulate water to heat the tank, and your inlet and outlet from the freshwater system as well. Other than that, it's just a matter of draining and unscrewing the unit.

If you want the convenience of hot water at the dock, you could get an electric instant hot water unit (last I looked about $225 at West Marine).

[Faster]

If the old tank is rusty and disused, there's no reason not to remove it.. And as PB says electrically it's no big deal.. if your boat's unplugged from shore power when you do it the circuit is sure to be dead. Once disconnected, be sure to disconnect the wires at the breaker too, so that you won't end up with live wires when you're plugged in.

If you find yourself spending more time away from docks and want hot water again, then look into buying a good SS tank and install it into the coolant loop of your engine (if it's FWC) and you'll have the best of both worlds if you reconnect the electric element. It is a big plus for resale.

[sww914]

I had an on-demand propane unit on my big tri, I loved it. It was small & light and not expensive to run. If you don't already have propane on board it would hardly be worth it.

[SVDistantStar]

I ditched my 120v hot water heater awile back when i went out on anchor. IT worked, but gave out rusty looking water.

I want a propane instant unit, but i cant find one anywhere.

[sww914]

On demand water heaters on ebay. About $200.00. They look exactly like the one I bought from Defender 10 years ago with a different label. They're not marine grade but they're cheap enough to replace every few years. IIRC I had to plumb a tee on the output for a pressure relief valve, it was $10-$20 at the hardware store.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by sww914

On demand water heaters on ebay. About $200.00. They look exactly like the one I bought from Defender 10 years ago with a different label. They're not marine grade but they're cheap enough to replace every few years. IIRC I had to plumb a tee on the output for a pressure relief valve, it was $10-$20 at the hardware store.

A major caveat about these "non marine" propane-fired instant heaters.. many insurance companies will not cover them. Check before you buy!

[sailingdog]

Getting a non-marine grade propane appliance for the boat strikes me as a bit foolhardy. The chances of being blown up or poisoned probably go up quite a bit with non-marine appliances, since pinholes from corrosion are probably much more a likelihood.

Originally Posted by sww914

On demand water heaters on ebay. About $200.00. They look exactly like the one I bought from Defender 10 years ago with a different label. They're not marine grade but they're cheap enough to replace every few years. IIRC I had to plumb a tee on the output for a pressure relief valve, it was $10-$20 at the hardware store.

[Bene505]

I'm thinking that angle of heel may also be a factor, since home units are probably designed to be level. There was a thread about non-marine propane 'fridges awhile back, that summed-up as "don't do it".