How to empty a Raritan water heater?

[josrulz]

Hi all,
I'm working on winterizing for the first time. I bypassed the water heater and have run the pink stuff through the system.

However, very little water came out of the water heater when I disconnected both the hot exit and cold in hoses. I assume there's more water in there.

When we bought the boat last year, there was something in a baggy labeled "drain plug" on top of the water heater, but I can't for the life of me find that "drain" anywhere. There doesn't appear to be anything on the body of the heater, so I'm assuming it was part of the cold water fixture.

In any case, the point is that I have no idea how much water is in the water heater. How can I be sure it's empty? Am I missing the drain plug somewhere? I'll try to post a pic of my specific fixtures, but the water heater is the standard round Raritan, and it's only about 3 years old.
Thanks!
-J

[Vasco]

If there is no drain plug you need to shove a thick piece of wire up the "in" hole which is the cold water entry at the bottom of the tank. This has a no return valve in it - hence the piece of wire. This will drain the tank - 4,5,6 gals?

[josrulz]

Originally Posted by Vasco

If there is no drain plug you need to shove a thick piece of wire up the "in" hole which is the cold water entry at the bottom of the tank. This has a no return valve in it - hence the piece of wire. This will drain the tank - 4,5,6 gals?

Ahhh, I did think of that possibility, but wasn't sure. Sooo, the no return valve is keeping it from emptying, and the wire will open the valve, correct?

Next question--will the tank empty completely from the "in" line, or will there still be water in there? I'd LIKE to not have to put any antifreeze in there, so I don't have to worry about running the engine while the water heater is winterized.

By the way, it's 6 gallons. I can't get a big container underneath the drain location, so I suppose it's OK to drain into the bilge (the water isn't hot)?

[mgmhead]

Josrulz,

Sorry I missed your phone call, and understand your problem. On a normal boat, which your's probably is, you could drain the water into the bilge. On my boat, likely due to a replacement sole being installed somewhat incorrectly, my water heater drains onto my sole and not into the bilge. Big problem leading to a mess to clean up quickly and/or suffer water stains. What a suprise that was. Thus, I have a handy properly sized 5/8" hose which fits into the 'water-in' connection and then to the handy electric drill pump to pump I use to pump the six gallons of water into the galley sink.

Good luck...MGM

[josrulz]

Hey MGM, no worries about the phone call. I'm just learning my way through our boat. I don't mind draining into the bilge, but I'm not entirely convinced it won't go onto the cabin sole (just based on the design and location of the water heater compartment), even with an original install. I'd prefer to pump it out. I looked up those drill pumps, and they're only like $7, so I think I'll pick one up and give it a try. Seems a usefull purchase anyway.

Thanks for the tips, and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Cheers,
J

[Shortman]

Remove both lines from the heater and drain. After it has drained, blow out with air pressure if available. Pour a quart of non-tox antifreeze into hot water fitting using a funnel.

[josrulz]

I got the heater drained this morning. Turns out that, as suggested above, the fixture on the cold water supply side had a "no return" valve. There is a plug opposite the cold water supply that I was able to get loose today and voila--lots of water drained out. As MGM mentioned above, his issue on his S34 must be unique to his boat, because the water in my heater went straight for the bilge.

I'll add some additional antifreeze to the heater next week after I finish winterizing the engine, so I don't have to run the engine with antifreeze in the water heater.

Thanks for everyone's help!
-J