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Scotty Scotty is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,070
Default Bart, anti-freeze and drinking water - smart to disassociate?

"Scout" wrote in message
. ..
How many here have a hot water heater that works with the
engine's coolant system as a heat source?

I do, but I don't drink the hot water. Would washing dishes
and showering with it be a problem? If there were a leak,
wouldn't you soon discover it when your engine water gets
low?

SBV

















It is a very thin line separating that toxic material from
your drinking water supply. The closed engine coolant loop
may reach 15 psi when hot, and could easily outmatch the
force in the fresh water system, especially if you run dry
or turn off your on-demand pump for any reason. A pin hole
or a crack in the hw heat exchanger could have deadly
results.

In my work as a boiler tech, we were never permitted to use
toxic anti-freeze in boilers that produced domestic hot
water (summer-winter boiler packages). I've replaced tens of
those coils due to leakage!

Just a thought, but Bart's recent comment about galvanic
isolation got me thinking.

Maybe I'll get that RedDot heater that Ole Thom has
mentioned, remove the anti-freeze loop from my fresh water
supply, and use those lines to supply aux heat in the cabin.

Scout