Rick,
No, I'm not kidding. I know many people use them, but that does not mitigate
the risks I stated. It is far more efficient and space saving to connect an
alternator to the same engine and drive a tankless heater, which not only
eliminates the stated risks, but also allows the location of the water
heater in any available space, electric power for other purposes and the
cost is either equal to or less than, the cost of the calorifier. Sometimes
a colorifier will also have a bung where an electric heater element can be
used when shore power is connected.
I bought one and never used it. Instead, I decided to use a conventional 50
gallon household water heater, as I have adequate AC and the space. In point
of fact that, calorifier is available cheap to those folks that I have not
convinced. It is new, all copper, insulated with a thin layer of
polyurethane foam and the size is somewhere around 50 liters as I recall. I
think there is also a bung for an element, but I'm not sure without digging
it out. I think I bought it in the eighties.
Steve
"Rick Morel" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:43:31 +0200, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote:
Juan,
Terrible idea, they are useless. For those readers that do not know what a
calorifier is, he means a fresh water heat exchanger that uses engine
coolant to heat drinking water.
Their use unbalances your engine cooling system which causes the engine to
run too cool. If your engine runs too cool, condensated water inside the
motor doesn't get boiled off and mixes with the sulpher in your lube oil.
This forms sulferic acid, which corodes your oil and creates excessive
sludge. This is the very least damage you can expect. On the other side of
the system, they don't create enough hot water, they take up too much
space
and the temperature of the output water varies wildly. There is also a
distinct possibility that a leak will occur, which will contaminate your
drinking water supply and may be undetected. This represents a very
serious
health risk. If those reasons are still not enough to disuade you,
consider
the mode of useage. In order to extract adequate energy from the engine
cooling system, the engine must be under load, not idling. They are a
wonderful idea, that simply does not work. Think electric tankless
heaters,
if space is a concern.
Steve
"Juan Bassols" wrote in message
...
I would like to install a calorifier connected to the boat engine. Could
somebody give me advise how to do it and how to avoid mistakes? My
engine is a Iveco aifo 8141 and I would like to connect a small
calorifier, preferably a flat one to fix it near the engine. Thank you!
Steve, you've got to be kidding. Right?
Just about every boat I've seen has a water heater with an engine
water heat exchanger built in to make hot water when away from the
dock. Ours, and several I've owned, work fine. The thermostat keeps
the coolant at pretty much a constant temperature, therefore keeping
the "hot water" at a fairly constant temperture. Okay, so hot water
made at idle is a bit less hot than under way.
I assume a calorifier is just a water heater with no other means of
heating the water?
Rick
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