How many here have a hot water heater that works with the engine's coolant system as a heat source?

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

"Scout" wrote in message
. ..


How many here have a hot water heater that works with the engine's coolant
system as a heat source?

Ours is such a water heater, but when we bought the boat there was a small
but insideous coolant leak which could cause engine overheating if pushed a
bit. The leak was discovered to be at the engine-to-water heater hookup
fitting, so we disconnected the water heater loop entirely. Never miss it,
and your point about toxic material flowing through one's water heater is
valid, even though we never gave it a thought. Good post.

Max

I think Seaward made two versions, SS and Aluminum.

I have a galvanic isolator, and use the non-toxic anti-freeze.

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

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

Uninstalling and analyzing this heater is a good thing. Further
inspection may just exonerate the design. If you look closely at the
bottom tubes in this picture,
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/291...97509592UoBucA
you'll notice that they enter the tank through two very loose sleeves.
Check out the ample clearance between the coil ends and the sleeves
they pass through. I need to find a way to determine if what appears to
be an exageration of sloppy pipe fitting is in fact a clever design
intended to drain any chemicals away from contact with fresh water
should the tubing leak for any reason. It is possible that the design
is a tube inside a tube, with the outter tube being an non-pressure
path out of the unit. If that's the case, I can see why the hot water
heat is so slow to come up to temperature, but the added safety feature
would be worth the wait.
As an experiment, I'm thinking of suspending the tank with the tank
face parallel to the floor, so that any drop of water in the tank will
drip from the boiler drain. Then, I would feed a stream of water into
the sleeve and see if it eventually begins to flow from the other side.
If it does, and if it never flows from the boiler drain, then I can
conclude that there exists an isolating compartment, which is vented to
atmosphere, between the anti-freeze filled tubing the fresh water tank.

If I find that to be true, I'll connect to the engine again without
losing sleep.
Scout



Jeff wrote:
I think Seaward made two versions, SS and Aluminum.

I have a galvanic isolator, and use the non-toxic anti-freeze.

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

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

Can you ask Seaward?


"Scout" wrote in message
oups.com..
..
Uninstalling and analyzing this heater is a good thing.
Further
inspection may just exonerate the design. If you look
closely at the
bottom tubes in this picture,
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/291...97509592UoBucA
you'll notice that they enter the tank through two very
loose sleeves.
Check out the ample clearance between the coil ends and
the sleeves
they pass through. I need to find a way to determine if
what appears to
be an exageration of sloppy pipe fitting is in fact a
clever design
intended to drain any chemicals away from contact with
fresh water
should the tubing leak for any reason. It is possible that
the design
is a tube inside a tube, with the outter tube being an
non-pressure
path out of the unit. If that's the case, I can see why
the hot water
heat is so slow to come up to temperature, but the added
safety feature
would be worth the wait.
As an experiment, I'm thinking of suspending the tank with
the tank
face parallel to the floor, so that any drop of water in
the tank will
drip from the boiler drain. Then, I would feed a stream of
water into
the sleeve and see if it eventually begins to flow from
the other side.
If it does, and if it never flows from the boiler drain,
then I can
conclude that there exists an isolating compartment, which
is vented to
atmosphere, between the anti-freeze filled tubing the
fresh water tank.

If I find that to be true, I'll connect to the engine
again without
losing sleep.
Scout



Jeff wrote:
I think Seaward made two versions, SS and Aluminum.

I have a galvanic isolator, and use the non-toxic
anti-freeze.

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

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

What fun is that?
Scout

"Scotty" wrote in message
news
Can you ask Seaward?


"Scout" wrote in message
oups.com..
.
Uninstalling and analyzing this heater is a good thing.
Further
inspection may just exonerate the design. If you look
closely at the
bottom tubes in this picture,
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/291...97509592UoBucA
you'll notice that they enter the tank through two very
loose sleeves.
Check out the ample clearance between the coil ends and
the sleeves
they pass through. I need to find a way to determine if
what appears to
be an exageration of sloppy pipe fitting is in fact a
clever design
intended to drain any chemicals away from contact with
fresh water
should the tubing leak for any reason. It is possible that
the design
is a tube inside a tube, with the outter tube being an
non-pressure
path out of the unit. If that's the case, I can see why
the hot water
heat is so slow to come up to temperature, but the added
safety feature
would be worth the wait.
As an experiment, I'm thinking of suspending the tank with
the tank
face parallel to the floor, so that any drop of water in
the tank will
drip from the boiler drain. Then, I would feed a stream of
water into
the sleeve and see if it eventually begins to flow from
the other side.
If it does, and if it never flows from the boiler drain,
then I can
conclude that there exists an isolating compartment, which
is vented to
atmosphere, between the anti-freeze filled tubing the
fresh water tank.

If I find that to be true, I'll connect to the engine
again without
losing sleep.
Scout



Jeff wrote:
I think Seaward made two versions, SS and Aluminum.

I have a galvanic isolator, and use the non-toxic
anti-freeze.

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

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

Ole Thom's been drinking anti-freeze for years. Hasn't affected him one bit.
"Scout" wrote in message . ..
How many here have a hot water heater that works with the engine's coolant system as a heat source?

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

I'm not as thunk as some people drink I am.

Gilligan wrote:
Ole Thom's been drinking anti-freeze for years. Hasn't affected him one bit.
"Scout" wrote in message . ..
How many here have a hot water heater that works with the engine's coolant system as a heat source?

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


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"Gilligan" wrote in message
...

Ole Thom's been drinking anti-freeze for years. Hasn't affected him one
bit.

Once you've built up a tolerance to the stuff, it's fine. I've moved on to
Canadian whisky--now that stuff is seriously toxic.

Max

"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