CD-36 water heater.

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matt cawthorne

CD-36 water heater.

Post by matt cawthorne »

Hi all,
This weekend the pressure releaf valve in my old water heater started leaking. When I put a wrench on it to remove it the whole water heater broke free from it's rusted mounts. Since it is 18 years old I am going to replace it, but am struggling with what to replace it with. The water heater was put in prior to bolting on the deck. It is too large to fit through the opening in the cockpit locker. I can cut the old one up to get it out, but what to do to get a new one in? I like the idea of the Isotemp unit. The 4 gallon one will fit in with it's insulation removed. I would like to squeeze the 6 gallon unit in, but the dimensions look tight. Has anyone done this? What other water heaters have been squeezed in here?

Thanks,

Matt





mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
John R.

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by John R. »

matt cawthorne wrote: Hi all,
This weekend the pressure releaf valve in my old water heater started leaking. When I put a wrench on it to remove it the whole water heater broke free from it's rusted mounts. Since it is 18 years old I am going to replace it, but am struggling with what to replace it with. The water heater was put in prior to bolting on the deck. It is too large to fit through the opening in the cockpit locker. I can cut the old one up to get it out, but what to do to get a new one in? I like the idea of the Isotemp unit. The 4 gallon one will fit in with it's insulation removed. I would like to squeeze the 6 gallon unit in, but the dimensions look tight. Has anyone done this? What other water heaters have been squeezed in here?

Thanks,

Matt

Matt,
I'm surprised you can't fit a standard Isotemp in through the cockpit locker opening. That really surprises me. Have you checked out the Atlantic heaters? You can fit a 6 gallon stainless Atlantic through the cockpit locker opening on a CD30. How small are those openings on the 36?
Steve Alarcon

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by Steve Alarcon »

Hi Matt,

A Seaward Stainless 6 gal is installed on our CD36. I had presumed that this Seaward is not original. On our previous CD30, I replaced the 6 gal Raritan with a 6 gal Super Stor. It was a tight fit, but it did go through as long as you put the fittings on after it was in.

Steve Alarcon
CD36 Tenacity
Seattle



alarcon3@prodigy.net
Al Levesque

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by Al Levesque »

matt cawthorne wrote: ...I would like to squeeze the 6 gallon unit in, but the dimensions look tight. Has anyone done this? What other water heaters have been squeezed in here?
Ours is a CD33. I don't know if our lockers are the same size.

We had the Allcraft V-5SS (5.6 gal) installed by the yard. I don't know what was involved. There were no structural changes.

The literature on the heater shows the dimensions as 14.25 high and 14.25 wide.

Al



albertlevesque@cove.com
matt cawthorne

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by matt cawthorne »

John,
John R. wrote: How small are those openings on the 36?
The nominal width of the opening is 11 inches, but only if I remove the batteries, battery boxes, exhaust hose and cooling system expansion tank can I take advantage of that 11 inches. The existing system is 14 inches in diameter. It seems that most 6 gallon units are 14 inches in diameter. I have been told that the insulation on the Isotemp unit can be disassembled to facilitate installation, allowing the 4 gallon unit (11.2 inch OD) to fit in and be re-assembled. The thing is that the 6 gallon Isotemp unit can be purchased with a eutectic holding plate internally and greatly expands the amount of time that the water is kept hot. This seems like a neat feature. The 6 gallon unit is 14 inches in diameter and I think that the thickness of the insulation is less than 1 inch.
The one direction that I have not investigated is to go in through the quarter berth under the cockpit and into the port locker. I had hoped that I would hear that someone had done this........


Matt



mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
matt cawthorne

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by matt cawthorne »

Steve,
I am currently annoyed with Seward due to their lack of spare parts support for their older stoves. They claim that they sold the model line to another company who will supply parts. In fact they sold the last of their spare parts to a spare parts dealer who has no intention of making more spares. All they have is some cotton wicking.

If their unit is the only one that fits I will go with that. Do you know what model it is? Is it a round unit or of another shape?

Matt



mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
Ken Coit

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by Ken Coit »

Matt,

I have made the trip across the engine compartment as you suggest, but I have no idea how big an object you can push into the locker once you cross the engine compartment. On Parfait there is an after-market shelf fitted below the water heater and battery shelf for an additional set of batteries. It pretty well blocks access from the engine compartment for anything very large although I can get in there to service the seacock now that I have made some adjustments to equipment placement. In addition to any interference there, I would take a look at the height of the access port from the pilot berth. I fit through there, but I cannot fit into the locker from the cockpit without great worry that I won't be able to get out. I guess I am greater than 11" thick, maybe my retirement diet will help.

At the dock, I use the dinghy thwart as a temporary bridge across the engine compartment, but a more permanent one would be advisable. It sometimes slips at inconvenient times and it would be fairly dangerous with the engine running or at sea. Even so, it is better than trying to cross without a support.

Maybe you ought to mock up a water heater in cardboard and see if it will squeeze through the engine compartment an into the locker.

Good luck,

Ken
CD/36 Parfait
Raleigh, NC

matt cawthorne wrote: John,
John R. wrote: How small are those openings on the 36?
The nominal width of the opening is 11 inches, but only if I remove the batteries, battery boxes, exhaust hose and cooling system expansion tank can I take advantage of that 11 inches. The existing system is 14 inches in diameter. It seems that most 6 gallon units are 14 inches in diameter. I have been told that the insulation on the Isotemp unit can be disassembled to facilitate installation, allowing the 4 gallon unit (11.2 inch OD) to fit in and be re-assembled. The thing is that the 6 gallon Isotemp unit can be purchased with a eutectic holding plate internally and greatly expands the amount of time that the water is kept hot. This seems like a neat feature. The 6 gallon unit is 14 inches in diameter and I think that the thickness of the insulation is less than 1 inch.
The one direction that I have not investigated is to go in through the quarter berth under the cockpit and into the port locker. I had hoped that I would hear that someone had done this........


Matt


parfait@nc.rr.com
Patrick Turner

Flash heat

Post by Patrick Turner »

One alternative that you might want to check out is heating the water you use with a flash heat type system. I don't have any details at my finger tips, but at one time I was (and may in the future) consider this as an option. The basic premis is that the water used is passed through a coil that is heated via a small burner....Instant heat. Not waiting for the engine or shore power to heat it up and your not carrying around the extra weight of 6 gals of water outboard. These types of systems have been in existence for a long time...'specially in Europe....and have gotten to the point that they are very small, reliable and safe. There is one unit out there that is specially designed for marine use...all stainless. I believe the fuel source can be deisel, but It's been awhile since I checked into this option and can't say for sure.
I would at least look into it befor you put one of those traditional space hogs into your boat.

Pat



patrick.t@home.com
Steve Alarcon

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by Steve Alarcon »

Matt,
It's the square one. Personally, I'd go with the Super Stor. It was rated very high by practical sailor, is a very clean, vinyl-covered unit, and is only 1.25 inches bigger. Check to make sure, but I'm pretty sure it will fit; it did on the CD30. Another option, West Marine now has an electric instantneous water heater that runs on 12v or shore power that is about $40 less than the Seward and $150 less than the Super Stor. Its in the catalogue on pg 520.

Steve
Bob Coupland

Re: CD-36 water heater.

Post by Bob Coupland »

Mat,
Mine was located in the starboard cockpit locker. Access is gained by removing a teak access panel directly behind the quarter berth.Very easy to get to. I removed mine to make room for more batteries.
Bob
CD36 "seamist II"



rcouplan@msn.com
Bill Cochrane

Isotemp Water Heater

Post by Bill Cochrane »

Matt,

Last year at the Annapolis Boat Show the ?distributor? of Isotemp had cutaway tanks. I did some measuring to see if the 6 gallon would fit and as I recall it was pretty close, with the insulation removed of course. I was "just checking" in anticipation of the same need. You might take careful measurements of both the cockpit locker and the quarterberth hatch and compare against the cutaway, if you're going to the show this year. I may be doing the same thing. Also, if I'm not mistaken the cockpit locker coaming is removeable...with quite a bit of trouble. Would that add enough to the width?

Bill
CD36 #114
Phoenix



cochrane@clark.net
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