Hello everyone,
Sincerely hope all of you had a nice summer. This winter, under my shrinkwrapped cover I would like to remove my 20 year old water heater on my cd 36. I have in the past, seen messages about this subject, but are still not quite sure of the best way to approach this. Can the old water heater be taken out in one piece (Raritan 6 gal.)? If so, this must mean I can install the same one.
On the other hand, if I can't get the old one out in one piece,
what would be your opinion on what unit (brand) should be installed in its place?
Thanks............Charlie cd 36 N.Y.
jcp1347j@aol.com
questions on removal of water heater
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Gary L.
Re: questions on removal of water heater
Hi Charlie,Charlie Palumbo wrote: Hello everyone,
Sincerely hope all of you had a nice summer. This winter, under my shrinkwrapped cover I would like to remove my 20 year old water heater on my cd 36. I have in the past, seen messages about this subject, but are still not quite sure of the best way to approach this. Can the old water heater be taken out in one piece (Raritan 6 gal.)? If so, this must mean I can install the same one.
On the other hand, if I can't get the old one out in one piece,
what would be your opinion on what unit (brand) should be installed in its place?
Thanks............Charlie cd 36 N.Y.
Looks like you and I will be doing the same thing. There have been numerous posts on this subject, and a quick search should uncover them. I do not know what condition your heater is, but mine is very corroded. Other posts have suggested pounding the top and bottom areas inward so as to get them out. I will be installing a rectangular heater afterwards, which should fit perfectly through the locker opening. (I wish there were some metal eating termites to chew my old heater up).
From what I gather, that Raritan is constructed in vinyl or plastic to avoid corrosion, and that you would have to dismantle the top and bottom pieces and flex the sides inward to install.
Hope this helps,
Gary Lapine
Red Witch III
CD30C, #339
dory26@attbi.com
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Al Smith
Re: questions on removal of water heater
I removed the Raritan hotwater heater on my 33 by cutting it in half with a hacksaw. A Saweze would have been easier, but I didn't have one. I installed a 4 gallon ss heater that works great and gives us plenty of hot water.
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Chris Scheck
Water heater removal
Charlie -
The water heater job is one of the few things I've ever done on a boat that is easier than it first appears. The outside of a round water heater is nothing more than a tin can. It's a sheet metal shroud that can be unscrewed and removed easily. You may need some tin snips to get it off, but you'll be throwing it out anyway. The actual heater vessel inside is considerably smaller than the outside cover of the heater. The rectangular heaters are smaller and will fit through the locker opening with no problem. Ours is a Seaward, I believe. It has a nice stainless steel cover. West has them now, I think.
cscheck@aol.com
The water heater job is one of the few things I've ever done on a boat that is easier than it first appears. The outside of a round water heater is nothing more than a tin can. It's a sheet metal shroud that can be unscrewed and removed easily. You may need some tin snips to get it off, but you'll be throwing it out anyway. The actual heater vessel inside is considerably smaller than the outside cover of the heater. The rectangular heaters are smaller and will fit through the locker opening with no problem. Ours is a Seaward, I believe. It has a nice stainless steel cover. West has them now, I think.
cscheck@aol.com
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Gary L.
What model?
Hi Al,Al Smith wrote: I removed the Raritan hotwater heater on my 33 by cutting it in half with a hacksaw. A Saweze would have been easier, but I didn't have one. I installed a 4 gallon ss heater that works great and gives us plenty of hot water.
What model did you install, I was looking at the Seawind, 6 gal. which would fit the locker, but I am always open to other suggestions. When you say enough hot water, how much use to you give it? and how long to heat water with engine running?
Thanks,
Gary Lapine
Red Witch III
CD30C, #339
dory26@attbi.com
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Matt Cawthorne
Been there, done that, got no pictures.
Charlie,
Just did that job last winter on my 20 yr old CD 36.
My batteries are right behind the water heater so I removed them first. Unscrew all fittings possible. Unscrew or drill out any rivets holding covers on (if they have not already rusted off). Remove the outside shell with tin snips. Remove the insulation. Drop the core into the bottom of the locker. Climb in the engine compartment and lie on your back. You can reach into the locker and get the core of the water heater and pass it through to the quarterberth. Clean, sand and paint the locker. You will never again have such an opportunity. I replaced the old unit with an Isotemp 6 gallon water heater with the "magic" option. It stores extra heat with a eutectic holding plate. The Isotemp unit's insulation shells come off easily so the unit can be put in through the engine compartment. I made 1 inch spacers for the feet of the mounts to raise it up for cleaning/potential water removal. The unit works far better than the old Raritan unit. It keeps hot water overnight, can easily be drained, has a thermal regulator on the output and even fits in the spot a little better. The heat exchanger even seems to heat the water faster when running the engine for a short time.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
Just did that job last winter on my 20 yr old CD 36.
My batteries are right behind the water heater so I removed them first. Unscrew all fittings possible. Unscrew or drill out any rivets holding covers on (if they have not already rusted off). Remove the outside shell with tin snips. Remove the insulation. Drop the core into the bottom of the locker. Climb in the engine compartment and lie on your back. You can reach into the locker and get the core of the water heater and pass it through to the quarterberth. Clean, sand and paint the locker. You will never again have such an opportunity. I replaced the old unit with an Isotemp 6 gallon water heater with the "magic" option. It stores extra heat with a eutectic holding plate. The Isotemp unit's insulation shells come off easily so the unit can be put in through the engine compartment. I made 1 inch spacers for the feet of the mounts to raise it up for cleaning/potential water removal. The unit works far better than the old Raritan unit. It keeps hot water overnight, can easily be drained, has a thermal regulator on the output and even fits in the spot a little better. The heat exchanger even seems to heat the water faster when running the engine for a short time.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net