maybe a dumb water heater question....

Banooma

Banooma

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Nov 30, 2007
276
Hunter 36 Forked River, NJ
I am planning to drain the water heater tank and bypass it for winterizing before the boat is hauled out for winter. Is there any risk that the heated engine antifreeze running through the coils in the dry tank will damage the water heater when the ngine is run to move the boat to get it out out of the water, and then back to the slip?
 
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
13,019
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Banooma said:
I am planning to drain the water heater tank and bypass it for winterizing before the boat is hauled out for winter. Is there any risk that the heated engine antifreeze running through the coils in the dry tank will damage the water heater when the ngine is run to move the boat to get it out out of the water, and then back to the slip?
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No. I place a piece of blue tape over the breaker for shore power heating. If shore power accidentally gets turned on when the tank is empty the heating element will burn out. They aren't cheap.
 
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Ralph Johnstone

Ralph Johnstone

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Jan 4, 2006
7,282
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
maybe a dumb water heater question....

Nope, didn't see that one anywhere in our list of dumb questions so it must be a valid question :biggrin:.

Safe to do so as everyone above has said. The 175 ℉ water from the engine is not hot enough to harm the tubes.
 
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dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
13,019
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
After pumping out my 6 gallon water heater today I realized that in the past I had only pumped out 5 gallons. Several winter seasons later, no problems.
 
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Barnacle Bill

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Jun 9, 2008
1,801
- -- -Bayfield
The tank in your hot water heater has two sections. One section contains the cooling antifreeze that runs through the engine and the other side has the fresh water that runs through and out to your faucets from the freshwater tank filled with water from your dock. The electrical element is attached to the fresh water side and has no bearing on the engine coolant half. So, when you drain the fresh water from your hot water heater, you are not draining any engine coolant. YOU MUST MAKE SURE YOUR HOT WATER HEATER ELECTRICAL SWITCH IS OFF when the fresh water side is empty or you will burn out the element. So, when you are plugged to dock power or while running your genset, if you have one, the heating element is heating the water that runs to your sinks and shower. When out to sea, with no AC electrical supply, the engine coolant (in a closed system), heats up and that hot water that runs through the half of the hot water heater that does not contain the fresh water, heats the fresh water. If your engine coolant is not hot, and you don't have shore power or any DC electricity going, you have no hot water (after it cools). Bill out
 
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