New water heater - Raritan or Seaward?

[Maine Sail]

I installed an Isotemp in 2008 in my previous boat and I have a Seawrd in my current boat that was installed in 2006. Neither have leaked but the Isotemp kept the water hot about twice as long as the Seaward.

Ours stays warm for a couple of days if we don't run the tap. This is because they use a poured, closed cell, foam insulation not the fiberglass batting many cheaper heaters use. The SuperStor use the same....

We also can't forget that the Isotemp, even priced less than the Raritan at some vendors, comes STANDARD with a thermostatic mixing valve....

 

[jibes138]

If Peggy reads this thread she'll probably rejoin the forum. This discussion is very lacking with only the positives of one side of the argument. To be fair you should paste some of Peggie's old rebuttals in here for an opposing viewpoint.

 

[Bob J.]

One of the great things about Superstores is they only have a 1/2 degree of standbye heatloss an hour. I assume the Isotemp must be very close to that the way it's insulated.

Your hot water smells in your current tank because the anoide rod is toast.

 

[Maine Sail]

One of the great things about Superstores is they only have a 1/2 degree of standbye heatloss an hour. I assume the Isotemp must be very close to that the way it's insulated.

Your hot water smells in your current tank because the anoide rod is toast.

Someone heard the old HTP sales pitch.. Can't recall how many times I said that at trade shows and counter days..... Still love in indirect fired hot water heater...

 

[Maine Sail]

If Peggy reads this thread she'll probably rejoin the forum. This discussion is very lacking with only the positives of one side of the argument. To be fair you should paste some of Peggie's old rebuttals in here for an opposing viewpoint.

Peggy worked for Raritan......... Even when she was here I vehemently disagreed with her assessment of glass lined tanks being a "premium" product...

But hey just for grins...

Anodes are included in the water heater of glass-lined steel tanks to protect the inside of the tank against corrosion from acids in the water, stray electrical currents, etc. Glass lined tanks, when the water heater is being built, are heated up red hot. Then glass powder is sprayed inside the tank and it adheres upon contact. However, it doesn't cover every single crack and crevice inside the tank - it should, but in actual practice, it doesn't. The purpose of the anode is to protect those spots inside the tank that have not been glass-covered from rusting away prematurely. The anode is eaten away, rather than the tank being eaten away. Kind of a backup to the glass lining.

Hmmmm sounds like the "Band-Aid" I was referring to....

 

[Steve Dion]

Not only are we considering the life of the tank but the quality of the insulation. We have a Seaward and there is not usually any warm water in the morning.

 

[Rick D]

What I Am Considering...

...after way too much thought and a lot of discarded water heaters over the years, these I came across on this site. I was very impressed with Torrid, specifically the relatively new cube model that will replace all the typical rectangular 6 gallon models, but the insulation isn't so good and Maine's commentary weighs on my decision. When you browse this other company website, you find they have a broiler that is S/S and have expanded foam insulation. Sounding very attractive...

http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?508

http://www.quicknauticalequipment.com/?lng=en&cs1=01&ms1=2&ms2=5&ctm=230

 

[Stu Jackson]

Not only are we considering the life of the tank but the quality of the insulation. We have a Seaward and there is not usually any warm water in the morning.

That's been our experience, too.

 

[Maine Sail]

...after way too much thought and a lot of discarded water heaters over the years, these I came across on this site. I was very impressed with Torrid, specifically the relatively new cube model that will replace all the typical rectangular 6 gallon models, but the insulation isn't so good and Maine's commentary weighs on my decision. When you browse this other company website, you find they have a broiler that is S/S and have expanded foam insulation. Sounding very attractive...

http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?508

http://www.quicknauticalequipment.com/?lng=en&cs1=01&ms1=2&ms2=5&ctm=230

Rick,

Quick makes some very nice stuff and I was not aware Phil had them, good to know! There is also the Volvo QL series water heaters that are also very well built..

 

[Rick486]

These threads are really a lot of fun. Just for the record, I had a 12 Gal Raritan on my previous boat which I installed and it was still going strong 23 years later. It was mounted in a cockpit locker so I had built a marine plywood locker for it, mounted it on wooden pads so it would have air beneath it, and routinely sprayed it with corrosion blocker as any sensible seaman would do to fight the rust which is inevitable in the environment. When I sold the boat there was a small amount of surface rust but any attempt to poke a finger through the casing would have met with a bruised finger. Even with engine heating there was always plenty of hot water for showers and dishes, and the water was clean and pure. Just saying.....

 

[Tim R.]

These threads are really a lot of fun. Just for the record, I had a 12 Gal Raritan on my previous boat which I installed and it was still going strong 23 years later. It was mounted in a cockpit locker so I had built a marine plywood locker for it, mounted it on wooden pads so it would have air beneath it, and routinely sprayed it with corrosion blocker as any sensible seaman would do to fight the rust which is inevitable in the environment. When I sold the boat there was a small amount of surface rust but any attempt to poke a finger through the casing would have met with a bruised finger. Even with engine heating there was always plenty of hot water for showers and dishes, and the water was clean and pure. Just saying.....

Good post Rick. Kind of illustrates the need for proper installation and vigilant maintenance. With so many systems to actively maintain on a boat, when shopping for new components, I am always looking for improvements that mitigate some of this maintenance. One of the reasons I went for the Isotemp.

 

[Christy Leigh]

Not only are we considering the life of the tank but the quality of the insulation. We have a Seaward and there is not usually any warm water in the morning.

My 14 year old Isotherm will still burn your hand the next day. Not scald.... but still hot enough to cause pain.

 

[Rick D]

Seaward Water Heater Tear Down

I forgot I had posted this a long time ago:
http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/in...d=267&cat_id=43&aid=7390&page=article&mn=40.5

Note: This was an aluminum tank not stainless steel. Only the jacket is stainless steel.