Replacing hot water heater

[lacoursmarc]

Anyone have tips/instructions on how best to disconnect the heat exchanger hoses? I have a Hunter 29.5 and a closed engine heating system.

 

[JoeWhite]

I am not sure what your water heater looks like, but if it is the 6 gallon type visit my website for a full installation with images.

Water Heater Replacement | Sail La Vie

mei1970.org

 

[marcham]

You can use a dinghy air pump to get the most of the coolant out of the hoses.... good time to do a hose replacement as well if they are more than 15 years old ?

 

[lacoursmarc]

Thanks for the detailed instructions!

 

[lacoursmarc]

You can use a dinghy air pump to get the most of the coolant out of the hoses.... good time to do a hose replacement as well if they are more than 15 years old ?

Great idea!

 

[jssailem]

When I replaced the water heater on my boat (about 7 years ago), I lifted the coolant hoses above the engine, and gravity kept the coolant in place. After installing the WH in the boat, I attached the hoses to the new tank and added some antifreeze to top the unit up.

I'm not sure about your unit, but once I released the upper of the two hoses, the liquid flowed out of the other hose towards the engine to find equilibrium. It was one of the easier projects on my boat.

 

[lacoursmarc]

This sounds like a great idea. I was wondering about using gravity to my advantage. Thanks!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

If you haven't changed your coolant in a few years, you may as well drain and replace all the coolant. Probably a good time to change out the hoses, too. If you are going to replace the water heater, may as well refresh the entire system.

 

[Rick Webb]

Clamps like these lessen a lot of the mess of a job like that

Amazon.com: Hose Pinch Off Pliers - Durable Hose Clamp Tool for Fuel Lines, Radiator Hoses & Coolant Maintenance, 4-Piece Set for Brake, Fuel & Coolant Hoses : Industrial & Scientific

I like to run a shop on the main or largest hose of what I am working on while disassembling the cooling system. Helps bigtime to keep the antifreeze contained. Takes forever to get that stuff completely cleaned up.

 

[Art12050]

I put a U fitting with two hose clamps on the hoses a let the coolant circulate back to the engine. Like jssailem said, hold the hoses up while you’re installing the fitting so the coolant doesn’t run out.