Seaward S-600 water heater possible leak

[jonelli]

@Stu Jackson - Question... I won't be at my boat anytime soon, and knowing that I've had the boat for 9 years, and those water heaters typically last 12+ years, and the fact I can't see any signs of leaking near the hoses, is it worth it to go through the trouble to setup a pressure test to see if it's really broken or should I just plan to replace it just based on the signs? coolant pooled directly below it, and age?

I found the Whale/Seaward version on amazon as well, so I can use my credits to make that one cheaper and get the better one.
Just want to know if I should even bother to test it.

 

[Rick D]

FWIW, I have replaced 3 water heaters (Seaward) in 40 years. In each case, the failure was at the heat exchanger and the aluminum vessel. That is not repairable.

 

[Stu Jackson]

@Stu Jackson - Question... I won't be at my boat anytime soon, and knowing that I've had the boat for 9 years, and those water heaters typically last 12+ years, and the fact I can't see any signs of leaking near the hoses, is it worth it to go through the trouble to setup a pressure test to see if it's really broken or should I just plan to replace it just based on the signs? coolant pooled directly below it, and age?

I found the Whale/Seaward version on amazon as well, so I can use my credits to make that one cheaper and get the better one.
Just want to know if I should even bother to test it.

jonelli,

If you are completely convinced it is NOT the hose,, then what else could it be? Really.

FWIW, I have replaced 3 water heaters (Seaward) in 40 years. In each case, the failure was at the heat exchanger and the aluminum vessel. That is not repairable.

And since you cannot repair it, what else do you do?

It is a rather simple answer and once you see how rather easy it is to replace, you'll just do it and put it behind you.

 

[jonelli]

Just got the new same water heater. Based on the cutout, it’s been done before. I’ll tackle this tomorrow.

 

[jonelli]

Welp, it’s done. Had to kind of do it twice. I should’ve probably ran new hoses too because I spent a couple hours troubleshooting why the new water heater wasn’t getting hot. I had clogged coolant hoses.
Took it all apart again and first flushed the heater’s exchanger then used a hand pump to flush and clear the hoses of whatever was clogging them. Got it all cleared out and reinstalled everything. Now it’s working good.
Why does WM only have red coolant?? I really hate the red coolant. It gets red everywhere and makes a mess and looks like diesel.
Next time going back to the green stuff.

 

[jonelli]

UPDATE—
The exact same coolant leak appeared when I checked the boat yesterday. Puddle underneath the heater and a puddle in the bilge.
So….. looks like I prematurely changed the water heater and my issue has to be the hoses I didn’t change out.
The heater was at its end of life anyway, but I’ll bet the hoses are way beyond.
Not looking forward to sucking all the coolant out again and making a mess. But that’s what I need to do now. There’s nothing else between the engine and the heater. And it’s not likely the new heater has leaks.

 

[jviss]

UPDATE—
The exact same coolant leak appeared when I checked the boat yesterday. Puddle underneath the heater and a puddle in the bilge.
So….. looks like I prematurely changed the water heater and my issue has to be the hoses I didn’t change out.
The heater was at its end of life anyway, but I’ll bet the hoses are way beyond.
Not looking forward to sucking all the coolant out again and making a mess. But that’s what I need to do now. There’s nothing else between the engine and the heater. And it’s not likely the new heater has leaks.

Thanks for the follow up. Based on your original post I suspected this was the case. I think I mentioned it! I hope you get it fixed, it can be quite frustrating. But yea, new heater should have also meant new hoses.

 

[dlochner]

Why does WM only have red coolant?? I really hate the red coolant. It gets red everywhere and makes a mess and looks like diesel.
Next time going back to the green stuff.

There is likely more to the difference than just color. Different engines require different AF formulations. Check with the engine manual for the right formulation and then buy it at an auto parts store. These engine blocks are all based on small tractor blocks.

 

[FastOlson]

Something new I just noticed after a trip. Getting coolant loss into the bilge. 87 Catalina 30.
I’ve traced it back to under the water heater. I can see a small puddle and it’s not leaking very much but it is. I can’t see any signs of it leaking from the hoses or barbs so I’m thinking it’s the water heater.
Before I go ripping it out, anything special to look for?

If your boat still has any OEM hoses leading to or from the engine (fuel, coolant, or ?) dating from the build, they are about 15 to 20 years beyond their normal replacement time. It's several days of fiddly work, but well worth it to restore reliability to the systems. I replaced our factory hot water tank long ago, due to corrosion of the outer shell and also the inner (aluminum) tank.
The present all-ss tank has been in place for about 20 years with no issues.
View that 1987 tank as a "consumable" and just replace it. The newer Isotemp product gets good reviews, to name just one. Avoid any design with an aluminum inner tank - this will sooner-or-later put white powdery oxide into your water system.

Since a "coolant loss" could seriously harm your engine, do not put this overdue maintenance off any longer.

 

[jviss]

If your boat still has any OEM hoses leading to or from the engine (fuel, coolant, or ?) dating from the build, they are about 15 to 20 years beyond their normal replacement time. It's several days of fiddly work, but well worth it to restore reliability to the systems. I replaced our factory hot water tank long ago, due to corrosion of the outer shell and also the inner (aluminum) tank.
The present all-ss tank has been in place for about 20 years with no issues.
View that 1987 tank as a "consumable" and just replace it. The newer Isotemp product gets good reviews, to name just one. Avoid any design with an aluminum inner tank - this will sooner-or-later put white powdery oxide into your water system.

Since a "coolant loss" could seriously harm your engine, do not put this overdue maintenance off any longer.

He already did it.