Water Heater

[Kirk Dornfeld]

I have discovered some orange-yellow watery (not oily) fluid in the floor of the engine compartment over the winter. I recently noticed some near the water heater, drained to the bilge near the boat speed transducer in our newly purchased 1995 Hunter 29.5. Could this be the closed system antifreeze from the engine used to heat the water heater? Do you think we sprung a leak? Any suggestions to repair while its still in dry dock? Thanks so much.

 

[Carl and Juliana Dupre]

It Sounds Like Coolant!

Hi, Kirk. Glad you survived that Minnesota winter!Closed-loop system coolant fluid comes in several colors, and a bright yellow-orange is certainly one of them. Definitely sounds like that's what it is. The simplest possibility is that it was just a bit of spillage that might have happened during winterization procedures and possible coolant fluid change (did you put the boat to bed for the winter or someone else?).The second possibility is leaks that ocurred over the winter, possibly due to hose clamps that weren't quite tight enough and loosened a bit more in those Minnesota winter temperatures (brrrrrr!!). There have been a couple of earlier posts noting mysterious coolant leaks that occurred during the winter. Check and tighten all the clamps in the system as part of spring commissioning.These are the most likely causes in our opinion; the rest of the possibilities aren't worth contemplating until you know more. This is a system that can be worked on after the boat is in the water. We'd say get it in the water, run the engine and check carefully for any leaks. Good luck!Carl and Jules/v 'Syzygy' (now in the water!)

 

[Les Andersen]

Quick Check

Kirk,Most permanant antifreeze feels oily and slick. Alot of it is green. If you think that what you found is the same as your antifreeze just look inside your expansion tank. If that is the same color as what you found then it might be antifreeze from layup or a leak. But orange/yellow and watery can also be rusty water from some spill during layup. Before you start up the engine and pressurize the system with hot engine coolant and find you have a serious problem. You might want to invest in a radiator pressure tester from any automotive parts house. ($25-$35) It replaces the radiator cap with a hand pressure pump and gage. You just pump up the pressure of the cold system to spec and look for any leaks. You can get just as good results without having the engine running and hot antifreeze spraying everywhere if there is a problem. Just be careful you don't pump the pressure to high.Hope its just a spill,Les s/v Mutual Fun

 

[Gene B. s/v Paradigm]

Coolant Valves

In the 29.5, there are two drain valves in the hose lines for the coolant. One is on the hose going to the top of the engine, and the other is on the hose right before it enters the hot water heater. These are exactly the two places you mentioned. Make sure they are both tight. Do not make the mistake (as some have) of thinking these are normal valves, where the handle would be aligned with the flow. They should be tightened all the way clockwise, or they could dribble under pressure, just like you described. I just finished flushing and refilling my coolant on my 29.5, so I had the opportunity to become familiar with this system. I also took advantage of the chance to install a temperature gauge to supplement the temperature alarm. Highly recommended! Now I'll know when it's time to service the mixing elbow before it's too late.