OEM water heater finally leaks

[davidwigler]

Looking for sympathy. It’ll have to be cut up to get through the doors. I’ll be shopping Home Depot today.

[Angela]

That water heater was the very first thing I ever had to fix on Sanctuary. I mean...Day One! It seems they built the boat around it. I used a sledge hammer to beat it in just enough to get it through the doorways to get it off the boat. If you’re really lucky, you might can find a 39 or 40 gallon replacement that you can fit through the doors. At the time I replaced mine, back in May of 2006, no one made one that size that would fit through the doors. I had to remove EVERY door and door jam assembly from the salon/galley right through to the master stateroom. That’s three. And being Hatteras quality, nothing came apart easily - it’s all glued and screwed and the screw holes finished off with teak plugs.

I’d rather replace the washer/dryer “down the hatch” than that damn water heater. Good luck, my friend. I’ll be thinking of you.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

I feel your pain. I've been painting mine with phosphoric acid regularly to slow the cabinet rusting. In my case, it looks like the stbd HE will have to come off to do the replacement.

Besides the rust, I have a new concern; I'm worried about melting the guts. The dock water coming in may be be hotter than the old girl can take.

[SEVEN]

I went deep and bought a Triad Stainless Steel with fiberglass water tank. This baby should last a life time.

[davidwigler]

41 years old, pretty amazing.

[Angela]

Besides the rust, I have a new concern; I'm worried about melting the guts. The dock water coming in may be be hotter than the old girl can take.

I heard that! I live in Miami. I learned the hard way one summer day when I ruined a load of clothes by washing them on the cold water setting using dockside water. Severely shrunk everything. Now, when I want to washing something in “not hot” water in the summer, I make sure I’m running off the tank and not dockside water. We don’t have cold water here until again around late October or early November.

[Pascal]

The water coming out after a minute is cool. Problem is the section of hose between the pedestal and the boat White hose helps too. Dark hose will burn your feet if you get splashed.

As to the water heater, I was lucky that mine made it till the repower and it came out Thur the over head hatch. Almost impossible to find a new one that fits thru the ER doors. I ended up installing the new one in the forward corner of the old diverted which I will soon become a head, it will be under the sink counter top

Otherwise you have to search online for one than fits. Not easy

[Scarlett]

Same with me, had to cut up my OEM heater 2vyears ago to get it out. Sad thing is that heater lasted 40 plus years, but I will be amazed if the new one goes 10 years, but that is the state of stuff made today.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

The water coming out after a minute is cool. Problem is the section of hose between the pedestal and the boat White hose helps too. Dark hose will burn your feet if you get splashed.

Except... the dock water here is suspended under the dock and has 8 or 900 feet to run before I get it.

[Angela]

Except... the dock water here is suspended under the dock and has 8 or 900 feet to run before I get it.

So is mine (and yours, too, Pascal). In the afternoon I cannot get cold water, ever, no matter how long I run it. I suppose there could be cold water during a day where all of the boat washers are on the dock running water all day, and Pascal, maybe that’s how you’re getting cold water at times. I guess I’m not home using water when the boat washers are busy.