Hot water

Post by **RicM** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:55 am

On our recent first week long cruise I was confused by the hot water system. We had plenty of hot water underway (from the engine heat), and seamingly at the dock when plugged in using the fresh water pump & tank. We did not have hot water at all when hooked to the dock water. Is there a valve that has to turned or something when on the dock water?

Post by **Pitou** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:36 am

I don't know Ric. A real head scratcher. I've been on other boats hooked up to dock water and it has not affected the availability of hot water. With my Albin as a transient I've never hooked up and just filled upon departure as my water use has been limited to hand washing, dishes etc. with showers available at the various marinas and only staying a night or 2 in one place. Still scratching.

Post by **chiefrcd** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:43 am

I have a hot water heater breaker on my 110v panel box that I have to turn on to get hot water when the engine is not running and I'm tied into the dock.

Post by **Capt Paul** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:44 am

Interesting,

Where on your boat do you hook up to dock water? I do not have a separate connection for that on my boat, at least none that I know about. Just a tank fill.

Paul

jcollins · Post by **jcollins** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 12:51 pm

Perhaps the previous owner added a "city water" connection? I don't have one either. Just the fill.

Tuxedo · Post by **Tuxedo** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:00 pm

Capt Paul wrote:Interesting,

Where on your boat do you hook up to dock water? I do not have a separate connection for that on my boat, at least none that I know about. Just a tank fill.

Paul

I was an option on the 28. That said, I don't know the answer.

Post by **Capt Paul** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:01 pm

Having a separate connection like that would be useful. My guess is that it would "T" into the output line if the the pressure pump so it would supply both the hot and cold water sides with pressure. If the problem is just that the water is not hot, then what Chief mentioned is probably what the issue is.

I have seen people just attach a hose to their fill port while at the doc. But you would still need to have your water pressure pump on while at the doc correct?

Paul

Post by **Pitou** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:09 pm

My Albin and others came through with the Flush mount water regulator option mounted below the regular hose fill. It is designed to protect the boats pump, accumulator tank and water system in general from unregulated pressure at dockside for those extended dockside stays when hooked up to dockside fresh water. I believe it keeps the pressure somewhere between 30 & 40 lbs. so as not to blow out the water system from a typical 100'ish lb city system.

Geez Ric, I hope it's only what Chief mentioned / forgetting to flip the 110 switch.

Post by **Mariner** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:16 pm

We have a regulated city water system on our boat. The hot water works just fine when it's connected (we use it very rarely). I would imagine that if it isn't working on someone's boat, it must have something to do with the way it's plumbed between the tank and the hot water heater. I would guess that the plumbing for the city water system bypasses the water tank, and the heater feeds directly off the water tank via the pressure pump. This would be an easy engineering oversight to make, but fortunately also an easy one to correct. Simply re-route the plumbing that serves the water heater to be downstream of where the city water enters the system.

Gosh, I hope that makes sense.

Post by **RicM** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 2:41 am

Well I had some time yesterday and experimented with the water system. With tank or city water I get no hot even after the HOT Water switch on the AC panel has been on for several hours. Plenty when the engine has been run though. Does the engine heat the water tank or is the hot water side just piped through the heat exchanger? ie, if the tank is closed off with a valve would I still get hot water from the engine? I wonder if the element was allowed to run dry and cooked itself? If so I probrbly would not bother to replace, as we don't really use the hot water much anyway.

Post by **Capt Paul** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 1:56 pm

RicM,

The hot engine coolant is pumped threw the hot water heater. In my boat I also have a cabin heater right under the helm seat which is in series with the hot water heater. Sounds like your heating element is gone or possibly the breaker that supplies it. Check the breaker, it might be a quick fix!

Paul

Post by **mhanna** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:06 pm

Ric, my understanding of the city water hookup is that it lowers pressure and connects after your freshwater pump. This allows you do do all the normal things without your pump running. It looks like you may have found your issue, but as Paul mentioned it could be something as easy as a breaker tripped or even a wire is disconnected. I am not sure which model tank you have but in some the element can be changed.

On a side note, when I winterize my freshwater system I run -50 pink stuff through the whole hot water tank. Yes I waste some by letting it run through for awhile so as not to be so diluted but the tank is always full of fluid. If you run the electric heater on an empty tank you will burn out the element. (ie... flip breaker and not paying attention in the middle of winter)

Matt

Post by **RobS** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 7:36 am

The dockside (city water) connection is simply "T" 'd into the cold water supply line going aft to the transom shower.

Ric, I had remembered you had some hands-on experience with your water heater earlier in the season and did a search and came up with this:

http://albinowners.net/aog/viewtopic.ph ... ter+heater

It seems you are quite familiar with the electrical side of the water heater. No?

Post by **RicM** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:05 am

Yes in fact I am over familiar with the electrics of the water heater. In my case it was faulty AC wiring, the previous owner had connected the thermo-spots and element together with household wire nuts, one of which did not connect fully. AFTER changing the element I discovered the bad connection and low and behold hot water flowith at dockside! I did a whole teatise complete with illustrations in one of the threads, as Force 10 was useless as far as tech support of any kind.

Post by **Jack28** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:54 pm

What do you have for a cabin heater? Do you have pict's? I plan to install a regulator for city water this winter. My plan was to install it with a valve to be able to fill the tank when the city water hose is connected, I had this setup on another boat made it handy so you did not have to disconect the hose to fill the tank when you were leaving. JACK

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