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Heater question


a92harley92

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I didn't want to hijack another thread, so I started this one.

As expected (from reading this forum), my heater is cold at idle. I plan on re-routing the return line to the "Y" pipe (I'll be purchasing soon) that will be placed in front of the raw water pump. I want to place a ball valve in-line also, so I can shut off the heater during the summer. Originally I was going to put the valve in the supply side (the hose coming from the manifold). But I remember reading some where that the water is sucked through the heater core instead of pushed through. So, on 2nd thought, I think I will be putting the valve on the return line near the "Y". The reason for switching is... I think the higher RPMs would create a high enough vacuum to collapse the hose.

BTW, I will also be putting some metal flush "T"s (if I can find them) in the heater lines to make winterizing easier.

And... I may install a shower this winter as well.

And... I may install a 2nd heater (but probably not this winter).

And... (OK enough) :closed:

Thoughts on the valve location?

Thanks.

Edited by a92harley92
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why shut off the heater? it doesn't produce heat unless you have the fans on. don't see the need to shut it off.... :unsure:

I just don't see the need to run hot water through the heater during the summer. I also don't want the hot water mixing back into the system when the lake and air is scorching hot already.

I may be over thinking this.

I would also like a valve in-line to (at least) shut off one of the heater lines during winterizing. That way I can remove the "T" caps, close the valve, and "blow" the water out of the lines. This is initially why I was putting the valve in.

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Yea, I don't see that it's necessary either. It should work the way you describe, on the return line, but I've never had a problem in close to 20 yrs of owning boats with heaters.

As for the Ts, I use the plastic Ts that come in the Prestone radiator flush kits. I have them installed down low in the bilge compartment & just pull the caps when I want to drain everything. Gravity does the rest.

One note, I have done quite a few of these installs & occasionally I find the core is installed in the boat with the hose inlet/outlet on the top side. Obviously gravity is going to have a problem with it oriented this way. So I flip the core so the hoses are on the bottom edge. Works great.

Here you can see how I access the Ts to drain the heater..... reaching down between the rear of the engine & the muffler.

flushts.jpg

Oh, and be careful with blowing compressed air thru the heater. They have been known to not handle it very well...... think low pressure, high volume, like your lawn sprinkler system.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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i used brass garden hose connectors on both heater lines.

i left the line lengths such that should my heater start to leak i can remove it from the system and just fasten the engine side of the lines together.

the hose connectors also allow me to add screened grommets to the suck side to filter out stuff i'd rather not have reach the core.

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I have the same setup as t vano. I got some barbed garden hose fittings at Home Depot and put both male and female fittings in the supply and return lines to the heater. Only I flip-flopped the order so if for some reason I get a core leak I can bypass the heater and not end my day on the lake. But I only do this in case of a leak...not to shut it off in the summer. Although living north my heater actually gets used through the summer by the family. I honestly don't think it matters which line you put the valve in if you prefer that route. As long as your main cooling intake line stays clear, it shouldn't collapse anything. And even if it collapsed the heater return line, that wouldn't hurt anything since the valve is already off anyway.

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Yea, I don't see that it's necessary either. It should work the way you describe, on the return line, but I've never had a problem in close to 20 yrs of owning boats with heaters.

As for the Ts, I use the plastic Ts that come in the Prestone radiator flush kits. I have them installed down low in the bilge compartment & just pull the caps when I want to drain everything. Gravity does the rest.

One note, I have done quite a few of these installs & occasionally I find the core is installed in the boat with the hose inlet/outlet on the top side. Obviously gravity is going to have a problem with it oriented this way. So I flip the core so the hoses are on the bottom edge. Works great.

Here you can see how I access the Ts to drain the heater..... reaching down between the rear of the engine & the muffler.

Oh, and be careful with blowing compressed air thru the heater. They have been known to not handle it very well...... think low pressure, high volume, like your lawn sprinkler system.

I like the simplicity of this setup... but the OCD part of me has to clear the lines out with air to make sure their is no water. I cleared the lines with my lungs until the gurgling quit and then blew some (low pressure) compressed air in the lines.

i used brass garden hose connectors on both heater lines.

i left the line lengths such that should my heater start to leak i can remove it from the system and just fasten the engine side of the lines together.

the hose connectors also allow me to add screened grommets to the suck side to filter out stuff i'd rather not have reach the core.

I like this...

I can bypass if needed (without the use of valves), and I like the filter screen idea.

I can also hook a garden hose to the "Y" side of the return line (before the raw water pump) while blocking the other side of the return line (and closing the hull fresh water intake valve) to run the engine while on land. Saves me from buying the Perko FlushPro.

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I can also hook a garden hose to the "Y" side of the return line (before the raw water pump) while blocking the other side of the return line (and closing the hull fresh water intake valve) to run the engine while on land. Saves me from buying the Perko FlushPro.

That won't work... the Y pipe is far too restrictive. I wouldn't anyway.

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I like this...

I can bypass if needed (without the use of valves), and I like the filter screen idea.

I can also hook a garden hose to the "Y" side of the return line (before the raw water pump) while blocking the other side of the return line (and closing the hull fresh water intake valve) to run the engine while on land. Saves me from buying the Perko FlushPro.

Like the others said, not possible due to the design of the Y pipe.

Heres how I do the job.... using about $10 in Home Depot parts. Several others in this forum who have done the same thing too.

hoseadapter.jpg

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Yeah, water takes the path of least resistance so I think you'd have as much water coming out the bottom of the hull as you would going to the raw water pump. It wouldn't be good for the impeller.

Bill you've showed that pic off so much you've joined them together. Thumbup.gif

Here's my version.

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Shawndoggy, Tvano... Well, so much for keeping it simple, huh?

Bill - On Monday when I started my first winterization I removed the inlet hose from the v-drive to stick a garden hose down it for cooling while running the engine. Let me just say that I had to ask my father-in-law to come over and help me get that 1-1/4" hose off. It has very little flexibility. It was a major PITA. I could twist it, but couldn't get it to slide off because it wouldn't flex enough. We finally did it.

So, I thought about the Perko FlushPro. It's simple... hook a hose up and done. I also like being able to see through the tube to see flow. But, it's plastic, and it's pricey.

Martinarcher - I looked at your setup before. I like it because it's solid, and simple.

Thanks guys for the great info.

Decisions, Decisions...

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Shawndoggy, Tvano... Well, so much for keeping it simple, huh?

Bill - On Monday when I started my first winterization I removed the inlet hose from the v-drive to stick a garden hose down it for cooling while running the engine. Let me just say that I had to ask my father-in-law to come over and help me get that 1-1/4" hose off. It has very little flexibility. It was a major PITA. I could twist it, but couldn't get it to slide off because it wouldn't flex enough. We finally did it.

So, I thought about the Perko FlushPro. It's simple... hook a hose up and done. I also like being able to see through the tube to see flow. But, it's plastic, and it's pricey.

Martinarcher - I looked at your setup before. I like it because it's solid, and simple.

Thanks guys for the great info.

Decisions, Decisions...

It's pretty cheap too, but Bill's beats mine in the price department. I went my route, because like you I really used to wrestle to get the 1 1/4 hose off the thru hull or the raw water pump. Bill is your intake hose got the wire reinforcement? I think that's what makes them so hard to pull off.

I still need to replace my black 6" hose from the garden hose to the adapter with a clear one so I can see the water flowing into the boat when running in the driveway. Thumbup.gif

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For pure simplicity it is very hard to beat the flush pro. I know bill has mentioned breaking fittings connecting a hose when it was really cold, but you could avoid that by (a) not using the boat when it's really cold out (aka "the 99%") or (b) leave a short length of hose semiperminently connected or © get the full kit from Bakes (lowest price anywhere!) and mount it it the transom through-hull and fugedaboudit.

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Slightly off of the OT...

What if...

I put a 1-1/4" "T" in line with a 3/4" hose (about 2 feet) coming off of that. The 3/4" hose would remain capped until I needed to use it.

I could then uncap the 3/4" hose, put the cap next to the thru hull intake valve (to remind me to open it back up when done), shut off the valve (so water doesn't go out the thru hull fitting), connect a garden hose to the 3/4" hose, turn on water, start engine.

There are no moving parts and it's solid (unbreakable).

I can do this in brass or stainless. Stainless is about $17 more.

Thoughts?

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The flush pro is pretty sweet. I have the thru-hull fitting and that makes it even nicer.

I am on my third winter, and I have removed the plastic valve each winter before storing the boat. I keep it inside so I don't have to worry about the plastic cracking. I have two hose clamps to remove and it slidea apart pretty fast.

To blow out my heater lines, I used my 12V air pump that we use for inflating tubes. Not a lot of pressure and it seemed to work pretty well. Way better than blowing through the lines and getting a headache!

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