hot water heaters

[Quijote]

Hi folks,
My boat came with a Paloma installed. I was not keen to have it, but it is there and so I tried it and it worked fine. I am well aware of the need to keep the hatch over the Paloma open any time it is in use. Normally we use hot water from the engine or genset for hot water, but I like the idea of having another system for instant hot water.
I only have one complaint about the Paloma (and hopefully some of you have a solution). When I run my shower, there is not enough water flow to make the hot water heater come on. I have to run the hot water tap in the sink in the head at the same time to make the shower come on. I'm thinking that there are two possible fixes 1) use a shower head with more flow or 2) modify the heater so that it comes on with less flow. 1) sounds easier, but uses more water. If anybody have any ideas.....

Richard

[Talbot]

I suspect your heater is similar to the rinnai, in that water flow is a function of temperature selected on the heater. Mine has a high heat and low heat setting, and if I put the heater on low heat and just use hot water in the shower, adjusting the temperature directly on the heater, I have a fine shower.

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

At the risk of exposing myself a Luddite, I have been living aboard for the past 26 years without hot water and don't really miss it. For dishes I just use more soap. For showers I use a 2 gal garden sprayer that I have painted black. I set this in a protected area of the cockpit where it will get sun. In summer in S. Calif. this is usually enough but on cloudy or winter days I will pour some water off into a tea kettle and heat it on the stove, repeating this as necesary until the shower is all but scalding. I have rigged a shower head using a kitchen sink hand held spigot with a "sqeeze valve". With this getup the 2 gal sprayer will amazingly provide 2 showers.
The boat I am currently building will have a solar heater built into the deck over the shower. I believe the Mainecats are using something like this now.
On the other hand, unless I want to remain a bachelor the rest of my life I may very well install a proper water heater someday. The comments I've read on this thread have been vary valuable in this regard. Thanks!
Mike

Mike's on the right track. We wouldn't have hot water at all. There is almost no need for it unless you are close to the north or south poles. You don't need it to do dishes, you don't need to shower all the time, and you don't need it for any other reason. It's a waste of energy and a waste of water in the case of showering with it.

I'd suggest learning to live without. My wife did.

[exposure]

I have experienced the same problem as Richard with low flow. Using a mixing temperture control valve, if the "cold" water is not very cold, it does not take much hot water to get the correct temperature. It becomes a fine line between not having enough flow and getting a cold shower, and getting too much flow and it is too hot for comfort. I can usually manage, but there can be a couple of "choice" words spoken in the process.

I don't think my flow switch is adjustable in the Wolter heater. If it were, I would be concerned that if the heater might come on with too little flow and overheat due to lack of cooling.

The designers of Talbots heater seem to have hit upon a good solution of a low heat setting. I assume this turns on fewer burners in hte unit.

[pengwynn]

If someone offered a new water heater similar to the Wolter 300 would you buy it? Please give reasons why and why not. Also what do you think the price range would be?

[Sandero]

Can you fit it in the bottom of a cockpit locker?

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[pengwynn]

Originally Posted by defjef

Can you fit it in the bottom of a cockpit locker?

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

It would be about 13"W x 16H" x 5D" with a power vent LPG 30,000 BTU's

[Sandero]

I was referring to installing and engine heat exchange water heater in a cockpit locker... no vent... just some hoses and the tank of course.

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[Sunspot Baby]

Wolter 300 equivalent?

I like my Wolter but she is getting old and rusty. Earlier in this thread someone mentioned the Bosch, which looks like a more modern version. See http://us.binnacle.com/product_info.php?cPath=31_177&products_id=2420

I actually spent more than the $549 working on my Wolter last year, and now it is acting up again. I am seriously considering the Bosch. Of course, I am interested because I am basically plumbed for it. If the boat had an engine water heater, I would probably be looking that direction.

If I were starting with a boat without hot water, I think the instant, stand alone unit is the simpler installation. Down side is that there is another propane line and joints.

George

[Pblais]

Ok this thread is a bit stale but I found the better solution. The Bosch 125-ODS is probaly the only device out there that has a chance of being mostly safe. Even if you think the others are OK this unint has more safty built into it than any of the others. We could argue that it may never be enough but I think of you want to go this route this one works.

Basically it is easy enough to use that I don't see any need to start the pilot light until you really need hot water. It is just too easy to start not to shut the thing off when not in use.

The "ODS" part ids a key feature "Oxygen Deprevation Sensor". As far as I can tell all other Bosch units specificallty state not for marine use - explicitly! The ODS unit is a the only non vented unit and can turn itself off if Oxygen gets too low. It means it might save your life if you screwed up.

This past weekend my wife and I spent the time getting the Gozzard ready for the 220 nm trek home from Delware to Yorktown, Virginia. This is the very unit installed on the boat. I can't say how well the ODS part worked but the heater worked well with it fairly nasty and cold outside and the water is plenty hot. The non venting made the head warm as well as the water hot. I may curse this in the summer but I often never use hot water then.